Cookbooks Books

I have bought several books on cooking with venison. I thought the pictures were beautiful. However, once I started cooking and pulled one of the books out, I quickly realized I only had a few of the ingredients needed. Those books went back on the shelf without another glance. Quick and Easy soon became my middle name once I had a family, but I didn't want to rule out taste either. Oh Deer is perfect! The recipes are easy, quick to prepare, and oh so tasty. Most of the recipes have the same key ingredients that compliment your venison, so once you stock up on those few things, your good to go. This book never goes on a shelf. It is left out on my counter all the time. Since my husband's family are all hunters, I gave each wife a copy for Christmas.

Great recipes using ingredients most of us have in our cupboard. Most recipes simple enough to fix after a busy day at work. Recipes are every day food that children will eat. Good book, fair price; appreciate author's sense of humor. Not just for 'beginners'. I've been eating and cooking venison for 40 years and still find it a useful cookbook.

I really enjoyed the first 8 chapters of the book. You see, I met Cheri at my 20 yr class reunion in the summer of 2000. The avid hunter she married was my classmate. That is when I found out about the book. My husband and now 13 yr old son are also hunters and I very much needed some variety for my venison menus. We have three deer in the freezer this very minute and one hanging in the shed to be de-boned tomorrow. I know many of the places and people she mentions in the book and that makes it even more interesting for me. But the best part, and the reason I bought the book is the wonderful recipes... all made with ingredients that I either have on hand already or can easily find in my local grocery store in a town of 700 people. I learned a few things in the first few chapters, also. I just now ordered another one to give to my dad for Christmas. He loves "cooking up" new ways to use his venison. I'm sure my brother will be borrowing it also. Thank you, Cheri, for a great help in the hunters' wive's kitchen.

My husband and I have been together 4 years, and it was not until this year's hunting trip that he had success (and I had panic!) He shot two deer and I had no clue what to do with the meat. I had previously tried masking the flavor with excessive salt, but beyond that I was clueless. I ordered several books, and this one has made me the venison goddess! My husband and family have thoroughly loved all of my creations (I've tried 8 recipes now). The author is so down to earth and lets you know which recipes are "potluck worthy" and which are most kid friendly as well. The ingredients are normal stuff. She also taught me some things about nutrition, field dressing, and psychology! Of all the books I ordered, this is really the only one I keep going back to. It gets my two thumbs up, and I am a pretty picky reviewer. Happy cooking!

It is good to see a book which has been so well thought out prior to its conception and better yet to see that a lady like Cheri Helregel has devoted her time and energy to share this with us. We have many other good cookbooks on our shelves but non have been so compelling to read and enjoy. This must be attributed, I think, to the writters personal style and commitment to tHis work. We are looking forward to enjoying any futher efforts which the author may chose to share at some future time.

Again, Thank You

Not only does this cookbook have some great recipes, but it like reading an Old West novel. Extremely interesting and informative.

There are many things about this book that are great; the stories, the lay out, the quality of the book itself, but what I love the most are the recipes. I would have paid double what this book is listed at just because I love it so much. Its a book that I will have to order more copies of and hand out as gifts. Don't pass this one up. Its a keeper.

This is an awesome book! So much more than just a "cookbook" it contains little bits of history woven throughout, along with many detailed descriptions and explanations on how and why things were done. I also enjoyed the wonderful pen and ink illustrations. The recipes are great and easy to follow. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for original, old-time recipes!

Get out your Dutch oven. Find a ceramic crock with a tight lid. You'll need both when you open this wonderful cookbook. Of course the oven is for the baking and the crock is for the sourdough starter you'll learn to make. I couldn't believe the Old West recipes that were in this cookbook. I immediately bought several books as gifts for my relatives and friends. Walters has dug up so many memorable and forgotten recipes that it's like finding the Mother Lode of pioneer vittles. Houn' Ears & Whirlups, Splatter Dabs, Oatmeal Pudding, three different sourdough starters, Railroad Cake, they're all packed into 170 pages. In addition, the book has excellent historical and contemporary photographs and informative inserts. The Old West Baking Book is a truly a treasure found.

