Food Books

The book is so beautiful. It has lovely recipes for food and fragrance. I want to try them all.

How much should you smell what you eat? How important is aroma? Read Superchefblog's review to find out: http://www.sitemeter.com/default.asp?action=stats&site=sm3JulietteRossant&visit=77&report=9&vlr=14&pg=1&rnd=2006111.

At last, someone has combined my two loves- food and natural essences.I have been interested in combining essential oils and food for some time, and this book is full of terrific creative ideas for doing just that. And as a dabbler in homemade body care products, I love the pairing of the food receipes with the body care recipes.

The food recipes are well within the skill level of the average cook. Some of the ingredients are a bit exotic and might be hard to find for some readers (e.g. shiso and saffron absolute- I finally found the saffron absolute at Liberty Natural). Otherwise most of the ingredients are readily available at your basic supermarket. The essences themselves can be ordered at a number of sites on the internet.

Chef Patterson's recipes are creative and provacative combinations that "go outside the box". Seared Scallops With Tarragon Sabayon combines tarragon essential oil with a sabayon sauce normally associated with desserts, but modified here to work in a savory dish. Wild Salmon With Marinated Cucumbers utilizes a cucumber hydrosol in the vinaigrette and the unusual technique of slow-cooking the salmon so that it is completely cooked through yet moist and delicate.

The "In the Everyday Kitchen" vignettes in each chapter offer quick and simple suggestions for using the essences in food. For example, "Mix a little lime essential oil with lime juice, simple syrup...and sparkling mineral water..." The lime EO adds a kick to the drink that it wouldn't have with lime juice alone.

Ms. Aftel's fragrances and body care recipes are glorious and most are relatively simple to do. The novice will need a little practice handling some of the more viscous essences, such as peru balsam and labdanum absolute in the Jasmine Liquid Perfume. I was quite surprised and delighted that Ms. Aftel chose to share with us the recipes for some of her own perfumes that she sells on her website and in retail stores. Parfum de Maroc and Cepes and Tuberose are two favorites. It is exceptionally generous considering that most perfumers keep their formulations under lock and key for obvious reasons.

I also want to add that the photography and food styling in this book is mouth-watering and drop-dead gorgeous. I almost wanted to eat the book! (Almost.)

Three cheers for Mandy Aftel, Daniel Patterson, and their creative team for giving us this beautiful work!

A successful collaberation between a master natural perfumer and a master chef, with luscious results! The photographs are gorgeous---the formulas unique. Attractive enough for a coffee table, this book will be frequently used and treasured. Well worth seeking out for a present for someone special!

Mandy Aftel is the owner of Aftelier Perfumes and custom designs one-of-a-kind blends for individuals and formulates fragrances for private labels. Daniel Patterson is a professional chef and the owner of Frisson in San Francisco. In Aroma: The Magic Of Essential Oils In Food & Fragrance, Aftel and Patterson effectively collaborate to reveal how aromatics play a critically important role in the perception of flavor in cooking. With a special focus on 27 concentrated aromas, recipes are crafted around the fragrant quality of a single ingredient providing such illustrative examples as enhancing a white peach sorbet jasmine, or augmenting asparagus soup a mint-infusion. Kitchen cooks are shown how to incorporate concentrated oils in their homemade dishes such as adding a bit of oil drizzled into the dressing to invigorate a salad, or sprinkling several drops into a batter to add an additional note to a dessert. The combination of basic information with aromatically enhanced recipes makes Aroma a highly recommended addition to any personal or professional cookbook collection.

I finally found a diet book that really works. The recipes are delicious and easy to make. We have all heard about how Asian woman are naturally slim. This book reveals why. Follow the advice in this book and you will be on your way to a slimmer, trimmer body.

Seven Secrets to a Successful Divorce

I'm a batchlor, but even I find the recipes in this book simple yet delicious. I highly recommend this book for everyone who wants to lose weight with a sensible way.

The book is well written in ez to understand format. The author's idea is fresh and informative to people seeking other alternative to get and stay slim in natural way.

Linda outlines a comprehensive rationale for the Asian Slim Secrets to losing weight. Not only is there an explanation of why these foods work, but an exercise plan to complement her recommendations to your eating routine. Photographs demonstrate proper exercise techniques to tone muscles. It is an easy to read book with easy to prepare recipes. I highly recommend it.

This book is easy to read and chock full of healthful recipes to get and stay slim. Linda Yo gives us reason to try a new way of life when it comes to food and food preparation. I went right out and bought a rice cooker! She has a warm and practical style that gives us a charming look at another culture.

