The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (Hardcover)

by Ree Drummond (Author)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 256 pages
* Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks (October 27, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0061658197
* ISBN-13: 978-0061658198
* Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

Book Description
After years of living in Los Angeles, I made a pit stop in my hometown in Oklahoma on the way to a new, exciting life in Chicago. It was during my stay at home that I met Marlboro Man, a mysterious cowboy with steely blue eyes and a muscular, work-honed body. A strict vegetarian, I fell hard and fast, and before I knew it we were married and living on his ranch in the middle of nowhere, taking care of animals, and managing a brood of four young children. I had no idea how I’d wound up there, but I knew it was exactly where I belonged.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a homespun collection of photography, rural stories, and scrumptious recipes that have defined my experience in the country. I share many of the delicious cowboy-tested recipes I’ve learned to make during my years as an accidental ranch wife—including Rib-Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce, Lasagna, Fried Chicken, Patsy’s Blackberry Cobbler, and Cinnamon Rolls—not to mention several “cowgirl-friendly” dishes, such as Sherried Tomato Soup, Olive Cheese Bread, and CrÈme BrÛlÉe. I show my recipes in full color, step-by-step detail, so it’s as easy as pie to follow along.

You’ll also find colorful images of rural life: cows, horses, country kids, and plenty of chaps-wearing cowboys.

I hope you get a kick out of this book of mine. I hope it makes you smile. I hope the recipes bring you recognition, accolades, and marriage proposals. And I hope it encourages even the most harried urban cook to slow down, relish the joys of family, nature, and great food, and enjoy life.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks Review
Soon.

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Good Eats: The Early Years (Hardcover)

by Alton Brown (Author)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 396 pages
* Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang (October 1, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1584797959
* ISBN-13: 978-1584797951
* Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.2 x 1.7 inches
* Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds

Book Description
Alton Brown is a foodie phenomenon: a great cook, a very funny guy, and—underneath it all—a science geek who’s as interested in the chemistry of cooking as he is in eating. (Well, almost.) Here, finally, are the books that Brown’s legion of fans have been salivating for—two volumes that together will provide an unexpurgated record of his long-running, award-winning Food Network TV series, Good Eats.

From “Pork Fiction” (on baby back ribs), to “Citizen Cane” (on caramel sauce), to “Oat Cuisine” (on oatmeal), every hilarious episode is represented. Each book—the second will be published in fall 2010—is illustrated with behind-the-scenes photos taken on the Good Eats set. Each contains more than 140 recipes and more than 1,000 photographs and illustrations, along with explanations of techniques, lots of food-science information (of course!), and more food puns, food jokes, and food trivia than you can shake a wooden spoon at.

Good Eats: The Early Years Review
While I enjoy and use the previous releases, this companion book to the TV program will bring hours of leisurely enjoyment. Great detail is added to each episode covered from the first six seasons of Good Eats. This includes additional historical notes about the food covered, show shooting details, revisions to the recipes, and great trivia and insights into the man Alton. Any fan of Good Eats and especially owners of the episodes will find this book terrific complement.

Just arrived, earlier than expected. This is an excellent book, and the best Good Eats book I’ve seen yet (and I have ‘em all). High production value, slick and stylish design. The first 6 seasons are here, with every episode’s recipes. No more internet/Food Network hunts. Trivia is fun, and Alton’s tips and tidbits throughout are great. Looking forward to the next one. Seriously, this is a fantastic book, cookbook, and Good Eats schwag. Worth every penny. Go Alton, go!

This book contains recipes (called applications) with dry goods measured only by weight. He does not use standard measuring cups for flour, sugar, etc. In his previous cookbooks, although he gave weights as he preferred it, he always included standard measurements as well since all home cooks have measuring cups and spoons but most of us don’t have a food scale. Although I am throughly enjoying the cookbook since I love the show, I was highly disappointed that I had to go out and spend even more money to buy a food scale to be able to bake anything from the cookbook.

Great book with fast delivery. I bought four; one for my family and three to give as gifts. Highly recommend A.B.’s latest as well as purchasing from this bookseller.

