Healthy, natural, and easy. This book puts the fun back into cooking at a time of year when there are so many other things to do. Starting the day with Lemon Blueberry Muffins followed at lunch with Jerssey Corn chowder, convinced me that this is a cookbook that will be always be open when I want my family to have wonderful food while I have the time to participate in their summer fun.

Finally a colorful and tempting cookbook that will be used by
experienced and novice cook alike. The smallest details are
taken care of......the Herbal oils are wonderful as are the vinagrettes. Trying each and every one,will extend far beyond
the summer.

My wife and I enjoy cooking while on vacation, as well as in our backyard during the summer months. We have often felt that without all the cooking tools we have at home, our success while on vacation would be hampered. The authors took special care to ensure that every recipe can be made using only the most basic utensils. The focus on keeping it simple is consistently adhered to--as the book says, as much as we enjoy great food we have better things to do on vacation than lots of preparation. We really appreciate the pantry list--which makes organizing for our summer house adventure effortless. Try the grill-roasted oysters and the heirloom tomato salad. The Aux Delices Orzo Salad is great!! Having sampled author Ponzek's fine food at Aux Delices in Greenwich, Conn. I can tell you we are thrilled to have the insight of a four-star chef translated into simple meals that we can enjoy with minimal fuss. Love it!

Linda Murdock's superb "A Busy Cook's Guide to Spices: How to Introduce New Flavors to Everyday Meals" is a long-overdue examination of spice and herb flavors. Ms. Murdock approaches the subject from a fresh angle by going through the most common herbs and spices and telling the reader how these can be used or combined in common dishes--or what they most effectively enhance. This is an excellent way to teach readers how to start building a dish from the spice or herb upward, instead of just saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, throw some cinnamon into that apple pie." Instead we learn that cinnamon enhances a wide variety of dishes other than the traditional baked goods.

Ms. Murdock combines an encyclopedic knowledge of herbs and spices with recipes, substitutions, and a plain-speaking voice. She even gets into common sauces (Worcestershire sauce, chutneys and the like)--themselves combinations of herbs and spices. She tells us when to use these flavorings (at the beginning of the dish, during, or added at the end just before serving), gives advice on what herbs or spices go with the one she's talking about at the moment, and provides fascinating folklore and history. I haven't seen this useful a cookbook in a long time and highly recommend it.

Not your typical cookbook with pictures and recipes, this is more of a quick reference. You can look up ideas, recipes and seasoning matches organized by what you have on hand in the cupboards. Lots of interesting folklore (for when you have more time to read). Tips for matching wine and beer with food and seasonings. Very unique info that is not easily found.

I think Ms Murdock did an excellent job in her research of spices and herbs. I use her book as a source of new flavors to try and to get more information on familiar flavors. I especially like the folklore/history section. I have purchased a couple of the books for gifts and will likely be giving more volumes in the future.

Look out Amelia Bedelia! Big Brown Rooster and friends are cooking strawberry shortcake and the misunderstandings abound! Literal interpretations and great illustrations make this an extremely entertaining picture book. Read the book, create the shortcake, and eat it! The recipe included in the text is fantastic.

The animal's expressions are SO animated that it is a visual DELIGHT as well as a fun read ! What a treat !

This is a great book that has lots of depth. My three year old loves the repetition and the characterisation, without realizing he's learning concepts and facts about food and cooking. It's clearly their favorite book.

thomas mails' honesty and humility in recognition of the potent and vibrant personality of fool's crow allows him to become a nearly transparent medium for this account of a shaman's personal methods and rituals.

at their most effecftive, shamanistic rituals use p[hysical symbols to trigger and continue cycles of effect and reaction between the individual practitioner and the world-system as a whole. this book doesn't go into great depth in presenting the fundamental metaphysic of the native american heritage that fool's crow continued, but provides a rich and meticulously detailed account of demonstrations of its practice by a healer, teacher and leader.

this book may tempt immitators and pretenders; they might find themselves playing with fire. this volume should not be taken as a single source outside of the greater context of the heritage it celebrates and partially describes, but it can be a valuable supplementary resource for a careful student, or the agile and humble explorer.