I adore this cookbook! Spiral-bound, lie-flat pages; many gorgeous color photographs of the baked goods as well as historical photographs of cowboys cooking and eating; and a great layout are just the beginning. Every single recipe has a several-paragraph commentary about how the recipe came into being or the differences between the original Old West and updated recipes. Scattered throughout the book are features on various topics such as cooking equipment in the Old West, chuck wagons, and availability and use of various foods. I also enjoyed the uniqueness of the recipes. Never before have I seen recipes for green tomato pie, gems (similar to muffins), or spotted pup (a pudding). However, the book doesn't neglect more common fare such as sourdough bread, cherry cobbler, bread pudding, biscuits, etc. Additional features include an Old West cooking dictionary, a comprehensive index, and a bibliography of books about food and life in the Old West. If you love baking or the Old West, you MUST get your own copy, because I'm not going to lend mine to anyone!!!

So, I have very happy memories of the Palm, mostly the one in DC, growing up. The ultimate special occasion food.

So I was nervous looking at the cookbook. Was it a case of, Kids, Don't Try This At Home?

The reality couldn't have been more different. This is the Anti-French-Laundry cookbook, where everything comes together quickly and easily, and you hit your head sqarely for not having thought of it yourself.

The big insight for me was a very odd yet extremely effective way of cooking steaks. I've cooked lots of fine steaks, but the way they suggest worked perfectly. And it was, you know, different, but great for entertaining. And it tasted wonderful.

I *think* this would be a good cookbook even if you haven't had a great time at the Palm, but if you have, it's great. Five stars.

The receipe on how to prepare a first rate steak is worth the price of the book. I purchased some prime bone in rib eyes from my butcher and enjoyed a first rate steak house meal in the comforts of my home.

The Italian receipes are great.

After an enjoyable dinner experience at The Palm Restaurant in Las Vegas, I thought about purchasing the restaurant's cookbook as a souvenir remembrance of our Las Vegas trip in January 2007. The book arrived last week and I prepared beef tenderloin steaks using the book's steak recipe. Wow, this is the only recipe I will now use for cooking steaks. I've already bookmarked several seafood dishes for the coming week. Buy the book, it's worth the price just for the steak preparation recipe.

When people ask me about a book that has changed my life I now tell them about this one.

I used to think I knew how to cook a steak. I had no idea. I takes a long time (which is mostly waiting, not much working, so buy some wine too) but it is definitely worth it. I've never been to the Palm so they probably do it even better there, but for me the New York strip I made following this recipe was just about the best meal I've ever had! Sorry mom.

Buy this book right now. Pick up a couple of NY Strips when you get it. Follow the directions exactly. Write a thank you note to the publisher.

The side dishes, especially the creamed spinach and the mushrooms are also top notch. I may get to the pasta and the rest eventually, but for now I'm eating an unhealthy amount of steak.

I liked this book very much, it has a really good steak, (filet mignon) receipe, I made the best steak ever. If you like to eat out at steakhouses, this is the book for you.

Party Perfect is an exceptional cooking tool! The book is filled with easy and creative meals that everyone will love. I do!!!

I am not a cook. Yet I've prepared three separate company dinners using Party Perfect, and not one single guest dumped his or her dinner into the potted plants. A few even asked for seconds. It's a terrific little book!

I love to cook for friends, but with my busy schedule, I don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen - thank goodness for this book! It's the compilation of 'event' recipes I've been meaning to put together for years (but never got around to!) One group of my friends was so impressed by the food that the next time we all got together, I gave everyone a copy! What a hit! I'm waiting for the sequel!

I don't want to drop names, but I just threw a last-minute 4th of July party for a key presidential hopeful, and this book proved indispensible! If this candidate wins, look for these authors to be planning events for the next White House administration. It saved my life! Then my workaholic sister Celeste borrowed it to throw a party for her in-laws, and apparently the in-laws raved - thought she slaved for hours in the kitchen when in fact she threw everything together in minutes. Believe me, if you can please Celeste's mother-in-law (whom we affectionately call Dragon Lady), you can please ANYONE! Get this book.

