5 comments about Beyond Parsley.

1. Beyond Parsley is one cookbook I always have nearby -- and I have many, many cookbooks. I am renowned among my family members and friends for e-mailing special recipes -- and many have come from this special gem. I have too many favorites in the book to list but if I had to select just ONE, I would choose Cossack Cheese. That one is a WINNER in every respect, and has gained the love of people around the US to whom I have sent the recipe. D. Ray Fuller Jr., Dallas, Texas



2. This is one of those cookbooks that you can pick up hours before a dinner party, open it to any page, make the dish and have rave reviews. There are VERY few dishes in here that aren't good.
   
   This is an older cookbook, but definitely worth looking into adding to your collection!



3. I have had this cookbook since it was first published and I still find that it is one of the cookbooks that I reach for most often. Beautiful photography. I don't hesitate to try a new recipe on company as I've never had a failure. I consider it to be a "Classic".



4. I've had this cookbook for years and my most recent purchase of it (used) was to get it for another foodie friend. It is a feast for the eyes, but also has wonderful recipes that are in my regular repertoire. The book also gives you wonderful ideas for presentation and combinations with other dishes.



5. The book arrived in a timely fashion. It was a gift and the recipient was very happy to get her copy.
   the condition of the book was as expected and advertised.

1 comments about The All-American Cowboy Grill: Sizzlin' Recipes from the World's Greatest Cowboys.

1. The book contains many excellent recipes from Famous Movie and TV stars. I would recommend that if you like good ole cowboy cooking and food that, you purchase the book. I know you will enjoy the great recipes.

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 San Francisco A La Carte.

1. Fun and easy receipes for dinner parties. The enchalada verdes is especially good.



2. I have many Junior League cookbooks in my extensive cookbook collection. I purchased the San Francisco A La Carte book along with the I'll Cook When Pigs Fly...and They Do in Cincinnati (Junior League) cookbook with this purchase. Like most Junior League cookbooks, the Cincinnati book was fabulous. If it were as simple as going to my neighborhood bookstore to return the San Francisco A La Carte book, I would. There was nothing unique or unusual in it and I will never crack it open again. It was a very poor choice and I would not recommend it to anyone. In fact, I can't think of anyone to even give the book to...



3. I own over a thousand cookbooks (great reading, good ideas, good stories) and this book is on my TOP TEN list. I have been using it over 25 years to great raves from dinner party guests.



4. We have depended on these 2 Junior League San Francisco Books for many years.
   Great California food with great flavors.



5. I was very pleased when my book arrived. It was in good condition and appeared in good condition. I was replacing my original copy of this cookbook, which was pretty much trashed, so it was great to be able to "start again" fresh !

5 comments about Cowboy Cocktails: Boot Scootin' Beverages and Tasty Vittles from the Wild West.

1. Some fancy names for "western drinks". Living out West I ship this book to friends and family on the East coast just for laughs. They inevitably call me and tell me they just made themselves a "Purple Jesus" or a "Cactus-Rita". It's a funny bar book, if you're not much for hard liquor there are a few food recipes, but it's mostly a drink guide.



2. I picked up this book to help me out with my menus at a number of "Dude Ranches" I'm the F&B for. This and Grady Spears' other books are going to become required reading for my staff. Theyr'e not only great recipes, they have some great Texas tales and tid bits with a bit of cowboy humor added. Great Stuff!



3. The book is full of fun short stories, great food and beverage recipes (easy ones and tougher ones), and entertaining song suggestions. For the low price, it's worth it, especially if you're an entertainer and like to experiment with new ideas. Keep it handy and you'll find a new recipe each time you open it!



4. Want some really good drink recipes? Try this book, especially if you like Tequila. I suppose other liquor could be substituted for tequila in some of the recipes. But hey, this IS a book written by a Texan. And they do drink a lot of tequila in the "Wild West". Buy it with his "Cowboy in the Kitchen".



5. The vittles in this book are outstanding. You won't be disappointed. I copied some of them from a friends book, then I decided I needed one of my own, so I ordered two. Now I have a extra for someone's gift. I love to buy books from Amazon. The prices are always the lowest. I have bought seven books this month for Christmas gifts.

3 comments about Sowbelly and Sourdough: Original Recipes from the Trail Drives and Cow Camps of the 1800s.

1. I enjoyed reading these old time recipes. The ones I've tried have worked out well. Of course I had to add a bit of me to them. But every coosie worth his chuck does that.
   
