1 comments about Cookin' With Will Rogers.

1. I'm always on the lookout for celebrity cookbooks because they're fun to read. Not only is this a great cookbook with wonderful homestyle recipes, the Will Roger quotes are entertaining and delightful. Some of his quotes are more relevant today, than they were in his day.
   
   I have a 2002 edition which is a hard cover, spiral bound book. There is a forward from Will Rogers' son, Jim Rogers and about 10 pages of introduction that includes information on Will Rogers, the Dog Iron Ranch (Rogers' birthplace), the Will Rogers Museum and a bio on Rogers' wife. Sprinkled throughout the cookbook are black and white photos of Rogers with trivia and quotes.
   
   The cookbook is filled with practical everyday type recipes that I use time and time again. The chapter headings are:
   
   Munchies and Gulley Washers (appetizers and beverages)
   Sidekicks (soups, salads and vegetables)
   Over the Hot Coals (main dishes and casseroles)
   From the Ranch, Hen House and Fishing Hole (meat, poultry and seafood)
   Just Hankerin' for Sweets (pies, pastries and desserts)
   Hot 'n Risin' (breads and rolls)
   
   Some of the included recipes are Buttermilk Stroganoff, Avocado with Crab Dip, 1920's Front Porch Lemonade, Roughneck Bean Soup, Cherry Pepper Salad, Aunt Bessie's 1920 Macaroni and Cheese, Georgia Peach Chicken Roast, Oklahoma Mince Pie, Cow Pies (and they look like the real thing!), Huckleberry Bread (from the Cherokee National Historical Society) and the list goes on!
   
   As a wonderful collectible celebrity cookbook and as a practical everyday cookbook, this will make the perfect gift for a Will Rogers' fan. Or just buy it for yourself, like I did.

No comments about Southern Vegetable Cooking.

5 comments about Recipes from Historic Louisiana: Cooking with Louisiana's Finest Restaurants.

1. New Orleans has always, until Hurricane Katrina, been first and foremost famous for its food and restaurants. Recipes from Historic Louisiana is a collection of 120 favorite dishes from chefs at 48 of Louisiana's most famous restaurants. The history, stories and 130 full-color beautiful photographs combine with the recipes to enable you to recreate this incredible cuisine at home. The book is interesting in of itself for its historical content and the recipes are great.
   
   I served the Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bananas and Vanilla from G. W. Fins restaurant at a recent dinner party and received several requests for the recipe.
   
   The authors present easy-to-follow instructions for all the famous Creole and Cajun dishes that will bring back fond memories of New Orleans for those familiar with the Crescent City. And even if you've never been there, you'll have a hard time trying to decide which recipe to try first.
   
   Some of my favorite recipes from the book are Bananas Foster French Toast, Pesto Cheesecake, Slow Roasted Brisket, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bananas and Vanilla. If you've ever been to Louisiana, or are familiar with its cuisine, you'll love this book. I haven't been there in over 20 years and Recipes from Historic Louisiana was a real stroll down memory lane, in addition to being a cookbook that you'll want to have. The book is beautiful, the recipes are sublime, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the National Trust for Historic Preservation Hurricane Relief Fund.



2. I recently received a couple of books, and Ms. Bauer's was in the stack. After I skimmed it, I called a friend and started talking about the recipes as well as New Orleans in general. An hour later I realized we were STILL talking about her cookbook!
   
   Bottom Line: I consider Top Ramen a food group and I was enthralled. Anyone with even a slight interest in cooking or New Orleans will be extremely pleased with this offering.



3. This is one of the best cookbooks that I have ever bought It is full a great recipes and beautiful pictures. Linda and Steve Bauer had done an excellent job on this book.
   
   Fara Raines



4. Linda and Steve Bauer cooked up a big 'ole gumbo pot of the best of Louisiana cuisine. Their timing was a divine appointment as they may have unknowingly preserved precious cultural treasures in the wake of Katrina. Bravo!



5. The collaborative effort of Linda and Steve Bauer, "Recipes From Historic Louisiana" is a compilation of recipes drawn from the head chefs of forty-eight popular restaurants and dining establishments from Louisiana and ranging from Alexandria, through Evangeline Country, to venerable New Orleans. Embellished with fascinating stories combined with savory 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that can transform ordinary meals into culinary delights, "Recipes From Historic Louisiana" showcases dishes that range from Bronzed Stake with a Gingersnap Gravy (K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen); to Barbecue Rib-Eye (Dickie Brennan's Stakehouse); to Trout Meuniere Amandine (Galatoire's); to Gumbo Ya-Ya (Commander's Palace); to Spiced Butternut Squash Soup (Mabry House). For a 'kitchen cook friendly' collection of authentic Louisiana cuisine, add Linda and Steve Bauer's "Recipes From Historic Louisiana" to your cookbook shelf! Also very highly recommended is the Bauer's companion collection, "Recipes From Historic America: Cooking & Traveling With America's Finest Hotels".

No comments about Virginia Celebrates: Recipes and Ideas for Entertaining.

5 comments about The New Southern Basics: Traditional Southern Food for Today.

1. This cookbook is wonderful!
   I was looking for a cookbook that had the recipes that my Grandmothers, from Southern Illionis, would cook when I would visit every summer.
   
   What you will find most amazing about this cookbook is that you will have many of the ingredients in your panty. (Even if it's not stocked with fancy foodstuff!)

   My husband thinks the meatloaf recipe is simply the best and raves and raves about it! The cheese straws I made for a Thanksgiving were all devoured in one night! As did they love the pimento cheese. The beef stew is wonderful as is the pot roast, chicken and dumplings, chicken salad, and the maccaroni and cheese is great. I've made the beef stew. Oh my goodness, was it good! Oh and the recipe for Banana Nut Bread is the best I've ever made, per my neighbors, my doctor, his wife, and even my Mama. Forget about my kids, I make double and triple batches and it's gone within a few day! For a Christmas get together I made the fudge pie and bought peppermint ice cream.(I had been out all day and was so tired, it really is an easy dessert!) The men loved it even more than the kids!