This book takes all the guesswork out of my holiday meal planning. All of the meals I have tried so far have turned out great and pretty easy to prepare. The recipes are unique and memorable.

Many of the recipes I tried in this book I love.
My favorites include the Pork Chops in Onion Gravy, Caramelized Garlic Chicken and the Glazed chicken with couscous.
I never tried or even thought of trying couscous before so it was interesting to try it out.
The recipes I tried are tasty, fast and healthier than some others books I have.

This is a cookbook I use often. It has easy, healthy recipes that require ingredients already in my pantry. Great book!

I was very satisfied with this cookbook that I saw in a bookstore but got on Amazon for half the price.

So far I have made 3 of the recipes (the ratatouille stew, tuna sandwiches, and salmon with leeks) and they have all been delicious. They were also easy to make and the ingredients were not hard to find or expensive.

The recipes are healthy while still having lots of flavor, so your family will likely enjoy them.

The only thing I might object to would be the use of some artificial or highly processed ingredients (like canned salmon or some prepackaged foods), but these wouldn't be hard to replace. It just might require a little extra time, but if you prefer to eat natural/organic foods, these recipes could be easily modified.

I would definitely recommend this cookbook.

I bought this book when I got married in an effort to help my husband and I support a more healthy lifestyle (ok, we wanted to lose some weight!). This book has by far exceeded my expectations--i use it at least three to four times a week!
the highlights:
-meals that truly can be prepared quickly
-"normal" ingredients that I can find at a regular grocery store and won't sit in my fridge for months after using them once
-truly tasty recipes that rarely taste "lowfat"
-a wide variety of recipes with a multitude of flavors and tastes that suit both the adventureous eater or a more conservative palate.
-directions that are easy to follow with helpful information sidebars. Even you 'non-cooks' out there can use this book!
-It lists nutrition info with each recipe, so you know exactly how many calories and how much fat you're taking in with each dish.

The book is divided into sections for each type of food (ie chicken, fish, breads, etc), and it has a pretty good index in the back so it is easy to find things.
The only thing I would do different is that the entrees don't list suggestions for sides, which would be helpful for those of us who don't have an intuition for that sort of thing.
A book that does do this is "Make it in Minutes", a book by weight watchers that is my second favorite cookbook. Ignore the WW thing, and pick this book up too. It has some great recipes as well!

This cookbook has it all! Normal recipes, easy to follow large print, beautiful glossy pictures and pages, and nutrional information. It tells you to use yogurts etc instead of sour cream and healthier versions of cooking. It has general calorie information for foods, and general cooking tips and suggestions for things you can throw into the recipe if you have leftovers. Something I have never seen before. It has tips on how to spot good produce and the right cuts of meats. I can never seem to find recipes in other books I have bought that I would actually use, but I have used this book several times. I have made the meatloaf several times, and everytime my family loves it. I like it because it tells you that you can use breadcrumbs or smashed crackers as I stated above, it gives options in the recipe, with tips above the recipe. Most cookbooks don't do that. I would reccommend this to a beginner or a parent that doesn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen after a long day at work, like me.

I love this book. I bought it because I have a fear of entertaining in my home and always make having guests into too much of a production, I found this book extremely helpful especially the party tricks and real life wisdom. I have repeated the Rustic Chicken Night numerous times. It is the juiciest chicken I have ever made. All my guests rave and ask for the recipes. I also like the one pot meals and the lunch buffets. This book is like a security blanket that has comforted me through many successful parties.

I have made several of these recipes and find them quick and delicious. They are easy and allow you time to enjoy yourself, spend some time with your guests and not spend all your time in the kitchen.
I questioned some of the ingredients in one recipe but followed it anyway and it was delicious. I even bought the book for a friend. I highly recommend this book for someone who loves to entertain but hates missing the party.