   If you're interested in chuckwagon bill-a-fare, you'd do good to buy this book! Come n get it before I throw it out......



2. If you have read any of my other reviews, than chances are you have discovered that I must have a pretty good collection of these old time western cookbooks. You're right I do, and this one being one of my newest entries. One finds a lot of similarity in most of these chuck wagon cookbooks after a while. Different ingredients and variations here and there but the same main recipe. This one is similar in that sense but an exception in that it is a collection of authentic recipes that appears to be torn right from the pages of Cookie's chuck wagon. No modernizing going on here as for cutting back on butter, bread, fat, or salt. If the stew called for a handful of salt back on the cattle drive in 1881, that's what's listed now and nothing is offered as a substitute. Or even a suggestion of anything else instead of what makes the finished meal delicious, but unfortunately may also be very bad for you. And believe me when I tell you the recipes I have tried so far are unforgettable. The only cheating going on in this book as far as authenticity is the directions appear to be much clearer than probably what appeared in the loose leaf raw hide binded cookbook of yesteryear. But that is a good thing of course. This is an excellent book to add to your cooking collection if you are into old west style chuck wagon meals. (On the other hand if you favor sushi, definately pass this by and remember that there is always professional help available...lol) Come and get it!!......(chow bell sounding.)



3. LOVE this cookbook!! Whether I'm reading it or cooking out of it! Haven't had a chance to cook very much yet but it reads like a great Western novel. There are many chuckles in the book but also some great insight into "cowboy cooking". And certainly makes me appreciate my little kitchen with what conveniences I do have...especailly running water and refrigeration! Great gift for the experienced...or not so experienced cook! Just keep it handy for reading or cooking!

3 comments about What Hawaii Likes to Eat.

1. Being born and raised in Hawaii and tasted the delicious local food growing up, I found this book to be one of the best cookbooks of local, Hawaii-style cooking. The recipes were easy to follow and the color photos brought back many fond memories. If you ever ate the 'ono' local food in Hawaii, be sure to add this cookbook to your library!



2. From Shoyu Hot Dogs to Lamb Wellington "Indianne" with Tropical Fruit Chutney, two local authors have hit the nail on the head with their new cookbook, What Hawaii Likes to Eat.
   A collection of 130 recipes submitted by readers of a Honolulu daily newspaper, the range of dishes and tastes are as varied as the multi-cultural and chop suey residents of Hawaii.
   If there is one thing that all people like to do is eat, and with so many influences in the Crossroads of the Pacific, it would be impossible for even the most finicky of eaters not to discover something in this book that would make their mouths water.
   Cookbook writer and editor Muriel Miura teamed with the newspaper's food editor Betty Shimabukuro and asked the professional cooks and chefs along with the experts -- the eaters -- What do Hawaii folks like to eat?
   After months of reading, testing and eating, the result is this spiral-bound cookbook -- with the required color photos needed for any amateur Pacific Rim food preparer to serve a mouth-watering dish.
   What Hawaii likes to eat will provide comfort food for those who grew up on the plantation: Chicken Hekka, Musubi and Mango Seed; for those townies who were raised in Honolulu or Hilo: Loco Moco, Hamburger Steak and Chicken Katsu; for those who love luau food: Chicken Long Rice, Laulau, Lomi Salmon and Haupia; and for those who appreciate the ambiance as much as the meal: Cavalier Restaurant's Lobster Thermidor, Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas' Garlic Shichimi Ahi with Ponzu Vinagrette and Kahala Resort and Hotel's Roasted Garlic Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs.
   For poi dog palates, try Napua Steven's Taro Biscuits, Arare Cookies and Sam Choy's Hawaiian Pulehu Tri-Tip Steak.
   The kamaaina baby boomers and their parents may remember Jolly Roger's Orange Bread, Queen's Surf Chicken Kamaaina and Little George's Shrimp Scampi. The Stewart's Pharmacy Corn Bread would bring a tear to the eye of anyone who frequented the once-popular Waikiki establishment.
   But for all the fancy Lavosh, Orange Souffle, Golden Phoenix Claws and Scalloped Potatoes that are in this book, perhaps the most intriguing recipe is the first -- and possibly the simplest -- the "Oki Dog," an American, Mexican, Tex-Mex and Okinawan Fusion creation, which is a bright red, crispy Redondo hot dog, Zippy's chili, shoyu pork and iceberg lettuce all wrapped up in a tortilla.
   The delicacy was actually first served on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood by Sakai "Jimmy" Sueyoshi, an Okinawa native who got rich selling his "Oki Dogs," and brought to Hawaii by one of the organizers of the Okinawan Festival who replaced the shredded pastrami that Sueyoshi used with the shoyu pork.
   Onolicious.



