We've been cooking the pork dishes with the salsas and chutneys. Easy to do several at a time and have nice summer food without reheating the kitchen. An even better collection than I first thought.

As a former Miamian now living in Virginia, reading this wonderful new book was like taking a trip to my hometown. It has many delicious recipes that seem to me to capture the true essence of tropical cuisine. Try making the Hot and Tangy Black Bean Dip for an easy (and low fat) snack that will wake up your taste buds.I prepared the Calabazas and Sweet Potato Soup for company and received raves reviews from my guests.It's really simple to make and everyone will think you worked all day cooking it.Mmmmiami also offers the reade an interesting history of the growth of So. Florida and the influence that the influx of Latin tourists, businesspeople and immigrants have had on the culture.The book's witty and clever text explains why tropical cuisine is now the hottest food trend sweeping the country.I think this wonderful book should be a staple (like black beans and rice)in the house of any serious cook. I recommend Mmmmiami highly.

A wonderful book if I still lived in Miami. The availability of some of the products might be limited to Florida and major metropolitan areas. I would love Carole to publish something from her early cooking classes. I rely on those recipes on a regular basis.

This is the cutest book I have come across in a long time. I checked this book out at our local library to read to my three-year-old son, and we liked it so much that I bought a copy. Minnie the monkey is bananas over spaghetti! The storyline is simple and interesting---and funny. My son wants me to read this to him every day, sometimes several times a day. I still find the thing amusing, even after having read it more times than I can count. There are a few additional benefits to owning this book. It opens up wonderful opportunities for discussion with your children on such topics as understanding the likes and dislikes of others, being a good playmate, the perils of overindulgience, and being considerate of other people's feelings. Not only that, but a little boy who wouldn't touch spaghetti before, now gladly eats a double portion! :)

I needed a children's book to read to my college literature class to practice speaking in public. I chose this book because it was a fun read and a good story. My children absolutely loved the book. My class also loved the story.

This is one of the best books I have read for young children who like stories. This book is also wonderful for children just learning to read. I highly recommend this fabulous book!

I received this book as a gift, and read it quickly, almost as a travelogue, wondering what it would be like to live in this vividly described area. Later, I visited Sonoma County and used the book as a guide. I visited a cheese factory, two farmers' markets, a small winery and an artisanal herb garden, led to each location by the informative guide with which I had been gifted. I used several of the clear, easy to follow-and execute-recipes with food bought from the sources suggested in The Cook's Tour. After returning home, I contine to read the book to remind myself of the glorious visit to Sonoma County, and as an inspiration for food purchases and discoveries I would normally have never attempted.

I had my eyes opened when I purchased the original Cook's Tour many years ago. Being a native of Sonoma County, I was fascinated by all the things I didn't know about my home county. Michele gave a face to things I had passed by blindly for years...farms, cheesemakers, gourmet stores, festivals. In the new edition of Cook's Tour she presents us with an ever richer trip through the wonders of Sonoma. She teaches us about the wine appellations and what crops thrive right along with the grapes of that region. She includes political information that supports the farmer and sustainable agriculture. She updates us on new cheesemakers, new purveyors and celebrates the staying power of the old. Once again Michele gives a face to Sonoma County, but this time she introduces us by name and helps us start a conversation. Her recipes are wonderful, making use of all the bounty that is available locally. I feel the circle of belonging to a place close as I drive through the country she writes of with such affection and then buy produce and ingredients, ultimately cooking dishes that are truly local in origin and taste. "The New Cook's Tour of Sonoma" makes me grateful that I live in this magic place. Thanks to Ms Jordan for opening my eyes even wider.

Sonoma County, California is a very special place. From the Pacific ocean on the west to the ridgeline east of the Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County almost has it all.

Michele Anna Jordan helps bring this special place alive with this book. She's an extraordinary writer who infuses her stories and recipes with great commentary.