'Bad Beekeeping' isn't really a beekeeping book, at least not in the sense of how to keep bees. Rather it is more of a memoir of the author's life during the time he was a commercial beekeeper.

It is very well written and Ron Miksha has a wry sense of humor. 'Bad Beekeeping' is a fun and interesting book with interesting insights.

Instead of "Bad Beekeeping," Ron Miksha's book could have been called "Portait of the Beekeeper as a Young Man," since it is all about his growing up as a commercial beekeeper in the 1970's and 1980's. Working the canola bloom, his summer beekeeping operation in Saskatchewan, and working citrus, his winter beekeeping operation in Florida, Ron had a unique run as a beekeeper that is simply not possible today. Regulations, rules and differing concerns on opposite sides of the U.S./Canadian border made his operation a one-of-a-kind, as well as one-of-an-era.

His story is a roller-coaster ride of great successes matched with spectacular failures. His calcuations and plans meet with the unexpected and that is the fun of his tale. Although no longer a commercial beekeeper; instead now, a geophysicist and entrepreneur, he remains a hobbyist beekeeper in Alberta. As beekeepers, we have not lost one of our own.

Nothing bad about this book, Ron has given the beekeeping world another cracking good read. There is every thing here, history fun information and entertainment. Also a very good read for those people who do not have the insanity to employ millions of buzzing workers, with potentially very hot tails! An excellent book.

Bad Beekeeping is not a bad book at all! It is hilariously funny and packed fun of really neat things everyone would like to know. It's all about bees and beekeeping, but all about lots of other things, too. This is such a great book, I started on Friday evening and read all weekend long. Couldn't put it down. Best book I've read!

The author's account of his career as a beekeeper will appeal to a wide variety of readers. It is a delightful blend of both humorous and sobering personal anecdotes and exhaustively-researched facts about honey. You can't help getting drawn into Ron's life and the diverse personalities he encountered across North America. His engaging writing style makes this book one you'll want all your friends to read.

This book is an extremely valuable resource providing detailed recipes on an extensive number of drinks. Providing multiple versions on many of the more popular recipes is a nice bonus. The product information included by the author is interesting and the straightforward drink preparation instructions are also very valuable and helpful.

The book provides a simple yet reliable approach to well and less known specialty drinks that would definitively help the bartender's creativity. the spirits product knowledge insight is very accurate too.

I am a fan of Robert Plokins work. I have all of books in my cocktail book collection. His books are a great reference for the working bartender, cocktail geek and for those at home who want to impress their friends with a great libation. Cheers!

This is my second copy of Robert's Bartenders Guide. My original copy of Revision 1 was used while I was a bartender 8 years ago and
helped me out of a few embarassing situations. It shows you the glass by name and picture, how you prepare the drink and the garnish options.

This copy has more drinks then I could ever get a chance to try, and will make a great addition to my home bar.

This is a great book for those getting started in mixing drinks, or for the more advanced. Procedures for making the drinks are nicely spelled out, as well as information on glassware and tools, etc. Alternate recipes are shown for several drinks, showing that there is not just ONE WAY to make certain drinks. This lack of arrogance shows through in a number of ways, including in the sidebars on the pages that highlight particular spirits. Lots of interesting background there. I especially enjoyed the features on the Dekuyper's cordials. They may offend the snobs, but they're fun! Another great feature is an index by ingredient. You get a new bottle of something and can look it up to see what new drinks you can make with what you have on hand. In general, this book is fun and informative and is a must-have for any drink mixer.

Great for kids. I purchased this for my daughter and she loves it. Very cute also.

Very cute and sturdy cookbook. My daughter (and sons) love to look through this cookbook and decide what they'd like to make next. They've always liked to help me cook, but it's nice to have a kid-friendly book that appeals especially to them.
Recipes are easy and tasty. There's a good variety of recipes as well, from snacks to salads to, of course, desserts.
Great buy for the money.

In this colorful cookbook, sure to catch the eye of the youngest chief, we are taken into a world of delightful, yummy children's recipes.
My granddaughter and I prepared, cooked and shared "Spectacular Berry Pancakes." Yummy! What a treat.
Strawberry shares great recipes that are fun to make, and fun to eat; from breakfast right through the day. She gives cooking tips, rules of safety and even a few stories are tucked into this wonderful book. A little added plus is a set of measuring spoons to use. Nice touch.