I enjoyed this cookbook; the tone is converational, and there is not much pretense (where there COULD be) in what is presented. On a whim I tried the roast brussel sprouts, and though they were better than expected, I will still NOT serve them for a party. (The success was that I was inspired by the book to even buy the brussel sprouts!) Other recipes are good, even great--try the roasted potatoes with whatever you have on hand (I used fingerlings & purples), just as the book suggests. The info contained here isn't rocket science, but entertaining various crowds can be somewhat daunting if you've been out of the loop a while...which I had been. Jennifer Rubell gives good encouragement, and her advice is sound.

REAL LIFE ENTERTAINING: EASY RECIPES AND UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM isn't for the party-giver who likes stress: it advocates a more carefree method of throwing a party whether impromptu or planned way ahead, foregoing fancy plans for budget-conscious convenience. Techniques for entertaining pair easy yet elegant recipes with ideas for festive themes. Color pictures throughout enhance the displays.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I throw a fair number of parties but struggle with how to enjoy them more.

I decided to test this book before reviewing it by having 6 person dinner party. Everyone raved about the food (I made the skirt steak & parmesan/fig potatoes) and I actually did end up enjoying the process more. I followed Jennifer's advice and asked for help from the guests - one couple brought the appetizers, one set up bar outside and made mojitos -everyone had a good time. In fact, two of my "guinea pigs" went out and bought the book after the party.

I particularly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys having people around for parties but not necessarily the prep & process: non-foodies, newlyweds, new graduates. The recipes are easy and the advice is good.

RUBY ANN'S TRAILER PARK BOOKS JUST MAKE ME LAUGH. THERE ARE GOOD RECIPES THAT ARE EASY TO MAKE AND FUN TO EAT. YOU DON'T NEED TO LIVE IN THE SOUTH OR EVEN A TRAILER PARK TO ENJOY THE FUN.. READING THE MANY BOOKS OF RUBY ANN. BE CAREFUL..YOU JUST MIGHT LAUGH VERY LOUD!!

I saw Ms. Boxcar at the Melbourne Writer's Festival in Australia, and she's bloody marvelous. Once you stop laughing, you will find that this collection of recipes is wonderfully tasty. The sauces alone breathe life into the old barbie regulars. What she does to beef is sinful! So if you are looking for a great food and great fun, this is the one.

This BBQ cookbook is filled with creative BBQ recipes and spectacular sauces that make you want to run to the kitchen and start cooking once you stop laughing. Ruby Ann is, no doubt, an authority on down home cooking and this book shows how her food and her humor have evolved from the first witty cookbook she wrote. I have tried several recipes, and they were all great, specially the sauces, and the meats.
If you want to impress your guests or family next time you BBQ, this book has many many recipes that will make you show off your cooking skills. And it is a kick to read. You will be sure to wipe away a tear from both the heat from the spice in the hot sauces and the humor in the entire book.

I ran across this while I was looking for a good barbeque book. The cover caught my eye, but the recipes grab hold of my taste buds and wouldn't let go. I ended up buying this book and when I got it home, my wife told me that she had one of Ruby Ann Boxcar's first cookbooks. She asked me if I'd read it at all and I told her that I'd looked at a lot of the recipes. Well, while I prepared the dinner and cooked up the Sassy Sauce recipe, my wife started reading the book aloud. We laughed and laughed all night long. Even during dinner, my wife and I would switch off reading the stories in-between bites. And the sauce was great. Since then we've cooked up all the sauces and a lot of the meat selections, and we haven't been disappointed yet. We even like the Dr Pepper chicken. We've also bought the rest of her books and have become the life of the party when we attend gatherings because we bring one of her recipes with us. People can't wait to see what dish we will uncover. I would highly suggest that if you are looking for unique, tasty, simple to make BBQ, as Ruby Ann calls it, then get this book. And it also makes a great gift for your boss, brother, dad, or any other man in your life. Even though it is funny as can be, it is also full of mouthwatering recipes that you can cook out on the grill or even inside on your Foreman grill.

