Quantity Cooking Books

The meals we've tried have been very well received. Only wish there had been some pictures of the finished dishes.

I will endorse this book. I have a 2 sided list of recipes that I would like to try. If you are a smaller family such as ours (2 adults, 2 kids) then it is easy to scale the recipes down just to try them out. I used the honey chicken thighs recipe recently when my MIL was over from Scotland. She asked me for the recipe and I provided it(I plan to buy her a copy of this book for a gift). I have balsamic/raspberry chicken breasts in the freezer now, they will be pan cooked after thawing. The jerk pork T loin was great, butterflying it was the way to go. Also utilized a 2 steak marinades for a cookout, everyone loved them. Some recipes are easy to tailor according to your own inspiration, buy the book. Thanks to the author for her hard work!

I got this out of the library on an inter-library loan. Since my library doesn't have it in stock, I may have to buy it!
Important: 1) The recipes are easy to make. Yes, you still have to cut up your meat and vegetables, but nothing is complicated. 2) Everything is (or sounds) flavorful. Even the "strange" recipes will probably be kid-friendly once they take a taste. 3) The food is made with mostly easy-to-find ingredients, and I live in rural America. The author talks about buying at a warehouse. I don't have a warehouse store near me, but this is still workable. So far, I haven't found a recipe that does not freeze and reheat well.
You're not locked in to an 8-or-10 hour cooking session. You can easily fix one recipe or two a week, and have a freezer full of variety without even trying. But another reader suggested forming a supper club with friends, and I have to say that is an outstanding idea.
This rates right up there with my heretofore favorite Don't Panic -- Dinner's in the Freezer.
This is a good one, folks. Really.
NOTE: I couldn't wait. I bought this book within hours after originally writing this review. It came bundled with my other library fave, Don't Panic: Dinner's In the Freezer.

My wife did one of those Supper Supper events with some friends last month and it really made my life easy (I do all the cooking.) It was just great pulling out a meal to defrost the night before and not having to hassle with thinking about what to cook the next day. So, after finishing off that set of meals I decided to get a couple books using this prep and freezer method. This book is definitely the best of the bunch and really has some great marinades and the technique is similar to the prep and freeze places you find around town, but saves you about 40-50% since you can do it yourself and buying the ingredients isn't too bad since I already had a fully stocked kitchen that only needed a few small things for the marinades and picked up some meats and a bulk thing of chopped garlic from Costco. All in all, it took me about 2 hours to prepare 6 recipes where I doubled each one, making 12 meals for the coming month. I find this approach very cost effective and time effective as I still do a lot of cooked meals without the freezer method, but this mixes it up and gives me some recipes I probably would not have done using a day to day method instead of the bulk prep approach. A couple standouts from the book are Blackjack Steak (molasses, balsamic vinegar marinated flank steak) and a basil-vinaigrette pork chop recipe. There are several chicken recipes too that I have yet to try that I made - including a great smelling asian chicken recipe I'll make this week.

This cookbook has transformed the way I cook for my family. I have moved from "What am I going to fix for dinner tonight...? - big sigh" to enjoying the cooking process (never thought that could happen) and having delicious meals on hand... no sighing involved! I have never been much of a cook, but these recipes are super easy to follow and offer a variety of flavors that have greatly expanded our meal selections. The authors have successfully tackled the challenge of creating a great selection of healthy recipes without using expensive, hard-to-find ingredients. I have the freedom to prepare one recipe (3 to 4 meals) at a time, or have a marathon cooking day and stock my freezer with 20 to 30 meals. The amazing time saver is the fact that you put as much effort (and mess) into preparing several meals as you would have put into preparing just one... and reap the benefits on the other nights. Having meals on hand has also allowed me to help others through difficult times by providing meals for them, which is very rewarding. This cookbook makes a great gift - I have passed it on to countless friends, family, brides and new moms. It's a life saver!

I first rented this book from the library, it was such a help and packed with so much information that I decided to purchase a copy to have at my finger tips at all times. It's filled with all kinds of information for any cook not just party information. Excellent book.

