Ramon Adams has an encyclopedic knowledge of the social life of cowboys on the range. In this one of his many books, he describes the role of the chuck wagon cook on the cattle drives and roundups. Adams is a great collector of amusing stories and colorful cowboy slang. If he knows one word for something, he probably knows half a dozen.

The book provides a detailed description of the chuck wagon itself, how it's constructed and its contents organized, how it's cleaned and maintained, who has responsibilities for what. The chuck wagon was both the nerve center and social center of a trail outfit. Besides getting three meals a day, the cowboys also laid out their bedrolls nearby, and the wrangler's remuda of horses was close at hand. In many cases, the cowboys' bedrolls made the trip to the next night's camp in the back of the chuck wagon.

Of most interest to this reader was the actual fare, typically fried meat, beans cooked for many hours, and sourdough biscuits made in Dutch ovens, all washed down with strong coffee. Depending on the talent and disposition of the cook there were also treats and "sweets," such as pies made from dried apples. An outfit depended for morale and productivity on a cook who kept the men well fed and happy. This gave a well-liked cook a tremendous amount of leverage in the all-male hierarchy of tough cowboys. A man who complained about the chuck or didn't respect the cook's camp rules would soon be sorry.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and while I've read extensively about the cowboy West, it taught me a lot I didn't know, and in a very entertaining way. It belongs on anyone's "Lonesome Dove" bookshelf.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Ol' time cattle drives, this book does a wonderful job enlightening from the point of view of the Ol' Cowboy Cook. I recommend this title to any reader interested in cattle drives

This book is highly recommended for those who follow the arcane art of chuckwagon cooking. Adams displays an excellent, first-hand grasp of the subject and writes with wit and style. Buy it now!

Thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous photography of my childhood haunts- I went to grammar school in the Cook Forest area and not long ago when a friend was planning to visit for the first time I handed her this book (I work in a library) as a preview-she was hooked. Mr. Cook has captured all the untouched magic of Pennsylvania forests and packaged it up so we can all carry about a bit of solitude in our busy lives.

This beautiful book of photographs is begun with a fascinating description of the forest's history. I didn't realize that Pennsylvania had such a dramatic history involving the early timber industry and later with conservationists. This book quickly makes you realize how lucky we are to have old-growth forests in America.

You'd never guess from reading this bookthat Anthony Cook was not a professional author or photographer. As a long time visitor to the cook forest, I can testify that the author has beautifully captured the spirit and history of these magnificent woods.

Like Karen and Paulo Kaiser, my wife and I generally rely on Lonely Planet. But the Cook Islands Companion was a better guide, although I am glad we had both along with us, as the maps of the hiking trails in the Lonely Planet were easier to follow. The descriptions of places to eat, things to do on Rarotonga and Atiu, and the stories of Cook Islands goodies, like the Moko Soap, told by Elliot Smith were fantastic. The book is a little dated and out of print, but if you can find a copy of it, get it before you go!

For collectors of Cook Islands memorabilia, this compact classic is a natural purchase. I met Elliot Smith at a San Francisco bookstore about a decade ago and we discussed doing the first edition of Cook Islands Companion together. Unfortunately the timing was wrong and Elliot proceeded alone, while I gave my full attention to a new edition of South Pacific Handbook. I'm told Elliot won't be producing a third edition since the market is too limited and his hotel business now gets priority. That's because while researching Cook Islands Companion, Elliot Smith discovered his own corner of paradise on Muri Beach, where his www.shangri-la.co.ck beach cottages are now in high demand. That provides an added incentive to buy the book: While on Raro - even if you're not staying at Shangri-La - drop in and ask Elliot to personally dedicate your copy. It's a great little guidebook which I've taken along on previous trips to the Cooks, and it's still quite usable as things don't change that fast in the islands! I recommend it.

We have used Lonely Planet guides for many countries, travels and years now, but found the Cook Island LP sad compared to the Cook Islands Companion. In fact, we found the CIC to be one of the best guide books we have ever read! Although it is an older edition, it still is more informative and useful than the more recently published LP. And, if you want to personally meet the author, you can find him, and stay, at his hotel - the Shangri-la Bungalows on Muri lagoon.

Do you know guys who know how to make cakes or can whip up a tasty seafood dish on the weekend when his kids come over. Well, this is a book for dads who are dads for the weekend or have the kids all week. It is also perfect for men who want to give their wives a night off from cooking for the family.

Personally, I'm very impressed by men who can cook. What woman isn't? A man who can cook is a kitchen god. I have so many memories of my father waking me in the morning and saying "breakfast is ready" or inviting people over on the weekend and making "pizza from scratch."

