There are lots of simple, elegant and flavorful recipes in here from master chef Jacques Pepin. Remember, he is cooking with his ditzy daughter, Claudine, so things are never too complicated. This is great for folks who want to start down the gourmet path without too much fuss.

My personal favorite is the butternut squash puree. I make it about once a month.

This is a great addition to any collection. The Mango dish is the best

Recipes are simple and yet show stopping. Delicious recipes I have made are Flan a'la Vanille,Peking Style Chicken, Warm Chocolate Fondue Souffle, Chocolate Paris-Brest, Chocolate Walnut and Apricot Cookies, and Potato and Watercress Salad to name a few.

I began this book with the premise that there was little more I could learn about diet and lifestyle regarding cancer. As a former cancer patient, I've read anything and everything I could get my hands on. However, I was surprised to find -- only a few pages into the book -- that there were concepts that I had either confused or distorted over the years. Concise and orderly, this book offers current theories and statistical information on many aspects of cancer prevention in a clear and understandable fashion. But the best part is (because having useful information is one thing, putting it to work is another) the recipe section which offers a wide assortment of really delicious dishes, from simple to exotic. it has actually convinced me -- a serious skeptic -- that it's possible to serve food which is not only flavorful and interesting, but healthful as well.

Having read 4o% of all the recipes I was amazed at how tasty all of them were. The recipes are so favorful that you will find it hard to believe that these recipes are also healthy. I went to a bookstore and studied one recipe (for a complete dinner) made the meal and was beyond pleased with the finished product. The instructions are simple and the explanation of why certain food in certain combos are beneficial made me change my why of eating. This book is a must for anyone who just wants to enjoy a good dinner.

I received this book during the book tour distribution. As a physician I am basically skeptical about books claiming to reduce cancer rates. I was pleasantly surprised by the scientific accuracy of the text. I've since made at least 7 of the recipes, all of which are wonderful! I have found it difficult to locate cookbooks that include easy, fast recipes with low fat and reasonable flavor. Too often the recipes are easy but the ingredients are hard to find; or, the recipe is easy and the taste is bland. This great book meets all of my needs. I really didn't want to like this book, but I love it! And I learned a lot about nutrition to boot!

Compulsively purchased MANY books on Illuminations, Calligraphy and Decorated letters. This is by far the most useful. Pleasantly surprised to find it had a CD included. While not using any of the illustrations exactly, the clear, black and white designs and the ability to "reverse" them and size them on the computer gave me a head start on an alphabet carving project I am undertaking. Will definintely use this publisher for research again.

Wow! Another great publication by Shambhala. 1,000 black and white images of fancy, decorated initials make up this fat little volume. Most of the initials are florid Victorian and Art Nouveau in style, but there are some nice black letter and gothic styles as well. Better still, the companion cd-rom contains all 1,000 initials in hi resolution format for both Windows and Macintosh platforms. The PC images are saved as tiffs, a format that is supported by just about every graphic and desktop publishing software out there.

I found this to be the ultimate way to "eat" my way up and down the Florida Keys. Then to be able to take the flavors with me and prepare them at home is a real treat.

This is an awesome cookbook! If you are interested in adding fish to your diet in unique ways, this cookbook is a must-have! There are also tons of other recipes, including a whole chapter devoted to key limes, and the recipes are well written and easy to follow. I have eaten at Marker 88,home of one of the featured chefs in the book, and the recipe for Andre's Snapper Rangoon is to die for! I find the recipes very innovative and delicious!

Having just finished Destiny's Godchild, I was eager to read Diana Johnson's sequel. Her knowledge of history and love of her subject is remarkable. This book is a fictional story that brings to life many characters from history who helped to form our destiny long before Charlemagne's reign. One of the most heartwarming characters is Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer). Ms. Johnson takes you from his unwanted birth to the heart stopping war where his army of foot soldiers defeated the well-trained Muslim horsemen under extremely unequal circumstances, thus saving Europe for Christianity.  You will marvel at the fictional character Egar's wisdom and insightfulness as he mentors Charles' wife throughout her life. Charles' strong character and unyielding integrity will give you a real-life hero taken from the pages of history. Definitely a must read!!! Val Middler Middlebrook, author of "Val's Victory: Defeat was NEVER an Option."

