food Books

This is a great book for anyone looking to grow a "good" healthy garden .... to someone who wants to understand what we are doing our soil & to our bodies. I enjoyed this book and the information it gave me to make choices!

For anyone wanting to start taking nutrition seriously or looking for more sources of information this is a great book. She gives a lot of references to her material as well. Wonderful!.

It really works to read this book before visiting Italy. After reading this book, I had a good idea of what I was after in my visit to Italy, of the authenticity of the people, of the places I had to go to in order to find what I wanted. It's a great read, and the recipes are good, really good. Pretty easy, too, a lot of them. It's an odd mix, this book--literary and hands on. I liked it, and it really made my trip (and my cooking!) complete. I think this woman writes books for people who really know how to love food and cooking.

What greets the arrival of colder weather better than Italian food - the comfort of pasta, and long-simmered meats? "From the Tables of Tuscan Women" focuses on the province of Lucca in west Tuscany, and nine women who have spent long, productive lives turning out dishes like potato or chestnut croquettes, stuffed mussels, poached fish with parsley sauce or oven-roasted stuffed rabbit.

Chapters center around ingredients and courses from mushrooms and chestnuts through pasta, fish, game, meat and dessert. Each chapter opens with a visit to one of the chefs who shares Tuscan anecdotes, good-natured arrogance and cooking tips

Bianchi's unabashed admiration gives the book an intimate feel which is borne out through simple recipes like fried polenta or pork sausage with white beans and fennel or more complex dishes like tacconi alla Lucchese which tops homemade pasta squares with a thick herb-flavored sauce of rabbit, beef and red wine. Basil, sage and rosemary are staple herbs, prosciutto is a frequent accent, mushrooms and chestnuts are gathered wild, everything seems infused with the sunshine of the Mediterranean. Bianchi also offers variations and optional ingredients to suit the American kitchen.

This sumptuous resource combines gorgeous photos, healthy recipes and sumptuous ideas about good nutrition. If you've ever tried to get your child to eat fruit and veggies without McJunk, this book is for you.

Linda Davis Kyle, a nutrition writer with creative ideas galore, has cooked up a fascinating batch of recipes. They carry names like "Pepper Treasure Chest" and "Kiwi Flying Saucers."

Part craft project, part foodie's delight, part nutritional reference book and part game, Fun Foods in your kitchen will make you look good in more ways than one.

My children are long since grown up and have families of their own, but they still have fond memories of the funny little messages I used to put in their school lunchboxes along with the apples and raisins and peanut butter sandwiches. And they can still recall in detail the colourful plates of assorted, healthy tidbits that greeted them on their return, and how good those tasted. For food is a potent carrier of memories.
Just as its title suggests, this book has some great ideas for "fun foods," i.e. cute little platters of cleverly arranged, wholesome food that will brighten up any table and tempt the pickiest eater.
For any parent - or grandparent - who worries about the rising levels of childhood (and adult) obesity, our culture's addiction to junk food, the "empty calories" and synthetic chemicals in snack foods and colas, the overdosing of our kids' bodies and minds by the sugar industry, the book is a breath of pure, fresh air. And once you see the concept, your own creativity will kick in and you will start dreaming up all sorts of new "fun food" arrangements of your own.
What I liked best of all, though, is its the underlying message: food is so much more than just a way to refuel our bodies, on the run, as though we were automobiles. It is central to our interactions with each other, especially in our homes.
These authors remind us to enjoy our food, revel in it, prepare it together, sit together around the table and break bread, teach our children about the world as we cook and eat, share our stories.
After all, lovers go out to dinner together to learn about each other, enjoy each other and enjoy the moment. Let's have dinner with our children for all the same reasons. Fun food, served up with love, is something they will always remember. I can assure you of that.