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Conquer the Fat-Loss Code (Includes: Complete Success Planner, All-New Delicious Recipes, and the Secret to Exercising Less for Better Results!) (Paperback)

by Wendy Chant (Author)

Book Details
* Paperback: 304 pages
* Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 20, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0071630074
* ISBN-13: 978-0071630078
* Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
* Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

Book Description
Conquer the Fat-Loss Code takes the bestselling Crack the Fat-Loss Code to the next level-for even faster, easier, longer-lasting results. Nutrition expert Wendy Chant builds upon her scientifically designed program of “macro-patterning,” a simple routine of alternating carb-up, carb-down, and baseline days to outsmart your body, increase your metabolism, and burn away fat. Once you “conquer the code,” you can conquer your dieting problems for life.

Conquer the Fat-Loss Code Review
I have been on this program since Jan. 3, 2009. I’ve tried every program known to man since going through menopause and it has worked great for me. You get to eat so much food and it is all food you buy in the grocery store. It was a little confusing in the beginning and took awhile to learn “the language” of the book but once you do, it comes so natural what to do. (I’ve lost 22 lbs and lots of inches. I was in a tight size 16 and now size 14’s are getting too big.) This is a fat loss program,not a weight loss program. Due to chronic pain issues, my exercise is limited but I’ve still had great results. Wendy Chant has changed my life and I feel so “in control” of my way of eating with her guidance. I followed CRACK THE FAT LOSS CODE. I plan to purchase CONQUER THE FAT LOSS CODE soon. This book is worth every penny. By the way, you get Carb up days and cheat days which I think helps you stay on program and not have cravings. Best of luck!

I’ve been doing this plan for 2 years now and it’s still successful. I think that the longest that I’ve ever stuck to a plan in the past ws maybe 6 months tops. I have had some set backs (ie weight gain) due to steroid treatments and other medications but am still following it. That’s me on page 258! Anyway, I loved the first book, “Crack the Fat Lost Code”, and love “Conquer the Fat Loss Code” even more. As I’ve said before, my background is in nutrition and I worked in health care management for many years. Wendy’s knowledge is brillant. This book is easy to follow and really does kick the pounds off. I’ve had the pleasure of working right along with her and admire her so much. She really does care about the people that she’s trying to help and getting her information to them. Anyway, please do yourself a favor and get both books or even just this one and follow the plans.

Conquer the Fat-Loss Code follows on from Wendy’s previous New York Times bestseller, Crack the Fat Loss Code, taking weight loss to a whole new level. Start by cracking the code to learn the basics, and then move on to conquering the code for more variety. The eating plans vary from her first book, with double accelerated weeks, and grapefruit days. Wendy has included extensive information on adding HIIT and EPOC cardio and incorporating weight training to make your fat burning more efficient whichever program you are following. The success planner is very clearly laid out on a double page spread for each day. Plus more recipes and meal plan ideas. There is also a chapter on what to do if you “fall off the wagon”, plus how to incorporate holiday and special events. I highly recommend this program. I’m on my second 8 week cycle, and losing weight easily, without missing out on the foods I love, like chocolate.

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Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook (Hardcover)

by Liz Vaccariello (Author), Cynthia Sass (Author)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 368 pages
* Publisher: Rodale Books; 1 edition (August 18, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1605299553
* ISBN-13: 978-1605299556
* Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds

Book Description
Belly fat is not only unsightly, it’s deadly; it has been linked to a long list of adverse health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer. Prevention’s Flat Belly Diet, a revolutionary plan that’s already helped more than one million people lose weight around their middles, may help target dangerous belly fat with monounsaturated fats (better known as MUFAs)—found in delicious foods like nuts and seeds, vegetable oils, olives, avocados, and dark chocolate.

Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook Review
I have lost 33 pounds with a commercial weight loss program. I am nearing maintenance and purchased this book. I have the original book and tried it. I had forgotten that most of the dishes are close to 400 calories. This was no exception. Even though I faithfully tried the original book, I had no luck losing anything. This may work for others, but I just could not continue for a long period of time with it. One recipe called for 1/4 cup of pasta. Even with the MUFA, it was not sustainable as a normal way of eating. Plus it takes a lot of time to prepare the recipes.

Excellent book. Other than the title – you can’t target fat loss to any one part of your body, the rest of the information is very sound. It is just healthy eating. The recipes in both of these books are absolutely amazing. They are full of flavor and seasoned perfectly. I have never made anything that I didn’t love from either of these cookbooks (the first one has tons of recipes in it too). I highly recommend these recipes!