3. I got this cookbook about a month ago and have cooked little else than what's within its pages. Though I've found the recipes require a touch of adjustment, they are so far all generally solid starting points and I've enjoyed every meal that's come from its pages, as well as the lively pictures and descriptions.
   
   PROS: Fun, delicious, wide range of styles, book design makes for easy use in the kitchen.
   
   NOT-QUITE-PROS: Like most cookbooks, requires a little "feel" from the cook to adjust on the fly as appropriate.
   
   CONS: None.

1 comments about Pot Luck! Home Cooking from Wisconsin's Community Cookbooks.

1. Wisconsin author and farmer's market enthusiast Toni Streckert has compiled recipes from a series of local church and civic group cookbooks that, taken cumulatively, offer a kind of culinary window into Wisconsin traditions in "Potluck! Home Cooking From Wisconsin's Community Cookbooks". Enhanced with anecdotal stories, these are recipes that range from classic casseroles, to kugels, to mead loaf, to traditional desserts. There are also a great many new favorites that have made their way to Wisconsin tables. From Pepperoni Biscotti; Marinated Melon Salad; Trudy's Beef Burgundy; and Two-Sauce Lasagna; to Hot Sin Apple Bread; Sour Cream Chocolate Cookies; Zucchini Pie; and Dandelion Wine, "Potluck!" offers a wealth of good eating in celebration of Wisconsin's culinary heritage. All Wisconsin family and community library cookbook collections should include a copy of Toni Streckert's "Potluck!"

5 comments about Wildwood: Cooking from the Source in the Pacific Northwest.

1. Let me be clear - I have never laid eyes on this book. I bought it based on the description for a friend who lives in CA but is from the Northwest and is an avid cook. She absolutely loved it and continues to rave about it. Based on that, I give it a 5.



2. One of the best cookbooks in my collection.

   What's really interesting to me is that almost every recipe in the book goes very well with a nice Oregon Pinot Noir.




3. I received this book very quickly and in perfect condition. I will definitely do business with them again!



4. Fantastic cookbook. Beautiful photos and recipes that are stunning.
   Local foods and people. A must for anyone who enjoys food and life!



5. a good book full of good recipes - most are beyond my budget, but a few are very good.

5 comments about Coyote Cafe.

1. I have had this book sitting around for awhile, and finally tried it. I'm a vegetarian, and this book is more meat oriented. I tried a couple of the recipes, inlcuding the tamales. Those were the best tamales I have ever eaten. Even better than Richard's in Albuquerque. The Coyote Cafe is hands down my favorite restaurant, and this book is definitely representative of the food from there. I highly recommend it.



2. I had to finally find out about the recipes from this well known author and his book, restaurant and more. Solid and innovative recipes, well written it won't take you long to find some new recipes. I have just begun to look through and try some. Try some mexican southwestern food that is different and not a lot of mus and fuss.This book is a winner.



3. 
   This is a wonderful collection of great southwestern recipes that work. The author Mark Miller has introduced Cajun and Creole elements into many of his recipes making them unique without sacrificing the southwestern charachter of the dishes presented. Each and every dish is definately worthy of calling itself southwestern.
   
   Definately comprehensive this book covers with a plethora of recipes in 10 chapters anything you may be looking for to fill your southwestern Table. The chapters covered are: cocktails, salsas, sauces and soups, appetizers and salads, Tamales, seafood and fish, game and fowl, meat, desserts and breads and what the author refers to as his bag of tricks which is an assortment of staple dishes that you will find in just about any tex-mex restaurant.
   
   Particularly useful to me I found the Tamales chapter which apart from some basic principles on preparing tamales, includes 16 different recipes.
   
   On the negative side, I found the book very difficult to use as the print of the recipes is extremely small. As I am over 40 and my eyesight is not what it was 20 years ago, I have had to scan and enlarge the recipes that I have used in order to use them. Other than that this is a good buy and a good addition to your cookbook library!



4. My father and I have been making the carnitas tamales with the Manchamantel Sauce for years for Christmas, and I have yet to have served them to someone who did not say that they were the best tamales they had ever eaten... The rest of the recipes in this book are also delicious... I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves southwestern cuisine!



5. Not bad, not great but certainly not the worst. Most recipes are not that basic. They take time and ingredients that may be difficult to find, but overall pretty good.