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Purchase Kansas Cookies, my first cookbook. Thanks. Patsy Terrell
Reading Cookbooks
Reading cookbooks are ones you use for great tips, interesting facts and good basic recipes.
These are the reading cookbooks currently reviewed:
SweetsThe Taste Makers
Along the Garden Path
Take a Thousand Eggs or More
Good Food, Good Company
National Firefighters Recipe Book
Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread
Bert Greene's Kitchen: A book of Memories and Recipes
Biltmore Estate Specialties of the House
This is one of the most exceptional books to cross my desk in a long
time. I cannot get enough of it. It's the perfect blend of recipes and
memories.
Pinner grew up in Michigan, learning to cook at the apron ties of her
large African-American family. The women in her family were known as the
"Queens of Soul Food" and gave Pinner a rich tapestry of wisdom and recipes,
some of which she shares here.
More than 100 desserts fill the pages. They are recipes imbued with
history that Pinner allows us to share in. There are great recipes and
great reading - with even some wonderful family photos tossed in.
This book is exactly what a cookbook should be. We're all lucky Pinner
took time to write it.
Review posted 4 August 2004
This is more than a cookbook, it's a wonderful history lesson too. "The
Taste Makers" is 95 year old Oppenheimer's second food history book.
The 100 recipes are surrounded by wonderful commentary about her own
life and the lives of people who have played an important role in our
food traditions.
Oppenheimer has had a rich life, studying anthropology, traveling the
world, researching the origins of food from North, Central and South America.
She has also written extensively about food.
I'm glad Oppenheimer didn't stop at just one book. And I hope this isn't
her last.
Review posted 4 August 2004
Every once in awhile, I come across a book that I cannot read often
enough. Along the Garden Path is one of these. Wherever it sits, it beckons
to be picked up, cradled and enjoyed. It is a beautiful book done with
the delicacy of the herbs it proposes we incorporate into our lives. The
design is exceptional and the quotes sprinkled in add to the recipes.
Mix in some gardening advice and entertaining ideas and you have "Along
the Garden Path."
Review posted 13 June 1999
I'm a regular visitor to garage sales, flea markets and antique stores.
Whatever you can think of, someone collects it. It's one of the pleasures
of our uniqueness.
I instantly thought of this when I saw Cindy Renfrow's two volume set
"Take a Thousand Eggs or More," a collection of 15th century recipes.
She has carefully translated 400 medieval recipes and adapted more than
100 of them for modern cookery.
The recipes are reproduced in the original language with modern English
translations. If you've ever read "Beowulf" in old English, you'll certainly
appreciate Cindy's work in translating. I wish I'd read this before
I read "Beowulf" - it would have made the task easier. Or I wish Cindy
had been sitting beside me!
To round out the books, Cindy includes period woodcuts, some sample
feast menus and a glossary of common phrases for those of us less familiar
with the time period. These books are a great look at another time and
will make you love modern conveniences even more.
To order a copy, visit Cindy's web page at http://www.alcasoft.com/renfrow.
Review posted 13 June 1998
Entertaining is an art form in the south, and the Junior League of Thomasville,
Georgia, shares some secrets in "Good Food, Good Company." Thomasville's
gracious entertaining dates back to the late 1800s when the city was one
of the south's first resort towns. Obviously, they've had lots of experience!
You'll find almost 500 triple-tested recipes for every kind of dish
you might want to serve to company. They're highlighted with great tips
on food, serving and decorating. Almost every page has a little something
extra - nutrition advice, ideas for a festive table or a cooking tip.
To see a photo of the book or order a copy visit the Favorite Recipes
Press web page at http://www.favoriterecipespress.com.
Review posted 13 June 1998
This cookbook is obviously a labor of love for Louis DePasquale and it should
be required reading for anyone interested in cooking great, wholesome dishes
or learning more about fire safety. Mr. DePasquale is a retired firefighter
and he is still passionate about keeping people safe.
The recipes come from fire houses all over the country. It was interesting
to see Paducah, Kentucky (near where I grew up) and Wichita, Kansas (near
where I live now) both represented.
This is not food you cook to impress someone - it's food you cook to
feed someone. This book would make a great gift for a bridal shower or
house warming. It's well done, but not flashy, and it might net you one
of those "Huh?" looks from the honoree at first, but as soon as they settle
in to read it they will be engrossed in the world of firefighters. Before
you know it, you may be invited to dine on one of the creations from this
book.
I don't often try to preach in this format, but since the subject of
fire safety has come up... if you don't have a working fire extinguisher
in your kitchen, get one today! The building I work in had a minor fire
from a clothes dryer a few months ago and the amount of smoke from this
tiny fire was incredible. If you don't have a fire extinguisher beside
your dryer, get one today. They're cheap - don't wait. You can get a two
pack of them at a discount store for less than $30. Thirty bucks is going
to seem incredibly cheap if you ever need one. While you're there, get
another smoke detector or two - you can buy them for less than $10. I
can't imagine any home having too many of those. And make sure the ones
you already have are working correctly - replace the batteries if you
can't recall when you last did it. These simple precautions are not just
for protecting your property, which is important to all of us, they could
save your life or the life of your child, parent, spouse or other loved
one.
OK, I'm getting off my soap box now and going back to my kitchen (which
I might add has a working fire extinguisher, although - thank goodness
- I've never needed it). I really recommend this book - it's a great help
for any cook wanting to feed a hungry group.
$12.95
Each year we have a big Christmas party. The secret to any successful
party is for the people throwing it to have a good time. After all, if
you're not even enjoying your party, what can you expect from the guests?
A key to my enjoyment is not having to worry about standing over the stove
throughout the whole thing and not fretting about something getting cold
before I can get it to the table. My solution is a dozen or more crockpots
filled with different kinds of soups. Elegant? No. Practical? Yes. Enjoyable?
You bet. For everyone, including me.
If you're thinking of embarking on a similar venture, get a copy of
"Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread." The recipes are based on ones served
at this Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Bed and Breakfast. One of the most useful things
in the book is great instructions on how to make your own stock. Although
this may sound daunting, it's really quite easy. The difference between
homemade stock and canned is tremendous. If you're planning a party, you
can mix up the stock - and even lots of the soups - before the big day
and simplify your life.
Besides the recipes, Ms. Dragonwagon waxes poetic about a number of
pleasant topics which makes this a fun book to read for enjoyment.
Sweets
Patty Pinner
ISBN 1-58008-521-0
Ten Speed Press
$24.95
The Taste Makers
Vicki Oppenheimer
ISBN 0-9722707-1-X
Florida Literary Foundation
$21.95
Along the Garden Path
Bill and Sylvia Varney
ISBN 0-9649691-0-6
Fredericksburg Herb Farm
PO Drawer 927
Fredericksburg TX 78624-0927
210-997-8615
Take a Thousand Eggs or More, Volume 1 and Volume 2
by Cindy Renfrow
ISBN 0-9628598-4-2
$27 for two volume set, for shipping outside the US add $2
order from C. Renfrow, 7 El's Way, Sussex NJ 07461
Good Food, Good Company
from the Junior Service League of Thomasville, Georgia
published in 1995
ISBN 0-9636402-0-8
Favorite Recipes Press
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville TN 37214
1-800-358-0560 for ordering
http://www.favoriterecipespress.com
National Firefighters Recipe Book
by Louis A. DePasquale
All Hands Publications
13608 North Teakwood Drive
Sun City AZ 85351
623-815-2696
Bus. 1-888-577-FIRE
ISBN 0-9635356-0-9
Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread
by Crescent Dragonwagon
Workman Publishing -- 1992 --- ISBN 1-56305-243-1