I recently started the Flat Belly Diet and thought it would be inspiring to have this cookbook so I would have new dishes to try daily. I have not been disappointed! I have already prepared several recipes from this book and they have all been delicious, quick and easy. The entire family is now enjoying the benefits of healthy meals. Who knew preparing really nutritious and delicious tasting food could be this easy! In just 3 weeks my clothes fit better and I can feel the difference in my energy level. I have never reviewed a product on Amazon but I highly recommend this wonderful cookbook.

I was looking for something to cook at home that would also enable me to keep losing weight. This book did just the trick. It is full of some really yummy recipes that are easy to do. I liked the fact that most can be cooked and prepared in a little time and you don’t have to worry about running around town to find ingredients. But mostly, I loved the fact that the food doesn’t taste like cardboard! That was an added bonus and one reason this will be a book I will keep around forever. Another good one that’s helped me lose weight–Goodbye, Fatty! Hello, Skinny! How I Lost Weight And Still Ate The Foods I Loved-Without Dieting.

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Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One (1) (Vol 1) (Hardcover)

by Julia Child (Author), Louisette Bertholle (Author), Simone Beck (Author), Sidonie Coryn (Illustrator)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 752 pages
* Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; 40 Anv Rei edition (October 16, 2001)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0375413405
* ISBN-13: 978-0375413407
* Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 1.7 inches
* Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds

Book Description
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is for both seasoned cooks and beginners who love good food and long to reproduce at home the savory delights of the classic cuisine, from the historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. This beautiful book, with more than one hundred instructive illustrations, is revolutionary in its approach because:
* It leads the cook infallibly from the buying and handling of raw ingredients, through each essential step of a recipe, to the final creation of a delicate confection.
* It breaks down the classic cuisine into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of recipes; the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations—bound to increase anyone’s culinary repertoire.
* It adapts classical techniques, wherever possible, to modern American conveniences.
* It shows Americans how to buy products, from any supermarket in the U.S.A., that reproduce the exact taste and texture of the French ingredients: equivalent meat cuts, for example; the right beans for a cassoulet; the appropriate fish and shellfish for a bouillabaisse.
* It offers suggestions for just the right accompaniment to each dish, including proper wines.

Mastering The Art of French Cooking Vol 1 Review
When I was just starting out on my own, I was given a copy of The Joy of Cooking. It was my bible. Over the years I’ve purchased many other cook books. Eventually, I bought The Art of French Cooking. How I wish I had had a copy of this book years ago! Finally, the mystery for preparing the perfect omelet was explained, and beautiful sauces became a normal occurrence. From now on, along with a copy of Joy, I will give The Art of French Cooking, volumes I and II to those who are setting up their first kitchen. These books provide the perfect platform upon which to build a personal cooking style and repertoire.

When I went to culinary school, the first several months were spent mastering basic cooking techniques. As an avid Julia Child fan, I had already been introduced to all of them via her book. All the techniques of are in this volume, and in the order they should be mastered. As a professional chef, almost every other American born chef I know can trace their interest in cooking to this book.

My first cookbook was Joy of Cooking, my second, Mastering the Art of French Cooking; both were solid, basic, accessible, world-expanding, indispensable guides for me when I was young and learning to do more in the kitchen than I had grown up with. An appreciation of food and a view toward a larger world started here for me. It is an excellent place still, this set, to start an education in classic French cuisine. Julia Child wrote the recipes with an inexperienced cook and American audience in mind, and 35-40 years ago, probably, so the dishes are imminently do-able. Get all the volumes.

What can anyone really say about these great books? I’ve used these volumes since I was a college student in the 1970’s. Fashions have come and gone, and some trendy chefs like to call these recipes “old fashioned.” That’s amusing to me, because when today’s (usually idiotic) trends are forgotten, American cooks will still be using these wonderful, wonderful books. There really has never been anything like them for an American cook.

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Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes (Paperback)

by Lifetime Television (Author)

Book Details
* Paperback: 240 pages
* Publisher: Voice; 1 edition (April 28, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1401341136
* ISBN-13: 978-1401341138
* Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Book Description
Cook Yourself Thin is a healthy, delicious way to drop a dress size without all the gimmicks.

For some of us, losing weight has always been a struggle. The challenge: figuring out how to cook healthy, low-fat foods that won’t leave you hungry, bored, or running for a gallon of ice cream! Cook Yourself Thin shows how to cut calories, change diets, and improve health without sacrificing the foods we love.