Colorful, useful, kid and parent friendly, this is a wonderful book for young and old.
A fun read, along with a super learning and sharing experience. Recommended.
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this book. It has a hard cover with the spiral binding. It will hold up well...and I think we will be using it often!

It has a lot of recipes as well as little stories. It came with some measuring spoons as well. I think my 5 year old will be very excited to get this for Christmas!

My son LOVES making things from this cookbook with me. It has some of his favorite characters, and many extray yummy recipes.

Because he made them from his Strawberry Shortcake cookbook, he has been willing to try some foods that he refused to look at before!

The measuring spoons are great!

The TelecomPioneers of Mississippi have published a series of four volumes of cookbook recipes, beginning with "Bell's Best" in 1981, followed by "Bell's Best 2"; "Savory Classics"; and "Bell's Best IV". The accumulative total of these four previously published cookbooks adds up to more than six thousand recipes! Now available from Quail Ridge Press is their fifth cookbook volume, "Best Of The Best From Bell's Best Cookbook" which is a distillation and compilation of 429 recipes taken from the previous four volumes of the 'Bell's Best Cookbook' series and presented along with informative and fascinating historical facts and illustrations showing the development of the telephone over the years from its inception with Alexander Graham Bell's initial transmission over a telephone line to his assistant Thomas Watson, down to the touch tone and cell phones present day. This outstanding compendium include recipes for beverages and appetizers; breads and breakfasts; soups, stews and chilies; salads; pastas and rice dishes; meats; poultry; seafood; cakes; cookies and candies; as well as pies and other desserts. Of special note is the chapter devoted to equivalents and substitutions. From an Almond-Bacon Cheese Dip; to Chicken Tortilla Soup; to Fruit Salad with Apricot Dressing; to a Sausage Rice Casserole; to Barbequed Shrimp; to Crushed Pineapple Cream Cake; to Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, these are dishes that would grace any dining occasion, please any palate, and satisfy any appetite. "Best Of The Best From Bell's Best Cookbook" is a welcome and recommended addition to both personal and community library cookbook collections!

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I grew up in Mississippi and have since traveled and lived all over the world. Trust me, unless you are a total foodie (heck, even if you are- I am and I STILL like these recipes) you will adore this cookbook. If you are trying to master regional southern cookery this is a WONDERFUL place to start. Real recipes from real people- this is the everyday food of Mississippi. If you want some of the more refined food order this (because it's great) but also order Southern Sideboards from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi. Together they make a wonderful set as a gift!

Okay, when I saw this Cookbook, I just had to have it. I have the Original Bell's Best cookbook. I was thrilled to see a compilation of all 4 cookbooks combined. I bought copies for some relatives of mine as well. The Bell's Best are well known here in the south (at least I think they are). I only wish there were more recipes added. It could easily been made a much bigger cookbook, esp. since the other Bell's Best cookbooks are hundreds of pages in length. I guess this will leave room for sequels so others can enjoy these recipes as much as I have!

Especially 1 & 2. You can't go wrong with this cookbook. It has everything but the kitchen sink in it!!! I have never made a bad recipe from these books!

I'm ordering this now -- I can't wait! The original Bell's Best cookbook from Jackson, MS that my mom still uses lies in loose pages in a kitchen drawer. Some of its food-spattered pages are still held together with a ragged duct-tape binding; others are tucked into plastic bags or wrapped with a rubber band. We don't care. We still keep going back to it, more than any other cookbook. Ever.

I'm so excited to see what this version contains. The recipes in the original Bell's Best, published in the early '80s, I think, were easy to prepare with ingredients found in any grocery store. The results were always fantastic. God bless the BellSouth Telephone Pioneers for their wonderful donations of recipes and memories.

This is a great book. Mine is falling apart, That is how much I use it.

This book arrived on time and was in excellent condition.

I've been using Betty Crocker cookbooks since I got one as a shower gift before I got married 32 years ago, and I've never been disappointed with a single recipe. This cookbook is no exception. The recipes are clearly written, using ingredients that are readily available or already in a well-stocked kitchen. Great for beginners or experienced cooks alike.

Being a "Betty-phile"--a Betty Crocker fan from 'way back--I may be prejudiced, but I think BETTY CROCKER BAKING FOR TODAY is a must-have for any kitchen where any amount of baking is done. It's not only highly usable, with numerous classic recipes, but a BEAUTIFUL publication. Incidentally, regarding "Mary's Chocolate Chip Cookies" (p. 92) by Mary Bartz, "former director of the [Betty Crocker] kitchens and cookie expert," I happen to have it directly from Mary that she bakes these cookies at 350 rather than the 375 indicated.

