Cookbooks Books

I enjoyed this cookbook. The stories that accompany the recipes are enjoyable and familiar. I am a Georgia girl and love to find new southern recipes. These are great!!

I first saw a book review and article about the author in a local newspaper. The book was a gift to an outstanding cook who commented on the recipes; some old standards and some with a new twist. The storytelling throughout the book made it an enjoyable read! I would select this cookbook as a gift for anyone who is a foodie or has a selective taste for wonderful Southern food. It was a hit all around and brought many favorable comments from Mothers, Sisters, Aunts, and a few good neighbors!

From Lady Pea Salad and Sweet Tea Pie to Mustard-Rubbed Ribs and Blue Cheese Pecan Bread, SCREEN DOORS AND SWEET TEA: RECIPES AND TALES FROM A SOUTHERN COOK packs in stores and down-home cooking from the author's Southern background, includes a generous dose of color photos of completed dishes, and also represents the author's expertise as an Executive Chef of a cooking school teaching home cooks yearly. Any library strong in regional American cooking in general and Southern dishes in particular will find this a popular patron pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a wonderful book. It has great stories and really good recipes. I am not a good cook, but could be if I followed Martha's recipes. I bought this book because Martha is a distant cousin of mine. I am from Yazoo City, Mississippi too. I am her mother's third or fourth cousin and knew the whole family when growing up. I would have bought it anyway because I love cookbooks from the South. It is the best cooking in the world along with Cajun cooking!! We are all proud of Martha. I would recommend this book to anyone especially people from the North to see how Southern cooks really do it. Bettye Vaughan Johnson

...how can you NOT love someone who'd dare to add bacon to classic pecan pralines? They truly are ridiculous, as she writes--ridiculously fabulous!
I had the pleasure of meeting Martha Foose at a dinner event that featured several dishes from her cookbook. Every one of them was outstandingly good, and I can say in all honesty, as a Southern girl who grew up eating deviled eggs, that hers are the best I've ever tasted. But the cookbook is more than a collection of great recipes; it's like a book of wonderful short stories studded with gorgeous photos and by the way, here's some good stuff to eat. I've given two copies as gifts, I'm about to order another one, and I'm sure I'll give it to many more people who love great food and wonderful stories.

My partner and I received this book as a Christmas gift. I have a rather extensive cookbook collection, and I assumed that this book would remain with the others, referenced from time to time. Instead, it rarely makes its way back tot he shelf as I am always cooking from it. So far, we are about 10 for 10 with good recipes; I haven't hit upon a bad one yet. I am so confident in this cookbook, that I will make a dish for company or a pot-luck without testing it first. The recipes are simple, easy, and absolutely delicious. I recommend this book to anyone who loves good food.

When I first became a vegetarian 5 years ago I was a bit intimidated. I received this book as a gift and realized that there were tons of delicious vegetarian items that I could make for myself and that my meat-eating family would enjoy.

I have made many of the recipes including Tiny Eggplant Turnovers, Fried Ravioli, and frequently make the Mediterranean Vegetable Soup (which is excellent and easy to adjust depending on what vegetables you have on hand).

I am still cooking with it today and highly recommend it.

I ordered this based on all the great reviews. When it came, I was a little disappointed because there are no pictures (sounds silly, but I like to see what the dish will look like) and none of the recipes really jumped out at me. Strapped for ideas, though, I started making some of them, and I've been so shocked at how well they turned out. They've been delicious and flavorful and relatively simple. True, the short list of ingredients means you should splurge and buy the best since those are the ones you'll be tasting, which is not good for me because I just got out of college, but all-in-all it's been a money-saver and I'm always impressed by the results. The only bad experiences have been the ones where I substituted ingredients. Try the butternut squash soup, which is just like Jeanne Lemlin says: sunshine in a bowl. Many of the dishes also work well as leftovers. I definitely recommend it to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Our family stopped eating meat about 10 years ago. (There were so many reasons---health, humaneness, environmental concerns---but I'm probably preaching to the converted here.) My wife has a shelf full of cookbooks, but whenever a meal turns out to be especially delicious and interesting, it's usually from one of Jeanne Lemlin's books. I can't recommend them highly enough!