Cook Yourself Thin is not a fad diet. It gives skinny alternatives to your cravings. You can’t live without your chocolate cake or mac ‘n’ cheese? You don’t have to! (See Very Chocolate Cake, page 200.) There’s never enough time to cook? Cook Yourself Thin keeps it simple–with easy instructions and fun recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

What are you waiting for? Cook Yourself Thin!

Cook Yourself Thin Review
As soon as I got this book in the mail I started flipping through the recipes to find what to make for dinner. All of the recipes looked great but I stopped on the Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. Not only was it fast and easy to make, it was delicious…I mean really good. To top that of the portion sizes are more than generous, no starving yourself to stay thin. I have both this book and the Hungry Girl book, and while the books are indeed similar, this book offers several different recipes.

I have recently lost 40 lbs. It took a lot of work, discipline, effort, patience, perseverance, desire, stubbornness, water, walking, (did I say discipline?) and smaller portions — with no chocolate milkshakes, no ice cream, no Hershey bars, no Snikers, no KitKats, no Reeses, no Baily’s, and no DIET SODA! But I’m -40#. Yes, I am.

This book is a ripoff of HungryGirl and even some of the Weight Watchers books. Pumpkin? Breakfast cereal as a coating? Puh-leze. Lifetime needs to stick to sappy tearjerker movies. Leave the cook books to Hungry Girl and Weight Watchers. Everyone can smell this ripoff a mile away. Even the suggested tags here say “hungry girl” come on, guys!

The recipes are very nice, but is it a diet book? No. With only a whiff of portion control, a generous dollop of “no denial or guilt,” and a heaping tablespoon of “…make your calories vanish into thin air,” the authors are setting unrealistic expectations for their readers and viewers. The quick and easy part is also a bit of a dodge. In the Better for You Breakfast Sandwich, you’ll use a skillet, a baking sheet, a biscuit cutter, a saute pan, a small bowl, and a plate…before you get it onto a breakfast plate at the table. That’ll take you 15 minutes alone to clean up. Eating consciously is a wonderful thing, but don’t expect this book to help you shed pounds.

The book also features a calorie guide: this will show you which foods to avoid…and which foods to replace them with. It has a “how to” guide…this gives you practical cooking tips. There is also a food personality quiz…this will help you with goals and results. By following the guide you really can cook yourself thin. Follow the simple instructions and learn how to remove those high calorie ingredients from your favorite foods, and replace them with tasty healthy alternatives. The recipes have a step-by-step guide that shows you the differences in the foods you are substituting. Simply put…the book advises you on the ingredients, tools and tips necessary to make healthy changes to your life.

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Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking (Hardcover)

by Adam Perry Lang (Author)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 400 pages
* Publisher: Hyperion (May 5, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1401323065
* ISBN-13: 978-1401323066
* Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 1.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 3 pounds

Book Description
Adam Perry Lang trained with the world’s best chefs before giving up four-star kitchens for the thrill of cooking with just meat and fire. Now he’s on a mission to turn everyone into an expert.

In Serious Barbecue, Adam Perry Lang has translated his intimate understanding of culinary technique into easy-to-follow advice to help a nation of backyard cooks unleash the raw power of one of the most flavor-packed cuisines around: American barbecue.

Perry Lang begins by breaking down the fundamentals of barbecue–what tools you’ll need to begin, how to master cooking with charcoal and wood, how to choose the perfect grill, and more. Then he takes readers on a trip through the butcher’s case, describing exactly what makes each kind of meat special, explaining how to select with the skill of a master, and providing his favorite recipes for almost every available cut of pork, beef, veal, lamb, chicken, and turkey.

These original, mouthwatering recipes, which include step-by-step seasoning instructions and a flip-by-flip grilling or smoking guide, will have amateur and expert cooks firing up their barbecues and enjoying perfect results every time–whether they’re impressing a group of friends with Perry Lang’s insanely delicious Salt and Pepper Dry-Aged Cowboy-Cut Rib Eye or wowing half the neighborhood with his massive, slow-cooking, succulent “Get a Book” Whole Pork Shoulder. Whatever the recipe, his goal is for everyone to achieve the holy grail of barbecuing: bragging rights.

Serious Barbecue Review
I have read enough of this book, to be able to say; “I think it’s a great book.” I own a lot of barbecue related cookbooks and I have had the great good fortune, as the moderator of BBQForum.com, to have read over 700,000 posts to the forum by BBQ people. So I have been exposed to a lot of barbecue. This is one of the best books, about barbecue and outdoor cooking in general.