Denise Vivaldo has done it again with a party book that actually gives practical, step-by-step directions. So many books look great, but when you read through them, they are just fluff. Not Denise. Her book spells everything out in detail--even to the point of telling you how to fix burned food, overcooked vegetables, lumpy gravy, etc. Let's face it--mistakes happen. What can we do now??

I also really appreciated her correct table layouts for those of us, like myself, who are "table setting challenged." Oh, so that's where the bread plate goes!

I am looking forward to trying out her recipes. They look wonderful.

I love this book, it has a wealth of useful information with an excellent format. If you purchase this book, you will not be dissapointed.

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

from The Orange County Register
January 25, 2007

I am not a football fan. My idea of a super bowl is my mother's Val St. Lambert. But I do love a party, so if my centerpiece has to be the TV, hey, think of what I'm saving on flowers!

My Superbowl guest list is growing each day, and I'm getting nervous. Just how much food do I need for a crowd? And then there's the expense. Not to worry. With Denise Vivaldo's cookbook and catering guide "Do It For Less! Parties" I know I can throw a bash that won't stress me out and won't break the bank.

"People are not used to cooking in quantities," said Vivaldo, a classically trained chef and caterer, whose company, Food Fanatics, specializes in recipe development, consulting, and food styling for print, film and television. "It freaks them out to see how much food they've got. Is it enough? It is too much?" This book eliminates the guesswork with recipes given in chart form for 12, 25, 50 or 75 guests. "Remember, the more things you have on the menu, the smaller the portions you need to serve," Vivaldo advised.

But how much will this party cost, I wonder. "When people entertain, they spend a lot of money instead of keeping it simple," Vivaldo noted. "If you're having a lot of people, you don't have to offer a complete bar. Why not make one kind of drink, say Cosmopolitans, and add something non-alcoholic and some water and you've got it."

This seasoned professional, who has catered 10,000 parties (serving the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bette Midler and Prince Charles), reveals her tricks of the trade for everything from planning the menu to napkin folding.

"When we're entertaining, we're all our own harshest critics," she said. "But if someone else has set the table, the simplest meal is divine."

Vivaldo offers nine complete party themes, each with a menu, shopping list, decorating ideas (including invitations, table linens, favors and entertainment), time- and money-saving tips, an equipment list and a menu countdown, so you're not doing everything at the last minute.

"You don't need to spend a lot of money on matching linens," Vivaldo advised. "Look around your house. Everything doesn't have to match. Be creative. You can use a Mexican serape or even $10 sheets from Target. People don't come to your home to see your couch. They come for the company and a glass of wine."

For Superbowl I'll score with the Toscana menu: Classic Caesar Salad, Chilled Penne Pasta with Pesto and Pine Nuts, Italian Meatball Lasagna, Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce, Tiramisu, and Chocolate Almond Biscotti. Touchdown!

Vivaldo's game plan makes it all simple, starting with shopping for non-perishables the week before. I see two days before the game I can prepare the gnocchi dough and biscotti, with the bulk of the cooking the following day. On party day I have only to cook the gnocchi, reheat the lasagna and gnocchi sauce, toss the salad and brew coffee. Then I can relax and enjoy the game. Or you enjoy the game and I'll enjoy you!

"People make themselves crazy when they entertain," Vivaldo reflected. "If you could enjoy yourself more, you would do it more often."

CHILLED PENNE PASTA WITH PESTO AND PINE NUTS
from "Do It For Less! Parties" (Terrace) by Denise Vivaldo

1 1/2 pounds penne pasta (uncooked)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
4 cups fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup walnuts
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta in batches until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, being careful not to overcook. Drain. Drizzle with a little olive oil if needed to keep from sticking.
2. Process basil leaves, olive oil, walnuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper with a food processor until mixture forms a coarse paste. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Toss cooked pasta and pesto together in a large mixing bowl (in batches if needed for manageability). Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.
3. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serves 12 (options for 25, 50 and 75 in the book)

This has got EVERYTHING in it, no joke. From locations to amounts of food you need per persong at any party....budget pages... SO USEFUL! i am never going to let this book go! if you are thinking about getting it...don't bother...JUST DO IT!