I loved her first two books even though I'm not one for cooking so to speak, but I laughed the entire time I read them. And then when I saw this one online, I thought there was no way she could top herself. Well, I was wrong, and she has done it again. I took this with us on our family vacation across country, and while I drove, my wife read the book to us. There were a few times we actually had to pull the car over! Plus we used several of the tips and a lot of the recipes that Ruby Ann has in this book, and they were fantastic! I love the sauces. Since Ruby Ann and her neighbors will eat any type of BBQ, this book has a great mix of the tomato based sauces as well as the Eastern non-tomato based ones. And the recipes are so easy to make that I was even cooking a little this summer. What she does with meat should be illegal it is so good. Plus she also fills you in on what has been going on with the people of the High Chaparral Trailer Park since her last cookbook (the holiday one), which makes her series a sort of an All My Children meets Green Acres meets COPS meets the Food Network. I have to give this book two BBQ sauce stained thumbs up! Thanks you Ruby ann Boxcar.

In keeping with the great Junior League tradition of fabulous cookbooks, the Junior League of the Palm Beaches has managed to live up to its reputation. A Slice of Paradise is a great example of Junior League excellence. A great holiday gift idea!

Junior League cookbooks tend to be very good, and this is the best one I've ever seen. The recipes aren't the same tired potluck recipes that have made the rounds for decades; these are exciting, yet easy-to-make recipes, many with a tropical twist. There are helpful guides to Florida's fish and to tropical fruits.
The Picadillo recipe has become a family (and company) favorite, and the Veal Escallops with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce (I substitute chicken) is a luciously elegant entre in the time it takes to cook a burger. This book is a winner!

What a nice surprise! I purchased this book expecting recipes that would be great for Florida. What I found was a book full of terrific recipes that are for anyone living anywhere. There are traditional favorites with unique twists and fresh recipes using creative combinations of readily available ingredients. I particulary like the selection in skill and prep time. There are quick and easy recipes for last minute plans. There are also more involved creations for an enjoyable rainy Saturday afternoon. The use of fresh ingredients and emphasis on healthy recipes was an added bonus. It's true; Junior Leagues really know how to collect the best recipes. I would recommend this book to anyone (it makes a great gift too!).

I am continually suprised at the fun recipes that I keep finding in this book. I read cookbooks cover to cover and I cannot keep a copy of this one in my house. I show them to my girlfriends and off they go with my latest copy. I am on number four at this time. The seafood and pasta sections have delightful recipes for a dinner party, and the salads are to die for!!! The Palm Beach Pasta Salad is my personal favorite. Hats off to the Junior League of the Palm Beaches. You have outdone yourself!!!

This cookbook is not only great, but it is beautiful as well. It does a wonderful job of featuring Florida's exotic fruits and seafoods with unique receipes and easy preparation. Some great receipes I have tried are the Key Lime Danish, Mango Nut Bread, and Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa!!! I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who enjoys cooking and is looking for some interesting new receipes.

It is awonderful book. I loved the recipes. GREAT BOOK TO GIVE AS A GIFT.

The other day I went through my cookbooks, to see if I could weed some out, because I have too many to mention. It's hard getting rid of a cookbook, especially one with a few recipes in it that you've come to love. But I've scanned the recipes I need to keep forever into my MacBook. However, there were an even dozen I couldn't part with. These are books I turn to time and time again, even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet chef.

THE SUGAR MILL CARIBBEAN COOKBOOK is one of the ones I just had to keep, if only for the "Beach Breakfast" recipe right at the beginning of the book on page 4. Ms. Jinx is oh so right when she says the "spicy combination of Caribbean black beans and eggs give any morning a zingy lift-off." But, of course, you don't keep a cookbook for only one recipe, but not to worry, there is plenty more in this wonderful cookbook, like the "Lobster or Crab Eggs Benedict". Now that's a wonderful menu for a Sunday brunch and it goes perfectly with a Bloody Mary.

