Cooking Books

In today's fast-paced world, the dinner choice for many is something from the nearest fast food restaurant. Fortunately for us, Tony Casillo wanted better for his daughters. Casillo wrote Tony Casillo's Family Cookbook: A Treasure Trove of Recipes and Cooking Advice From a Dad to His Daughters as a gift for his girls, to remind them how quick and easy it can be to prepare "decent, wholesome food."

Casillo's family emigrated to America from Italy when he was 12 years old, so the dishes are predominantly Italian. There are recipes for tasty, simple dishes like Bruschetta, Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil, Beef with Tomatoes, Gina's Salmon Parcels, Grandma Casillo's Zucchini, Brown Sugar Potatoes and Almond Biscotti. Osso Buco, Gina's Roast Pork with Mushrooms and Marsala, Lamb Ambruzzi Style, Elegant Livorno Fish Stew, Artichokes Roman Style and Neopolitan Ricotta Pie are some of the more elegant dishes which are perfectly suited for family celebrations. Of course, there are also recipes for great Italian classics such as Antipasto, Risotto, Lasagne, Flour Gnocchi and Zabaglione.

Part of the appeal of Tony Casillo's Family Cookbook is Casillo's relaxed attitude toward cooking. In the notes accompanying a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore, Casillo writes "if you don't like anchovies, leave them out...If you don't like olives, leave those out as well." There are variations listed for many of the recipes; eight variations are provided for Crushed Tomato Sauce alone. Casillo even includes a "basic formula for vegetable soup, so you can make your own creations." What truly makes this book a treasure, however, are the many old family photos and anecdotes sprinkled throughout the pages.

The recipes are easy to follow and Casillo's fatherly advice regarding ingredient selection and preparation is always helpful. With its emphasis on enjoying good meals as part of our everyday lives, Tony Casillo's Family Cookbook is an excellent cookbook for novices and advanced cooks alike.

It's so wonderful to have this delicious recipe collection at last. I grew up running in and out of the Casillo family household, snacking and dining regularly at their generous table. Whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, each dish was always a treat. This is the kind of cookbook that you will reach for time and again, week after week. Tony, thank you for sharing!

Unless you are fortunate enough to be sitting at table with Tony sharing a meal he has cooked, it doesn't get better than this. Tony's visits to our house over the years have been increasingly punctuated with spectacular food that has always made me wonder where he learned to do what he does with just basic ingredients. During my sister's visits home over the period Tony was compiling his recipes, she would frequently cook something extraordinary and we'd beg to know how it was made. Without fail, she would tell us it was from Tony's book. Now that it's published and I have a copy at my fingertips, I am impressing my own guests by cooking many of these dishes from both sides of our families. The monologue that entwines the recipes with their origin as well as memories of meals past and relatives fondly remembered, places this cookbook apart from the ordinary fare and brings the reader into our family circle. After I finished reading Tony's cookbook I had no choice but to say arrivederci to the bottled lemon juice and jarred minced garlic that I have always kept on hand in my refrigerator. Again, Tony, great job!

Tony's cook book is a must for all kitchens and when you get to know this man through his writing and pictures you find out that Tony is a humble man that has a passion for food that goes deep within. Those of us who share the passion, know what that is like!! There are few things in life that are better gifts then that of food . Tony brings the greatest of cooking to all, a book that he intended for his daughters as a gift and what a gift it is.I tell you ;you will not be disapointed with this book! Thanks for a great simple book that all can relate too!! If you ever get to see him cook live don't miss it!