This particular cookbook is among my favorites -- because it's so much more than just a cookbook. The sidebar commentaries about places in Sonoma County help bring the area to life in my mind's eye.

Highly recommended!

I like to cook, and I have a lot of cookbooks. But whenever I don't know where to turn, I fall back to my good old McCall's. For beginners, it's much less intimidating than "The Joy" yet still very comprehensive. For the more advanced, you'll still find plenty of tempting recipes (try the Cornish hen) as well as the best potato salad recipe going. The broken spine on my book and the spattered pages are testament to years of great meals. In fact, several years ago I purchased another copy for the day this one completely dies. However, I recently gave it to a friend who was bemoaning the loss of her favorite cookbook . . . you guessed it - McCall's! So, I too am ready for a reissue, Random House.

I received a copy of this cookbook as a wedding present in 1969 from my grandmother. I still have it and use it often. The recipes are easy to follow and understand. My daughters all love cooking also, and I usually have to "track down" the cookbook in order to use it. I'd loved to buy a copy for my daughters so I can get my copy back!

I collect cookbooks for those special recipes that hit my fancy from time to time. But this Cookbook, is the best overall cookbook I own. The directions are comprehensible and I am never left with that horrible question(s): "do they really mean this?" or "do I add the ingredient in sequence or at that same time?". The charts on cooking time are great and the additional information on ingredients is so helpful that I use it in conjunction with other books that do not provide such help. Yes Random House, put out a new printing (or a computerized version)!

This book was great fun, and educational too. Very nice illustrations on every page, and nice ones too. Book tries to tell what a Pirates life was like, at least the best way you can describe it to an elementary school student. That is the age this book fits best. Has a neat replica of the "pirates Code of Conduct", which really is the warped honor among thieves rules they went by. Examples of real pirate flags. Briefly touches on few famous real pirates too.

If yopu like this one, check the other great book "Cowboys" from this series/publisher. It is even better than this one!

The book talks about actual pirates and their adventures. My 6 year old son absolutely loves it.

I am the mother of two boys ages 3 and 4. They love this book. The story and pictures keep their attention and this is the first book they often ask for. An easy read as a parent. An excellent buy.

I love this cookbook! The recipes ARE simple, the flavors are wonderful. They're easy enough for everyday cooking, and delicious enough for guests.

My sister bought this book for me, knowing that with two small children I don't have much time to prepare gourmet meals. This book gives some great ideas on how to prepare fabulous meals easily and with little time required. I especially love how the author includes "the clever cook could" section to most of the recipes which gives ideas on how one could serve any leftovers or jazz up the meal. The photographs are beautiful as well. I think this book would make a wonderful gift to anyone who loves to cook or just wants a change from what they usually prepare at mealtime.

I own all of this author's cookbooks and love them all. But this one reaches a new height. The author understands what it means to live in a house where all cooking adults work but where no one is satisfied with restaurant or take-out food. She provides recepies that are in fact simple: marinades that are easy to make; combinations of ingredients that are immediately accessible; good healthy food that all members of the family are likely to enjoy. The recepies are for the most part easy, but they are also extremely elegant. Kids will love the simplicity and the great taste. Gourmets will admire the subtlety. A user-friendly, teriffic book.

Absolutely tremendous. It is my favorite book of color Colorado photographs.

Photographers are a dime a dozen. Kathleen Norris Cook with Western Relfections Publishing shows that there are a few good photographers. Get the book!

How then does light return to our world in the San Juan Mountains after the setting of the sun? Miraculously. Boldly. In broad stripes. It hangs like a glass cage. It is a hoop that seemingly cannot be captured.

Next moment a flash of a camera. Then an image is recorded as if earth were breathing in and out, once, twice, as if for the first time. In this camera sharp place where the only electricity is in such thunderous lightning, there are no sounds in an afternoon save the hum of a rainbow. It is so spectacular, so luminous, so fresh, that we intruders feel also quiet, intense and strangely tiptoe, as if in anticipation.