The Delicious chapters in this book include:

Stuff to Make it With - Shopping for the right ingredients
Stuff to Make it In - Tools that get you in and out of the kitchen fast
Fast Stuff to Make - Getting food on the table fast
Tasty Stuff to Make - Food to impress on weekends or when you have company
The Good Stuff - Company dinners
Stuff for Dessert - When a bag of Chips Ahoy won't suffice
Stuff To Clean It Up With - Quick and easy ways to clean
Stuff Worth Knowing
Stuff Your Kids Can Do - Getting kids involved in cooking

The recipes have creative titles like: "Take a Wok, Man!" This is a recipe that sounds good to me, I just need to buy a wok. I love the humor in the recipes and how the instructions are written. At the start of the recipe, there is a lot of good advice and then at the end of the recipe there are some "tips."

Some recipes include: Pete's Power Pasta Sauce, Hamburger Heaven, Pizza Night, Yer Traditional Roast Chicken and Chocolate Pancakes. Most of the Desserts are made with fast food items like Jell-O, frozen cheesecakes and Ice cream and sauces.

As far as cleaning goes, I have to agree with his ideas of a "dishwasher" being rather essential. I still haven't tried the Wetjet Swiffer, but now I'm about to go buy one. Crawling about on the kitchen floor is less and less appealing as the years go by.

Peter Wright shows a lot of wisdom in the last chapter where he discusses the pro's and con's of allowing children to help around the house. I had to laugh when I read: "Show your children how to measure out the soap." He is referring to washing the clothes and let me tell you, that is one of the most important steps. I myself caused an entire room to be filled with bubbles when I was a child. I think we used half a bottle. Ahh, the days of youth.

Hey, this guy even makes Risotto, what's not to love? I doubt if he is still single, he will be single much longer. ;)

Cook Like A Mother! Clean Like A Pro!: The Single Dad's Guide To Cooking And Cleaning is a combination cookbook and homemaker skills "how to" instructional written by Peter Wright especially for men who are neophytes at the fine art of keeping an orderly home. Specifically intended for single fathers who need to quickly learn how to provide proper nutrition and a clean environment for their rambunctious offspring, Cook Like A Mother! Clean Like A Pro! offers simple, easy-to-follow instructions, parenting tips, excellent practical recipes, and solid general advice. Cook Like A Mother! Clean Like A Pro! is thoroughly "user friendly" and confidently recommended for fathers, uncles, and anyone else who is new to the necessity of food preparation and other homemaking skills.

Peter Wright is on a roll! I could say a lot about this book; things like, I laughed my butt off, the information was solid, he considered spelling "Mother" differently ... but I won't (past that, I guess). I'll give you two quotes from his book: "I want to provide you with the tricks and tools to either pull your own weight in the arena of cooking and cleaning or learn to be self-sufficient so you won't have to rely on the first gal that comes along with a nice set of casserole dishes -- and God knows how tempting that will be." This is from the Foreward! Nice start, eh? Another priceless observation covers cookware: He said, "Most guys would be happy with cookware they find at a garage sale, or handed down from relatives or friends. Bad idea. First of all, any protective coating will be a distant memory. Which means not only will things taste a little crappier than they should, they'll stick, and then make it difficult to clean" Has this guy got a handle on priorities or what? He has touched on things it took me years to learn the hard way. It's a keeper.

This book is truly value for money. I bought it 2 weeks ago and have already made and enjoyed several of the soups. Each recipe is accompanied by a color photograph and easy to follow directions. I am doing the South Beach diet and most of the recipes are easily adaptable to this diet as well as the Atkins diet - this book made it easy for me to lose 10 pounds!

I would recomment starting with the Harira (a Moroccan soup). It tasted excellent and was easy to make too - most of the ingredients were available from the normal grocery store.

I have five books from this series, and they are all uniformly excellent. Whenever I see another one, I immediately buy it without bothering to look inside. Not one of the recipes I've made from these books was a dud, and most of them were exceptional.

The most recent recipe I made from this book is Spicy Chicken and Mushroom Soup, which turned out to be one of the best things I have ever made. Many of these recipes are somewhat exotic, pairing ingredients that you would never think to pair, like watercress and orange, but the results are often spectacular.

The book wanders the world, delivering absolutely-authentic recipes. When a friend called to say his date had cancelled, so instead he was bringing a Moroccan friend, I was quickly able to serve what she enthusiastically claimed was the best Harira she'd ever had.

Sometimes, the author will take an ethnic soup, and greatly modify it, to its eternal benefit. One recipe I was already familiar with -- a Ghanaian recipe for okra and banana soup, gets completely transformed here by the addition of smoked cod.

But don't let me put you off by suggesting that this is a purely exotic cookbook: of the 30-odd recipes I've made, five of them were variations on tomato soup. Since there are 200-odd recipes in the book, there are still eight variations on tomato soup that I have not yet tried.

