No comments about The Amish Cook's Family Favorites & Facts.

5 comments about The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook.

1. A woman I gave a hand to gave me this book as a thank you because she knew I was homesick for San Francisco food living in Louisiana, land of fried. It was the best gift. The recipes in this book contain the diverse soul of San Francisco. My favorites are the Tamale Pie, the Chicken in Spice Laden Coconut Sauce, and the Chicken Lime Soup-but everything I have tried has been good. The cookie section in particular is amazing. If like I was you are home sick for The City, or if you just want a reliable source of creative and tasty recipes, this book is well worth buying, and will become one of the dog-eared favorites.



2. This cookbook has recipes from many different Bay Area sources. So far, everything I've tried has been great. I've made a variation of the Chocolate Buttermilk cake (one layer I skipped the chocolate and added orange instead) for my son's birthdays. There's a chicken dish with lemon and mint that's very nice, and of course all the pasta dishes by Janet Fletcher are exceptional - but I already have her cookbooks separately. Last week I made the Milanese Braised Pork - very simple, with very few ingredients, but quite delicious and tender.



3. I've lived in SF since 1970 and I love these cookbooks - I rarely read the paper on Wednesday, but I know the recipes are great, and these books are the best way to collect the best of the best from the local paper!



4. I've had this book for about five years, and it's my favorite. If I had to give away all my cookbooks and keep only one, this would be it. I have no ties to San Francisco -- it's just an excellent cookbook. Here are my recs:
   
   Grilled Chicken Breasts with Santa Fe Green Chili Sauce
   page 221
   *Quick, easy, and delicious. Canned chopped green chilies are excellent in this dish, so no need to chop fresh chilies.
   *The sauce is good on pasta-- a side dish to go with the chicken.
   *Try the Oven-Fried Sweet Potatoes on page 172. The flavors are wonderful together.
   
   Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Lemons
   page 224
   * A show stopper, and easy.
   *One small lemon is enough. Otherwise, it's too puckery.
   * The breasts always turn out a bit dry, so go heavy on the dark meat.
   * Make some rice to go with it. The sauce is brilliant on rice.
   
   Chicken Quarters in Chermoula
   page 225
   * Great flavors.
   * It makes a broth more than a "sauce."
   
   Sapghetti alla Puttansesca
   page 80
   * Excellent. Note: It seems a whole pound of noodles is a little more than you might need for the sauce this makes. But it's almost a perfect fit.
   * We used only 2 anchovy fillets, which seemed like a good compromise.
   
   Theater Steak
   page 180
   * Use filet mignion. With other cuts of steak, it's too chewy.
   * DO fry the bread. It makes a difference.
   
   Butter-Steamed Salmon with Mint Vinaigrette
   page 254
   * I've never enjoyed salmon more (says a non-salmon fan)
   
   French Toast with Orange and Triple Sec
   page 272
   * Big success, esp. if you use thick bread - 1/2 inch slices
   * You can use 1/2 cup OJ if you don't want to squeeze "juice of one orange"
   * Half-and-half is fine if there is no heavy cream in the fridge
   * The butter isn't to keep the bread from sticking, it's to fry in, so be generous with the butter.
   
   Chocolate Cookies "to Die for"
   page 385
   * So worth the trouble. So, so worth it.
   * Cayenne pepper and chocolate. Like in the movies.
   * Use half the recommended chocolate chips; otherwise it's too chocolatey.
   * Undercook rather than overcook these cookies. There's little flour, so don't be fooled by the shiny gooey-ness. Cook the recommended time only.
   
   Ginger Jack Cookies
   page 388
   * Use flakey cornflakes, not "Whole Foods" ones or cookies are too chewy
   * There are vegetable shortenings without hydrogenated oils (no need to use Crisco)
   
   Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
   page 386
   *Somehow, you can eat more of these than regular chocolate chip cookies without getting ill.
   
   Lime and Pepita Sugar Cookies
   page 391
   * Strangely addictive.
   
   Banana Macadamia Cookies
   page 381
   * Go heavy on the almost-black bananas.
   * You can leave out the nuts and the cookies are still rich.
   
   Two-Flour Pancakes
   page 302
   * Decadent pancakes. Great mouth feel.
   * They're full of butter. Make them when you feel skinny.
   * Cutting in the butter is a pain.
   
   Lemon Granita
   page 399
   * A friend made this for us. It was delicious and fresh.
   