Diana Johnson does a great job of blending history and fiction in this book. She has brought Pepin de Vain's family tree to life and has woven the events that surrounded these lives into a story line with lots of intrigue and excitement. Anxious for the next book!!

Anyone who's looking for clear crisp graphics of costume, clothing, and assorted accessory details really needs to own this fantastic collection. Highly recommend it for theatre costumers working on Shaw and Checkov...and anyone else needing either fashion or costume detail.

This book is just an incredible survey of a culture that seems to have embraced a wealth of influences in their arts and crafts. This book serves as an total inspiration for graphic designers-- reminding us that everything can be great-looking, and anyone can be creative.

This book covers the following ares:1-Cold Charcuterie,Salads,& Condiments; 2-Breads; 3-Pastries[Sweet and Savor]; 4-Cakes,Souffles,& Other Desserts. The wonderful recipes come with pictured step by step instructions so that you know exactly what to do next and how it should look. The end of the book has full menus beautifully illustrated by Jacques himself.

In this unique manual, black and white photographic strips are used to illustrate fundamental cooking procedures, from holding a knife when slicing an onion to preparing a salmon for gravad lax. Very much a book for those who take delight in discovering how the professional works. And those who do will take delight in this book.

Healthy, perhaps; but simple? My problem with this book was that I couldn't just start with a trip to the grocery store. For example, in order to make one dish, one must first have made 'poultry brown base sauce.' In order to make this, one must first have made 'brown chicken stock,' which means one must have roasted several pounds of bones, then simmered them with vegetables and seasonings for a couple of hours...you get the idea. The proper French method, of course, but I began to long for a dish that could be made with (gasp) canned broth or even a boullion cube. I found this book inferior to the superb--don't let the grim title fool you--AMA family health cookbook. Assuming your supermarket has good produce, Asian, and Latin sections, any of it's recipes are easily achievable. And delicious.

Tired of cooking the same old dishes and wanting to serve my family healthy meals, I recently purchased approximately 10 new cookbooks. I was searching for a cookbook with simple recipes that I could prepare on a daily basis. The books that I purchased were either too basic and boring or interesting but too complicated. "Jacques Pepin's Simple and Healthy Cooking" was exactly what I was searching for. His recipes are delicious and interesting, as well as, healthy and simple to prepare. I have used this cookbook every night that I have cooked since I purchased it. I think I have tried at least 1/2 of the main course & accompaniment recipes. My family enjoys eating the meals as much as I enjoy preparing them.

Oh, and don't mistake "healthy" as meaning "dietitic" or "tasteless". He does not sacrifice taste for health. He uses a lot of fresh ingredients that give the dishes a great flavor. He does not omit butter, salt, etc. from his recipes however, not much is needed to achieve a flavorful taste.

I was so excited about his book that I purchased "Cooking with Claudine" last week. The recipes look just as appetizing but, I have to admit that I prefer the layout of "Simple & Healthy", in which the recipes are laid out in courses opposed to being arranged in menus. "Simple & Healthy" is easier to search through, it has a side photo for almost every recipe and has suggested menus listed at the beginning of the book.

Unlike the other books that I purchased...this is a cookbook that you will actually use!

I have typically stayed away from books promoting "healthy" or low fat cooking, primarily because I always found the recipes dull. I don't like using no-fat ingredients, fake butter, artificial sweetener, etc. To me, they make the food not worth eating, much less cooking. What I like about this book is that Pepin shares creative, inventive recipes that incorporate butter and oils in moderation, and he shows that you do not have to use a lot of these for a dish to be flavorful. It is all in the seasonings and preparation. And this is a cookbook that you can use on an everyday basis, as the recipes truly are simple... some of them so simple that you wonder how good it will really be. I have made over a dozen dishes from the book so far, and have not yet found a bad one.