I have four or five cookbooks that are dedicated only to soup -- this one is my favourite.

I have been collecting as many of the "Cook's Encyclopedia of..." books as I can find. I have twelve currently. Like the Soup book all these books have colored pictures of each recipe and illustrations on how to make each recipe. I love that the soup book is not full of common soups, because I can get recipes anywhere for those. Of course these recipes are not so strange or unappetizing that you won't make them. In fact they look down right delicious. Most are simple and easy to follow. These recipes range from hot, chilled, vegetarian, creamy, spicy, seafood, seasonal, from other countries... The point is there is a great variety of soups to choose from. I never considered making home made soup until I found this book.

exelente libro de cocina la verdad que estoy muy contento por comprarlo muy bueno para chef y personas que quieran saber mas de condimentos

I thoroughly enjoyed,and still enjoy, this book! I was looking for a book with spice information to have available for my customers - and this book fit the bill. The book has a "clean" look, with clear descriptions of the many spices included in it's pages. I found the information to be thorough, and the pictures are fantastic!
This book is loaded with information on individual spices, but it also gives recipes for spice combinations as well as recipes from breads to desserts that include a variety of spices that are both common and a little more exotic.
"The Cook's Encyclopedia of Spices" had what I was looking for, and then some, without being overwhelming.
I feel that any chef, or weekend cooking warrior, would find this book helpful.

I loved this book as soon as I picked it up. It explains where the spices come from, what parts of the plants are used, the different types, Culinary uses, aroma descriptions, etc... This book will tell you everything you could ever want to know about spices. It also includes colorful pictures, recipes, and tells you how to make your own seasonings like curries and cajun.

If you cook, you will LOVE this. I own all of the Cook's Illustrated annuals from 1993-2001.

This annual has things such as 'in search of the best yellow cake', 'tasting jarred tomato sauces', 'the pie and pastry bible', 'all-purpose flour: does the brand matter?', 'bundt pan history', 'discovering great gumbo', 'rating gas grills', 'the perfect chilled lemon soufflé', 'rating inexpensive chef's knives', 'tasting hot dogs', 'quick tips', 'gingerbread cookies worth eating', lots of recipes, and much, much more.

The Cook's Illustrated books are understandable no matter what your culinary expertise. If you are a beginner, intermediate or more advanced, it is impossible to read these and not learn something you didn't know before.

-in reference to the 1999 edition

I love the magazine, and I love the option to get the year's recipes in a hardcover edition... I've never eaten better!

Combining 1999s' Cooks Illustrated magazine in one volumn; a must if you can wait 1 whole year to read this exceptional magazine. Not "just another cookbook"; but, a great resourse for both beginners and advanced cooks alike; with detailed instructions on recipes, cooking tips, resourse reviews, test kitchen results, hard to find cooking items. A must have technique book. And the editorials make great reading. One of my favorite quotes comes from a 1999 editorial: "Good cooks are masters of many things, improving and substituting to achieve modest ends. We should stand firm in front of the stove, feet planted in knowledge and experience, not as tourists surrounded by the unfamiliar". That sums up the importance of having this book.

I have about 3 different cooks illustrated cook books, only this one has a year attached to it "2001" But I have become a better cook by having them. I am leary of buying more as many reviews I've read say repitition is inevibable. I wish I knew of one of their books that had everything in it the way fanny farmers or betty crocker does, I'd buy that in a heart beat. The receipes are delicious and I haven't made a bad meal since getting the books.

I recently discovered Cook's Illustrated through a cookbook given to my husband and I for our wedding. It was their "Best Of.." cookbook. After trying several of their recipes with no failures, I asked for their annual magazine book for Christmas. What a find! I love reading the articles and I love the recipes. The book has all the magazines from 2001 in it, from January - December. I am currently making recipes from the Jaunary/February issue and have not been disaapointed. There is also a lot to be learned about cooking practices in this book. It's a great addition to any cook's kitchen.

If you cook, you will LOVE this. I own all of the Cook's Illustrated annuals from 1993-2001. They are the all/all of culinary knowledge.