I have been collecting cookbooks for over 30 Years. At first, I joined a cookbook club in order to expand upon the cooking experience I had both at home and at school (back when Home Economics meant learning how to sew a button on a shirt and make a white sauce). From there I progressed to cookbooks that let me learn how to cook for two (I come from a BIG family ) to how to economically feed a family of four. My collection includes the requisite Fanny Farmer Cookbook as well as the Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens series. The past few years, however, my criteria for choosing which cookbook to buy has changed. Not only must a cookbook contain reliable recipes made without exotic ingredients, but it must also read well as a BOOK. The text and the pictures are as important to me as the recipes. Having heard some time ago that Tony Casillo was writing a book for his daughters, I was eagerly awaiting this book. I was not disappointed. Above and beyond the recipes, which are presented as a way to bring the family into the kitchen, I found this book to be a charming reflection of growing up in a large Italian family. The recipes are straight-forward and easy to follow. But the family photos and remembered faily observations make this a special book for me. A self-taught cook, Tony Casillo presents recipes to be made in a loving family environment. Above and beyond the recipes (I look forward to making his Cassata cake recipe -- the one I make at work is slightly different) I enjoyed this book as a testament to growing up in a large famil, where putting food on the table was not just a necessity but a shared, loving experience.

I collect cookbooks. I like this book because the recipes are original and the ingredients aren't too esoteric. I don't like the coffee table size, it's too hard to browse through. I recommend if you are an experienced cook and always searching for new, interesting recipes.

As an individual who is dedicated to eating local, healthy, and tasty food, Michael Chiarello once again creates supreme recipes with delicious flavor and divides the cookbook by season. Each of the recipes has a bit of flare and contain simple and fresh ingredients that should be easily found in any local grocery store, farmers market, or organic store such as Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or Fresh Market. My cooking style is still developing, but all of these recipes are always winners even for the novice cook. The recipes are easy to make and always satisfy. This is a definite recommend for anyone looking for tasty, seasonal cooking.

I have had this book for over a year and have tried several of his recipes which all comes out great. It is one of the few cookboos that I have which I use often. The recipes are easy to follow, simple, and most important of all, delicious. I espcially like the stuffed pepper recipe. It is also a book one can sit down to read for leisure. Plus there are lots of tips, not just recipes.

I've had the Tra Vigne Cookbook for a few years now, and I use it regularly. It's an attractive book, with beautiful photos and intriguing introductions to the recipes. It's hard to stop browsing once you open the book, and an inspiration to actually do some cooking. The dishes are great. The Chicken with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce is a favorite, as is the Fusilli Michelangelo. My niece from Thailand, for whom I made this dish several years ago, still remembers and asks for it. (Read the intro to either of these dishes and you're likely to cook them.)

The book is arranged seasonally, with chapters on essential ingredients for each season. Spring ingredients include asparagus, garlic, peas, and potatoes. Summer ingredients include corn, tomatoes, and bell peppers. And so on. I shop at a grocery store, not a farmers market, and I've had a less-than-happy relationship with vegetables since infancy, so I was skeptical of the whole seasonal-cooking thing at first. But I enjoy browsing through the new season's recipes as the year changes, and I've tried dishes and ingredients that are not usually a part of my diet. It's hard to object to broccoli when it's served in a creamy Very Green Soup sprinkled with crunchy gremolata.

It would have been nice in book a subtitled "Seasons in the California Wine Country" to have more information about wine. Few recipes actually use wine and there is no advice on what wines to pair with the food.

Despite the elegant presentations shown in the photos, none of the recipes are too difficult to try. They're just challenging enough for the amateur cook who likes to do a little more than the usual home cooking. The Tra Vigne Cookbook is a lot of fun, and the food is delicious.

This is a wonderful culinary book. It's more than a cookbook, as it focuses on various vegetables, etc. of the season, then uses those featured ingredients in several great recipes. If you've ever eaten at Tra Vigne in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena, you can even picture in your mind Michael in the kitchen, and almost taste the restaurant's just-pressed olive oil. If you know anyone who likes to read culinary books (like my mom, who literally reads cookbooks cover to cover, then goes back to earmark certain recipes), you should give them this book for the holidays. It is a beautiful, coffee table-quality, glossy work.

This book takes Indian cuisine to a new level. It is not your typical Indian fare. The flavors of east meet west in Vij's book. This is not for beginners. Skilled cooks with discerning palates will enjoy this book.