The Galaxy Global Eatery Hemp Cookbook is a unique cookbook concerning the culinary uses of hemp - well known for its applications in clothing, rope, and plastics but little known for its seeds' taste (like a cross between hazelnut and a walnut) and the cooking uses of its flour and oils. Superbly written and presented by Denis Cicero (owner of one of New York's most up-and-coming restaurants) with the assistance of professional chefs Kris Czartoryski, Suzanne Gruber, and Michael Lipp, The Galaxy Global Eatery Hemp Cookbook features easy-to-follow recipes, enhanced with luscious full-color photographs, a simple glossary, and a true appreciation of the wonderful delicacies that can be enhanced with the flavor of hemp. Dishes offered include Fruit Hemp Salad, Hemp Cheese Sticks, Hempnut-Crusted Catfish Filets, Lemon Hemparoons, and a great many more.

My only gripe first: recipes should come with their preparation time, and perhaps even with the kilojoule value for those who need to pay attention to it.

Other than that it's a beautifully designed book with truly unique recipes that just beg to be prepared in your own home. Throughout the book are two types of references: one about the nutritional value of certain foodstuffs, the other one about hemp itself, and where/how it has been used throughout the millennia, even by at least two US Presidents.

The book focuses on the versatility of (non-THC) hemp in the kitchen, although I would have liked to see a few more references to the use of hemp in general. However, it does a brilliant job in introducing those with little knowledge about this miracle plant to its culinary (and health) benefits, and thus makes an important contribution to the 'de-demonization' of hemp in general.

Even if you're not a hempnut (pardon the pun), you should buy this book. It'll then only be a matter of time before hemp finds its way from the kitchen into your daily life, and that - at least according to some people - is exactly what's needed to save this planet.

The benefits of hemp are legendary, but it wasn't until Dennis Cicero's book that the beauty of hemp found its most important application: an incredibly healthy staple food.

With entries from snipe to roe deer this book offers not just some plain jane recipes off the web but thoughtful strategies for cooking game of all kinds plus a history and theory of the hunting, processing and preparation. Great pictures to boot. Not a must have for every collection but a good addition for people who like the River Cottage style books.

This is a superbly researched, written and illustrated cook book. It stands head and shoulders above the other 5 or so game cookbooks I have enjoyed because of:

1. Wonderful individualized backgound history about the hunting, ageing, carvery and serving of each type of game presented, and clearly written recipes for such delights as:
Game birds- partridge, pheasant, quail, grouse, woodcock, wood pigeon, and snipe
Wildfowl-duck and goose
Cloven hoof- venison, roe deer, elk, moose, muntjac, wild boar and caribou
Fish- salmon, trout, sea trout, zander, pike and carp.

2. Luscious large color photographs of the cooked dishes, giving great ideas on presentation of these and even other cookery you may choose, with the main item artfully presented, with the recipe's simple accompaniments such as sprigs of herbs, small onions, grapes and various salad leaves.

3. The recipes are suitable for beginning to intermediate home cooks, without an excess of ingredients. Your "challenge" can be to obtain these game items (or happily substitute domestic equivalents as inspired). These game items may be internet ordered and shipped frozen to smaller USA cities; larger cities may stock such items as duck, rabbit and various game birds. For luckier Brits, many addresses of UK suppliers are present at the back of the book.

Make partridge wtih lentils and pickled onions, or Hungarian style; try pheasant African style with peanut butter, tomatoes and flageolet beans, or a terrine with pickled walnuts, or claypot style. There's grouse potted, buttered, Russian style,casseroled or in a pie. Don't forget snipe curry, orange and herb duck mallard with sausage and chestnut stew, duck with gin-soaked sloes, venison with cider or with wild mushroom stew, Norwegian venison with sour cream, elk flank rolled and stuffed, venison chili, boar pie, hare terrine, rabbit in a pie, or with chocolate and tomatoes, salmon with chicory and roquefort in puff pastry, , rainbow trout in red wine with tarragon, carp stuffed with baked fruit, Yorkshire Christmas pie filled with pigeon, pheasant, goose etc...And a game paella.

Even if you do not cook game, this is a well researched and lively discussion of game, going back hundreds of years. The tasty recipes are readily adaptable too all sorts of chicken, duck, fish and various meats.
This is a highly recommended book.

I own a number of vegetarian cookbooks, but this one has some of the most stunning vegetarian dishes I have ever made! Some of the recipes are more challenging than others, but you won't be disappointed when you taste the results.