I was disappointed only in that this was a vegan cookbook and not vegetarian as the title implies. There are some good recipes, but not enough to hold my interest. I sent it back.

I am a serious home cook who has made this book her kitchen bible. The recipes contained in this book are scrumptious and remarkably free of all animal products (including eggs and dairy). As vegan cookbooks go, this book is unique. The culinary results are delicious and visually appealing. The author is a professional chef who knows how to layer in complex, yet pleasing flavors into dishes for spectacular results. Ken Bergeron really knows how to stimulate taste buds that have grown weary of the same-old, same-old. Truly innovative cuisine like this doesn't come around every day. I've made dozens of recipes presented within these pages with incredible success. Over the holidays, I followed the author's menu suggestions. I made the festive holiday menu for Christmas dinner and the hors d-oeuvres menu for an elegant cocktail party. Most of the invited guests were non-vegetarians with sophisticated taste-buds--definitely not the dry lentil loaf and brown rice crowd. I was delighted to receive enthusiastic raves and dozens of requests for the recipes. The fried oyster mushrooms, vegetable walnut and pecan pate, baby bella mushroom risotto and maple nut tart were especially big hits, but everything was devoured with gusto. This book is truly avant garde--I believe vegan cuisine will be the everyday norm for most American tables by the end of the next century. Even Time Magazine--hardly a granola rag by any stretch of the imagination-has recently predicted this dietary megatrend will happen in the near future. Undoubtedly, this book will help lead the way. No home should be without it. And, anyone making a profession out of feeding the public--pay attention, please! Customers will continue to want to live large into the next century, but that doesn't necessarily mean they want big slabs of dead animals oozing blood on their plates. Exotic fruits and vegetables, prepared with all the care and attention given to flesh-centered cuisine, will fit the bill just fine. Many trendsetters are looking for this now, but millions will follow.

All of the recipes in this book are not only vegetarian they are vegan. They are also scrumptious. I have tried several and it is well worth the trouble of having to scale down the recipes (since this is really created for restauranteurs everything serves 10).

Truly great example of why the question --don't you get bored eating vegetables all the time--is so funny!

Steph

Wow, chef Bergeron is a genius. Yes, a genius. This book contains dozens and dozens of sophisticated and inventive recipes using vegetables. Wow, and Wow again. A treasure trove!!!! Hey, home cooks out there, you will amaze your friends with any of these recipes. I only wish I had purchased a copy of this book sooner.

A little bias because Ken is a friend of mine, Ken is a modest down to earth guy---No pun intended. I am not a vegetarian by any means but every recipe that I have used is awesome. You really have to try the Oyster Fried Mushrooms, Watermelon Catsup or The Sea Czar Dressing. I have worked side by side with Ken, who is an incredible wealth of knowledge and expierience as a Vegan. Ken is the 1st World Vegan Gold Medalist at The Culinary Olympics in 92. I am very proud to be considered his friend and very proud of this book.

All I can say is it's simple, easy to read and healthy! Don't let the "Professional" in the title fool the average person because it is for everyone.The knowledge and eye opening this will give you to the vegetarian/vegan world is priceless.

This book provides a wonderful look at the Campania region. I bought it before a trip to Italy, and hoped to use it as a guide of the region that I would be visiting. We stayed in Positano and visited a number of cities, including Vico Equense, Sorrento, Ravello, Caserta, Salerno, Minori, Vietri sul Mare, and several other small towns in the region. The only thing lacking in this book is detailed directions to find the stores. For example, we tried to visit a wine shop in Caserta that the book highly recommended. Armed with two maps with printed directions from Google Maps and Microsoft Live Local, we still had no luck finding it. It is very difficult to find a good map service of the area, and if this book would provide detailed directions to reaching these stores, a few maps, and maybe photos of the storefronts, it would be absolutely perfect!