The mountains throb purple and green, and gradually the valleys below drink in red, brown and gold. Suddenly a mountain stream snatches a blue light. The earth absorbs color like a sponge, slowly drinking the mountain sun. It puts on weight; rounds itself; hangs pendent; settles and sways beneath our feet through the lens of Kathleen Norris Cook. There's no telling what a collection of such beauty, power and insight might inspire.

If I had to bring just one guidebook on a visit to New Orleans this would be the one I would choose (out of the ones I have read).

The guidebook included several helpful maps and some nice historical/background detail.

It has a great section about visiting plantations along River Road to the west of the city. We rented a car and took a daytrip out along the River Road and found the info that was provided to be accurate and insightful.

The book's introduction to the Garden District, how to get there, what to see, etc. was excellent.

We followed several of the book's restaurant recommendations and were quite pleased - the book recommended both Mother's Cafe and The Acme Oyster House, both of which were gems.

The more I read this book the more I like it. There are parts of this book that stood out in my head because they practically took me back to New Orleans. I have a great deal of respect for Samantha Cook, she is a great writer!

I was very glad to see the section listing books and, in particular, movies set in or about New Orleans. Whenever I am going through New Orleans withdrawl I check this guide for movies I haven't seen.

Besides the content, which on a whole is very useful and right up there with the best guide books, I like it's small size. It is easy to carry around with you.

This little guide is chock full of expert advice that makes your stay in this fun but grimy city much more enjoyable. Information about the one reliable cab company (and there are a lot of cab companies there), the St Charles streetcar line, and the best restaurants will keep you from looking like so many other tourists that we encountered--lost and frustrated. The writing is realistic, a little opinionated, but never snotty or incorrect. For instance, it has a small commentary on crime, but doesn't dwell on it, like other guides do. The bottom line is: use this guide and your own common sense, and you'll have a great time!

Wonderful book--set up beautifully, easily read, pleasing to the eye, great recipes! Hopefully someone will publish it again!

Exceptional step-by-step photographic instructions. 176pp
Quite the best series of instructional and informative cookery books I've yet come across. So far I've found Wine; Beverages; Preserving; Snacks & canap¨¦s; Cakes; Eggs & cheese; Grains, pasta & pulses; Beef & veal; Pork.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The art of fixing the seasons / picking a method for success /spices and how to use them / containers and covers for long-term storage
DEEP FREEZING
A modern convenience / the fundamentals of freezing procedure and storage life, item by item / preparing and packaging meat / convenient packages from poultry / treatments for fish and shellfish / how to blanch vegetables¨Dand why / ready-to-serve vegetable dishes / preparing uncooked fruit
BOTTLING
Capturing the summer¡¯s flavours / raw tomatoes held in a smooth sauce / packing fruit in sugar syrups / two-step cooking for a rich, thick condiment / a spicy mushroom ketchup / juices and syrups: the essence of fruit
SALTING, DRYING AND POTTING
A link with tradition / finger-length fish in their own brine / sauerkraut: cabbage transformed by fermentation / beef cured with salt & spices / the advantages of bringing / extracting the bitterness from green olives / air-drying flavourings / the age-old secrets of sausage-making / Rillettes: tender meat sealed with fat
SUGAR
A versatile ally / factors in setting: pectin, acid & sugar / how to make a simple plum jam / fully exploiting an orange / imaginative combinations of fruit & flavourings / fruit juices for clear jellies / a special method for strawberry jam / pur¨¦es: a choice of consistencies
VINEGAR AND ALCOHOL
Steeping foods in flavour / vegetables immersed in vinegar / combining vegetables with complimentary sauces / two methods for fruit relishes / a rich amalgam of fruit and meat / a spirited marriage with alcohol
ANTHOLOGY OF RECIPES
Vinegars, sauces and syrups / cured meat and fish / jams, jellies and sweet preserves / pickles and savoury preserves / standard preparations
RECIPE INDEX
GENERAL INDEX
GLOSSARY
176pp