One of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks. Nothing fancy, but lots of reliable everyday meals and a few real gems. My favorites are the black bean chili (meat eaters don't realize it's veggie) and the triple rice salad (beautiful and perfect for the holidays). I've given this book as a gift to at least 3 others--none are vegetarians, but they all love this book.

This is a great cookbook. My girlfriend is Cambodian and we like to eat alot of that style of food and I can't wait to try EVERY recipe in here. All of the recipes have great flavor and the pictures in here are gorgeous. If you are a fan of this type of food, (as I'm sure as everybody else has already stated) then try this cookbook out. You won't be disappointed. Some of the recipes call for some unusual ingredients, but that's what makes this cookbook great. More authentic type of stuff.

The recipes in this wonderfully illustrated book will give the reader a delicious taste of Thailand. It will not, however, give a 100% authentic taste of it. That may be good news to people who don't live near an Asian grocery where hard to find items necessary for authentic Thai cooking are to be found. Some of the recipes also save the reader time at the expense of authenticity. But unless you are obsessed with making something that tastes exactly as it does in Thailand, the recipes are close enough. This is one of the few books that break all recipes down by region, and that is important. I lived in Thailand for 3 years, with my in-laws for 1 year, and during that time I picked out tell-tale signs of authenticity. I've concluded that the most authentic Thai cookbook is "Thai Food" by Thompson (can't remember his first name.)

In sum, lovely pictures, delicious recipes, authentic enough but not absolutely authentic.

I have lived in Thailand and this book is the best cookbook I have found in the US. It made me very happy to be able to see Thai foods that are not offered in Thai restaurants in the US and not seen in other Thai cookbooks. Now I can finally have my Nam Gabi and Soup No Mai. (The spelling is different in the book.) I was happy to see both the Roman lettering and the true Thai word for the dish. It helps me figure out what the dish is and jogs my memory when reading the Thai. Thai food is great and I'm happy to see the recipes and the Thai regional information included.

This isn't my favorite Thai cookbook for recipes. There are several good recipes, and many that are not terribly authentic. But, if you love a cookbook with outstanding pictures, this is a wonderful book. There are so many terrific pictures of places I visited in Thailand, I had to get the book.

This book is great. The first dish I made (Ginger Chicken - p133) was simple to prepare, and tasted wonderful, with those subtle, yet distinctive Thai flavours that I have come to adore.

The only drawback is its physical size - unless you have a Heap of kitchen bench space, the book will need to be placed a good distance away to avoid the inevitable splatters...

A very good, detailed book using these items. Perfect for when using emergency supplies. Lots of color pictures and easy recipes.

This book had great reviews. It is thorough. I haven't tried recipes yet but it's a great book.

I have lots of cookbooks, but this is my everyday source. It's not overly dependent on cheese and other fatty ingredients, and yet Ms. Chesman doesn't shy away from them. Same with unusual ingredients--I can find quite a few recipes to choose from based on my pantry, but there's plenty of inspirational cooking here. All the recipes are simple, and use simple, healthy ingredients and every single one I've tried has turned out wonderfully. Mostly vegetarian, the few recipes that recommend meat ingredients offer vegetarian alternatives. I was looking for a cookbook like this for a long time and was so pleased when I started cooking from it and realized I'd found exactly what I was after!

Even though this book lacks pictures the great number of recipes more than makes up for that. There are great recipes for dips, snacks, soups, salads, side dishes, main dishes, breakfasts, breads, and deserts. I've tried several side dishes, a bean salad, and a quinoa recipe. I had to adjust the quinoa recipe due to not having an ingredient but it still turned out great. There are many recipes to choose from for someone like me who is challanged at what to do with rice, beans, and grains. I am just discovering whole grains after living much of my adult life preparing ready-made sidedishes and meals from boxes, cans, or frozen items. I have been learning how to shop at our local Whole Foods and other natural foods stores so I need all the help I can get. This book helps make my learning process easier. Yipee!

