4 comments about Life of the Party (Junior League of Tampa Culinary Collection).

1. THE LIFE OF THE PARTY
   BY
   The Junior League of Tampa
   ... a culinary collection

   "Food is at the core of what connects us," states Tampa's Junior League. "No party is out of our reach," with skillful planning, creative make-ahead recipes and fun menu selections. The basic object, they state, is to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests. They provide some creative twists on classic recipes.

   This 127-page book is divided into: Parties, Preludes, Sideliners, Main Events and Grand Finales. Here and there are little Etiquette squibs, always helpful in changing times. Here are just a few:

   § One Prelude is Grouper Cakes with Tartar Sauce - an delicious Florida take on Maryland Crab Cakes.

   § Smoked Salmon Brushetta with Fennel and Goat Cheese is a menu from Tampa'a Mise en Place Restaurant.

   § Sassy Salsa combines black beans, corn, cilantro cumin tomatoes avocados and chiles.

   § Delicate Gazpacho Blanco contains yogurt, sour cream, peppers, parsley and light spicing.

   § Bunco Jumble is a crazy candy or salty snacks of Ritz peanut butter sandwich crackers, peanuts pretzels and M & M's.

   § Pirate's Milk Punch is a concoction of sour mash bourbon, French brandy, vodka, vanilla, whole milk and nutmeg.

   § Sideliners include Linguine Al Granchio con Salsa Rosa from Caffe Paradiso includes plum tomatoes, lump crab meat, clam juice and heavy cream

   § Pesto Green Beans involves fresh basil, pecans and of course green beans.

   § Great for New Year's brunch or a Bucs tailgate party is Jalapeno Cheese Grits with lots of butter, eggs and hot jalapenos. Pina Colada Muffins sideline well with these grits.

   § Main Event White Bean Chicken Chili is a hearty collection of the beans with green chiles, oregano and chicken beasts served with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

   § Arroz con Pollo Salada with Tomato Garlic Mayonnaise is a memorable combination of long rich, ham, green beans and chicken.

   § A "to die for" could be the Pears in Mascarpone Custard. Simple to make and bakes for only 20 minutes.

   § Another Grand meal finisher is Calypso Pie made with coffee ice cream Kahlua, slivered almonds in a graham cracker crust topped with a rich chocolate sauce.

   § What is a Butterscotch Sundae Martini? It's Godiva white chocolate liqueur, butterscotch schnapps, Frangelico amaretto, premium vodka in a chilled martini glass.

   The Junior League of Tampa, Inc., is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through effective action and leadership by trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Proceeds from the sale of this cookbook will be reinvested in the community through Junior League of Tampa projects. (Telephone: 813.254.1734).




2. Everything I prepare from this cook book is an instant favorite! I am a cooking genius when I make a recipe from Life of the Party. This is not a large cook book that is loaded with recipes. It is rather a book made up of fantastic recipes that are well worth your effort! From drinks to salad dressings ('to die for' salad dressing is just that!) and entrees to desserts, Life of the Party is a simplistic menu guide for large crowds & parties. I'd be lost without it!



3. I love this cookbook! Looking for a great appetizer -- you've gotta try the goat cheese. (easy and delicious!!!)



4. This cookbook offers simple instructions and makes either a novice in athe kitchen or a veteran entertain with ease.

No comments about Take Five, A Men's Cookbook.

2 comments about Chef Paul Prudhomme's Pure Magic.

1. There are alot of easy recipes in this book, I have tried many of them. Down home food no matter where your home is. It is not only easy to follow but there are candid stories about how some of the recipes came about. This one stays on the counter.



2. Paul Prudhomme makes good food and with this book, you can make good food too. I love regional cookbooks that provide the history or the story behind the recipe and this book delivers. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. I wish there were more photgraphs.
   
   I've had this book for a while and I will never part with it.

3 comments about Classic Cajun: Culture and Cooking.

1. I have been cooking cajun foods for over 40 years and my mother before me. This book is so true to the authentic "French" cajun cooking found in homes in and around Lafayette, Louisiana that I sometimes am surprised at its accuracy. I watch Miss Lucy on PBS and this book follows her show. I just purchased two more books as gifts for my children and will give it to them as the truest representation of the preparation and enjoyment of "French" cajun cooking. On her show, her accent is alittle too corney but look beyond that and enjoy!!



