2 comments about Fresh Traditions: Classic Dishes for a Contemporary Lifestyle.

1. In today's world, it is too easy to get caught up in our busy lives and rely on the convenience of take-out foods and eating out. Jorj Morgan's Fresh Traditions offers incentive to get back into the kitchen by way of quick, easy to follow recipes for delicious versions of classic foods. Easy to prepare, Jorj's recipes always call for the freshest ingredients. She also suggests variations in ingredients to take her recipes from classic to contemporary. The appetizer recipes are incredible. I served a few of them recently at a neighborhood get-together and they had rave reviews. They were quick and easy to make, but they tasted and looked like I spent hours in the kitchen! The chicken recipes with their variations on traditional ingredients offer endless ways to prepare your favorite chicken dishes. Fresh Traditions gives plenty of healthy choices and nutritional tips for those, like me, who are watching their weight. This is an all around excellent cookbook!



2. I was one of the testers for Jorj's cookbook. By being one of the recipe testers, I have made many of the recipes in the book. I know how good these recipes are and I still use many of the recipes that I tested (from memory) in my everyday cooking.
   
   Many cookbooks on the market today are written by television stars, people who are highly recognizable by the public. Although sometimes wonderful, what is forgotten is that there are many real cooks out there who have equally fantastic ideas about cooking. Jorj Morgan's recent cookbook, , is a collection of recipes designed for real people to explore cooking in their own kitchens - to go beyond recreating toward creativity. Her recipes are easy to follow and contain many suggestions for how to "play" with them. Some of the recipes are adaptations of more traditional recipes but even these recipes often have some new twist.
   
   I recommend this cookbook. It will be one that you read and use rather than gathering dust on the shelf or looking beautiful on the coffee table.

3 comments about More Than Moonshine: Appalachian Recipes and Recollections.

1. I stumbled upon this at the university library among other historical cookbooks. The recipes are appealing and so is the writing. It's a real gem and I'm glad it's still in print.



2. Really fun recipes that you don't find elsewhere. Has all those wonderful recipes for the foods I grew up with in the South - but nobody used recipes then - so every attempt to recall those has been vague - until this book. It is a really beautiful insight to the Appalachian culture.



3. Sidney Saylor Farr does an excellent job in recalling both the recipes and the culture behind an often overlooked section of our national heritage. Those that are interested in the Appalachian lifestyle or food's use as a tool for examining a culture will be fascinated by More Than Moonshine. Those interested in re-creating some of the home cooking that permeated the region also won't be disappointed.
   
   By following recipes such as these, citizens in one of the poorer regions of our country managed to survive - and indeed thrive - during some of our nation's leanest years. The practical skills presented in this book should also not be ignored.

No comments about Southern Living Five-Star Recipe Collection.

No comments about True Grits: Recipes Inspired by the Movies of John Wayne.

5 comments about My Mother's Southern Entertaining.

1. I have the other books she wrote and love her southern recipes and the great stories that are told about each one. Being a Southern gal myself, I so enjoy the recipes of my childhood. I have recommonded this book to many of my friends. Her books I go back to time and time again. And so far nothing I have made hasn't just melted in my families mouth.



2. This is wonderful. Very witty and inspiring to boot! Run, don't walk, to purchase this beauty!



3. I have all three of Martha Pearl's cookbooks, including this latest, and I love them all. She's witty, she's opinionated, and she's sometimes hilariously dictatorial ("Don't be uppity about using canned salmon if you don't have fresh .... You really can't tell the difference" in this molded salad.) Martha Pearl's got some seventy years of experience giving parties, and y'all can tell she knows how to throw a party, southern-style! The recipes are very practically organized into complete (and I mean complete!) menus, each comprising seven or eight items, from the pre-dinner drinks and punches all the way to the desserts. Each menu makes for a lavish spread of elegantly simple foods that are just delicious. I have never tried a Martha Pearl recipe that wasn't utterly delectable. In addition to the customary holiday celebrations throughout the year, for which this book offers a wealth of good recipes and fresh ideas for entertaining, this book inspires me to want to give parties I never thought of before, like a Spend-the-Day Fruitcake Party (y'all bring your own dried and candied fruits to snip and soak, and luncheon will be served while y'all take a break at some point); a Gumbo Night; an After-Shopping Brunch (any excuse to throw a party!); a Tots' Jingle-Bell Party; etc. Martha Pearl's evident love for giving a good party is contagious. Having her recipes and party-planning tips is like having her in the kitchen with me, and she's like everyone's favorite grandmother: inspiring, dependable, and just delightful. If Martha Pearl comes out with a fourth cookbook, I'll have to have it!