We love this book! It has some of the best recipes that we have ever made! It is quite extensive and has broadened our tastes into grains and beans that we have never even heard of before. Finding some of the ingredients was a little tricky at first, then we started to let our fingers do the walking and had better luck finding some of the odd ingredients at the smaller ethnic stores and health food stores than the supermarkets. But definitely call first. It was a hit and miss affair. The absolute best thing about this book was that they include the nutritional value for each recipe which in invaluable for maintaining certain diets like weight watchers. Needless to say almost everything in this book is low in points because of the sheer amount of fiber in them. We LOVE this book!!! get it you won't be disappointed!

America's Best Bed & Breakfast Recipes
I selected this book thinking that Bed and Breakfast establishments would offer great recipes that were somewhat less complicated than normal. I wasn't disappointed.
I opened the book and leafed through a few pages. My eyes stopped at Country Italian Sausage Pie. It was exactly as promised. I served it at a luncheon last week to rave reviews.
I would strongly recommend the book.

Have both books - and they are both much used in our kitchen. I have been able to find recipes for dishes others would not share based on ingredients. The index of foods is probably the greatest thing about this book and directly contributes to the usability.

Absolutely something for everyone in this book - even holiday recipes. Between the two books, I have noticed a couple of recipes duplicated, but not enough to lessen the value of either.

Definitely one to have on the shelf if you enjoy having a broad sampling of American cooking close at hand!

I can't you how many times I've gone to my copy of this cookbook for recipes... it's the one I reach for first! It's like taking a trip around the country without leaving my home! VERY user friendly format, too!

I love the small-sized recipes that many of the B&B's and Inns use... hubby and I are 'empty nesters' most of the year with our sons away at college so there's no need to make big meals or we'd be eating leftovers forever.

This review refers to "The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook"(vol 1) by Kitty and Lucian Maynard....

St Chuck Poolside Jambalaya to North Carolina Applsauce Muffins, Aunt Ruth's Baked Eggs and Cheese to Dorothy's Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Guacamole to Lobster Pie to Salt Lake City Taffy, you'll find the biggest and best collection of regional homestyle cooking from all over this great food lovin country in this fabulous cookbook!

Whatever type of fare you have in mind you'll find something good in these pages. The Manyard's have done all the work. State to State(including Alaska and Hawaii) they have found us some great recipes from Country Inns and Bed and Breakfast's from all over the country. With more than 1700 homestyle recipes you really get your money's worth.

You can go state to state(without leaving home) and try something new and different, or find some of your old favorites that you've been longing for.
There are two indexes to check through. You can check by city, or by food. For a good look at what's inside, the book, click on the 'Look Inside" link to several pages to browse through.The recipes range from meals as simple as Biscuits and Eggs to the more exotic tastes like Veal Scallops with Gorgonzola Sauce. You'll find several different ways of making the most everyday things, like French Toast, depending on what State or Regional taste you're in the mood for that day!

There's an additional perk to this cookbook as well. If you want to get out of your own kitchen and do a little traveling, you will find a little description as well as the addresses and phone numbers for all the Inn's used here, on the pages with their own recipes.In some cases there are nice little sketches of the lodgings as well.

I use this cookbook more than any other in my kitchen. although I haven't loved every single thing I've tried, it is stained and sticky with the remnants of some terrific recipes(some of my favorite pages are in worse shape than others!). Everytime I look through it for a new idea I find one. I love it! You will too.