This annual has things such as 'step-by-step: six steps to perfect pizza', 'uncommon uses for common kitchen tools', 'understanding and using yeasts', 'how to choose a sauté pan', 'rating sauté pans', 'what are capers?', 'liberating trapped muffins', 'discovering fresh ham roast', 'quick, fresh sauces for asparagus', 'getting to know your refrigerator: proper storage techniques', 'really good fried rice', 'coconut layer cake', 'measuring up morsels', 'tasting supermarket extra-virgin olive oils', 'do garlic presses really work?', 'rating garlic presses', 'Jewish cooking', 'Sichuan noodles demystified', 'the ultimate crispy fried chicken', 'testing pots and pans for frying', 'tuna salad done right', 'tasting peanut butter', 'just spray it', 'the perfect cheese omelet', 'cutting board survey', 'tasting tomato juice', 'fresh fruit tarts worth eating', 'tart pans', 'tart designs', 'solving the problems of cherry cobbler', 'tasting balsamic vinegar ... , 'are all pepper mills equal?', 'measuring 101: techniques & shortcuts', 'the best blueberry muffins', 'big-name vanilla ice creams fail to sweep tasting', 'rating colanders', 'apple cake', 'drying frosted cookies', 'fishing cork crumbs out of wine bottles', 'first in, first out onions', 'homemade crescent rolls', 'the basics of brining', 'tasting red wines for cooking', 'rating inexpensive coffee grinders', 'reconsidering copper', lots of recipes, and much, much more.

The Cook's Illustrated annuals are easy to read, with clear and concise information. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or more advanced, it is impossible to read these without learning something you didn't know before.

I purchased this book after watching the show on PBS for some time. I just finished serving the World-Famous Pumpkin Rolls to guests, and from the look on their faces and the 'mmmms', I think it was a success. This is 'Cuisine Americana' with a peek at a host of cooking genre. The book is very well laid out with many mouth-watering illustrations (the photo convinced me to try the Pumpkin Rolls). What I especially like is that most of the ingredients can be obtained at the local grocery store. The instructions are broken down into very easily understood steps which will please most people, especially persons with limited cooking experience.
The Cook-Off America series has traveled to various culinary festivals across the country. The book gives the reader a delightful sampling of the best of each. It will give you an opportunity to experience the essence of American cuisine. Your family will love the gastronomic voyage!

I'm disappointed now that I was unaware of the PBS Series from which this book came. The title intrigued me, and I just had to see what kind of recipes were winners.

There is some down-right good cooking going on here in this collection, if the several I've tried are any indication.

Right off the bat I had to try the cover recipe, being a craver of Stilton, the Stilton and Toasted Walnut Burgers with Grilled Tomatoes and Spicy Leeks. It is oh so gooood! Next came my craving for cashews with the heavenly combo of "Cashew-Crusted Catfish with Tomato-Basil Cream." Only other entree attempted so far caught my attention from a favorite whitefish with cream cheese topping recipe I have which this recipe modifies for flank steak called "Flamboyant Flank Steak with Fragrant Filling" made with mascarpone and a sweet-sour style marinade. Yummy!

The Grilled Bratwurst recipe is one I've got in the wings to try as well as a delightful "Grilled Salmon in Tequilla-Lime Marinade with Tropical Fruit Salsa and Caribbean Wild Rice."

There are some great looking desserts going on in this collection, especially "Chocholate Chip Pecan Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce."

This is a broad sweeping book of winners, with enough diverse variety to please most palates, with ingredients and techniques I'm sure most cooks will have no problems with. This is great cooking fun!

I have enjoyed watching the "Cook-off America" show on public TV and decided to order the companion book from Amazon. Why didn't anyone think of this series sooner? They traveled from one food festival to another around the country and selected some of the top winning recipes.

The book is packaged very attractively in a bright-red cover and presents a lot of background material about the different cook-offs.

I have tried 3 of the recipes. The lemon sour cream custard pie was outstanding and well worth making again in the future. The catfish stuffed with basil-olive pesto was very good, as was the fork-tender stuffed pork roast.

There are a number of other recipes I want to try. I did think some of the ingredients in some recipes were rather exotic, but I feel I got my money's worth from the book.

I'm a teacher for preschoolers, and this is a favorite with my class.

The language is poetic and you almost can't help speaking with a bit of a Texan drawl while reading it aloud.

It is DEFINITELY spooky--how would you react to seeing "just the head of a man" across a misty lake, with a ghost whispering, "I'm the ghost of Sifty-Sifty Sam, I'm on the lake, near the man"?

While it's spooky, it isn't generally so frightening most 4 year olds can't handle reading it, but engaging enough that 9 year old siblings like it too. And while it's spooky, it does not have violence, grossness, or gore, either.

I really like the "surprise" ending with Dan's clever solution on how to deal with this frightening apparition. I won't give it away in case there's any young readers reading this ad, but Dan finds a solution to Sifty Sifty Sam's haunting of the old house that's rather kind, generous, and mutually beneficial--it's a true happy ending.

My daughter age 9 loved this book, we both especially liked that the ghost wanted to be friends, was lonely and hungary. Since we both like to cook it was especially funny it turned out to be a restaurant in the end. I would definatley recommend this one for a nice moral ending to a book.

My six-year-old daughter loves this book! And as a ghost fancier myself, I have to say I loved Jacqueline Roger's eerie, atmospheric illustrations and Medearis's prose. We're looking for more books by this author and illustrator.