Betty Crocker cookbooks never fail to please and this one is a real winner! I have already tried two recipes from the book and found them both easy and tasty. One was Pepper Jack Bread and the other was Easy Roll Buttermilk Pie Dough. The former had a wonderful texture and flavor the latter was tender and flaky. There are may many other recipes I want to try from this book during my Sunday afternoon baking sessions. If you love to bake, and like classic recipes as well as new ones,then this book is for you!

The book is divided into the usual cookbook sections (fish and shellfish, appetizers and beverages, etc). At the beginning of each section is a guide on how to shop for and care for ingredients. It also includes basic information on nutrition, food safety, entertaining, and other food-related topics.

Strengths of this book: Good source of basic baking recipes such as muffins, cakes, and banana breads. Tables with yields and substitutions are helpful. Clear pictures and descriptions are provided for terms such as dice, julienne, etc. Binder style lies flat when open, tabs make it easy to find what you're looking for, and pictures and glossy pages make the book visually more pleasing to look at than competitors such as Fannie Farmer or The Joy of Cooking.

Weaknesses: Not as comprehensive as the Joy of Cooking or Fannie Farmer. Also, it doesn't cover ethnic dishes (here I'm including even fairly mainstream cuisines such as Mexican and Italian) with a lot of depth or authenticity.

Bottom line: This is a good choice for a basic, general cookbook but you'll probably want to complement it with other books that focus more narrowly in your favorite specialty areas. If you're choosing between this book and Fannie Farmer or Joy of Cooking for your general cookbook, I'd recommend you get this as well as one of those other two books. This one, with its usability, is better for general use. One of the others will give you something to fall back on when you can't find a certain recipe in this book.

I received this cookbook as a wedding present. It made me become a great cook. Not trendy, but definately not boring. The recipes grow as your skills does. My daughter spilled something and the pages stuck together and I went brough a newer addition, but it is not the same. I own over 20 cookbooks but always go back to this one.

I bouth this one when I first moved out of the house, and my Mom confiscated her 1962 edition. Of all the cookbooks I have bought since then, this one gets used at least weekly!!! AT one point I wanted my bookshelf to look "cooler" so I bought Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything." Betty Crocker still wins hands down in quality and variety of recipes (not to mention his book fell apart after a few uses.

Buy this edition or any of the newer editions that followed, and you will never go wrong! And as corny as it sounds, the notebook style is a great idea, I have stuffed mine full of all kinds of recipes, it is like the book that continues to grow with me.

This was my very first cookbook, and I've never found its equal. The recepies may not be as flash as some of the newer, trendier chef cookbooks, but this one has everything you need to begin cooking for yourself, right through to medium level recepies. From explanations of what "julienne" and "caramelize" mean, to what spices work with what foods, to how to organize a buffet table, to how to eat a balanced meal. Recepies for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, drinks, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, etc. And best of all, how to cook most any food without any preperation, spices, herbs, or fuss! Want to have a plain meal of steak, beans and potatoes? This book will tell you how. Want to have a plate of the best beef stroganoff you'll ever taste? It's in there as well. A must have for every kitchen, I use it almost daily.

This Covers it all. From the basic white sauce, to the Easy to make and Delisious Pasta sauce........all the way to Leg of Lamb, to all Fish Dishes and Deserts Galore. Easy to read and comprehend, it's like a kindergarten Cookbook for adults and the RESULTS are FABULOUS!
A+++...

The World's Fair of 1904 was perhaps the best ever. Other Fairs did a lot in there time but, just like the mighty ship, Titanic, we remember this one most fondly.

Seeing the Fair from the "food angle" is an intriguing and festive way to take a trip back in time. And while some things may not have been a direct invention of the Fair it is remarkable to think of how new many of our favorite respites were then including Ice Cream Cones, Iced Tea and Hot Dogs.

When all that most people know about the '04 World's fair was that given to us by Judy Garland and the staff at MGM it's nice to learn more and have a real feel for this great lost moment in time. A great book.

What a fun book-a MUST for any 'foodie' trivia freak or anyone from STL.The old pix are delish!