2. This book is a treasure! I am from Southern Louisiana but now live in Colorado. I never really wanted to learn to cook when I was young, but now that I am older and a mom I want to pass on my heritage to my children. This book is very authentic. It is exactly like my mother cooks--with no weird ingredients. The recipes are fantastic and the commentary witty. It also has a glossary for those persons who don't understand some of the cajun terminology. This book was my "early" Mother's Day present. And, I couldn't be any happier.



3. I have never tried cajun cooking but after watching Lucy's show I wanted too! I ordered her book, and every recipe I've tried is mouth watering delicious! My kids will now eat "greens" because they are absolutely to die for. Ingredients are few, directions simple, and every single recipe turns out perfect! Lucy's book has put excitement into our meals again. You must try her book to believe everday, ordinary food, can be so delicious!

5 comments about The Complete Do-Ahead Cookbook: Southern Living (Today's Gourmet).

1. Over the past 25 years, I've purchased a lot of cookbooks and I love to cook. When I ordered this book I expected a lot of mediocre recipes that could be done ahead and in a hurry. What a wonderful surprise. Every recipe I've made has been outstanding and received rave reviews from my family. I don't like meatloaf - but I loved the Piquant Little Meat Loaves. Cornish Hens Mandarin was excellent and Company Chicken-Artichoke pleased even grumpy teenagers. The final and supreme compliment came when I visited my mom (recovering from surgery in Iowa) and I cooked one of the recipes. She is a superb (extremely particular) cook and said, "This is a cookbook that finally makes sense." She liked that the first recipe was large and leftovers were utilized in the series of recipes that followed. Thank you so much for a group of fresh and exciting recipes!



2. The time saving tips you will find here are worth their weight in gold. I like to entertain but still have enought time and energy left to enjoy my company. This book teaches you how to prepare foods well in advance so you are not running around at the last frazzled minute before dinner guests arrive. I had a Christmas part for 60- prepared all the food myself and did minimal preparation that day. I was able to freeze the cream puffs for Curried Chicken Salad Puffs a month ahead and fill them that day. The section Coctail Buffet for Forty took all the hassle out of planning for a large affair and I used every recipe I found there- the Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish was elegant to serve and thrilled my guests. Also, the Rasberry Vinaigrette is the best I've ever come across. This is almost exclusively the only cookbook I use and has become my standard present for soon-to-be brides.



3. This has become one of the books I reference most often. I like the individual recipes, but I absolutely LOVE the recipes for full dinners and buffets. I have made the cocktail for 40 not once, but twice, and it was a smashing success both times. My new mother-in-law so enjoyed the frozen apple waldorf salads I made for an inlaws visit recently, she asked for the recipe - when I removed it from my cupboard, she said, oh, I have that cookbook, but I haven't looked at it. What a shame! It's one of my all-time favorites!



4. This is a great book! I have made the Delta Shrimp recipe several times and always get asked for the recipe. I make it even easier using frozen uncooked, peeled and cleaned shrimp, and always get rave reviews. The Company Artichoke Chicken Bake is also excellent! For anyone who loves to entertain, and do most of the preparation ahead of time, this is the book to get!



5. I must echo what each of the other reviewers has already said about this book. I have made many of the recipes and always get asked for "a copy". At least six of my friends have gone out and purchased their own edition of the book. Now I'm planning to buy a second copy so I won't have to keep taking my original with me when I go to Florida for an extended period in the winter.I really can't be without it.Even my batchelor son borrows Mom's book when he's entertaining.

5 comments about The Only Texas Cookbook (Lone Star guides).

1. I read cookbooks for more than recipes. This book has it all. Curl up on a cool evening, or a torrid afternoon, to learn abut Texas and the great humor of Linda West. She talks about her family and friends in a way that makes you want to meet them and sit down and enjoy a hearty meal with them all. The recipes are easy to follow, and true to her description. Thoroughly enjoyable!



2. This is not only a cookbook but a collection of excellent short stories by Linda that give you an insight into Texas culture as well as cusine (recipes are good too).



3. I picked up this book a few years ago while visiting a friend in Houston. There are so many good recipes in here, I don't even know where to begin! Lots of basic, easy to make Texas-style and Tex-mex recipes, plus a smattering of exotic wild game dishes. But it's not just the recipes that make this book -- the author, Linda West Eckhardt -- has filled the pages with humorous stories and factoids about the Texas lifestyle.



4. I had borrowed the book from my sister and found it to be just wonderful!! Being a Native Texan, I am always on the look-out for recipes that are "Texas". The recipes for Duck Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffee andFuzzy's Fantastic South Texas Road Meat Chili are among my favorite from the book. My sister is demanding her copy back, so, I am ordering my own!!