4. James and Martha Pearl did a knock out collaboration in "My Mother's Southern Kitchen." So I purchased this book with high expectations. It has some excellent recipes-her Savannah Red Rice on her Gumbo Dinner menu is a worthy addition to "things to do with rice." The menus were thoughtful, and something I had never seen before: The Bereavement Buffet. Ms. Villas suggests a good friend or family member take charge of the after-the-funeral gathering and have it at their home rather than the close friends and family, covered dishes in hand, troop to the home of the bereaved. Makes a lot of sense.

   The problem with the book is evident on the front cover: A very handsome picture of various cooking entries placed on a white tablecloth. The picture features the food and no attention is paid to the setting. The book has sketchy comments here and there as to types of china and crockery used or maybe what flowers were picked from the garden to dress the table. I expect a book on Entertaining to have a few (hopefully many) lavish pictures of table settings. Schedules are a boon and things that can be cooked ahead are a must. Invitations and how they should be communicated is a big help. For instance, Martha Pearl does not give us a clue how people at the funeral are going to know where the buffet is.

   The book is an extension of "Southern Kitchen" with barely a nod to Entertaining. However, the recipes are good, precise and easy to follow. It is written in an entertaining manner.




5. Since my mother was from Connecticut and my father from Mississippi, they wisely decided to settle in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, as a cultural compromise with which both could live. Mother's New England basic cooking was good, but she often wished to be able to cook like her Southern sisters-in-law (until she would return from a visit South and discover a slightly wider waistline).

   Regardless of whether you live in the North, South, East, or West, however, these are wonderful recipes that produce delicious food without the host having to hunt for exotic and expensive ingrediants.

   More importantly, however, this book shows how good home-style cooking can re-connect neighbors in a community, something that modern culture sadly lacks. The format of the menu ideas for reaching out to others is inspirational, and could do a lot to bring folks together who have let frenetic life-styles erode relationships with family and friends.

   Not only a GREAT cookbook, but one that demonstrates Christian love in action (Episcopal style). My warmest compliments to the Villas; I hope they read all these great reviews. (And don't worry about your waist-line--just take smaller portions and savor every bite.)

5 comments about My Mother's Southern Desserts : More Than 180 Treasured Family Recipes for Holiday and Everyday Celebration.

1. "My Mother's Southern Desserts" is a praiseworthy compilation of recipes from Jim Villas and his mother, Martha Pearl. Her repertoire of sumptuous sweets is organized by holidays and special events. And each recipe has a side-panel, in which Martha Pearl pens an engaging bit of background on the dish at hand. Being both Southern and a dessert lover, I perused this volume with a growling stomach. A handful of dishes that I wanted to bounce up and bake included Chewy Peanut-Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies, The Delta Queen's Pralines, Chocolate Pecan Pie, and--believe it or not--mango ice cream! The book's layout is superb: Simple red dots and lines seperate the recipes' titles, comments, and lists of ingredients. And there are 16, full-page color pictures at the center of the book. Southern food lovers will crave this work.



2. Having not had the good fortune to be born a Southerner, I at least had the good taste to marry one! But because the cuisine of North Carolina is so different from my native Western Pennsylvania, I have been learning as much as I can about Southern cooking so that my spouse and I can enjoy the flavors of both regions. For desserts, Miss Martha Pearl and Mr. Villas have put together a staggeringly beautiful array of sweets for every conceivable occasion. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because some of the recipe directions are a little unclear: the Easter Moravian Sugar Cake, for example, tells you to dissolve yeast and sugar in water in a small bowl but never gets around to telling you when you should incorporate that mixture into your larger bowl of batter dough. While I didn't have any problems decipering the directions myself since I've been baking since I was eight years old, I think of the baking novice whom might get a little frustrated by the lack of detail. That said, this is a beautiful and exciting book made even more enjoyable by the anecdotes regarding family and friends. My only regret is that their first book, My Mother's Southern Kitchen, is out of stock and I can't find a copy anywhere! Kudos to Miss Martha Pearl and Mr. Villas for their wonderful offering.