   If Mrs. Stamps ever reads these reviews: Please get another cookbook out with some "More Southern Basics".

   When I use this cookbook I am always thinking about my Grandmothers. They loved their men and their children, grandchildren and great grand-children, and most of all they loved who they were - Women raising a family, being smart, yet furgal when it came to providing for those they loved. And so proud.

   Can a cookbook evolve all this emotion?
   Yes it can and it does.




2. For a Northerner who can't cook (i.e. follow dirctions wellwhen cooking) and doesn't particularly like to cook, I LOVED this cookbook. Now you may be asking yourself why a self described non-cooking woman would by this book. It's very simple. I've eaten the wonderful food Martha Stamps cooks up at her restaurant at the Belle Meade Plantation. I'll also confess that initially I purchased the book just because I loved the tea punch and knew I'd never remember the recipe until I got home from Nashville.

   What I found not only by eating at her restaurant but by actually reading the cookbook is that her passion for cooking is clearly evident. While the recipes can stand on their own, what
   makes this cook book so special are the details about Martha and her family that accompany the recipes. It is clearly evident that cooking is not just a vocation for her but a passion. These recipes aren't just thrown together, they have a history to them.

   Even if you buy this book for just one recipe - it's worth it.




3. I have made some wonderful dishes from this book, but it contains its fair share of stinkers, as well. After having the misfortune of coming across several failed recipes, I've come to the conclusion that this must be the author's first attempt at transcribing recipes which she's been cooking from memory for years. This cookbook is riddled with errors and omissions -- it clearly has not been kitchen tested by the publisher. The cheese straws required additional butter, the oven baked pork chops don't tell you what to do with the flour mixture (it's for dredging the pork chops before browining), the Hoppin' John doesn't work with fresh blackeyed peas, even though it says it will (too much liquid), and the cranberry loaf just flat-out does not work (this was an expensive failure, as it contains two cups of walnuts). In addition,the book is also light on details such as pan sizes and exact cooking times.
   
   That said, the maccaroni and cheese, greens with tomatoes, pumpkin bread, date nut cookies, white bread, cucumber sandwiches, and real french dressing were all successful and quite good.
   
   This is a nice book to play with, but I wouldn't recommend cooking anything new for the first time when you're having company over. You also might want to cross-reference any recipes that catch your interest with recipes from other cookbooks or the internet just to be safe.



4. Great book for learning the basics of southern cooking. Recipes were easy to follow and delicious. Would definitely recommend.



5. After eating at Belle Meade and getting hooked on the cheese grits and fried chicken, I had to buy the cookbook. This one does not disappoint. Everything I have made from this is wonderful. Fried green tomatoes, bread pudding...all of it fabulous. It is also easy enough for every day cooking. With the exception of occasional ingredients that are local specialties (poke salet, spiced round) there aren't quirky ingredients or overly complicated recipes. It might be the one cookbook on my shelf I couldn't live without.

No comments about Revel.

No comments about The Flavor of the South.

No comments about Southern Treasures: Our Famous Yellow Cookbook.

3 comments about Family Recipes From Rosedown & Catalpa Plantations.

1. I'm not a food geek (I'm a hella dishwasher, though!), but I enjoyed reading "Family Recipes From Rosedown & Catalpa Plantations". There's quite a lot of social history larded in among the cooking instructions, and I had a great time leafing through it. It would be a fine addition to the bookshelves of anyone interested in southern American history, cooking, lifestyles, or antebellum daily life.
   
   My husband, Joe, *is* a food geek, and here's what he sez: "..when Giles and I went to New Orleans, we spent a good deal of time in the old house museums (I know... hard to believe - NOT!). The docent at the first one was probably the most knowledgeable docent I have ever run into. At the end of the tour, he noticed me in the gift shop drooling over the reprints of old cookbooks. As it turns out, he has just written a cookbook with redactions of about 300 of the 500 recipes that he had found (yes, FOUND!) in the attics of two of the plantation homes where he has also docented. (WHY do things like this never happen to me?)
   If you are a historic-food geak like I am, I highly recommend it. It is a wealth of knowledge in terms of historical background, while also containing some pretty darned interesting and cool recipes."



2. This is a pretty good one. Some good Southern recipes, but for some reason, I sorta expected more.



3. I really enjoyed what turned out to be a very interesting peek into the south's past. You not only get a condensed history of what life was like at Rosedown and Catalpa, but a great collection of heirloom recipes. The recipes, such as the ones for divinity candy, pickled peaches, delicious dixie biscuits and chow-chow really reflect the tried and true cuisine that still endures to this day in the south. An interesting fact that I never knew until I read this book is how women came about building their "receipts" collections. It's truly a community documentation of what people eat. I can go on and on about what an incredible find this really is. If you are interested in the history of food and regional cooking, I definitely recommend this brilliant book.

1 comments about Best of Bayou Cuisine.

1. Best Of Bayou Cuisine is a new version of the classic 1970 cookbook showcasing favorites from the Mississippi delta, and is edited to contain only the most highly acclaimed recipes from the original edition. In addition, the editors have added nearly one hundred brand new recipes showing the amazing talent and inventiveness of Delta cooks in the past thirty years. Filled with mouth-watering, sumptuous recipes from Sherried Shrimp Dip; Hamburger Cornpone Pie; and Mississippi Fried Chicken; to Sazerac Cocktail; Crystallized Grapefruit Peel; and Caramel Pudding, Best Of Bayou Cuisine has something for all three meals of the day!