Courses Books

Robert St. John is an excellent chef, and his recipes in this book reveal that. His ingredients are easy to obtain. I have fancy cookbooks with great recipes, but they call for ingredients that I can't find. Good home cooking is what this cookbook is all about: the basics with flare. Everytime I cook something from this book, people go on and on about how good it is. I'd love to take the credit, but it all really belongs to Robert St. John.

This fellow has it all- the ability to cook, and cook well- and the ability to truly tell a story. The book itself, even outside of the recipes, is a pleasure to read. The author is able to paint some really lovely pictures with his words- I got a very real sense of what it was like to grow up Southern, in slightly more genteel time than the present. The recipes are fabulous, as well- I have tried several, and every single one has been a hit with my family. Fantastic book!

I have "Deep South Parties,"and just had to have this one too. They share a few of the same staple recipes, but the stories and histories that are in it are well worth it.

I received this book for Christmas last year and have used many of the recipes in it on a weekly basis. Although some of them require quite a few more ingredients than I normally use, I love them so much that I'll take the extra time to prepare or buy those ingredients. My family particularly enjoys the maccaroni & cheese, scalloped potatoes and meatloaf recipes - but our all time favorite has to be the redfish recipe...it is amazing!

Having grown up in Mississippi, I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a true taste of the South. You will not be disappointed!

I found this gem while wandering thru my library. I thought I'd try a few recipes and if I liked it, would go ahead and buy it. Well, I've had it about a week. I've made the meatloaf twice (once for a carry-in at work), the beef vegetable soup and today I am trying my hand at the Chicken tetrazzini. I am also buying a copy for me and another for a friend!

'Digital Photography from the Ground Up: A Comprehensive Course' is EXACTLY what the title says. Perfect for anyone new or learning about the digital photography field, you will get everything you need out of this text. From the basics of what digital photography IS, how it differs from film, settings and options, organizing pictures, editing/cropping, this book has it all. With a pretty layout and FULL COLOR throughout this text, the pages are printed on nice paper and it's good sized. The writing is excellent and this is a very easy book to recommend. If you are new to digital photography and want to learn more about how to get the most bang out of your digital camera or you know someone that would like to learn more this book is a perfect learning resource.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Digital photography is covered in a bare-bones, basic guide for novices which will help such an audience begin with a solid foundation in photography principles. Most digital photo books focus on photo editing techniques, but this covers everything from workflow and image capture to print and storage. From the basics of how imaging occurs in digital cameras to what to look for in a new camera and how to improve image shooting as well as editing and presentation, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE GROUND UP is a fine beginner's title perfect for either photography or general-interest lending libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is indeed a great book. Like it says, "From the Ground Up) It covers every phase of digital photography. From the beginner to the seasoned professional.

This is a great book for the novice to intermediate digital photographer. There are no major issues that are not addressed. The book starts with chapters on equipment, with tips on choosing a camera. It then proceeds to chapters on composition, and a number of short sections on shooting topics such as animal photography, landscape photography, night photography, and others.

Appropriately, the longest section (over 100 pages) covers image editing software, with representatives from the world of MacOS, Linux, and Windows. While the level of detail doesn't approach that in a book dedicated to image editing such as Managing Your Photographic Workflow with Photoshop Lightroom or Art of RAW Conversion: How to Produce Art-Quality Photos with Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Leading RAW Converters by Juergen Gulbins and Uwe Steinmueller, it has adequate detail for the newbie to use to become acquainted with the various features of image editing software. It gives detailed instructions (including screenshots) about the use of many of the most important features.

There is a short chapter introducing the RAW format, and then a chapter on printing presentation quality pictures with ink-jet printers. There is special emphasis on the shareware program Qimage, a print application that provides excellent quality prints from even medium resolution photos. The image quality from this program in many instances even exceeds the quality obtained from printing directly from Photoshop. I was pleased to see credit given to this program, which I have used extensively over the last eight years and found to be invaluable in printing high quality ink-jet prints.

There are short sections on choosing and using a scanner, image management, and finally a brief description of Apple Aperture and Adobe Lightroom, popular all-in-one programs.