   German Chocolate Cake
   page 354
   * A lot of work, but also worth it.
   * This delicate cake will have a flat, slightly sugary top crust, which tends to crack. So, that's the way it's supposed to look.
   
   
   Not Recommended: Vegetable Tian, which was too oily and grey. Also, the Chocolate Ancho Chilie and Orange Cake was too rich (like a pound cake) and pretty difficult to make.



5. This cookbook and volume II, are both excellent cookbooks. My girlfriend and I bust them out anytime we're having company, or if we just want something nice for ourselves. I recommend it highly.

2 comments about Absolutely Avocado (Cook West).

1. The book had less pages than I thought it would and was much smaller in width and heighth. It was illustrated beautifully and had some great recipes. It was a gift for a woman in the office who has several avocado trees on her property. Over the years, she has kept me and others where I work supplied with avocadoes when they are in season. It's also a great book for anyone who loves avocadoes. There is even a recipe for making avocado ice cream! My co-worker really appreciated receiving the book. I just wish it had twice the number of recipes in it. I guess there is just so much you can do with avocadoes.



2. I recently discovered how tasty avocado is in and of itself. However, I was interested in trying something different and so I bought this book for my husband for Father's Day. So far we have tried one of the recipes, The California Omelette, and it was quite tasty. I look forward to trying the Avocado Crab Puffs, the Thai Avocado Seafood Soup and the Avocado Cheddar Biscuits.

5 comments about Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia.

1. For the wine and food nut, this book is of epic proportion. Vivid and lively pictures combined with the real people and real stories of the Pac NW illustrates the connection between Braiden Rex-Johnson and her subject. The
   wine country traveler's guide to the good life in the Pac NW. Bravo!



2. This book offers many exceptional recipes however there are two from Chef Maury Bennett in Idaho that are amazing his passion for local fares radiates through his ideas. I would like to see an entire cook book done by him!!



3. To counter the damp and dreary days of winter I surround myself with distractions that promise better days to come. At the top of my pile is Braiden Rex-Johnson's Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining. Just looking at the cover of this love letter to NW cuisine warms me. I imagine myself dining al fresco on the patio of this restaurant or a myriad of others. Then I pour over the interior pages, like a gardener pouring over a seed catalogue in winter. I indulge in the descriptions of familiar restaurants and wineries as well as intriguing new ones. I plan our next excursion into Eastern Washington or the Willamette Valley or the always promising Vancouver area, while noting the recipes from these areas that we want to make today and the wines we will want to serve with them. I smile at the quotes from favorite and unfamiliar chefs and feel as though I now know something of what makes them who they are. And then I remember another friend who I want to share this book with and I'm back online to order it. What a perfectly luscious way to wile away the winter days.



4. This cookbook is absolutely gorgeous. It is a wonderful guide to the Pacific Northwest for both locals and visitors. The recipes are fabulous (try the Chipotle Chocolate Cake) and very easy to do at home, while still elegant. And the wine pairing suggestions are spot on. Outstanding book that would make a great addition to anyone's cookbook collection - and one that you will actually use.



5. Braiden has captured the unique flavors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and B.C. with her lively commentary of the distinct ingredients you can find there. Her profiles of people and places make me want to visit each and every destination. If I can't get to that farm or winery, at least I can make the meal myself - and pour a glass of Braiden's hand-picked Northwest wine recommendations to accompany it.
   
   The recipes are easy and delicious, inspiring us to use local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients. So far, our family favorites are the Grilled Asparagus Salad with Prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Balsamic Vinaigrette and the Dungeness Crab with Ginger-Cilantro Mayonnaise! Yummy~

2 comments about Seaweed, Salmon, and Manzanita Cider: A California Indian Feast.

1. California's aborigines, like all Native Americans, took complete advantage of every edible resource Mother Nature could provide them. "Seaweed, Salmon, And Manzanita Cider: A California Indian Feast" is a meticulously researched and impressively presented collection of authentic Californian aboriginal cuisine based on the local foods available to them. Included in this beautifully illustrated cookbook collection are recipes involving fish, shellfish, meats, vegetables, fruits, edible flowers, nuts, seeds, and acorns. The collaborative work of Margaret Dubin and Sara-Larus Tolley, "Seaweed, Salmon, And Manzanita Cider" showcases step-by-step instructions enabling any kitchen cook to produces palate pleasing and appetite satisfying Native American recipes ranging from Barbecued Clams; Rabbit Liver with Watercress; and Roasted Agave Hearts; to Sweet Elder Jelly; Fried Yucca Petals; and Pine Nut Soup. Of special note are the extensively informed and informative commentaries and background information about the tribes, their habitats, histories and cultures. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Seaweed, Salmon, And Manzanita Cider" is a unique addition to any family or community cookbook collections, as is also very highly recommended for academic Native American Studies reference collections and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Native American cultures.