5. 
   I keep buying and giving copies of The ONLY Texas Cookbook...starting with my daughters-in-law who want some of my favorite recipes. But you don't have to be a cook to hunker down with this powerful book of classic Texas tales you'll never forget because Linda's voice rings so true. It is an oldie but goodie! ~ Shirley (Shirleybarr PR, Houston)

5 comments about El Paso Chile Company.

1. One of my most used cookbooks - since I am in "the land of bland" I have to rely on this more than ever. Of special note is the grits recipe - a real winner for any brunch.



2. This is a great cookbook that is more New Mexican/ Border in flavor than Tex-Mex. The red enchiladas are so good. I usually make them twice a month for my family. I have made almost every recipe in this book and every one has been a winner.



3. This is an outstanding cookbood and easy to use. Every recipe I've made has turned out great and wow's my family and friends. I put it in my top three most frequently used cookbooks.



4. There are a lot of cookbooks out there purporting to be "Tex-Mex". Most of them are charlatans. This is the Real Deal. When I was a kid, my mom even made "Texas Trash" for when company was coming over. She would always tell me, "Just don't tell them what it's called". Of course, the company loved it, as did I. She also made just about everything else in this book. This is what I grew up on. About the only thing she wouldn't make were Tamales, they are a "PITA" to make without help, a point mentioned in this book, she would buy them pre-made. If you like or want to learn Tex-Mex, "This is the one !". Authentic Tex-Mex !



5. I have owned this cookbook for over 10 years and it is my favorite and most used. Well written and easy to follow, the Texas Border Cookbook demonstrates many of the classic Texas recipes including salsas, guacamole, chili (5 different variations), enchiladas and chicken fried steak. If you enjoy southwestern food this cookbook should be in your collection.

5 comments about The Gasparilla Cookbook.

1. This is the book for anyone who is interested in the variety of recipes representing so many different cultural backgrounds. It centers in on the recipes of Florida's West Coast and gives you so much historical information besides wonderful recipes. The West Coast of Florida is rich in recipes , Spanish, Greek, Italian, Southern, Yankee, and the greatest Seafood recipes on Earth. This book is a must if you love simple great food!



2. THIS BOOK HAS ALL THE RECIPES YOU WOULD WANT FROM FLORIDA CUSINE.THERE ARE OVER 700 MOUTH WATERING RECIPES. IT IS GREAT!



3. Great "real" recipes. The book has been around for a couple of generations with tried and true recipes! It's loaded with yummy tastes of Tampa and its spanish heritage and many other recipes - 712 in all! Recipes are simple and ingredients easy to locate at the local grocery store. A great product from our local Junior League of Tampa that helps fund their community projects.



4. This cookbook is a must have if you're a Florida resident! Everytime I look through it I have so much. It is big enough to allow you to surprise guests many times over. It is a fantastic place to turn for Cuban classics & Florida seafood recipes.



5. As a young boy, I spent my summers on Boca Grande Island. My Grandmother often used this book. There are recipes from great Tampa cooks and from local restaurants - the most notable being the Columbia in Ybor City.
   The introductions to the chapters bring back Florida as it was before air conditioning and the influx of northerners, "When we were children, the Gulf beaches were a lonely outpost where the white shell roads were rippled like washboards, and one drove to neighboring towns for groceries, ice, and drinking water". A great book.

2 comments about Best of the Best from Arkansas: Selected Recipes from Arkansas' Favorite Cookbooks.

1. Being from Arkansas, naturally I was drawn to this book. I also collect cookbooks so I have learned to weed out the ones that tend to be too extravagant for my everyday meals. This cookbook has all the wonderful, Southern-style, home-made recipes I grew up enjoying. It is a compilation of the best recipes from fifty-four different cookbooks from my home state. Historic pictures and interesting tid-bits about Arkansas are scattered through out this collection of tried and true recipes. I know I will enjoy using this cookbook for many years to come and it has already become one of my favorites when I am looking for something yummy to cook!



2. I gave this book as a gift and was pleased with it when it arrived. The person who received it as a gift likes it and has successfully tried several recipes already. It's a specialty item but fit the occasion and the circumstances perfectly. Anyone who enjoys good, Southern, down home cooking would appreciate this collection.

No comments about You Are Where You Eat: Stories and Recipes from the Neighborhoods of New Orleans.