After eating at VJ's in Vancouver BC ,I had to buy his cookbook,I've made his simple chicken curry many many times and I think it's one of the best.
Also his Mango Pineapple lassi tasted just like the one I had in his restaurant and I was so excited to be able to create the exact same drink .
You feel like you know the family after reading their wonderful stories.
Thank you for this wonderful book.

I am new to Indian cooking and this was a great starter book. They start with an overview of styles, spices, and methods before getting into the recipes. I've done a few of the recipes, including my first curry. It was all much easier than I had expected. Using the methods that I have learned, I've already started experimenting within the ideas they gave. I wish I could cook more, as I can't wait to try more recipes.

We've been steadily working our way through this cookbook and totally love it. Each dish has been fantastic, and the recipes couldn't be better written. There are some specialized ingredients, but once you have those in stock, it's really easy to make almost anything in the book.

i am fortunate to live in vancouver and have had the opportunity to enjoy Vij's restaurant in person, so i jumped at the chance to know some of these secrets for home. The coconut curried vegetable dish is fantastic and i can't wait to try the lamb popsicles, just like the restaurant serves, but i started with the pork tenderloin w/ spinach and fig and came away disappointed. i followed this recipe to the T, but it was soupy, not thick, and the figs have no chance at being stars in this one. there must be mistakes in this recipe, but will try again with others.

I love Gayle's in Capitola -- all the pastries taste exactly like those from your fondest childhood memories. In the past few months I've made several cakes from Gayle Ortiz' cookbook, and each one tastes just like Gayle's! Even somewhat complicated recipes are broken down into manageable components with easy-to-follow, detailed instructions. I have an embarrassment of cookbooks and baking manuals from four generations of avid bakers, and Gayle's combines the best qualities of all of them. As evidenced by another reviewer's comments, the inherent subjectivity of baking renders no cookbook foolproof. (I've made the pastry cream according to the directions several times, with no problems.) However, this cookbook is nearly foolproof -- my self-proclaimed "not-a-baker" boyfriend & his three children made the carrot cake for my birthday with no assistance, and it was wonderful -- just like Gayle's! (The one error I've found is that recipe's baking time seemed to be incorrect -- 30 minutes instead of the 50-60 mine needed to bake).

The intro to the book states "an entire pastry shop between two covers", and that is the best way to sum up the book. Thank you Gayle for sharing a well written treasure trove of baking information. One of the best laid out formats, easy to understand delicious recipes, with cross references for each particular recipe. Good illustrations. Not for a beginner, but for myself, a novice, who has only attemped puff pastry one other time, I had excellent results following her instructions. This book is worth it's weight in gold.

This cookbook is, by far, the most influential book in my life of baking! I bought it shortly before my wedding a couple of years ago, and I was able to use several recipes for wedding events! For instance, I made the poppyseed cake with raspberry cream icing for my bridesmaids' luncheon, complete with the traditional "cake charms" for the perfect pink cake! I was asked by four people for the recipe, and in fact, I made it again when I gave a good friend her bridal luncheon last June! For my wedding reception, one of my own contributions to the reception table was the lavender shortbread. A truly interesting myriad of flavors, of course, but it got rave reviews! ("What in the world is IN these cookies?") Five stars!

Overall, this is a fine book. I have tried several of the recipes, following the authors' instructions carefully, and some turned out better than others. In particular, I have been disappointed with the recipe for pastry cream and buttercream frosting (which has pastry cream as a component). The directions to make pastry cream appear twice in the book. On page 127 the instructions say "It is very important to whisk continously or the pasty cream may form lumps." Later on, on page 260, you'll find "continue whisking vigorously until the pastry cream thickens, about 5 to 6 minutes." I followed these instructions only to yield 3 cups of very slightly thickened yellowish, tasteless liquid. Then I turned to Harold McGee's book "On Food and Cooking" to find out what had happened. In his section on starch thickened sauces, on page 338, he writes "There are, in fact, three different conditions that encourage thinning: heating for a long period of time after thickening occurs, heating up to the boiling point, and vigorous stirring." Aha! After repeating the procedure for making pastry cream, but not whisking vigorously and only gently agitating the bottom of the pan to prevent excessive clumping, I was able to make a thickened pastry cream. One without much flavor at all, but nonetheless a spreadable cream. Since this incident, I have become slightly suspicious of the recipes in general and have gone on to searching for a pastry recipe book that not only teaches the craft, but is also aware of the science behind baking.