I lived in Naples for 3 1/2 years and traveled all over the Campania region, but I didn't find this book until our last month and wish I had it from the start. It is very good and we tried several of the locations before we left . Show the book to the stores or restaurants that you visit , they have their own copies.I reccommend it to anyone planning on taking the trip or those who want to see what it is like.

Still waiting for delivery of the book that I paid for over a month ago. Contrary to popular opinion Cape Town is a first world city with a decent postal service. I want the book to accompany me to the Naples area shortly and will be extremely disappointed if I have to leave without it. If a client has opted for expedited shipping perhaps you should take it upon yourselves to check that this is possible otherwise you should remove the option from your website

Fantastic resource for planning gastronomic adventures in Campania. We are using this guide to help us plan for an upcoming trip to a less-traveled area in southern Campania. This amazing book provides great insight for food and wine lovers who want to know where to go, and what to eat and drink when you get there. There is simply no way I could have compiled this information on my own.

We have lived in the Naples area for the past year, but found more wonderful local sources for food and wine in one weekend using this well-researched guide than we found in the whole previous year! Much of life in Southern Italy is governed by word-of-mouth, and Carla Capalbo has done the hard work for anyone interested in the wonderful array of local food, wine, and olive oil available here. Brava!

Fabulous meals done easily and simply in a small or boat kitchen also great and easier in a big kitchen. Great pictures and great meals.

Many people lamented when this book went out of print, but Ten Speed has brought it back in print under a new title, FEASTS AFLOAT. Moreover, it's in paperback, and now cheaper than the hardcover was 10 yrs ago!

We live, full-time, on our fifty foot motor yacht, and though it may sound large to some folks, space is a consideration. Our galley is large and does have a full size side by side frig. and a full size Jenn-Air. Despite the large galley, there is a need for using as few pots as possible and not requiring lots of ingredients. We have tried quite a few of the recipes and with an exception or two, all have been great! We recently had a chili shoot-out at our marina and MICHAEL'S PORK AND BLACK BEAN CHILI was the winner by a mile. I had several requests for the recipe and our friends were quite disappointed to find the book out of print. Too bad. Liz and Al Nalven, Longboat Key, FL

I would be honoured to have these two fine cooks and writers at my table, although I would be humbled by their presence as what they have brought together in their cook book is tantamount to magic. They have in effect brought the art of "simple" close to gastronomic and sometimes surpassed in gastronomic. We have owned this book since 1991, 1 year after the original publication and it is getting threadbare, forgetting the wonderfull combinations of flavours, anyone with a love of boating, especially sailing, will wistfully romance the pictures and sceniks as you meander through its pages. Hats off to two great people of this earth who have made mine and many others life more pleasant and worth living.

We've had this book for a couple of years now and are delighted with the simplicity and quality of the recipes. Initially purchased as a gift for sailor friends but their success with the recipes was so great that we purchased one for ourselves. Our friends even won a contest with one of the eggplant recipes. This book NEEDS to be reprinted. We are so sorry we can not offer it as a gift for more of our friends and are very dissapointed about that.

Hopefully the publisher will reconsider.

I absolutely love this cookbook because it is simple and no-nonsense but yet full of very nice and tasty recipes. What I personally like best about this book is that often you'll find a base recipe for i.e. cookie dough, souffle, pancakes, you name it and then has several different flavour variations. So one dish, many different flavours. Too easy!! I am going sailing soon and have been assigned to the cooking - this will be my bible as we travel... ;-)

We were only a month or so into our cruise having left San Francisco in 1998. We met Kay and Hal at the always helpful & friendly DOWNWIND MARINE in San Diego. I bought the book thinking that I would need some help, especially in our tiny galley. It's been 2 years since we left. Most of it spent cruising the Calif. Coast and Mexico. I've really grown to depend of Kay's book for ideas, tips, ingredients and combinations. Even for ideas for the odd fish that was the only thing available! Thanks for such a comprehensive and great cookbook written especially for cruisers!