In 2005 I did a podcast interview with Adam and I have read his detailed posts to the forum. I have never actually meet Adam in person. However, I know a little bit about Adam. He knows how to cook and not only that, he knows what happens to food when it’s cooking and can explain it to you. The book really focuses on layering flavors. So, when people taste food cooked the way he explains it, they are in for taste treats, one after another.

With all my 14 years of daily exposure to the wisdom of some of the top barbecue cooks in the country and all the cookbooks I have read, you would think I would have a good grasp of the situation. But, in reading this book I am learning a lot of new things.

I don’t hand out these compliments lightly. This is not just a “low and slow pure barbecue” cookbook but he carries his knowledge of “pure barbecue” (he has won prestigious “pure barbecue” awards to back this up) into all levels of outdoor cooking. There is a lot of direct grilling and indirect smoking information. I don’t care if you’re an expert cook or a beginner, you will get a lot out of reading this book.

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BabyCakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-About Bakery (Hardcover)

by Erin McKenna (Author)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 144 pages
* Publisher: Clarkson Potter (May 5, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0307408833
* ISBN-13: 978-0307408839
* Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Book Description
Simply, BabyCakes is your key to an enlightened, indulgent, sweets-filled future. This is important news not only for parents whose children have allergies, for vegans, and for others who struggle with food sensitivities, but also for all you sugar-loving traditionalists. The recipes in these pages prove that there is a healthy alternative to recklessly made desserts, one that doesn’t sacrifice taste or texture.

Having experimented endlessly with alternative, health-conscious sweeteners, flours, and thickeners, Erin McKenna, the proprietress of beloved bakery BabyCakes NYC, developed these recipes–most are gluten-free, all are without refined sugar–in hopes of combating her own wheat, dairy, and sugar sensitivities. In BabyCakes, she shares detailed information about the ingredients she uses (coconut flour, xanthan gum, and agave nectar, for example) and how to substitute them properly for common ones–all the while guiding you safely through techniques she’s spent years perfecting.

When BabyCakes NYC opened on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 2005, it helped propel the gluten-free and vegan baking movement into a new stratosphere. Suddenly there was a destination for those with wheat allergies and other dietary restrictions–and, soon enough, celebrities and dessert lovers of every kind–to indulge freely in delectable muffins and teacakes, brownies and cookies, pies and cobblers.

Enclosed within these pages are all the “secrets” you’ll need to bring the greatness of BabyCakes NYC into your own home as well as raves and recommendations from devotees such as Natalie Portman, Jason Schwartzman, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, and Pamela Anderson.

For confectionists of all kinds, delicious alternatives lie within: Red Velvet Cupcakes, Chocolate Shortbread Scones with Caramelized Bananas, Strawberry Shortcake, and BabyCakes NYC’s celebrated frosting (so delicious it has fans tipping back frosting shots!), to name just a few. Finally, Erin’s blissful desserts are yours for the baking!

BabyCakes Review
This book is amazing. I myself do not eat dairy, try to avoid sugar, am wheat intolerant, and like to avoid gluten whenever possible. Therefore, this book is right up my alley. If you actually read the title of the book, it doesn’t actually claim that all recipes are gluten-free…..it sounds like people are making the assumption, and even worse, people who are reviewing the book are making it appear as though McKenna bakes completely gluten-free. I have never been to the bakery, but because I do my research before buying something, I already knew that all the recipes would not be gluten-free. Everywhere Erin goes she speaks about her allergies to *wheat* and dairy, and basically how she made these recipes so SHE could eat sweets again. She never claims to be a Celiac or to know everything there is to know about gluten-free baking. If you have Celiac’s disease, you will only enjoy half of this book. If you are like me, you MUST HAVE IT! Do your research, people!

Being recently diagnosed with food allergies and having a big sweet tooth I was miserable trying to find decent dessert recipes. I’ve tried other wheat free, sugar free, vegan recipes but I have always been disappointed with the taste. Not anymore! Finally a sweet that tastes great without that aftertaste. Last night I tried the apple-cinnamon and the pumpkin spice muffins and Wow were they incredible. My husband even gobbled them up without knowing the `real’ ingredients. There’s a reason her bakery is so famous….. Her recipes are Yummy! I can’t wait to make the rest of the recipes in this book. And as for the ingredients I was able to get what I needed at my local Publix.