This book is a complete introduction to digital photography. It does not provide new information for the experienced photographer, but it does provide answers to questions that neophytes may not know to ask, and will refresh the memory of intermediate photographers about techniques they may not have used for years.

Highly Recommended.

Most photographers I know are self taught through lots of reading and plenty of practice. Anyone getting started is usually looking for a simple source to explain the basics about photography so they understand at a level that helps them get better, quicker.

Digital Photography from the Ground Up provides a solid overview on essentially all things related to digital photography. This book is definitely targeting the beginning user or one that may have been trying things out for awhile and would like to get a better foundation behind their hobby.

With this in mind, the advanced user likely knows most of what is covered in this title, but could use a copy to lend out to those that are always asking them questions! The concepts do get a little more advanced in some sections, but the concepts are clearly and simply explained to make them approachable and understandable for anyone. Because this book covers so many topics, each is only covered in a concise manner. For example night photography, which could be a chapter long is covered in one page. This is what beginners need though; a good explanation of how to best approach a type of photography including the potential mistakes and how to best set your camera to get good photos.

Though not a title that is going to take you from beginner to master, rather it is a wide reference doing exactly as the title suggests. Readers are taken from the ground up to a good understanding of all the areas they need to know to excel at photography.

The book was nice and short, easy to read.

This book is an engaging reference tool. It is more than information on how to pay for college. It is a beginning step to understanding financial literacy and preparing for your financial future.

Chapter One sets the framework for the book and begins expanding the readers world view on money in general. Understanding the basic difference between income and wealth is the first step towards financial literacy.

The insight that is given in terms of how you negotiate and relate for preparing for college and working with financial aid officer can easily be transferred to relating to the bank or any other financial institution.

There is more to this book than is obvious to naked eye.

Dr. LaVeist is using college entrance preparation as an opportunity to introduce his reader to wider concepts on money and basic finances.

I enjoyed this book. The authors are two brothers who weaved a story about getting their sons ready for college into a book about college financial aid, which is usually a very boring topic. Very creative! They managed to entertain AND educate.

I am so thankful to these two brothers. Who have work hard in bring all of this information together. Look forward to here about more in the near future. Again, thank you, my son will benefit from this greally.

This is just the type of book on financial aid that I was looking for. It makes the whole confusing process easy to understand. It's a quick read, intelligent and entertaining. It speaks to black folks. After reading it, I have a better understanding of how the whole thing works.

In "Emerald Gems", Larry Lambrecht has been able to capture the feel and distinct nuances of the Irish links. The stunning photographs and accompanying stories provide the reader with an incredible sense of how golf was and is meant to be played and enjoyed. David Owen said, "The thing I like best about golf is the sense of infinite possibility..." Emerald Gems presents a real glimpse at that possibility and is a must read for those fortunate to have visited and played, and those who dream of doing so.

Albert B. Antonez

I have seen Larry Lambrecht's work before in the annual "Emerald Gems" calendar and notecard series. Lambrecht is a world class photographer with a particular specialty in shooting Irish Golf Courses (as well as many others across the globe). Not only does Lambrecht capture a view of a spectacular golf hole through his camera lens, he also has an incredible eye for catching a moment in nature using golf landscape as a backdrop. (see page 18, 98, 114, etc.)

Ireland's "Links" courses are built along the coast, and as such in Emerald Gems, the connection between land and sea is apparent in many of the images.

Emerald Gems sits on a table in our home and is admired by guests and friends for the simple beauty of the Irish Countryside. Be warned though, If you have an affection for the game of golf and have never been to Ireland, the images of Waterville, Old Head and Lahinch alone will have you calling a travel agent. If you don't play golf, and have never seen the coast of Ireland, you may suffer the same impulse.

This large pictorial covers every major links course in Ireland with beautiful pictures and course commentary by Irish writers and architects.This is by far the best book to help plan an Irish golf trip or to relive a past trip.It is well worth the cost and will be your reference for Ireland's links for years to come

This book has incredible beautiful photographs of ALL of the great courses in Ireland and a wonderful written talk about each course. The book is big. It will have to go on the coffee table and not in the bookcase, but it is truly beautiful. Very highly recommended.