The legacy of Fools Crow is his wisdom & power as a Lakota medecine man. The path he walked, as a man called to serve his people & the Great Spirit, is recalled in this book. His simple message is that all of us can be "hollow bones" for the Great Spirit to work through. The reader learns that the power & wisdom of Frank Fools Crow's life was in his detachment from ego and submission to a higher force. Some readers may only be interested in the ceremonies & rituals described in the book. However, the message is the spirit of the man & his committment to his God & to his people. I can not imagine that any reader can walk away from this book untouched.

This is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read! If you want a book that will draw you closer to God, regardless of your religion or beliefs, this is the book. Frank Fools Crow will teach you by his example what a holy life truly is and the power that will naturally flow from living this type of life.

The beauty of the traditional way of the Sioux is also captured in this book. Yet Fools Crow reaches to the heart of all people with the love he freely gives. Fools Crow's many gifts are laid out here - his healing ability, his compassion. It is made clear these are gift's that come from God, not man, and as are to be shared with all.

We love this cookbook. How wonderful to have a cookbook that my kids love that features healthy food! I can't say enough good about it. Not only is the food healthy, it tastes great and the instructions are super easy for my 9 yo to follow all on her own.

Buy it today, you won't be sorry!

I'm an 11 year old kid. You might think I'd not like cooking, but I do. This cookbook is great. I love it. Great for any kid.

I decided to have my son (5) help with the cooking. Each week I let him choose one recipe from this (or Pretend Soup) and we cook together. He is eating much better, has learned a few kitchen skills, and tried new dishes. Her pictures are easy for even the younger kids to understand, but adults will still have to help with these recipes for the little ones. We now make pizza from scratch, and have more fun in the kitchen than we ever did before.

Memoirs can be thoroughly boring if not done particularly well. Fortunately this one is well-written indeed. The first half of it deals with the author's coming of age as an academic and transition into a food writer. The second half of the book mainly consists of accounts of famous chefs and famous diners whose lives have intersected with his.

Villas is a outspoken (and perceptive) critic of nouvelle cuisine, fusion and all of the unfortunate food-foolishness of the past couple of decades. He savages some big-time chefs like Wolfgang Puck and is simply dismissive of many more famous names.

The author is also a creature from another time, say the 1930s, and is a terrible(wonderful?) snob. More than anything he reminds me of Lucius Beebe, a mid-century American bon vivant who managed to live a gilded life and then write about it.

The book misses occasionally when Villas gets a little too bitchy, but perhaps these slight lapses are as revealing as the more elegant parts. An interesting and somewhat disturbing revelation is just how many food writers live lonely and seemingly desperate lives. Perhaps only the ones in New York are this way.

James Villas has capped a brilliant career with this enthralling and entertaining biographical and gourmand journey. It is mouth-watering reading, in more ways than one. Villas is amoung two or three "foodies" who can write. I think of M.F.K Fisher and another North Carolinian like Villas, Jean Anderson (no relative).

For anyone who likes to eat and read, this book is for you. A very interesting tale, well written, and one that keeps your intention. I highly recommend it, and think it makes a terrific mother's day gift.

I first read this myself and then read it to my 2 1/2 year old. It is a wonderfully funny adventure of the potatoes at a state fair as they escape from a chef who is cooking up a pot of soup. While some of the vocabulary is above the heads of toddlers, the story line is not lost on them and the illustrations are quite fun. This is a book to have in your library and will be read by your kids for many years to come.

My 4 1/2 year old is MAD for this book! She got it for X-mas and has it memorized!!

A fresh and zany adventure (something all too rare in children's literature these days), full of delightful rhythms, rhymes and fun. Root's bright pictures complement Speed's delicious language. Our whole family loved it!