3. I am really big on Martha Pearl Villas's recipes because there is an elegant simplicity in her tastes, and this is true even of the richest desserts in this book. Often amusingly bossy and opinionated, she is absolutely adamant about not "tarting up" a dessert with extraneous flavors or ingredients. I tried her Confederate Peach Cobbler recently, and it was a real success with my family, including my thinks-he-is-a-food-critic husband. The fresh peaches were cooked just right -- not too sweet and neither too firm nor too soft -- in a crystal-clear filling that let the marvelous peach flavors come through, unobscured by unnecessary spices and extracts. The rich biscuit crust made with heavy cream was scrumptious, the perfect counterpoint to the simple filling. Another great example of such elegant simplicity is the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, which also came out utterly delectable when I tried it recently. This upside-down cake was not cloyingly sweet like some, for it had just the right amount of brown sugar and butter glazing the pineapples and cherries, and the cake underneath was a simple sponge that was the perfect foil for the rich, caramelized glaze. Though definitely highly caloric, this cake, with its clear fruit flavors and light sponge base, seemed so light that I, surprisingly, felt I could have finished the entire cake in one sitting. I am looking forward to trying all of the recipes in this book. In short, you will find that Martha Pearl Villas does not "re-invent" (i.e., adulterate) the old Southern favorites just to sell a cookbook; these recipes are the real thing. I highly recommend (and own) all of Martha Pearl Villas's cookbooks for their very Southern emphasis on good, true flavors.



4. My mother bought this book for a cake recipe she and my son wanted to make. I wasn't present for that misadventure, but heard it was a disaster. My mom, an excellent cook, was so angry she wanted to throw the book in the trash. My wife saved it from an early demise.
   
   This evening, my wife made the Pecan Diamonds. As the recipe insisted, she followed it "exactly". We couldn't see how it would hold together, but did as told. The result was a pile of dry pecans sitting on top of a crust surrounded by a pool of the caramel that had melted out of them. It probably would have been fine if it had been cooked in a pan that contained it instead of in the middle of a large baking sheet, as directed. Obviously the author did not test his own recipe.
   
   Save your money, time and frustration. Do not buy this book.



5. This is a wonderful cookbook--there are some terrific recipes in it but the stories about the recipes are also delightful to read. I love to bake and highly recommend this cookbook.

3 comments about Crescent City Collection: A Taste of New Orleans.

1. Crescent City Collection is the latest cookbook by the Junior League of New Orleans. It contains some recipes for dishes fundamentally identified with New Orleans, but it also reflects the trend in restaurants and kitchens throughout New Orleans to experiment with new tastes and combinations of flavors. The recipes for traditional dishes like red beans and rice all seem to have a twist that successfully compliments and expands upon what is tried and true. All the recipes I've tried and tasted have been excellent, notably the Crawfish Cheescake, the Curried Chicken Salad, the Madras Salad, and the Chicken Parmisan with Apricot Sauce.

   In addition to the excellent recipes, Crescent City Collection is so gorgeous it is worthy of being displayed on a coffee table. The photographs are of historic New Orleans residences. In addition, throughout the cookbook are vignettes on subjects related to New Orleans and cooking. When I don't want to cook out of it, sometimes I just enjoy reading it.




2. This cookbook is beautiful to look at and the recipes are so easy, even for a novice. The Barefoot Boursin is a big hit at parties and doubles as an ingredient for Sinful Spinach. Also, the Dixie Beer Bread is very easy, I used it last year for Christmas gifts.



3. Crescent City Collection: A Taste Of New Orleans is a classy cookbook featuring over 250 recipes donated by members of the Junior League of New Orleans. Color photographs wonderfully enliven and showcase these elegant dishes with glimpses into beautiful and grandiose homes, and informative sidebars offer well-to-do cooking tips. Dishes such as Bayou Bean Salad; Turkey and Red Wine Lasagna; and Lemon Rice Pilaf fill the pages of this elegantly sumptuous and highly commended culinary guide.