Emerald Gems is a terrific compilation of golf landscape photographs in a large coffee table type of format (11x12?). Many if not all of the very best courses of Ireland are reviewed.

One key element I'd like to point out up front is this book is very strong about landscape photograhy, but not so about the golf and how to play the game in Ireland. Thus I would say you need to be prepared to just enjoy the pictures for what they are: fantastic and breathtaking landscapes. The golfing is secondary.

Some may think my last comment is crazy, but I think if you take a closer look you will realize the photographs do nothing to prepare the golfer for what to expect golfing wise. Laurence's vantage point for 90% of the photographs consists in seeking the highest dune (usually behind or beside the green) and then frame for the landscape and make sure to include the green. Given this, you simply will not be able to figure out if the hole is a par 3, 4, or even 5. You will also have no idea how it's played. You simply do not get the golfer vantage point from the fairways and bunkers. The only exception to this is on par 3's where you guess the vantage point is from the tee. Unfortunately, the captions to the photos do nothing either to tell you if it's a par 3, 4, or 5. But then again, maybe this is by design because it wouldn't matter. Case in point: page/slide 200 illustrates a wonderful rock outcroping from some cliffs with a tiny green on a shelf. The caption reads "4th at Kilkee". Great landscape picture, but what does it tell you about the hole? Does it matter or help the photograph to even know this?

Instead, it's best to just admire the quality of the photographs. You start to appreciate the framing of the photos, the colors, the foreground and background and how it all works together seemlessly, the elements of wind/sun/clouds/shadows and how they contribute. It makes the golf part of a whole. One thing you will notice is the tremendous ruggedness of the regions and their dunes. This book is broken down into regions like the Scottish Golf Links book, and again here you'll grow to appreciate the differences from region to region. I still keep coming back to the print on page 182 of Royal County Down with a surreal set of colors and an almost mystical background. Just an unbelievable print. Simply beautiful in conveying what the landscape has to offer. I find myself gravating over and over again towards that region of northern Ireland.

The text is fairly simplistic with nice historical notes about the course being reviewed and is at times amusing, but don't look for grand explanations about a given course and it's holes. Granted there are a few highlighted holes here and there, but it's usually to express how difficult they are. Little is imparted on how to approach them. There's also very little if any correlation between the text and the holes being photographed. That aside, I think the best thing the text does is reinforce your desire to go over and visit Ireland for yourself. Some of the charming Irish culture comes through in areas of the text and it makes you want to appreciate the whole package in person.

In the end, I think this is a wonderful effort from Laurence. Beautiful rugged dune landscapes with intriguing surroundings in a perfect format convey the grandeur of Ireland. Tremendous colours and textures breath life into the prints. The regional variety expresses the richness the links have to offer. As for the golf, I think it acts more as a complement to the tremendous scenery being displayed.

I found this book to be an extraordinary blend of humor, facts not known before, recipes out of the dark ages on up until now, and it is hard to put down once begun. Some of the information on food preparation in other countries is astonishing, and I salute the author on her dedication to assemble all this information into one book. I won't be lending the book out casually - it's too much a treasure for that!

This book is great - it provides interesting stories, history facts, and quips about soup. Great recipes, too!

`An Exaltation of Soups' is author Patricia Solley's published scrapbook of stories, proverbs, wit, wisdom, and recipes about soup. This is not my opinion. The author states this fact as clearly as you may please in her introduction. The author is far more of a researcher than she is a culinary professional, as she is chief of Research Communications and Public Relations for the FBI. Yes, that's the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington.

In the spirit of being much more about the lore of soups than a culinary exploration as you will find in culinary specialists James Peterson and Barbara Kafka, the recipes are not organized by season or ingredient or thick versus thin or smooth versus chunky. They are organized by use. How do we human inventors of cooking over 10,000 years ago use this food preparation called soup?