Being landlocked for 50 weeks out of the year does little in stopping my efforts in looking for the perfect cookbook for the open seas. I've finally found a must for my galley.

"Cruising Cuisine" is well laid out and has easy to follow recipes with an inventory list to help you pick and choose the spices you may need on board. The many tips on preparing and storage come in handy and go far in helping you prepare for your voyage, long or short.

This by no means is just for the sea, but at home as well. With more than 450 recipes your family and friends will be anxiously awaiting new culinary treats to be transformed from black and white text to mouth watering morsels of enjoyment!

Red sky at night - sailors delight, red sky in the morning, sailors - batten down the hatches and head to the galley to prepare hot soup and a hearty stew. Your crew and their friends will thank you!

We had heard about this book while in St. Maarten and finally found it at a swap meet in Trinidad. Many sea miles later, it's still our cookbook of choice. So many other cruising cookbooks left out ingredients, had typos, or had such elaborate preparation steps that you could never make the recipes unless you had a full-sized, professional kitchen. This book is perfect. Simple, yet delicious recipes that can be make quickly (and without leaving an oven on for hours in the tropics). We especially found the appetizer section helpful when we were low on happy hour ideas.

This book is essential reading for anyone working in the galley - whether blue water, bay or lake cruising. The recipes are outstanding, easy to follow and amenable to tight quarters. More importantly, Kay Pastorius offers advice about the basics that most of us have to learn the hard way - by throwing rotting food away. Her advice about provisioning, storage and cooking is right on the money, literally. I only wish my boat-mate, a meat-and-potatoes guy (who I wouldn't trade for the world), was as enthusiastic and supportive as Hal. Thank you Kay.

Fantastic, entertaining book!! Loaded with history and recipes -- Who could ask for more??? Highly recommend.

Fine addition to anyone's cookbook collection and a great gift for the
rail fan. Recipes are easy and they work! Don't expect to lose weight!

Great book! Wonderful back story of an era mostly gone. Recipes are particularly interesting and became the theme for a wonderful party. Research done by the author is staggering. Bravo!

Really a fun book to have for the railroader with someone who loves to cook. Tons of fine recipies from railroads all over the country. SOME EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! I tried my hand at a dish, but it didn't turn out right despite following directions to the letter. Recently, Mom and I were successful. Her years of cooking experience handed down from Grandma paid off, because she noticed a missing step. Some basic preparation steps are left out becuase by the time a cook was assigned to the diner, he didn't need to see everything on paper. Since then, Mom and I have enjoyed many more weekend cooking classes with the dining car cookbook. Although many projects have turned out well, I'll always recall our first as my personal favorite: Western Pacific Rice Cream Pie. Good times!

The book "Dining by Rail" was purchased at the urging of a ten-year old son who is a rabid railfan. The book not only has a treasure trove of the most famous recipes from all the different rail lines, but it features a marvelous history of railroads from the point of view of the customer, the cooks, and others whose job it was to provide customer service. One also learns how the menus on the trains reflected the relations with the most important commercial customers of the railroad, an aspect nostalgic railfans don't always think about.

The book is well written and carefully researched. The pictures are evocative, and the recipes very easy to follow and recreate.

Altogether, this book is providing my son and me with a interesting and tasty railroad education!

This is the first book in a series of four, designed to be both teachers to the apprentice pastry chef and a companion to the accomplished one.
And at that it succeeds fully.
In this first tome, pastries and bases are discussed and demonstrated. In effect all of the basic preparations of French patisserie are present: Tart doughs, Meringues, Genoese sponges, Biscuit a' la cuillere, puff pastry, cakes, simple breads, brioches, croissants etc.
Every preparation and method is discussed meticulously, with the assistance of a plethora of recipes and photographs. In most cases there are more than one recipe per product and large and small quantities are given, to fascilitate both the professional and the apprentice, even the home cook.
The book includes Metric measurements as any self-respecting pastry book should.
As it is a first tome in a series, the products are rearly followed to the stage of filling and decoration. This is done in the second book, which deals with creams, fillings and mousses. One should really acquire at least the first two books of the series for a complete picture. This is not necessarily bad (as far as I am concerned it is not bad at all), since a pastry chef can have the products, recipes and procedures neatly, by family, in each book.
To sum up, this book (and the whole series in general) is, as far as I am concerned still (after so many years) the best money can buy. Much better than Bo Friberg's books and a definitive guide to French Patisserie.
It is a very good investment for every aspiring or accomplished pastry chef and since the price has been reduced recently , a good bargain.