2 comments about Creole Gumbo and All That Jazz: A New Orleans Seafood Cookbook.

1. Creole Gumbo (makes 12 quarts = 48 servings, can be made in smaller batches)

   Recipe below evolved and adapted for the beach from "Creole Gumbo and all that Jazz" by Howard Mitcham,who nails it far better than anyone in print. This book is highly recommended.

   6 quarts chicken stock or water 6+ washed tomatoes 2+ lbs washed medium shrimp 12+ washed live crabs (essential, buy 18 before boarding ferry)

   Bring stock to boil. All in same stock, boil tomatoes 1 minute, skin and seed. Boil shrimp 4 minutes, shell and fridge the meat. Boil live crabs 20 minutes. Eat some crab meat for lunch, return all crab parts, well crushed with shrimp shells, to same stock. Boil vigorously 15 minutes, no longer. Strain stock well e.g. through paper towels and colander.

   stick butter flour bunch scallions 3+ onions 1+ heads of garlic 3+ red or green peppers 4+ sticks celery

   Melt butter in heavy nonstick. Add flour bit by bit till thick slurry. Stir with spatula over med heat till deep tan or as dark as you dare, without burning. Add chopped veggies (chop garlic and onions at last minute) and saute till soft. Move to heavy gumbo pot if this wasn't it.

   3 lbs okra, fresh or frozen 2+ lbs good ham 3 bay leaves bunch fresh thyme bunch parsley 2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1-3 tbsp tabasco sauce 1+ tbsp freshly ground black pepper 1/2 lb double smoked bacon 2+ lbs fresh Andouille sausage or similar hot sausage, or kielbasa

   Add okra sliced into rounds, diced tomatoes, diced ham, thyme tied into bunch, minced parsley, bay, any meat you crave and have (chicken? beef browned in bacon fat?). Add enough stock to cover solids and keep sloppy. Add some Worcestershire, tabasco, pepper. Slice and cook bacon, crumble and add. Braise sausage in inch of water till ready to eat, poking with fork to release fat. Slice and save.

   Simmer gumbo 2-4 hours, low enough and stirred often enough to never stick at bottom. Tasting over next few hours, remembering flavors will "cure" and salt gets added at end, gradually add more W,t,p to taste. Add sausage 30 minutes before serving, shrimp 10 minutes before serving, add any seafood you crave and have (oysters? lobster? crawfish tails?). Salt generously to taste, serve with ample cooked rice.




2. I have used this book fro over a decade and am about to order a fresh copy. It is a great read and a great, practical cookbook. I have used it constantly.

1 comments about The Country Ham Book.

1. I was practically weaned on country ham but until I bought a copy of Jeanne Voltz's book on country ham, I never appreciated the nuances that distinguish one country ham from another,the differences in the curing, the smoking (not to mention the type of wood used for the smoking), the aging and storing. Voltz explains all of this in detail, provides mail order sources for country hams, then dishes up a fabulous variety of country ham recipes. This is definitely the definitive book on the subject of country hams.

1 comments about Savannah Classic Desserts.

1. The American South is famous for its regional cuisine. Beautifully enhanced throughout with the color photography of Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, "Savannah Classic Desserts: Recipes From Favorite Restaurants" is an outstanding collection of recipes by Janice Shay (who combines a history lesson on some of the most popular restaurants and cafes in Savannah, Georgia), with signature dishes that superbly reflect the diversity, culinary traditions, and gourmet qualities of the desserts served. These are desserts that are as 'kitchen cook friendly' to prepare as they are palate pleasing and appetite satisfying to consume. Ranging from a Red Velvet Cake (Susan Mason Catering); to a Peach and blackberry Cobbler (North Beach Grill); to Southern Comfort Peach Bread Pudding, with Vanilla Ice Cream & Southern Comfort Creme Anglaise (Firefly Cafe); to Sugar & Spice Pecans (River Street Sweets), "Savannah Classic Deserts" clearly lives up to the promise of its title and is enthusiastically recommended for personal and community library cookbook collections!