The first Part of four (4) is `Soup Basics'. It does not deal with soup cooking so much as with a speculative history of the origins of soup, a collection of soup proverbs and clichés, a small collection of stories about soup, and recipes for soup stocks. This includes seven basic stock recipes plus a technique for clarifying stock and a technique for concentrating stock. While this collection has several stocks you may not easily find elsewhere such as a Hungarian chicken stock and a Japanese fish stock, all the recipes are relatively simple. Simpler, for sure, than what you may find from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America, not the foreign colleague of the FBI) textbook or cooking experts such as Jeremiah Tower or Judy Rodgers. They are much simpler than expert soup specialists such as Seattle's Michael Congdon, the author of the new recipe collection, `S.O.U.P.S'. But then, this book is not so much about cooking soups as soup's place in the goings and comings of various human communities.

The second Part is `Soups of Passage'. Here is where the book comes into its own, as we are given recipes for various important events in our lives, or at least in the lives of members of some very important cultures. The four `passages' represented here are birth, confirmation, marriage, and death. It is no surprise that the largest selection by far are those recipes developed to celebrate marriage, including the famous Italian wedding soup with meatballs. Oddly, I seem to recall that the name of this soup with meatballs has less to do with a human wedding as it does with the wedding of ingredients.

The third Part is `Soups of Purpose'. Here, unlike the preceding and following chapters, the soup recipes are constructed to accomplish a specific culinary objective, so that there is a connection between ingredients and cooking techniques and the soup's use other than simply tradition. The most famous of this breed is the `Les Halle Onion Soup', which I had the pleasure of sampling at a Les Halle bistro in Paris at 5:00 AM, along with the traditional glass of red wine. The author recounts a tale from Harold Pinter about the playwright's ending a night of carousing in Paris at a similar open air market bistro with fellow playwright Samuel Beckett, who was kind enough to let Pinter slip into a slumber with head on table while Beckett retrieved a large glass of water and bicarbonate of soda. Unfortunately, Ms. Solley says nothing about the tradition of red wine with the onion soup.

The last and longest Part is `Soups of Piety and Ritual'. Unlike the second chapter, these are all soups dealing with a particular date or holiday that occurs every year. The holidays so honored are New Years Day, St. Tavy's Day (represented by a leek soup celebrating a Welsh saint), Eastertide (including soups for the carnival at the beginning of Lent, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, Jewish Festivals (including soups for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Passover), Islamic Festivals (Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr), Christmas, and Kwanzaa. I am really pleased to see recipes for Islamic festivals appear in an English book for general audiences. This is the second such book I have seen. The first is Nigella Lawson's new book `Feast'. It is great fun to see how important the soup borsht is, as at least two different recipes, one Russian and one Jewish, appear in the book.

Aside from the fun to be found in reading the sidebars, headnotes, and other commentary about soup, the most useful function of this book would be as a source of recipes to fit various events in one's life. Many writers make a great deal of how food brings people together over the dinner table. This benefit is doubled if one can prepare dishes behind which there are centuries of tradition. While bread can probably outdo soup as a type of food that is most heavily wrapped in tradition, soup certainly seems to have the edge on most other types of cooking. What makes this especially useful in this context is that almost all the recipes are relatively easy. This being the case, there is some chance that these are not the very best recipes possible for these dishes. But, the book has still served its purpose if you are looking for an Italian Lenten soup and you find `Minestrone di magro'. If you are not satisfied with Ms. Solley's recipe, you can always fetch a copy of a recipe from Marcella Hazan or Lydia Bastianich. At least if you don't have a cookbook for foods of the Middle East, you at least have these five Arab influenced recipes for Ramadan.

One feature where Ms. Solley really missed the boat was in her not including a bibliography of other books on soup recipes. The book ends with all her literary credits in place, but no citations of good books on Soup. So, only four stars for this omission and to alert potential buyers that this book is more about lore than about gourmet cooking.

Pat does a great job keeping the reader's interest in this fine book. Solley's strong suit has always been her outstanding research abilities & it is clearly evident in her first published book about soups. Check her website www.soupsong.com for even more fun. Even if Pat wasn't my sister, I would still be hugely proud of her efforts!

AN EXALTATION OF SOUPS:
The Soul-Satisfying Story of Soup, as
Told in More Than 100 Recipes
By: Patricia Solley





"Little is nobler than presiding over a kettle of homemade soup."
(Unknown)

This is a cookbook you will likely read in most any room in addition to your kitchen -- hearty and stirring tales of 100 soups for more than 40 worldwide occasions ...