2. As a docent at a rural ranch, we get 3rd graders every tuesday to teach them about the local Indian tribe that lived here. My staion is "Plants for Food and Medicine". This book for me is a huge leap forward in what we are telling the kids.
   Most California Kids know that our Indians processed acorns for their staple diet. But these acorns only last 1/2 a year. This books explains about pinole, or the collection of seeds in the summer to replace the acorns...
   Now I have to find a book that explains that our Indians came to the marsh in the winter and not the summer, to fish and hunt and collect tules to build their homes.

3 comments about Hawaiian Cookbook.

1. This book was really easy to use and didn't have a lot ofterminology or technique's that we're too "foreign" for usregular people. I have made at least a half a dozen different recipies out of this book so far. They have all turned out pretty well and had a lot of flavor. I am not a master chef by any means so I recommend this book to the simple cook!



2. This cookbook written by the mainland-american manager of the now-defunct Hawaii Kai restaurant in New York City represents the epitome of fine Tiki Restaurant Dining in the 1970s.
   
   This style of cooking is perhaps best characterized as take-out Chinese food served with a slice of pineapple in a hollowed-out pineapple-shell used as a container, eaten in a restaurant decorated with carved wooden tikis, bamboo struts and thatched huts.
   
   Half of this book is dedicated to this genre, where the actual recipes are very similar or even identical (soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic) but the presentations are elaborately different with an emphasis on outlandish (flambee recipes etc). Since the average reader scarcely have time to cook dinner, the advice on food presentation hardly seems relevant.
   
   In the time since this book was written, the chinese tiki restaurant cuisine has evolved to Modern French or American cuisine with Asian ingredients, and these are the books that you can buy from the likes of Sam Choy et al, and these are the dishes that you will encounter in the fine dining hawaiian restaurants today.
   
   Yet, what has always appealed to me about Hawaiian Cooking, is the more humble homecooking (today known as "plate lunches") that evolved from the simple traditional dishes that the plantation laborers from Asia and their Hawaiian polynesian spouses would make. This included grilled meats with asian marinade, japanese style fried cutlets, some chinese style noodle soups, and sadly only a small number of "real" polynesian dishes like laulau, kahlua pig, lomi salmon, haupia, and poi (perhaps less than a dozen of such traditional unadulterated polynesian recipes have survived).
   
   Half of this book does try to address this wealth of simple but authentic home cooked dishes. But that is clearly not the strength or emphasis of this book, and in fact I'm not aware of ANY hawaiian cookbooks that seem to do these dishes any justice, and your best bet at the moment is to search for recipes on the internet.
   
   I think that in emphasizing the "new" and "high class" restaurant style cooking be it from the 70s or today's contemporary cuisine, the cookbook authors have missed out on the true wealth of home cooked hawaiian cuisine that people in Hawaii eat everyday and perhaps take for granted, but for the rest of us living outside of Hawaii, it would be a priviledge to learn those recipes.



3. I was pleasantly surprised with how good this cookbook is. I am having a big luau in a few weeks and this book has been a huge help! Not only are the recipes easy to follow but most of them can be prepared ahead and frozen, with all the details included at the bottom of the recipe. I prepared many of them ahead, and of course had to sample each! The Bali Bali meatballs with sauce, excellent. The stuffed mushrooms Lelani, awesome and my kitchen smelled wonderful! I can't wait to make the Hawaiian Banana Pie and the Tahitian Chicken, not to mention the Baked Clams!! Too many to mention. If your planning a Luau and need some great easy to follow recipes, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it! Oh, and don't forget to try the Beef with Peanut Sauce and the BBQ'd Pork!!!

5 comments about The Paley's Place Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from the Pacific Northwest.