But please don't think this book is just about breakfast just because I chose to highlight a couple of good ones. If you want a satisfying, but not overfilling evening meal, try the "Fish with Coral Sunset Sauce" on page 122, it is simply divine. Then there is the "Pan-Seared Scallops with Tomato-Mango Salsa" on page 133, or the "Garden Patch Pasta" on page 102 and I better stop here, because I could go on and on, gushing about the wonderful recipes in this cookbook, but I think you have the picture by now. I really love this book, probably because every recipe in it is to die for.

I had been eyeing this book for quite awhile, for more than a year actually, because my husband and I were going to the BVI for our honeymoon. When we finally went on our honeymoon, through dumb luck and fate, we got a room down the road from the Sugar Mill, and we decided to go to their famous restaurant for a night out. That night out turned into one of the most fantastic, memorable dining experiences we'd ever had... The night was like something out of a fancy movie. Blown away by the food, I bought the cookbook at the gift shop after dinner. Flipping through it in the hotel, I almost couldn't wait to go home and try out some of their recipes. I ended up scribbling down drink mixes we had when we went out and about town in the BVI, so this cookbook has turned into a honeymoon food scrapbook for me.

Now, I know that back story makes me a little biased, but I have to say that even if I just bought it without going to the restaurant, I'd still think this cookbook is superb. It's so clearly written and each recipe has a little paragraph "bio" associated with it discussing either its creation, history, or interesting info on the ingredients or the tradition behind the food. That little paragraph adds to the local color and feel that resonates through this whole cookbook. You can almost taste and feel the Caribbean when you read this book. Another thing I really like is that this book will give you the recipe as it's served at their restaurant, adding to the authentic feel of the book... But the book also acknowledges that some of the ingredients easily available to them in the BVI might be hard to impossible to find on the mainland, so they give you feasible substitutions that don't hurt the taste or presentation at all. Also included are little blurbs on the various Caribbean islands, customs, or other interesting facts.

I'd say most of these recipes are what I like to call "grown-up recipes." Meaning, not all of them you'll throw together in 30 minutes, that these recipes are sophisticated, adult foods that will probably require a little planning and time, perfect for special occasions (or a nice dinner you'd like to feel like a special occasion). I know this is a big negative for some people, but for me it's nice to own a recipe book that involves some serious cooking. I own far too many cookbooks with recipes that call for throwing together various canned soups and canned vegetables, or other processed foods like Bisquick or freezer rolls, and baking it for 30 minutes, and serving. It's nice to have a recipe book that doesn't include 45 different ways to use "cream of" Campbell's soups, and talks about cooking with things like star fruit and plantains and all sorts of exotic fruits and ingredients you see at the grocery store and wonder "I wonder what you use that for?" :D This is certainly a "from scratch" cookbook, not a "30 minute meals" sort of deal.

The categories in this book are: Sunrise Specials (breakfast foods), Snacks, Nibbles, and Island Appetizers, Carnival of Soups, Calypso Salads and Side Dishes, Pastas Under the Palms, From the Fish Pot (seafood), Birds of Paradise (poultry), Tropical Meat Waves (all other meat), Sugar Island Sweets (desserts), and Trade Wind Cocktails (an essential for summer parties as it's the drink recipes... :D). Some of my favorite recipes are curried citrus rice, christophene and sausage filled flank steak, lime cream pasta, pina colada pancakes and cake (the latter being my husband's new favorite birthday cake), lobster chowder, and conch chowder. And I have a list of "need to try" recipes from this book as long as my arm.

I love this cookbook. It's the BVI wrapped up in a 245 page book. There are only two downsides as far as I can see to this book... The first one being that it doesn't include this awesome drink recipe that we had while we were there and are just dying to have again but nobody knows how to make... And the second being that every time I cook something from it, my husband and I remember how much fun we had and how beautiful this restaurant was, and then we start missing Tortola terribly... :)

My husband and I both love to cook and we picked up this cookbook shortly before our carribean cruise to introduce ourselves to the cuisine. We haven't stopped using the book since. The recipes are easy to follow and a great selection. The ingredients are for the most part easy to find or substitute for. I've won several cook-offs with recipes from this book, the rum glazed ribs and black bottom banana pie is to die for.