Solley invites us to "look at a bowl of soup and see the evolution of foods created in remote locations over thousands and thousands of years, made into recipes passed from hand to hand, transported on the backs of Indian, Asian and Arab traders, Roman soldiers and European explorers all the way to your supermarket." Soup as an indicator is underscored when Solley invites us to regard the recipes, and at the same time think upon different cultures with personalized celebrations, their sacredness of family intimacy and rites of passage.

An Exaltation of Soups is divided into four parts peppered with marginal Soup Notes containing riddles, quotes, wives' tales, advice, lyrics, sound wisdom and cautionary maxims. Not surprising, her six pages of Contents runs longer than her remarkably concise History of Soup.

Part I

Soup Basics containing soup history, proverbs, reflections and some very complete directions and for soup stocks, including the history of and directions for portable Pocket Soup, soup sometimes known as Veal Glue or Cake Soup.

In Soup Reflections, she cites an anecdote from Winston Churchill's soup humor:

"Well, dinner would have been splendid if the wine had been as cold as the soup, the beef as rare as the service, the brandy as old as the fish and the maid as willing as the Dutchess."

Part II

Soups of Passage celebrate worldwide cultural experiences from birth to marriage and finally, death.

Part III

Soups of Purpose from Losing Weight to Stimulating Appetite, Wooing a Lover to Treating Hangover.

Part IV

Soups of Piety and Ritual

These take you through the entire calendar and to many civilizations from New Year's Day to year's end and Kwanzaa.

Some recipes:

On Birth from France: "Boiled Water" Garlic Soup. This is simply French bread, olive oil, water, 24 cloves of garlic, a couple of herbs and a garnished of Gruyere cheese. With a couple of exceptions, Soups To Celebrate and Recover From Giving Birth "are offered in small 'at home' portions, meant to be prepared quickly and served immediately," Solley tells us.

On Marriage from China: Red Bean and Lotus Seed Soup - even simpler, this ceremonial soup calls for water, red beans, lotus seeds, tangerine skin and brown sugar. Simple is good.

On Marriage again, from France: Blandness has its virtue. Take water, many onions, a few potatoes, tapioca, an egg yolk, heavy cream and butter. This also sounds after a day of extreme stress.

Upon death, from France: Combine French bread, chicken meat, carrots, chicken stock and ground saffron.

In her Soups of Purpose section under To Lose Weight, she offers a few soup admonitions:

Eat soup at the beginning of a meal. Makes you feel full early.

Soup fools the body's calorie sensors. This is good.

Soup as food is less voluminous.

Soup is complicated to eat and takes more motor skills

Another Soup of Purpose: To stimulate an appetite -- Avocadolucious Soup Combine chicken stock, heavy cream a chile pepper and garlic. Mix with pureed avocados, experiment with garnishes.

Soups for wooing lovers: Aphrodisiac Almond Soup (for two):

Combine hard-boiled egg yolks, almonds, raspberries, chicken stock, light cream and honey. Solley offers Christopher Marlowe's, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," on the facing page.

Soups to Chase a Hangover, and there's very, many remedies -

Beer Soup from Denmark: Take some pumpernickel bread, Danish dark ale, water, lemon juice and sugar. Garnish with heavy cream, cinnamon.

Soups for Eastertide, this one from Albania: Bean Soup: This calls for white beans, water, olive oil, onions, tomato paste, parsley, chili powder, mint and whipped yogurt as a garnish.

From Hungary, a Christmas Wine Soup: A goodly amount of white Hungarian wine, much less water, sugar, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks and eight egg yolks. This is a hot soup.

Another Christmas soup from Spain: Iced White Almond Soup - Combine white bread, raw almonds, garlic, salt, olive oil and sherry vinegar with fruit, shrimp or toasted almonds for garnish. The author quotes "Sancho Panza on Soup and Life," on the opposite flip page.

Soups need not be long litanies of ingredients, nor a "mix of leftovers." The legendary soups in this book feature soups locally famed, usually very simple, inherently delicious, frequently endowed with magical powers.