So have fun, eat hardy and try to get someone else to do the clean-up.....enjoy...Laurie

This cookbook is great !!!! i borrowed it from a friend and never gave it back (bad!!!) but it really is a great source for entertaining. Fanstastic and easy recipes. A good way to impress your friends with your cooking. Also what i like is they usually have serveral recipes for similar dishes so lets say you want to make scalloped potatoes - you can look at them all and then kind of use the info to make your own variation with the pieces of the recipes you think sound good. Also it is good if you are doing theme parties. I love asian cooking we were having a party where i needed to bring an asian salad - they have like 5 different types. and they arent what you would expect. Note this is just not breakfast foods - all types of cooking are in this book and from all types of us regions.

As I prepared to make banana bread for the 1,000th time from the recipe in my 1972 edition, I was lamenting the broken, tattered, stained condition of my cooking bible. I was thrilled to find that it is still available for purchase, and I intend to get one for myself and my two daughters, who are both married now. It is indispensable.

As a Specialty Room Chef in a major Las Vegas hotel, this is the book that I refer to for numerous recipe's. I've had this book since 1975 and select it over all my cookbooks. It is a great source of information. I really think that Ms London should consider a new edition. Thanks, Benny Pulcino

I have gone from learning to cook out of this book in my mother's kitchen to being invited to cook in World Championship cooking competitions. My mother must have got this book right when it was published in 1972 because I can never remember not having it to refer too. It is a true classic and needs to be reprinted. All these years later and so many cook books I can't count it is still the book I would choose if I could only have one cookbook. Thank You Anne London I shall always hold you in the highest regard.

I FOUND THIS COOKBOOK AT A GARAGE SALE FOR AN UNBELIEVABLY LOW PRICE. NOW THAT I OWN IT, I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVER LIVED WITHOUT IT! THIS IS THE MOST IN DEPTH, YET SIMPLE, COOKBOOK YOU WILL EVER COME ACROSS. IT CONTAINS EVERYTHING FROM "SOUP TO NUTS"...I CALL IT MY KITCHEN "BIBLE". I AM RETURNING TO AMAZON TO BUY ONE FOR EACH OF MY CHILDREN AND AM THRILLED TO FIND IT AVAILABLE!!!

I got this cookbook as a gift from my in-laws. No matter how many other cookbooks I get I always go back to this one--at least to double check ingredients. Every recipe has always worked. It also gives you general information (like emergency substitutions) that no other cookbook provides. This cookbook needs to be reprinted. I've used it so much it's falling apart. And--my daughter needs one.

I love my big red Betty Crocker Cookbook. As an experienced cook, I still refer to it for information and basic techniques and recipes. The Bridal Edition contains all this, and also educational information that anyone just starting out will need, such as how to organize your kitchen and what basic staples you need for your pantry. I give these as wedding gifts and they have been hugely appreciated.

great initail cookbook, and good for more experienced cooks too. gives advice for stocking your kitchen, entertaining and great recipes, including a microwave section and a 20 minutes or less section. My husband and I bought this right after we got engaged, I took it with me when I went to register for the kitchen list, and we make a recipe toether at least once a week from it.

Although I cooked for some time before I received this cookbook, it is still one of the first books I go to for recipes. It makes a great gift for a bride who is just starting to cook or who has been cooking for years.

My daughter is just out on her own and this book really is a good first book. She refers to it all the time.

My husband and I received this book and another bridal cookbook for our wedding one year ago. It is not only a great cookbook, as all Betty Crocker cookbooks are, but it blows the other bridal cookbook out of the water. I have a friend getting married in September 2008 and I fully intend on giving this as a gift.