What a find! This book has some great recipes. It really caters to folks that know their way around the kitchen and have some knowledge of baking, even though the directions are very well written and each recipe has a refer to page to remind you of a technique that was explained early on in the book.

I've never been to Gayle's but I certainly won't pass it up if I'm ever in the area. Everything I have made, with the exception of the croissants, have been phenominal (the croissants were way too buttery and greasy - this was probably due to my handling of the dough rather than the recipe though). The pastries are to die for even though they took some time to make - no one believed I made them, they looked too perfect - exactly like the photo! The chocolate mousse cake is sinfully delicious and the key lime pie is the BEST I have ever had. Needless to say I have added a few pounds from all the experimenting in the kitchen.

The ingredients are easy to find, the recipes are the ones you'd want from a traditional bakery (danishes, pastries, cakes, cookies, pies). What a gold mind this book has been, I feel like Gayle's has 'revealed' all their secrets. I keep reaching for this book when I want to try a sweet treat.

I am in the process of learning how to bake and I thought the recipes were very easy to follow. They turned out great!

The cinnamon and sugar muffins are to die for! Great cookbook, lots of variety, and easy to follow.

I love this book! It has soo many yummy sounding recipes. I've only made 4 so far, but they have all turned out exceptional! I've tried the cranberry orange muffins, orange nut bread, raspberry sour cream cake and the blueberry muffins. They were all soo good, I didn't even share them with friends...ahemm :)
I bake from this book without hesitation..I'll go so far as to say I'd even bake untested recipes for guests from this book. I am confident they'll all turn out good.

When you open this book, you will want to make everything in it! Just about every recipe is accompanied by a photograph. The instructions are clear and concise, the recipes are clearly well-tested. Everything I have made has been a success, including the Blackberry Muffins, Apple coffee cake, goat cheese and tomato muffins, and macadamia coffee cake. A wonderful little book that the home cook will actually use.

All I can say is WOW!! I can't recommend this book enough! Recipes are easy to follow, no fancy-smancy never heard of before ingredients and best of all; most recipes only make 12 muffins. So for people that don't have an army to feed, it's nice! I recommend the awesome Blackberry muffins, which are my favorite to make. Every recipe I've tried has come out great, and the muffins freeze well too. BUY the book, you won't be dissapointed! Happy baking :)

WomenHeart's All Heart Family Cookbook

After my husband had triple pass surgery I wanted to start cooking "heart healthy", so I purchased this cookbook...and I am so glad I did. I use it everyday and have not found a recipe that isn't delicious and easy. I highly recommend it to everyone!

This cookbook contains so much good information about heart healthy foods-I learned a lot! And the recipes are wonderful. You will love this book whether you are trying to eat healthy, lose weight, or just enjoy a good meal. I plan to buy copies for Mother's Day and holiday gifts.

I've been living with heart disease for 11 years now. Changing my eating habits has been the hardest lifestyle change for me. This cookbook has some great receipes with simple ingredients that I plan to use often. The photos make my mouth water!

A friend gave me this book and it is just fabulous. The receipes are wonderful - love the Tandoori Chicken and Cilantro Broiled Chicken Breasts, Flourless Choc. Cake, Rich Tomato Soup and Beef Tenderloin with Port Cranberry Sauce, ---BUT--- it is the precise, clear, beautifully written and presented discussion of the 40 heart healthy foods that brings me to open this book several times a week. It is just such a valuable source of nutritional information. This book is not just for those who have heart disease (I, thank goodness, do not), but for every person who is alive in the 21st century and trying to eat a healthy diet.