Solley seems onto something ... you can visit her at: www.SoupSong.com.

Review by Marty Martindale, Largo FL, 2005

This is one of the best books around. Not for beginners but really good nonetheless.

This book is a gold mine of information! Creative, beautiful cakes in the European style, gorgeous gumpaste flowers, plenty of photos, and easy to read instructions make this book a perfect addition to your cake book collection. Grab this book and you will be inspired!!

Again I am reviewing a book that I do not have, I ordered Exotic Sugar Flowers For Cakes on July10 and have had frequent delays. I am very frustrated as I have seen this book and it is a terrific learning book for the decorator who loves to mould flowers and sprays. It is definetly a 5 star rated book, JUST WISH I HAD IT.

Although, in all fairness, he is not writing this (or any other book) focusing on the cakes. However, most of us who are practicing cake decorators rather than competing sugar flower artists eventually want to end up using these creations on or around a cake, and that's where this book, or any book by Alan Dunn, is unable to inspire.

He's clearly a botanist at heart who's simply chosen a rather unusual medium in which to pursue his calling. His floral sprays are amazingly life-like and I can't imagine anyone criticising his talent in that regard.

However, his work, and Lesley Herbert's work, need to be tempered somewhat by someone wild and loose like Anna Von Marburg. Rolling all of their talents into one decorator would result in cake decorating as close to perfection as one might want -- cakes which are not only a thrill to look at but also appetite whetting as well (a much-overlooked facet of professional cake decorating). Alone, however, Dunn and Herbert produce technically stunning but somewhat sterile work.

Still, I own many of their books and wouldn't be without them!

Many American designers must simply be puzzled by their work -- the fondant purity with the stiff floral spray is so unlike what's coming out of the States. I suggest cake decorators get ahold of books from all parts of the world to really get inspired and certainly as far as English design goes, no collection would be complete without Dunn's work.

By the way, all of his books are handsome, carefully-produced, well-edited, high-quality, and full of generous, honest tips. He should be applauded for this indeed.

This is a beautiful coffee table book even if you don't ever try to make the flowers. Of course, like most sugar flower making books, this one makes it look easy, but it is extremely difficult and time-consuming even if you have all the tools and have an artistic bent. I bought all the stuff and it just sits in a drawer since the learning curve is great... and I can do almost anything artistic or creative.

The only thing that would improve this book would be to make it bigger! These ideas are truly unique and easy (well, if you do it step by step). Helped me to have a new outlook on decorating.

This is one of the best cake decorating books I have. Mr. Winbeckler is amazing and he is a great teacher. All the animals featured in the book are achievable by cake decorators of all levels. The instructions are very simple to follow and you will be making adorable cakes or cupcake characters in no time! I HIGHLY recommend!

I had the pleasure of taking a class when Roland Winbeckler was in town several years ago. This book in particular is one of my favorites. I created all kinds of wonderful cupcakes -- the animals were easy to recreate. I even added them to my cakes with rave reviews.

After purchasing several of Mr. Winbeckler's pamphlets, videos and tools from his website and Amazon.com, I can accurately state that he is an excellent instructor and my decorating skills have improved tremendously. Phamphlets are packed with information but require practice and patience.

I completely agree with the previous review listed on this book.It's very easy for anyone to do & goes step by step.I only wish there was even more ideas in it.Maybe they'll come out with a second edition for us!

If you are going to have a party and need a book with amazing ideas for starters or a finger food themed party. This is the book. I am a Chef and I have used it endless times for ideas on how to create DELECTABLE finger foods to tease the palate. Plus any cookbook collector will sit for hours looking through this book at the many drool-worthy pictures. Blessed Eats!

I first spotted a single copy of this book on a Barnes and Noble cookbook table but when I went back to pick it up, it was gone. Apparently, it's gone out of print. I consider Finger Food to be a must-have addition to the cookbook library of anyone who entertains. We've tried many of the recipes and they've gone over like gangbusters.