Long a mainstay of America's southern cuisine, collard greens are becoming popular nationwide as it can be grown in many different horticultural zones across the country. Indeed, about half of all commercially available collard greens are now grown in Californian fields. For those unfamiliar with the culinary uses of collard greens there is now available a cookbook dedicated to this nutritious, dark green, leafy vegetable. "The Collard Patch: Collard Country Cookbook and Reader, Collards and Cornbread Y'all Will Love" is the cooperative work of Mary Lou Cheatham and Paul Elliot. The first section explains the history, handling, nutrient values, and other issues relevant to collard greens. Then presented is an impressively diverse series of 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes featuring an Ingredients list, Preparation instructions, and Equipment/Utensils required. Of special note for each recipe is an 'info block' of Nutrition Facts that includes the number of servings, as well as calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, and miscellaneous additional information of value to health conscious consumers. From Perfect Collard Greens; Spinach and Collards; Netherland Salad; and Mexican Collard and Black Bean Soup; to Huevos Collards Picantes; Collard and Shrimp Quesadillas; Collard Biscuits; and Apple Collard Raisin Pie, "The Collard Patch" is a compendium of recipes offering gourmet quality dishes suitable for any dining occasion. Of special note are the various cornbread recipes that are also featured, making "The Collard Patch" a very special addition to personal and community library cookbook collections.

This cook book is great. I'm a guy who struggles when it comes to cooking. But since I've started using The Collard Patch, life in the kitchen has become much more exciting and much easier. I give it two thumbs up!! I also have Flavored with Love. I got that one first. When I saw The Collard Patch I knew I had to get it too.

Here's a culinary reference from two great cooks which opened my eyes to an entirely new realm of cookery; however, before I launch into the details of all that, I wished to spotlight the attractive and noteworthy cover of this splendid cookbook.

The front cover of "The Collard Patch" holds a special appeal for me. It consists of two photographs, one above the other. The bottom photo illustrates a view of perfectly cultivated rows of collard greens in the porous soils of the Deep South. I immediately thought back to my youth when local farmers here in the ancient Teays River Valley of southern Ohio, also a sandy-soil environment, farmed huge fields of turnips. At a distance, the rows of turnip greens looked very much the same. Growing up around those 1950s Appalachian farms were some great days for me and I savor anything that reminds me of that simpler era.

The second photo somewhat blends in with the first - it's a close-up of collard green leaves, the striated natural colors of which recall an artist's palette. The chief hue is what might be regarded as blue-green or perhaps sea-foam green. The color features of this picture reminded me of an ethereal view of surfer-quality waves along a Pacific shoreline as the evening rays of the sun shine back through them. Conceptually, it's really just several great aquamarine shades which manifest a peaceful ambiance, reminiscent of a slow-paced existence of the Old South.

The crux of the book is, of course, focused upon collard greens, a staple dish of the southern United States as much as are fatback, grits, pecan pie, and cornbread. Mary Lou Cheatham and Paul Elliott have achieved a superb final product by assembling both collard recipes as well as dishes related to that notable southern relative of spinach and kale. I guess I've never previously considered that collard greens could be used in casseroles; to supplement risotto; as a creamed veggie; in soufflés, in omelettes and crepes; in crock pot dishes; in soups; in breads; in dips; in desserts, and; even as a pizza topping!

There are also lots of "associated" recipes in the book such as:

Peach Salsa (page 71)
Sauce Mornay with Colby Jack (page 85)
Ruth's Old-Fashioned Biscuits (page 118)
Sour Cream Soft Bread (page 240)

The overall content of the work covers quite a bit of territory. There are mini-biographies of local but notable southerners, nostalgic tales of the south, and some general cooking tips. Also, the authors thankfully did not diverge from employing the local vernacular so when they say "...a mess of collards," or make a reference to "[collard]...Pot Likker," I have every reason to believe that the content is quite correct and genuine concerning these tried and tested recipes.

Regarding the collard greens themselves, the book is bulging with every possible aspect of collard lore such as the plant's history, cultivation (including planting and pest control), harvesting, cleaning (a significant concern with collards as soil really sticks to the leaves!), cooking, storage, and kitchen equipment used to maximize the flavor and appearance of collards. Elliott, himself a physician, also discusses the numerous health benefits of collards and has thus contributed many heart healthy recipes. He mentions that collards are a great source for beta carotene, vitamin C, calcium, fiber, niacin, and vitamin E. Apparently, the substitution of Splenda for sugar works well in the cooking of collard greens, making these dishes notably more diet-friendly.