"Musty 100-year-old books and scrapbooks were my daily companions for months, and I lost all sense of time. Thousands of newspaper articles from 1901-1905 provided the small pieces of information I used as the basis for this book, and weeks of thought resulted in the overall plan for the book." ~Pamela J. Vaccaro

Pamela J. Vaccaro loves to collect culinary memorabilia and enjoys teaching food history. In Beyond the Ice Cream Cone, she brings together 169 photos and stories of the World Fair, including pictures of rare mementos.

The chapters include:

Welcome to the Fair
Everyone Ate at the Fair
Concessionaires and Their Wares
The Fair and the Fairer Sex
Everyone Drank at the Fair
The Fare at the Fair
Free Lunch at the Fair
Food for Thought
Supersizing at the Fair
Truths, Half-Truths, and Anything but the Truth
Daily Specials
Main Events
Food Fights and Other Disputes
Leftovers

There are also a few recipes for Lemonade, Plum Trifle, Boston Brown Bread, Strawberry Cream Cake and Chicken Salad.

So, was Iced Tea really invented at the World's Fair? This book tells all...

Beyond The Ice Cream Cone is a very enjoyable read that brings back memories of your own visits to your local fair. I still haven't worked up the courage to try those deep fried Twinkies.

~The Rebecca Review

This is a terrific book for anyone interested in history, as well as anyone interested in food! Author has a wonderful way of capturing the importance of the fair, it's place in history, and a fascinating study of food. It's a fun read, and a real fieldtrip to the Fair!

Enhanced with 169 duo-tone photographs and illustrations, Beyond The Ice Cream Cone: The Whole Scoop On Food At The 1904 World's Fair by academician and food history enthusiast Pamela J. Vaccaro is as informed and informative as it is fun and fascinating! In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 1904 World's Fair, Vaccaro offers an in-depth descriptive history of the foods that were so central a part of the fairgoer's experience. Beyond The Ice Cream Cone addresses such issues as whether or not the ice cream cone, iced tea, hot dogs, Dr Pepper, and cotton candy (under the name of "Fairy Floss") were really introduced for the first time in the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. Were the life-sized "nut" elephant and the intimidating "prune" bear the only displays at the Fair made of food items? What influence did the Pure Food Movement have on food offered at the Fair? The phenomena of free samples to promote the newly burgeoning food manufacturing conglomerates. Beyond The Ice Cream Cone is a compendium of culinary fair lore and examined legendary, providing the reader with definitive historical fact presented with a light and engaging touch. There are even 36 recipes reprinted and available for duplication in the family kitchen! Beyond The Ice Cream Cone is simply wonderful reading and enthusiastically recommended for personal and community collections!

This book was purchased to give away. I have ordered several and they are a treasure to have and a treasure to give as a gift.

Originally stumbled across this gem of a reference/cookbook in the cooking section of the public library. Found it fascinating. In 2000 I used it to plan & prepare "Biblical finger foods" for a Maundy Thursday service at the church I belong to. We served all the foods from handmade pottery and baskets on a bed of palm fronds (from Palm Sunday). Along with the Lenten music program provided by our choir and a slide presentation of the Holy Land narrated by our pastor the Biblical foods were one aspect of a very moving "multi-media" evening for over 100 people. I can't wait to have my own copy.

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in Biblical times? Or just wanted to try making your own yogurt or unleavened bread? A Biblical Feast gives insight into daily life in the Middle East in Biblical times, foods mentioned throughout the Bible, as well some unique recipes! Highly recommended for something different!!

Now this is a book to be cherished. The author has taken a good amount of time exploring the actual foods from biblical times and creating/discovering recipes that we can all enjoy. This book is great for both the anthropolical reader as well as the gourmand. It is worth owning if this is your area of interest.

Moroccan raised cook and cookbook author researches and produces an exceptional cookbook on biblical land cuisine, not to invent any biblical haute extravaganza, but to provide examples of what the Lord and apostles might have dined on.

The layout adorning these recipes and commentary is neat --- it's sort of a faux ancient look and feel, which with the Biblical text quoted with each recipe, creates an unusual and attractive backdrop for this collection.

These are not hard recipes to prepare either technique wise nor ingredients. They are basic and using foodstuffs of that age: lamb and goat and olives and wine and nuts and wheat and beans and spices and leeks, etc.

This is well researched and produced with nice written comments throughout. I've tried several: Flatbread with Cheese and Melon; Barley Gruel with Honey, Dates and Raisins; Pomegranate Honey-Glazed Grilled Fish (unbelievable that tilapia was likely fish of Jesus' choice). They are edible and enjoyable and takes one away from all frills to basics.

This is fascinating book to use and to give as meaningful gift.