FINGER FOOD:
Bite-sized Snacks to Share with Friends

Katherine Gasparini, Editor

Another imprint of the Advantage Publishers Group by
Laurel Glen Publishing

This beautiful little book, on glossy pages, spares no color with lots of tempting photographs. These small foods are rather like non-Spanish tapas, much Mediterranean influence however, and a lot of Asian touches. Several quick, little foods can make up a meal or a delightful snack with someone special. The book is divided into four groups of Finger Foods: Nibbles, Cold, Hot and Sweet. Here's some of the quicker choices:

* Olive Tapenade made with garlic, anchovies, capers, thyme, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil and a little brandy, if you wish.

* Spinach Pate is made with butter, coriander cayenne pepper, garlic, scallions, almonds and sour cream.

* Corn Salsa with Cumin. Make this with olive oil, jalapenos, sun-dried tomatoes and cilantro.

* Spiced Soy Crackers. These contain flour, soy flour, garem masala, paprika, olive oil and lemon juice.

* Green Mexican Salsa made from tomatillos, onion, jalapeno chili, garlic, cilantro and lime juice.

* Warm Cheese Dip. Fix this with butter, scallions, jalapeno chilies, cumin, sour cream and grated cheddar.

* Parmesan Puff Straws. For these you need only puff pastry, butter, Parmesan and one lightly beaten egg.

* Chicken Liver Parfait needs only butter, shallots, whipping cream, cognac, melba toasts and baby gherkins.

* Smoked Salmon Breadbaskets call for sliced white bread, olive oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, fresh dill, horseradish sauce, some salmon roe and dill sprigs.

* Spinach and Feta Triangles. Just gather olive oil, scallions, parsley, fresh dill, nutmeg, Parmesan, ricotta cheese, eggs, butter olive oil and phyllo pastry.

* Basil Mussels. Cook them with butter, shallots and white wine. Make the Basil Butter with basil leaves, butter, garlic and dry breadcrumbs.

* Mediterranean Twists are bread twists made from olive oil, onions, white wine, sugar, Italian parsley, anchovies Gruyere cheese, butter and phyllo pastry.

* Toasted Figs in Prosciutto calls for butter, orange juice and sage leaves.

* Feta, Arugula and Mushroom Bruschetta calls for Italian bread, garlic olive oil, butter and fresh basil.

* For something sweet, yet simple, make Fennel Wafers from sugar, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, flour, olive oil, beer and anisette.

The author states, "Finger Food is fun food to share. Shake off the conventions of cutlery and dig into bite-sized snacks and dips, perfect for taking the edge off of hunger in any dimension."

© Marty Martindale, 2004, Largo FL

It's very simple: I can't resist finger food, nibbles and the like. When I am confronted with a huge plate of something I feel overwhelmed, so I definitely prefer small bites.
This book has got what I need: 200 recipes for gorgeous nibbles and small bites that will make you drool as you flip through the pages.

The book has a strange "chunky" format, it looks a bit like a brick and it sticks to the essential, so there is no introduction, no glossary, no introductory chit chat about the recipes, BUT there is a gorgeous picture facing each recipe and the more exotic ingredients are explained in notes. You open the book and you find the table of contents (nibbles, cold, hot, sweet and the index) and then, straight away, the first recipe.

Some of the recipes are well known like the ones for hummous, tapenade, aioli, guacamole and some others, but I found a number of interesting original ones and new twists on something familiar. I'm really happy I found the recipe for Bitterballen (a Dutch appetizer), which I had been looking for for a while. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems similar to the one I tasted. What I have tried is the Hot Crab and Lemon Dip, and we all loved it! Sinfully rich with crab, shallots and cheese melting together, mmmm...
And the Herbed Lavash, easy and so tasty that you can't stop eating it; and the Herb Pikelets with Pear and Blue Cheese Topping, small herbed pancakes that contrast beautifully with the creaminess of the blue cheese topping and the crunchy sweetness of the pears. And the cute mini frittatas baked in muffin tins: they have a very professional look and taste divine.

There is something to suit every occasion, from the posh "oysters with lemon herb dressing" and "mushroom pat? on Melba toasts", to the homey "Mexican bites" and "small salmon-lemon cakes", from the exotic "sesame and wasabi-crusted tuna cubes" and "Thai beef salad rice paper rolls", to the vegetarian "vegetable shapes with cr?me fra?che and fried leek" (really stylish) and "lentil patties with cumin skordalia".
I haven't tried them yet, but they sit high on my list of plates to try.