Ok I was very excited for this cookbook to come out. I will say however, that I have been to the actual bakery and was not overly impressed by the product. The cupcake I tried was very dry, almost stale tasting, The crumbcake and chocolate chip cookie were both pretty good. I felt that if I purchased the cookbook and made the items at home I would have better results. I will tell you that I have not made any of the recipes yet. I know, I also hate when someone reviews a cookbook without trying the recipes first but I have reasons for hesitating…First the author claims that these are “good for you” and “healthy recipes”. Take a look at the bakery’s website, you can check out the nutritional value for each item..some have over 26g of fat!! Not really sure about this. Maybe she means that because the ingredients are all-natural, they are healthy. Also if you go to Gourmet magazines website you will find a review for the cookbook. It is mostly a positive review however the reviewer said that the frosting recipe looks and smells like cement..Come on. They are famous for cupcakes. Why publish a recipe that does not work? So what do I do? The ingredients that the author suggests are very expensive. Please post if you actually have tried the recipes and know from experience..yeah,being the authors relative does not count.

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Tasty: Get Great Food on the Table Every Day (Hardcover)

by Roy Finamore (Author)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 448 pages
* Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (March 17, 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0618240330
* ISBN-13: 978-0618240333
* Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
* Rating:

Book Description
For the past twenty years, Roy Finamore has shaped America’s most popular cookbooks, publishing such influential authors as Martha Stewart, Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa), and Lee Bailey and working alongside chefs and other food authorities to help them streamline their recipes. Now, in Tasty, he shows you how to make the most of your time and have fun in the kitchen.

Tasty proves that a meal doesn’t need to be showoffy to be uncommonly good. When you serve food from this book, your family and friends will sit up and take notice, and you’ll be relaxed and smiling when you sit down at the table. Among the simple but exceptional dishes in Tasty:
- Buttermilk Pancakes with Hazelnut Butter: breakfast with a minimum of effort; unbelievably light and fluffy.
- Sicilian Spinach Pie: perfect for a lunch or picnic, with the easiest pastry you’ve ever made.
- Fresh Pea Soup: with three common ingredients, it’s ready in five minutes.
- Chicken Milanese: Crisp chicken and tart salad — the kind of food you crave when it’s hot out.
- Pork Roast with Fruit Stuffing: a fine company dish or Sunday supper.
- Chinois Noodles: Asian-inspired and equally good warm or cold.
- Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake: Whip cream, add eggs and a few dry ingredients, and you’ve got cake!
- As Roy says in his introduction, “Good simple food is meant to be shared and enjoyed. Cook often.”

Tasty Review
You’re sitting around a kitchen table on metal and vinyl chairs talking with your brother whom the family acknowledges to be the fancy cook in the family. Your brother relates to you his riffs on recipes from his famous friends or family and one thing is clear; this man knows how to cook. He knows how to kick classic recipes in the butt and give them new life. This is what it is like to read and use Roy Finamore’s “Tasty: Get Great Food on the Table Every Day.” Finamore lovingly acknowledges the contributions of his family and friends but kicks the recipes up a notch or two to make them his own. Check out the recipes for Roast Chicken and Cod-Puttanesca style. Finamore is funny and ingenious, and he torques classic recipes to a level one would not normally consider. The man knows his way around a kitchen and the book reads like a family recipe collection on fire. Clearly Mr. Finamore loves his family and cherishes the family gatherings he has experienced in the past. He is a blast to read and his food is amazing. My recommendation? BUY IT…NOW…AND USE IT DAILY.

This is easily the best cookbook we’ve ever purchased. Every recipe in here works and most are fairly light on the amount of effort works. Even better, we’ve enjoyed everything we’ve made–some of these items are outstanding. The dijon pork tenderloin is dead simple and one of our 2 or 3 favorite dishes. It’s well written in an entertaining style and much better value than any of the Contessa, Martha, Flay, etc. cookbooks we own. Most cookbooks yield a couple recipes that are keepers. We’ve yet to make something out of Tasty that isn’t worth making again (and again and again).