I have over 100 vegetarian cookbooks but this is my favorite. The recipes are all delicious and range from simple to difficult (but well worth any effort). When I am having company I always turn to this book and even non-vegetarians will rave and never miss the meat.

This is a fabulous cookbook I will rely on again and again! After searching a half-dozen books for a recipe for rack of lamb I knew I'd found "the one" as soon as I skimmed Gary Rhodes' "Roast Rack of Lamb with a Parsnip Crumble." The recipe was simple and straight-forward, as are most recipes in the book. The result was a fabulous dish that was familiar yet significantly better than basic British fare! Homemade Pork Pie had my mouth watering, and looked beautiful - good enough for guests. Can't wait to try more - cod, duck, bubble and squeak, fritters, sponges and ice creams. "Rhodes around Britain" is a great collection of recipes that are time-tested and traditional, yet so yet much more imaginative. The recipes are easy to produce, delicious to eat and great for everyone - even my kids appreciate this food!

This is a fabulous cookbook I will rely on again and again! After searching a half-dozen books for a recipe for rack of lamb I knew I'd found "the one" as soon as I skimmed Gary Rhodes' "Roast Rack of Lamb with a Parsnip Crumble." The recipe was simple and straight-forward, as are most recipes in the book. The result was a fabulous dish that was familiar yet significantly better than basic British fare! Homemade Pork Pie had my mouth watering, and looked beautiful - good enough for guests. Can't wait to try more - cod, duck, bubble and squeak, fritters, sponges and ice creams. "Rhodes around Britain" is a great collection of recipes that are time-tested and traditional, yet so yet much more imaginative. The recipes are easy to produce, delicious to eat and great for everyone - even my kids appreciate this food!

Anyone who likes food, France, or armchair travel should check out Gastronomie! You can read it from cover to cover, chuckling as you uncover funny food fixations of the French, or following the geographic and historical themes to learn how the history of this part of Europe is really the story of what people ate. If you are planning a trip, you will certainly want to pick up some of the routes leading to food shrines not usually included in normal guide books. Or, if you are staying home, you can try out the recipes and gourmet secrets, not to mention impressing your friends with your amazing store of food trivia. (Who knew that the ditty, "Alouette, gentille alouette" referred to pate preparation? Or that one reason to visit Biarritz is the Musee du Chocolat? Or that commercial growing of mushrooms originated in Louis XIV's France?)Much more than a guide book, Gastronomie! is a conversation piece you'll enjoy with all your gourmet friends.

This book will make you want to quit your job and move to France -- so it's a dangerous read for those who might act on that temptation. The book meanders all over the country, taking readers to every wonderful, delectable little outpost of Gallic gastronomic delight. Cheeses, honey, mustards, sausages, and dishes both huate and rustic fill the pages -- along with directions to help you find every one of the authors' discoveries. A must read for lovers of France, food, travel, or any combination thereof.

Not everyone has the need to know everything about gelatine, but if you do, this is the book you need. Most other available references are much older, as are the most common technologies in this field. This text describes the most recent developments and is filled with useful illustrations. Well worth the money.

The book is absolutely useful and of great importance for everyone working with gelatine, both in the industry and in the academic field.

Showcasing "kitchen friendly" recipes provided by members of the Junior League of Rockford, Generations: A Tradition Of Timeless Recipes offers a culinary wealth of wonderful dishes guaranteed to please any palate and satisfy any appetite. From Apple Sou with Roquefort Croutons; Honey and Lime Chicken Salad; Luau Pork Roast; and Stromboli Sandwiches; to Bistro Potato Gratin; Sour Cream and Pecan Tea Rings; Rum Truffles; and Champagne Mushroom Sauce, Generations is an enthusiastically recommended contribution the family cookbook shelf.

The follow up to Brunch Basket from the Junior League of Rockford, Generations features recipes from the Rockford area's best restaurants and chefs, and offers professionally selected wines to accompany many entree recipes. These recipes will withstand the test of time to become favorites of a new generation. This beautiful cookbook features photographs that evoke images of times past, and recipes that will please today's cooks. (Try the Never Fail Prime Rib on page 56 and the super-easy Death by Chocolate on page 140.)