Finally, Elliott has injected his considerable story-telling abilities into an entire chapter devoted to personal reminiscences of his family's Texas farm ("Collard Country"), some of which exude the "Mississipus peccadillus" aspect of the often dubious activities of teen boys everywhere. His co-author, Mary Lou Cheatham has also sprinkled spiritual quotations throughout the text.

This softcover edition of "The Collard Patch" contains nearly 200 great recipes (there are 31 "guest contributors" of recipes who have presented some of their top culinary creations here!) and the text runs 288 pages in length, broken down into 14 chapters. To accommodate the nice readable fonts the outer dimensions are 8 ½" x 11". There's generally one recipe per page which makes it convenient to read recipe details and cook at the same time. The cover is a slick material which facilitates the wiping away of any spills, an actuality which certainly seems to always occur in my kitchen.

Also by Mary Lou Cheatham (aka Jane Riley): Flavored with Love: Mary Lou's Family and Friends Can Cook

In summary, if you enjoy southern culture, southern cooking, and/or short humorous anecdotes, "The Collard Patch" is probably right up your alley. Highly recommended.

I don't think I've ever had collards the same way twice. I've tried to cook them, and I've been less than happy with the results. Well, here is a book with much about collards (headless cabbage.) There is plenty of lore on growing, cleaning and cooking these healthful and delicious staple of Southern cooking. I am sure if I don't find a way to make them come out to the elusive way I like (cooked down, not greasy, a bit of sweet and sour) then this book wasn't at fault. There are hundreds of recipes, from basic greens a la various Southern cooks to sides like cornbread and biscuit. One thing I didn't know; pot likker (the cooking liquid) is not a feature of collards. That is for turnip or mustard greens. Collards are cooked in a minimum of water. Hmmm.

This sunny and delightful book will guide you along to the collard patch.Not a rushed introduction to the collard green, but a nice long and friendly visit to the rearing up of seedlings and growing up with collard greens in the backyard.
This is not just a recipe book but a book with lovely and fun farm stories,some Biblical quotes,recipe contributions from some of Mary Lou and Pauls many friends.
This book features many nutritional facts,fun facts and historical facts on this vegetable.It induces the reader into a relaxed,pleasant smooth ride into the country.
I read this book slowly,devouring a distinct southern flavor.It is written in a easy friendly style.A book being friendly ? You will quickly grasp the authors love for sharing recipes, stories of their friends meeting at the grocers or at church and exchanging recipes and suggestions for cooking collard greens in recipes they acquired from famous restaurants including appetizers and snacks,which was my favorite.
This is a book you will want to spend one long,lovely summer afternoon with, maybe beside a brook or under a shady tree.Although I didn't read the book in such a sweetly pleasant environment,I felt as though I had.
One suggestion I enjoyed and like to share is "don't discard the leftover liquid,instead make the easy soup", since the pot is already flavorful,you don't rinse and waste any precious flavors.
One of my favorite recipes was The Glorious Collard recipe and The Collard Green Puffs. I am looking forward to baking Apple Collard Raisin Pie.
This is a quality piece of work and I enjoyed every minute reading it.You'll love it for its healthy recipes,fun stories and joining the authors in a nostalgic look back with their childhood stories and pets.
Highly recommended ! Read slowly and enjoy.

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

I am a native Louisianian and believe this is, by far, the best cookbook available. It is beautifully written and illustrated.

Someone gave us this book as a gift about 10 years ago and we use it for every holiday as it reminds us of our southern roots and holidays at my grandmother's. If you are a southern cook or love southern cooking, you can't go wrong with this one. I am living out of the country for a year and this is the one cookbook I want to have with me. The desserts are especially scrumptious!

I have gone through 3 copies of this cookbook. All the recipes are given by folks that have cooked them in their own homes. Darlin's you cannot go wrong. Try the artichoke hearts! Yum! Yum!