The recipes are well laid out: one recipe per page, ingredients on one side and clear, step-by-step instruction on the other, on the opposite page there is a picture of what you are supposed to get. They range in complexity from very simple to fairly time consuming, but it is easy to choose.

In short, this is a simple, down-to-earth guide to wonderful food, both for special occasions and for everyday treats. Yum!

I've been looking for a good book of finger food for awhile and was happy to find this one. Usually, the recipes for finger food are too exotic or time comsuming, this book has a few of those but there are plenty that are not too complex. Finger Food also has a range of ethnic styles, such as Mexican, Asian & American flavored foods.

If you are cooking in a confined space such as a small RV or boat this is a great cookbook. Most RV oriented cookbooks have conventional, uninteresting recipes that rely heavily on processed ingredients, and are not very healthy. This book features gourmet style, but easy to prepare recipes that are healthy and tasty. My RV has a small two-burner stove, and I can make any of these recipes easily. Also nice are the recommendations for side dishes to go with the main courses. Highly recommended!

My husband bought this cookbook for me, and of all the cookbooks that we tried, this turned out to be my favorite cookbook that I use the often. Reasons are many -- many dishes look fancy but are often easy to do and taste very fabulous, and they usually don't require hard-to-find ingredients. Another plus is that you don't use a lot of pans and stuff -- you just use the same skillet for everything (though you'll need to transfer some foods to a waiting dish for some recipes).

Also, though the cookbook isn't considered low-carb, many recipes are suitable for people who can't eat high carb and friendly to people who follow whole food/paleo diets like we do. Also, thankfully, the cookbook authors don't seem to have hangups about using good fats, such as butter and olive oil.

Our favorite recipes are: steak with sherried mushrooms and fennel pork chops with charred lemons. Also fabulous is the lamb with mint-garlic-caper sauce.

The meals in this book are perfect for two, and you don't need to be Cordon Bleu trained to make them. You can get a good idea about what the product will be before you make it through the fantastic photography and great descriptions. It's full of useful tips for making your day-to-day cooking easier and have better results. If you aren't into spending all day in the kitchen, but want to eat well, this is a must-have.

A Flash in the Pan is a great cookbook. There are several things I love about it. The recipes produce delicious results. Two of my favorites are the Tuscan Sausage and Beans and the Red Snapper with Warm Mango Salsa. The recipes, while simple and easy to follow, are really nice for entertaining as well. Recommendations are made as to what to serve as side dishes. You only use one skillet or one pot. I can always prepare a very nice yet quick meal using this book. It's one of my favorites and I have a great selection of cook books!

every recipie is wonderful! Gave it as part of a group of cookbooks for a wedding gift and it's her favorite. The additions to the main meal are simple and appropriate.

The variety of recipes for this fun and tasty bread are astounding! It serves not only to provides one with foccaccia for any occasion, but it stimulates the imagination, helping one to create any recipe they need! I love it!

This is a great book for many reasons: The pictures are beautiful, the writer knows the topic and the most important is that I've tried some recipes and they are just delicious.

Focaccia is my favourite bread, and since I live in Italy I get to eat it as much as I want. But I wanted to try making it on my own, and this book really helped me.
The recipes here are amazing and they really work. They are easy and tasty (they do taste better than the ones I buy at my local bakery). Also the variety is great. The one I like the best is "Focaccia Andrea Doria" but they are all excellent. The book is also filled with beautiful photos. Enjoy it.

Focaccia is my favourite bread, and since I live in Italy I get to eat it as much as I want. But I wanted to try making it on my own, and this book really helped me.
The recipes here are amazing and they really work. They are easy and tasty (they do taste better than the ones I buy at my local bakery). Also the variety is great. The one I like the best is "Focaccia Andrea Doria" but they are all excellent. The book is also filled with beautiful photos. Enjoy it.

The book is full of good recipes, most of them easy to make. The results are consistently good. For an unusual bread, try the potato focaccia recipe. Everybody in my family loves it, and it became one of the favorite lunches to take to work/school.