Both of my parents have undergone bypass surgery within the past 8 months. It has been very intimidating to read all the information of how to prevent heart disease, especially having to relay the information to my parents. I came across this book last week and love it. Coming from a family that loves to ask questions this book has a lot of answers. I love that the first part of this book thoroughly explains heart disease, prevention, and how certain foods can be beneficial to your heart. It was also a great idea to list the recipes (w/ page numbers) at the end of each 'Heart Healthy Food' description. This book is well organized and makes cooking their recipes along with other heart healthy recipes more attainable.

These recipes are OUTSTANDING! They are so simple and use simple, fresh, flavorful ingredients that most people already have on hand. Some examples of recipes include:
Baguette Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Mascarpone, and Basil
Blanchards Corn Chowder
Spicy Coconut and Sweet Potato Soup
Chicken and Green Bean Salad with Kalamata Olive Dressing
Potato Salad with Lime and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Orzo Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, Feta, and Chili-Lime Vinaigrette
Sweet-and-Sour Swordfish with Onions, Raisins, and Tomatoes
Calypso Chicken with Lime
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Olives, and Rosemary
Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Capers, and Olives
Island Rice with Cumin and Coconut
Light-as-a-Cloud Lemon Mousse
Coconut Cheesecake
Homemade Coconut Ice Cream

Believe me when I say that neither you nor your dinner guests will be sorry that you ordered this cookbook!! I promise! It is my absolute FAVORITE cookbook and my go-to when I don't know what to make. Order now...you won't be sorry!!

I met the Blanchards at a book singing where they were demonstrating some of the recipes; that was a few years back and I have not tired of awesome ideas found in this book. I have given this book to several family and friends and they rave about it as well!

The restaurant is beautiful and the cookbook is awesome. I've made several of the recipes and all were fabulous!

I also own a lot of cookbooks. I love to read them. I checked this book out from the library, and it is the only one I have ever checked out for free that I wanted to pay for, not matter how much it cost. Wonderful tips on products, unpretentious - almost apologetic in tone because she didn't graduate from culinary school (neither did I! Perfect!), beautiful photography, many, many recipes I want to try. Sandwiches fillings that become dips that become sauces, terrific adaptation and suggestions. I am so glad to have this cookbook/story. It is an irresistable love story of food and hospitality. Makes me want to go to their restaurant in Anguilla - wherever that is..... At least I can eat and serve the food! Try it at your library and see. Delightful.

This is one of the best cookbooks we own (and we own a lot). Everything we have tried has turned out great and taste wonderful. Well worth owning

What an excellent cookbook. And it makes a wonderful gift. The recipes are wonderful and the artistry in the book is delightful! I personally use this and have given several as gifts. Practical recipes. It is fun just to sit down and read it!

Autumn is my favorite season and this could well be one of my favorite cookbooks. As with any Susan Branch book, the illustrations are delightful. The recipes are great, too (and not only for the autumn season).

This is a book that will lift your spirits on a gloomy day.

Susan Branch has the knack of making the ordinary truly extraordinary. Forget Nigella, she is truly the first domestic goddess. This book oozes charm and comfort, I can smell the fermenting orange and gold leaves and hear the drizzle lightly pattering away on the front porch whilst I'm warm and cosy with my recipes indoors. Such is the power of this book, as I live in a country that doesn't even have an Autumn to speak of! The recipes are lovely but they are almost secondary to the feelings and creativity this book inspires with it's beautiful rustic drawings and charming thoughts in Susan's familiar swirling script. A delight as always.

I admit, autumn is my favorite time of year. The cooler weather, just perfect for sweaters. . . the leaves of crimson, copper and gold. . . the sweet-tart taste of an apple pie fresh from the oven. . . . Susan Branch does a beautiful job of capturing the essence of autumn through her stories, recipes, decorating ideas, and charming illustrations. This is a book to be savored, and it makes a lovely gift as well. Here's hoping that Susan creates books on spring and winter as well!

I thoroughly enjoyed this edition of Susan Branch's popular Heart of the Home series. I am planning to give this to my daughter-in-law to be to help her start her own family memories. Not only are the recipes good, but I enjoy as much the memories Susan shares with her readers. The recipes are clear to follow and the serving suggestions go a long way in making a lovely presentation. Thanks, Susan!