I live in the Florida keys and foods from the islands of the caribbean are all over the islands, however, this book of recipes by far expands ones selection of choices. The recipes are well written for following instructions easily. the added info in the side bars is interesting and easily put to use with other recipes in the book. If you like food from the islands, all the islands of the caribbean, this book is a source for a quick trip to the island of your choice.
I lost my first copy to Wilma (the huricane). Had to buy another because this book is that good. But it, you'll love it! ;-)

The first time I saw this book was in the public library. I was just browsing through the cookbook section and the attractive spine and then the title caught my eye. I pulled it off the shelf, wondering if it was just going to be another boring cookbook with a pretty cover and a catchy title -- I'm so happy I was wrong! This is a pretty book with a catchy title AND it's great!

First, I sat down and read it, which was a pleasure in itself. Then my two teenage daughters and I started choosing recipes to prepare, improving our technique and expanding our knowledge.

We learned a lot from this beautiful book. It is a keeper. I could barely bring myself to return it to the library, so I ordered one of my very own. I foresee that this will be a cookbook that sports lovingly stained pages with penciled notes in the margins - one I'll use for years to come.

If Mary Risley had stopped after training some of my favorite San Francisco chefs, she would earn my undying gratitude. But what she's done with this book is invaluable. It's so much more than a book of recipes. She really teaches you how to cook -- with a recipe or off the cuff.

Tante Marie's Cookbook sits on our kitchen counter as a constant checkpoint, no matter where we get recipes from. I always use it as a cross-reference against other books. I'll open a recipe in the Silver Palate, but I'll check Mary's techniques for cooking that kind of meat, fish or vegetable. When I incorporate her suggestions, it always comes out better - and I understand more thoroughly the principle behind the recipes. So this is a cookbook that will enhance every other cookbook you own.

We are passionate cooks, but this book has taught us what we've never been able to do before -- cook without a recipe. In fact, at the beginning of every chapter Mary tells you how to select the discussed meat, fish or vegetable, what cooking methods are best for it, and how to cook it without a recipe. Mary straddles the difficult divide of providing a resource that teaches the experienced cook but is accessible enough to the beginner. In fact, if you own only one cookbook, this is the one to get.

In addition to wonderful recipes, tricks, techniques and the how-tos that change okay to fabulous, this book is filled with great anecdotes and recipes from some of the Bay Area's best restaurants. All made accessible by Tante Marie herself, patiently explaining the difficult, offering alternatives for when you can't find some exotic ingredients, but firmly telling you when you simply can't compromise. (Mary declares "seared tuna has no place in Salad Nicoise!")

We have a new vocabulary in our kitchen: "What does Mary say?" and "Mary says. . ." I promise you, if you let Tante Marie guide you, you'll never eat another so-so meal at home.

I bought this cookbook on a caterer's recommendation as a high school gift for a young man who is living with my family and hopes to become a chef. It was perfecto! I'm grateful he leaves it in my kitchen so I can make use of it, too. I've been cooking for 40 years, but I learned many new tricks and absorbed into my DNA several new recipes from just leafing thru these pages while sipping a latte in the morning.
A must-buy for the serious but casual cook.

A solid, well written book that I will be reaching for a lot faster than some of the current well known authors.

For someone not having much time to de-code recipes, the techniques and content of the book are easy to read and very well done.

A wonderful cooking experience was had by all for myself and family. For some extra fun, my family and I sometimes decide to pick out a cookbook and make a meal entirely from that book. Using this cookbook we all picked out one recipe apiece to try out to make a full dinner. Our experence ranged from fairly competent and experienced to the true novice in the kitchen. We made our different courses and the at the end we were very happy with the results. We all agreed that the recipes were well thought out and easy to follow with excellent intstructions and sidebars to answer just about all of our questions. They were practical and informative with the net result being a pleasureable cooking experience for us. Being from the San Francisco area, we are exposed to many wonderful foods and restaurants which I think have increased our appreciation of well prepared foods. We think this cookbook will be enjoyable for all who use it. Chin chin!