Having cooked out of this cookbook for about two months, I continue to be amazed by it. The recipes are clearly written and easy to prepare. Usually when this is the case, the authors have sacrificed flavor in an effort to entice people who don’t cook to learn to cook. The strategy backfires, of course, since who would want to learn to do something whose results consistently disappoint? Roy Finamore starts from the premise that regular people who have lives outside the kitchen can make really tasty food without depending on lots of sugar, salt, or fat to equal “taste.” As I have explored the book, I start almost every recipe thinking, “This doesn’t sound hard, how good can it be?” and am consistently–pleasantly–amazed by the results. The food is joyful and colorful, nourishing and comforting. What a great find!

This book is chock-full of delicious recipes! If you want to add some zesty sauces or spreads to these meals, try the pesto recipes in Mary El-Baz’s “Simply Elegant and Easy Pesto.”

Finamore is a cookbook editor who has worked with many important cookbook authors such as Garten, Martha Stewart, Tom Colicchio, Diana Kennedy, Anne Willan, and Gale Gand. This, I sense just a bit of the culinary `fellow traveler’s point of view I taste in the work of Alton Brown, with not quite as much humor and not quite as much circumspection with words as I appreciate from Brown. For example, Finamore grossly misuses the term `melt’ when referring to the breakdown of one ingredient into another as when mashing up anchovies or garlic into vinaigrette. Finamore is also not entirely rigorous in explaining all his terms, as when he uses the term gorgonzola `dolce’ cheese in a recipe with no explanation of the two different varieties of gorgonzola in his introductory glossary of ingredients.

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The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution (Hardcover)

by Alice Waters (Author)

Book Details
* Hardcover: 416 pages
* Publisher: Clarkson Potter (October 2, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0307336794
* ISBN-13: 978-0307336798
* Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
* Rating:

Book Description
Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has “single-handedly chang[ed] the American palate” according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods.

With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks. Here you will find Alice’s philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long. Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that’s balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons’ bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients. Fill your market basket with pristine produce, healthful grains, and responsibly raised meat, poultry, and seafood, then embark on a voyage of culinary rediscovery that reminds us that the most gratifying dish is often the least complex.

The Art of Simple Food Review
Nothing more to say: in every generation there exists one memorable cookbook behind which all others pale in comparison. In the early 60s, it was Mastering the Art of French Cooking; in the late 70s, it was Silver Palate. It’s always been The Joy of Cooking, and Jean Anderson’s Doubleday Cookbook. But for this generation, tired of overwrought recipes created by celeb TV chefs and meant for the restaurant kitchen, The Art of Simple Food is a brilliant instant classic packed with recipes that are as close to perfection as I’ve seen. This is a keeper that will endure for years and years.

I bought this book for my wife, but it turned out to be as much of fun for me as for her. The book arrived just before we were leaving on a long car trip. I drove, and she read aloud. The book is beautifully written. The miles passed and I listened while she read about local foods and careful, loving preparation. Reading a good book can certainly be a group activity. Even better was when we got home and words were turned into meals.

This is the cookbook I return to again and again. The recipes are clear and simple and perfect for weeknight cooking, but the results are always fantastic. Often I have high hopes for a recipe and then it doesn’t turn out so great, but everything I’ve made from this book has been DELICIOUS. You’ll need to use high-quality ingredients to get those great results, but that’s kind of what Alice Waters is all about. If you’re a regular farmers’ market shopper like I am, though, you’ll never be disappointed by what this book has to offer. Furthermore, this book is perfect for beginner AND advanced cooks. Best of all, it’s inspirational–it’s written with lots of suggestions for how the recipes can be varied, and before long you’ll be implementing your own variations. Many cookbooks make me feel limited–this one inspires my creativity as it teaches me new things. Greatest cookbook ever!

After our trip to Italy this summer, we decided to take a more simplistic approach to cooking–better ingredients, fewer flourishes–inspired by italian cooking. I read a review of this book and a story on its author Alice Waters in the NYTimes just before it was released and I knew I wanted to get it immediately to help in our transition to easier cooking. This is not a traditional cookbook, it has no glossy pictures and builds on themes instead of just listing recipies alphabetically. It’s good for mastering the basics, and has some good foundation recipies that it offers variations to (i’ve tried a few of the deserts and they are all very good). A lot of the recipies in this book are not geared towards people who are working on a limited time frame or budget. Simple food for Waters does not equal fast or cheap food. But the food is good, and you feel like its good for you. It is great for my husband and I though, since we live in an urban area and have access to lots of the things needed. But if you’re looking for fast easy recipies, or even recipies that you won’t have to visit a nicer grocery store to make well, this isn’t the book for you.

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