I have done a first run through surface read of this book am I ever impressed. This is a full college class in 1 well written volume. The steps are well illustrated and I like the 3 different portion recipes. It is NOT a 'skim through it and slap something together' type of cookbook. I have been needing a challenge and been needing to expand my culinary abilities. This book is just the ticket. I sure hope SOMEBODY reads my wish list this year and gives me another volume in the series!

I am a student in a Culinary Program for breads and specialty desserts and my chefs stand behind these books 100%. The step by step instruction that includes illustration as well as the history of the preparation make these books invaluable if you are at all interested in baking.

I OWN A LOT OF PASTRY BOOKS THIS IS THE BEST.I RECOMMAND THIS BOOK TO THOSE WHO REALLY WANT TO LEARN THE GOOD PASTRY .IT CONTAINS ALL THE BASIC OF THE PASTRY.WITH STEP BY STEP PICTURES WHICH MAKE MORE EASY TO FOLLOW THE RECIPE.IN HERE WE DO NOT HAVE THE GOOD PASTRY SHOP LIKE IN EUROPE THIS IS ALLOWED ME TO PREPARE THOSE FRENCH PASTRIES : ECLAIRS,MADELEINE,LES TARTES WITHOUT FAILURE.I BOUGHT ALSO THE VOL2.SO GO AHEAD A BUY IT YOU WILL NOT REGRET I PROMIS

I went to pastry school in France and found these books absolutely indispensable.

Need to learn the classics of French pastry? This book (and the other three in the series*) is for you! There are lots of detailed pictures and explanations are clear and well written. Along with time-lines to help you gage how long a project will take. The recipes are frequently given for large restaurant quantity along with a scaled down version suitable for home cooking. My only complaint is that there's no index that spans the 4 volumes, though each book does have its own index with references in both English and French. Very useful.

Master the information in these books and you can work in any pastry kitchen anywhere in the world.

* Creams, Confections, and Finished Desserts
Petits Fours, Chocolate, Frozen Desserts, and Sugar Work
Decorations, Borders and Letters, Marzipan, and Modern Desserts

The Pardeys are well-known for their ability to sail their small, engineless, boat safely around the world with very little of the modern equipment most of the rest of us require. Their suggestions for ways to prepare for a voyage, and to increase your comfort and improve your experience while under way are fascinating. They're also amazingly useful even for those of us who rarely venture out of sight of land.

More than just useful, this book also gives you a vivid glimpse of what living aboard a sailing vessel is like.

I recommend this book if you're interested in life at sea, now or in the past, if you're an armchair sailor, and especially if you're responsible for keeping a family or crew healthy and happy on a vacation, longer race, or coastal delivery. And, of course, it's wonderful for the obvious audience: those who are considering casting off from land and crossing oceans.

A couple of months ago, I attended a seminar taught by Lin & Larry called Confident Cruising. What a treat to meet this inspiring couple! I have offshore dreams myself and since I know I will be in charge of my own galley, I bought The Care & Feeding of Sailing Crew. I thought it would have a few recipes and hints on how to store food. Little did I know that the book is so much more: You travel with Lin & Larry on a 45 day passage from Japan to Canada and during the passage, Lin teaches you everything you need to know about provisioning, food care & storage, galley layout, cabin care - the list goes on and on. I haven't finished the book yet - I'm with them on day 30. They are eating mostly canned food now but Lin is still preparing great meals! I love Lin's style of writing - you really feel like she's talking to you over a cup of tea.

BUY THIS BOOK! IT'S FANTASTIC!