My husband and I bought this book in the French Quarter on our honeymoon in 1976, and in spite of the care I've taken to protect it, it is now in tatters from all the use. Every recipe I've tried is wonderful, and many are standard fare now. For example, the Dutch Baby is a Sunday morning favorite, and Lemon Loves always get gobbled up first when taken to a summer party.

The amazing ladies and gentlemen who submitted the recipes use real ingredients for authentic results, and I'm thankful for the chance to get a new copy of this Southern classic.

A neighbor and I trade cookbooks. She lent me The Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread: A Country Inn Cookbook. I loved this book so I went out and bought my own copy! While reading my new book, I immediately found a number of recipes that I wanted to try. I first baked "Raisin Pumpernickel Bread with a Secret". It was absolutely delicious and the extra loaves were shared with neighbors and friends. One thing that I especially liked about this book is that as I was reading it, I felt such warmth, love and kindness emanating from it. This book has such personal touches, from the asides about life and experiences as an innkeeper to the interesting introductions with each of the recipes, that I felt as though the author was talking to me as another friend who obviously loved food and cooking as much as I did. Even after I put the book down, the warmth stayed with me for a long time. I recommend this book to everyone who has a passion for cooking, especially with a friend.

Fun to read the anecdotes and stories from the inn that are interspersed throughout the book. I am a gourmet cook but I connot emphasize enough how much I hate to bake. Due to my disasterous history with baking I don't even make birthday cakes and I don't make Christmas cookies. HOWEVER, there are two things for which I will make an exception; they are both in this book. The Rabbit Hill Inn Oatmeal-Molasses Bread makes the best cinnamon toast you will ever, ever eat. (Just try not to eat the whole loaf at one sitting.) And the Raisin-Pumpernickel Bread with a Secret is just divine. The flavors are strong enough that the bread is distinctive and wonderful but not overpowering. I promise you, you will NOT be disappointed.

This is one of the best cookbooks I have ever used. Every soup I have made has been either very good, excellent or superb. It is engagingly written and easy to use. Highly recommended.

This book features recipes from the Dairy Hollow Inn. Well-known food writer and innkeeper Crescent Dragonwagon puts in the soup and bread recipes that won her inn the "Uncle Ben's" award, a prize for excellence in small inn cuisine. She shares her spotlight with other inns from around the US.

Right now, as I am writing this review, I am sipping her New England Corn Chowder, which is a corn-squash chowder that can be made with vegetarian ingredients or chicken broth. I tried both versions; right now the base is a golden vegetable broth from a tetra pak but you can use her recipe for vegetable stock. The soup is sweet and spicy and I served it to guests and nothing was left; had to make a second batch. The soup recipes here are all winners. There is a vegetable soup base that can become minestrone or what-have-you, and many other fine recipes featuring vegetables. There is also a section on southern greens.

The breads are everything from a raisin pumpernickel with a secret (chocolate chips) to oatmeal molasses and baps, Scottish soft white rolls.

If you can't find a soup in here you like, you are hard to please--or you don't like soup. Ms. Dragonwagon's commentaries on the inn are fun reading so this is a book you can peruse even if you aren't stirring up something in your kitchen. I use this book almost everytime I entertain for casual affairs; soup and bread are always welcome and easy to serve and enjoy.

We've only owned this cookbook for a short time, but already it is one of our favorites. The author includes background on each recipe in an informal style that makes the reader feel like a good friend being given an enthusiastic recipe tip. In addition, the book includes a large amount of useful information from how to deal with an artichoke, to various soup garnishes and how to work with yeast. It's the recipes that shine, however.
We started with the Wintery Chicken and Pasta Soup--delicious. Then I made the Rabbit Hill Inn Oatmeal-Molasses bread--an outstanding bread my husband wants me to make again. The big winner was A Salad for Fall which we just couldn't get enough of. The combination of flavors is as close to perfect as you can get. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves good food and is willing to spend a little time in preparation.
As I write this, one of the bean soups is simmering on the stove. Bon Appetit!