Dark Matter takes place in the early 2000's AD Earth. It is a unique setting focusing on investigation, intrigue, and conspiracies rather than just gun fights.

This book is a great resource--from the Freemasons to the United Nations "New World Order", virtually any conspiracy or paranormal activity you can think of is probably described in this book.

It is also well organized including a good fast play adventure to introduce the setting, and a second, slighly longer, adventure at the end to get GM and players in the proper (and paranoid) mood. It includes some new skills, perks, flaws, psionics, and arcane and faith magic in addition to the great deal of history.

I was heartbroken to learn that Alternity has been cancelled by TSR, and my heartbreak was compounded once I got my hands on Dark Matter. If you are a fan of any government conspiracy, unmarked helicopter, alien abduction, bigfoot type realms, this is the campaign for you. If you aren't a fan, you will be after you read it. I'm a regular conspiracy nut, and all the biggies are covered by Baur and Cook; their research was fantastic. Also, everything from vampires to greys and sasquatches and mummies are present, and they tie into the conspiracies beautifully! If you don't buy this one, you're missing out on one of the RPG finds of a lifetime. Well done to Baur adn Cook, poorly done to TSR for the cancelation. Get it while you still can...

Who should buy this book?

If you are a fan of Science Fiction and plan to GM a science fiction game then you will find a lot of benefit from reading this book. If you are a player then DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK unless you are buying it for your GM, in which case DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. Inside are a million and one ideas for a Sci-fi game which will delight, intrigue, and possibly even frighten your players.

So what does it contain?

Lots and lots of detail is what. Ignoring the Alternity Fast Play rules for now and the small section on creating Dark Matter characters, the book is filled with descriptions, from the Hoffman Institute to loads of different conspiracies to the secret history of the world.

What else do you need?

The fast play rules are not adequate for a full camapign so the Alternity Players Guide and Gamesmaster Guide are probably essential. Otherwise all you need is your imagination (whatching the X-files, the outer limits, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer may help stimulate your imagination if decades of excellent science fiction hasn't).

Downsides?

As with any product this one isnt perfect, it assumes that the Hoffman Institute will play a part in your campaign (it does provide a small section on alternatives, though IMO the Institute is so well detailed that it would be shame not to use it in some capacity). It is also a little light on rules (though remember it is a Sourcebook rather than a Rulebook).

In Conclusion.

If you are getting tired of Fantasy or far future rpg's then this game might make a welcome change, and if played right can be a real pleasure to play. Dark Matter IMO might just be the saviour of the Alternity system (which is good news because the Alternity system is damn good).

I've made 2 recipes from this cookbook in the past few weeks...Snapper Marinated in Sake and Miso Soup with Shrimp. The Snapper recipe is amazing. Some of the ingredients for these recipes may be hard to find for some people, especially people not in a large metropolitan area, but they are easily found on the internet.

Just describing this recipe to my boyfriends' mother, she made it that same week and her teenage son's friends ate all of it. If young people will eat it, it has to be good...right?

James Peterson is a good cook and Entertaining. His sauces are excellent. Try his sauce cookbook also.

This is a great book for anyone who loves seafood and has reasonable access to it. Unlike some other cookbooks (charlie trotter's seafood cookbook comes to mind), this book delivers excellent recipes with ingredients that for the most part can be found in your local grocery store. This is a cookbook for food lovers of all skill levels as it has an array of recipies with differing levels of difficulty, but, luckilly, explicit directions are given on everything from making the actual dish to selecting the seafood in the supermarket. If you are looking for a great cookbook to explore wonderful seafood dishes usually not found in restaurants, look no further. A personal favorite of mine in this book is the striped bass stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and shrimp.

I have had this book for years. Its publication date is 1988. I have had it at least 10 years, long before a low carb life style was thought to be a good thing. When I was going through all my cook books the other day I came accross this book of generally very easy and some surprizingly elegant pasta recipes some that can be made quickly for company.