"Larry came below shivering and blue-lipped. I got him out of his wet clothes, warmed some freshwater so he could wipe down, and got out his dry clothes. But it wasn't until he had had some hot, solid food that he started to warm up and stop shivering" (p. 357); the real situations experienced during extended cruising and appropriate responses are the focus of this comprehensive book which contains relevant advice on nearly every cruising situation imaginable, with a strong emphasis on how those situations impact the crew.

The authors are professional sailors and have been full-time cruising sailors for over forty years. Their vast experience and precise writing skill enable them to expertly address a wide range of topics, and the book clearly demonstrates their mastery of the care and feeding of sailing crew.

The book is divided into 52 chapters and two indices. Each chapter presents a logged day of a sailing cruise, noting weather and sailing conditions, and covers items which are appropriate to that particular stage of an extended cruise. The concepts are emphasized with enjoyable anecdotes which illustrate the importance of preparation and adaptability. Topics include nearly everything imaginable, ranging from menu planning and food purchase and storage, through cooking methods and preservation techniques, to fishing and keeping the crew well-clothed. The authors' cruising experience ensures the hints are appropriate across a variety of weather and climate conditions. For example, rough-weather food preparation is contrasted with calm-weather cooking using limited galley facilities. The text dispenses with theory and focuses on the reality of small-craft living.

The tone of the book is personal and engaging; the coverage of the topic is masterful and authoritative. Now in its revised 3rd edition, the book is superbly edited and particularly well-balanced. The writing style is accessible and inviting and the material reads like a long letter from a personal friend--albeit a well-spoken friend with indisputably good advice and an incredibly interesting suite of daily experiences. Not only does the book instruct and encourage, it positively portrays cruising and draws the reader into the author's world.

Part adventure book, part how-to guide, part personal history, and part cookbook, the text is fun, creative, and sure to please. Regardless of the reader's level of sailing experience, the book has much to offer and ensures that the care and feeding of sailing crew will not only be possible, but an enjoyable component of future cruising.

A wonderful resource for anyone considering ( or actually living )on the water. Lin and Larry share all the tiny bits and pieces of their daily routine that let you feel as if you were living with them. Although it was not written as a how-to, it contains lots of simple recipes and creative insights into the daily management of the ship's provisions and crew I promise you that this is a book that you will keep in your reference library and read again and again.

Another Great book from the Pardeys.

Could barley put it down long enough to write this review. If your thinking about cruising in a boat, this book is essential to food stores and preperation as well as crew comforts.

Fantastic first hand advise and ideas from cruisers of 40 years.

Read it !!

Have recently purchased this book. Started skimming through it and couldn't put it down. There was a party for every occasion and it was all planned out for you. The tips were fantastic. I plan on buying more for gifts. This book will make a great Christmas gift and will definitely be on my shopping list in December. I hope they do another book. It was so easy to follow and I know I will have no disasters at another party.

This book has everything you can think of when it comes to party planning! I got some really cute theme ideas and I love the 'Chips and Tips' throughout the book! Great Resource for anyone! This would be a great gift!

I was very impressed with the numerous party themes and quantity of ideas for each theme. This is planning made easy and I recommend this book to all hosts and hostess -- whether this is your first party or you have been throwing parties for years, this book is perfect for different ideas, more ideas to enhance been-around themes with easy to follow directions, everything to make a party memorable! Great resource for any organization (church, Scouts, philanthropic, etc.) planning social and fundraising events. I have been a professional party planner (family and corporate) for years and love this book! I recommend it highly as one of the best on the market and I personally give these books as gifts.

This book will make you get off your couch and want to party. With the clever ideas, tips on every topic you would not even amagine, and most of all the expert advice for all sorts of celebrations. All the work is done for you all you have to do is pick and choose. Great job to you both for a wonderful book... Dawn Hogan, celebration expert, speaker, author of party planning guides.

Why did it take these guidebook people so long to discover a need for this book? Cambria and Sachs have done a superior job of streamlining the stresses of party giving so that the hostess has a chance of having just as much fun as her guests. Thanks, guys!