Exceptional step-by-step photographic instructions. 176pp
Quite the best series of instructional and informative cookery books I've yet come across. So far I've found Wine; Beverages; Preserving; Snacks & canap¨¦s; Cakes; Eggs & cheese; Grains, pasta & pulses; Beef & veal; Pork.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The art of fixing the seasons / picking a method for success /spices and how to use them / containers and covers for long-term storage
DEEP FREEZING
A modern convenience / the fundamentals of freezing procedure and storage life, item by item / preparing and packaging meat / convenient packages from poultry / treatments for fish and shellfish / how to blanch vegetables¨Dand why / ready-to-serve vegetable dishes / preparing uncooked fruit
BOTTLING
Capturing the summer¡¯s flavours / raw tomatoes held in a smooth sauce / packing fruit in sugar syrups / two-step cooking for a rich, thick condiment / a spicy mushroom ketchup / juices and syrups: the essence of fruit
SALTING, DRYING AND POTTING
A link with tradition / finger-length fish in their own brine / sauerkraut: cabbage transformed by fermentation / beef cured with salt & spices / the advantages of bringing / extracting the bitterness from green olives / air-drying flavourings / the age-old secrets of sausage-making / Rillettes: tender meat sealed with fat
SUGAR
A versatile ally / factors in setting: pectin, acid & sugar / how to make a simple plum jam / fully exploiting an orange / imaginative combinations of fruit & flavourings / fruit juices for clear jellies / a special method for strawberry jam / pur¨¦es: a choice of consistencies
VINEGAR AND ALCOHOL
Steeping foods in flavour / vegetables immersed in vinegar / combining vegetables with complimentary sauces / two methods for fruit relishes / a rich amalgam of fruit and meat / a spirited marriage with alcohol
ANTHOLOGY OF RECIPES
Vinegars, sauces and syrups / cured meat and fish / jams, jellies and sweet preserves / pickles and savoury preserves / standard preparations
RECIPE INDEX
GENERAL INDEX
GLOSSARY
176pp

I no longer live in the Midwest, but my sister gave me this book so that I would never forget my roots in the heartland.

I think I love the "Come for Coffee" and "Pride of the Heartland" sections best. The lebkuchen recipe tastes exactly like my mother's. And I love the gingered fruit crisp recipe, with all of its variations.

As for the savory dishes, they are also tasty. The country sauerkraut would make a kraut lover out of anyone. I've made several of the soups, which were all very satisfying. My Thanksgiving guests always love the wild rice, cranberry, walnut and vegetable salad.

This book also has many asides which comment on the culture which created Midwestern cooking: thrifty farmers' wives, potlucks at the church, and agricultural fairs. In all it speaks to the values of the heartland: frugality, community, generosity, and excellence.

I have purchased this book for not only myself, but for family members and friends as well. I would describe the work as Alice Waters meets the Midwest. The results are a book you could practically devour! The book emphasizes freshness and local produce as the key to producing outstanding food.

I am also part of the diaspora of Midwesterners on the West Coast, and this book helped reconnect me with those roots. The historical anecdotes about food ways of the past sparked a spirited discussion with my grandparents about their favorite "old-fashioned" foods and our family food traditions.

The recipes are clear and concise with great results. I have tried the Sugar cookies, corn pudding, Radish and Cucumber salad, Roasted Vegetable Strudel (YUM!)and the Chicken Sautee with Seasonal Variations (Summer).

Thanks Lucia!

I came across this cookbook while browsing the bookshelf of my local public library. Being from Wisconsin, I enjoyed reading the recipes and the stories between! It was a wonderful book, so much so, that I was willing to pay a "late fee" in returning it! We tried several recipes, and loved them! It immediately went to the top of my "Books to buy" list! I am very disappointed to find that it is out of print. Until it is available again, I will be borrowing it from the library frequently!