First the good:

With a fair number of these recipes you can produce a hearty comfort-type entree with with mostly pantry type ingredients. Who would have thought that spaghetti with parsley butter (spaghetti, butter, garlic, parsley) can make a satisfying and elegant entree? Well I didnt. But it does. And it makes and even better first course, lunch or side dish. The same goes for Spaghetti with walnuts and parmesan (spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, walnuts, parmesan, parlsey...and add blue cheese to this one if you like). throughout this book are simple put-toghether dishes like this that you can add to your usual stable of week night dinners for variety. Other examples of these simple recipes are spaghetti with lemon butter and peas, elbows with butter, parmesan and peas, and fetticcini with tuna and peas.

On the more exotic side are a rabbit sauce for your pasta, a cavier and pasta concoction and a section an asian noodles. Quite a few of all of the dishes are on the rich (read calorie laden) side... One chapter with no cook sauces is a bit lighter. The dessert section is very sweet and very rich.
I think a lot of these recipes could be *lightened up* with alternate products... fat free half and half instead of cream, fat free milk instead of milk, egg substitute instead of eggs..low fat cheeses, etc.

On the plus side..there are many many recipes to choose from, many with things you already have at home. On the minus side, without reworking some of these...its a cholestol nightmare (no, not all of them...but a good number) It fairly easy to read. A nice font, easy directions. Suggestions to change the basic recipes... Alternate ingredient choices. very nice. Thankfully no screaming elbow macaroni cartoons running from smiling pots of boiling water.

A minus here I need to note...having had the book for so long...Its not exactly a spiral, more like a loose leaf that holds punched pages...but some of the holes have ripped like they would in your school binder. Or they just dont stay where they should any more. Essentially i have one ring holding in all the pages now. Not a good thing for all the pages. In a few years, I think I will just have pages and that will be just a big mess.

Times have changed and tastes have changed. There is an appreciation for a lighter style of cooking. Its hard to say if I would buy this when the last ring goes and pasta recipes fall all over my kitchen. I can't say that this hasnt been helpful, because any cookbook that helps me make a dinner out of what i already have, is a help. I think I will only know what I will do when the time comes because this truly was a mixed bag.

I can see this being a good book for someone who does alot of pantry cooking. Someone just starting out because the recipes are very simple (well alot of them) and most take a minimum of ingredients and prep. Or someone interested in a good volume of only pasta dishes.

I picked up my copy in 1990 when I was in college and haven't stopped using it. As a college student my favorite dish was the fresh tomato, basil and ricotta sauce on ziti. Yum! When I was a nanny for a California family with California taste, recipes like the spaghetti with blue cheese and walnuts saved my fanny. And now that I'm married and cook for my extended family, one of my favorite potluck dishes is the "light and easy" Salad of Penne and Chicken with Spinach and Buttermilk Dressing. My family loves it too.

I love the spiral binding and hard cover that lay flat. The different chapters ("Asian Connection," "No-Cook Sauces") etc. make for good browsing. And I like that many additions are offered too.

Lots of times I pull out a variety of things from my fridge and cupboard and then go to this cookbook to figure out what to make. For example, if I had leftover spaghetti, some eggs, and a handful of veggies to chop up, I could bang out a delicious spaghetti frittata that I know my family would love.

This cookbook has been a staple in my kitchen for 11 years and has held up wonderfully!

This cookbook is one of the most often used of my collection of 100+. The "Emergency Dinners" chapter is wonderful! It includes a list of 16 staples, regular stuff, like olive oil and onions and bacon. These staples are combined in various ways to make the 16 recipes in the chapter, all of them delicious and very quickly prepared, great for unexpected weeknight dinner guests. Many of the recipes in the "Italian Classics" chapter are as easy and quick to prepare as the emergency dinners, and are as good as versions I've had in Italian restaurants. In fact, every chapter includes recipes that are easy to prepare, although some require longer cooking times. The "American Classics" and "Elbows" chapters include a bunch of variations on macaroni and cheese, and may be helpful in getting kids to eat more vegetables, and some unfamiliar ingredients.