1. Visually, this is a lovely book. When I read it, it makes me want to run to my kitchen to cook. However, the recipes are not that interesting to me. I thought there would be recipes that would be involve delicious ingredients and be unusual. They ARE unusual, but use ingredients that I am not interested in at all, such as buckwheat crepes with turnips, pork sausage with cinnamon, guinea fowl (where in the world do you get a guinea fowl?) with fennel root, roast rabbit, braised elk shoulder, veal and lamb sweetbreads, lamb necks, beef culotte, halibut cheeks (had these in Canada and they are awful), and the list goes on.
   Please don't misunderstand. I am always on the look-out for a new and innovative recipe, but personally, I don't care for the ingredients that I listed above and some are completely unattainable by me, like the elk or guinea fowl, for example. It is a lovely cook book and I may end up making some of the potato recipes, but it is more likely that this cook book will end up as a nice decorative item on my bookshelf, and nothing more.



2. I recommend this book to anyone who loves nature, people, good food and fun. Yesterday's dinner for my family was most enjoyable because of the recipes I used from the book, and let me tell you, they turned out delicious! I cooked the "Cedar-Planked Salmon", "Summer Ratatouille", and created a simple green salad to go with these dishes. Just fabulous! The book really shows how passionate the chef and his wife are about their work and life. It almost seemed as if we traveled to Oregon, Spain, and France and met the people discussed about in the book.



3. Lots of cookbooks have great recipes; lots of novels are a great read. The Paley's Place Cookbook has both!! It is knowledgeable, respectful of the earth, committed to the local farmers, and presents the culinary ingredients for creating community at the dining table. Buy it...it's a treasure to have on your shelf regardless of how many cookbooks you already own.



4. Having had one of my finest dining experiences at Paley's Place restaurant in Portland, Oregon, I was keen to purchase this book (which was in development at the time of my visit). It's much more than a collection of great recipes from the Pacific North West where a local, seasonal approach is adopted by many of the best restaurants Vitaly and Kimberly's love of good food, good wine and each other shines through in the stories and articles which punctuate the book. Anyone interested in North West cuisine will find the essence of it captured in this book along with some good photography. It makes a very nice companion piece to the Wildwood Restuarant book (Wildwood is just across the road from Paley's Place)



5. This is a chef from Oregon, and we loved the book! Great recipes to play with and enjoy. We're really happy with the results of our cooking.

5 comments about Roy's Feasts from Hawaii.

1. I bought this book after eating at the restaurant in Palm Springs. I'm in no way the most experienced cook out there, but I had no trouble understanding the directions - even to fix his Peking-style duck - and the recipes I prepared tasted almost as good as the restaurant.

   If you don't live near an Asian grocery, you may have trouble finding some ingredients. However, most of the "foreign" ingredients called for are very common at any Asian store - even a very small one. I was even able to get the specific brand of red chile paste he recommended at a tiny Asian market by my house without going to the larger Asian grocery downtown.

   Plus, most of his recipes do call for the same basic chili pastes and spices, so I wasn't discouraged by the thought of buying a whole bunch of bottles only to use a teaspoon out of each one.

   Excellent book, and well worth the money, in my opinion.




2. Anyone who has eaten at Roy's will undoubtedly get excited at the prospect of making something out of this book. The layout alone will be inspiring with all the beautiful pictures of Hawaii and the food itself. However, novices beware, this is not cooking 101. There is quite a bit of prep for most recipes - sauces that need to be made requiring a multitude of ingredients before you even get to the core of the recipe - resulting in hours of work. I could see this being ok in a restaurant environment where many of these things are made in advance and put together on order, but for the haole home cook it is a little much. Additionally, I have never been that happy with the results of my labor. My husband and I are fairly good cooks and always look at each other as we ponder why it is just not as good as we think it should be. Maybe it is missing the view of Molokini, I don't know.



3. I've owned and used "Feasts from Hawaii" for several years. Roy's combination of asian flavors and french cooking techniques brings new excitement to your dinner table. Yes, the recipes are labor intensive and it is essential to have a source for asian ingredients as well as excellent seafood, but the results will make you feel you have discovered NEW FOOD! His pizza dough, which is sweetened with honey, is one of the best. You can pare down the recipes and serve interesting food or go for the presentation and cook like a pro. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels their cooking is growing stagnant with repeat flavors and themes. The recipes are challenging enough to make the work interesting and your family or guests will be completely content. Also, many of the sauces required for "a drizzle or drops" can be frozen and used as needed, or be a basis for other dinners during the week.