I contributed the recipe for orange buttermilk sherbet that is in "Beat That", Ann Hodgman's second volume of the very best recipes in existence (get vol. 1 "Beat This" as well). This is a cookbook you'll really cook out of and will tell all your friends about, not only because the recipes are great, but because she's also a hilarious writer. And in the hot dog days of summer, don't forget to make a batch of my fabulous orange buttermilk sherbet. You'll love it.

This book can't be beat! I know because I contributed the fabulous recipe for orange sherbet that's included in it. (If you think you don't like orange sherbet, that's because you've only tasted the commercial stuff. Comparing my sherbet to that is like comparing champagne to Kool-Aid.) The same goes for the other recipes herein. They may not be low-fat. Ms. Hodgman admits she never met a recipe that couldn't be made better with more butter, bacon, or sugar, so these goodies may not be for everyday consumption. But when you want a dish that will wow company or knock the socks off at the next church supper, this (and the previous volume, Beat This!) is the place to look. And as other reviewers have said, even if you don't intend to cook a single dish out of this cookbook, it's so entertaining and funny to read that you should buy it anyway. I'm one of Ms. Hodgman's greatest fans, and you will be too once you look at a copy of Beat That!

Taking the best of the best for her second book, Hodgman compiles a delectable collection of recipes aimed to please the most discriminating palate and dares you to find something better. Few do, but Ann gives them their kudos when it happens. OK, it's not gourmet, low fat or even low-calorie, but this is the best of the best and creative, so who cares about the waistline!!! Run a few extra miles and work it off if you have to, it's worth it.

This is the cookbook I reach for most often when I'm looking for a recipe on a staple or a spin on a classic. Along with recipes, she has funny anecdotes that allow you to get to know her and her family (including her pets), and there's a great index in the back about why fine ingredients should be used and where to buy them. If you're an experienced cook like me, try the recipe 'as is' then tweak it and/or make notes in the margin; if you're relatively new to cooking like my boyfriend, the recipes are easy and fun to follow regardless of experience. But I assure you that most recipes are ab fab 'as is,' particularly the Salmon Spirals, Lumpia, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Orange Sherbert.

Buy it, cook it and let your friends think you're the most amazing cook who ever walked the planet! Mine do. Then go out and buy her "Beat This!" cookbook if you don't already have it and continue the magic.

I've only made about a half dozen of the recipes in this book but each one is superb and company-worthy. You'll NEVER have to worry ever again about what to take to the next pot-luck luncheon at work. The author concentrates mainly on dishes we grew up with, comfort foods, etc. A sampling: cheese straws, meatloaf, apple crisp, great gravy, edible playdough(!), mom-style chicken salad, grape ice cream, best banana bread (it really is!!), shrimp salad, etc. A huge plus is the author's very funny remarks on almost every page. Buy this book........you won't be sorry.......except for your expanding waistline.

Ann Hodgman's cookbooks blend humor with recipes that are simple and familiar. I grew up with food like this and it is comforting to have it presented in a way that is peppered with humor.

I was a little sad when I opened the box & this little tiny book fell out-I was expecting something bigger with more recipes. But the recipes that were in there are authentic & the book is nice with all the pictures and such. So I would still recommend it.

It was not as through as I had anticipated, however, I did find the recipes that I was looking for and the instructions are very well written.

A little book of traditional recipes. They are simple to follow and the lovely pictures almost make this a coffee table book.

Don't be fooled by the small size of this cookbook. It packs many great recipes between it's covers. From beverages to desserts with everything in between this is a gem for delicious mexican recipes, yet is feasible with a moderate level of culinary skills. I bought the first book in this series several months ago and have been consistently pleased with each new addition.

The dishes in this book are delicious. And without a doubt they are as authentic as my abuelita's cooking. I have already tried the dishes for the pozoles and enchiladas, and also several salsas. So far my favorite dish is the Pescado a la Veracruzana. I am really looking forward to trying some of the other dishes in this book.