4. This is a must have for every library of cookbooks. The recipies translate very well in the home kichen. Although Roy's "Roy's Fish and Seafood: Recipies from the Pacific Rim"(a newer book) share some of the same recipies and has many that are new and wonderful, "Roy's Feasts from Hawaii", is the first book to add if you dont have it. it tends to be a little more simple and focused.



5. This book is a great resource for island cooking. The recipes are delicious although some of the fish varieties might be difficult to find after leaving the islands!

5 comments about A Taste of Wyoming: Favorite Recipes from the Cowboy State.

1. There are a tremendous selection of different and delicious recipes from appitizers to dessert and everything in between the two. The photographs are fantistic and make you want to give each of the recipes a try. This is a cookbook not to be missed.



2. Bought two, one as a gift, and was worth the money. Great recipies, beautiful book, and very interesting!



3. This ia a beautiful book. The photographs alone are worth the purchase. Pam's recipes and the comments included from other Wyoming writers make A TASTE OF WYOMING a keeper. It is so lovely, I jot the recipes down before using them, so I don't have to take the book into my often messy and always busy kitchen.



4. Wyoming may be the "Cowboy State", but this is not stereotypical cowboy fare. "A Taste of Wyoming" sparkles with eye-appealing sophistication. Pam Sinclair has compiled a real Wyoming treasure with a compilation of Wyoming history and regional cuisine. The book showcases Pam's meticulous research and dedication. Every recipe is a "must try". Paulette phlipot's photography is beautifully done and adds to the overall impact of this delightful cookbook.



5. Several years ago, my husband was surfing places we would like to visit and he found "The Rusty Parrot." It sounded like something out of "On Golden Pond" and I was hesitant, so we never went. Now we have this beautiful pictoral display of interesting places in Wyoming with a focus on local cuisine..and wouldn't you know...."The Rusty Parrot" and it's mouth-watering specialties is listed as one of Wyoming's best. What a wonderful way to experience the beauty and soul of Wyoming, through its recipes from someone who clearly loves her state. Even if I didn't cook, I will cherish this book as a vacation to Wyoming until I can actually get there.

5 comments about Feast of Santa Fe: Cooking of the American Southwest.

1. I read "The Food of Santa Fe", most recently, prior to visiting New Mexico for a vacation - I had owned it for years and previously only made some recipes. This more thorough reading provided a short course in NM history and its influence on the cuisine, information that impacted where and what I ate on my trip and how I recreated those regional dishes when I returned home (all with great results). This recent copy is a gift to the friends we stayed with so they could enjoy the foods of their adopted region in the same way we did; a result of Mr. Dent's enjoyable weaving of history and story with the recipes of the three cultures that converged on the region. I would highly recommend this book for enthusiasts of NM (Santa Fe)foods and cooking and the Southwest region of this country.



2. I got great service with this book store and love the southwest cookbook. It is used but was in great condition - like new and for a much better price than a new one. Thanks!



3. I have had this cookbook for a number of years and the poor book is stained in many places because of frequent use. The recipes are wonderful. My husband's absolute favorite recipe is in here, it is for a black bean stew which sounds simple but has many complex flavors. The recipes are well-explained (perhaps a bit too detailed but may be good for less experienced cooks). I have never recommended a cookbook on amazon but would highly recommend this one. Have fun cooking from it!



4. Ever since spending two months in Santa Fe NM a couple of years ago I have been trying to find restaurants or cookbooks that captured the unique flavor of the Santa Fe southwest cuisine. This is not just strictly a cookbook, but a historical exploration of the many influences that have createted and shaped the flavors of what southwest cuisine has become in New Mexico. If you are looking for just a cookbook with receipes then this may not be the book for you, but if you are looking to truly explore what has influenced the flavors, and how to prepare some of the dishes that have defined the culinary identy of a culture then I highly recommend this book to you. I love it.



5. I have lived in New Mexico for decades including all parts of the state. Although there are subtle regional variations in New Mexican food across the state, this book does the best at establishing a firm foundation for classical New Mexican food. The book contains basic recipes that people really use in their own homes and that are served at some of the very best authentic restaurants. There is little to no influence of California, Texas, Arizona or other state cookery in this book. Be ware that some other "New Mexican Cookbooks" are really California cookery with a different title. If you want true New mexican food, this is the place to find it. New Mexico is the KING of "Mexican" food in the USA. I highly recommend this book. If you are to have one book on Mexican food, it should be this one.