Northwest Books - Page 3

Fresh from the Garden Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Kitchen Gardens

Ann Lovejoy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great for Northwest eaters 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ann Lovejoy, better known as a gardening writer, writes a weekly food column for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and this cookbook draws from her columns. The cookbook is organized by season, and recipes rely on foods that can be grown or bought in the west-of-Cascades Pacific Northwest (both vegetarian and not). She believes in local, organic food where possible; she is careful about sodium and fat (but maybe carbohydrate-heavy for diabetics); most recipes are for 4 servings (2 adults and 2 teenage boys) and many are vegetarian. Flesh recipes usually rely on chicken and seafood rather than beef and pork. She encourages experimentation.

The book provides seasonal recipes and menus and includes growing tips for home gardeners. Recipes we like include Asparagus with Shallot, Thyme, Parsley and Lemon Sauce (spring) and Hot Chicken Noodle Salad (also spring). Page numbers are in the outer page margins, which makes recipes easy to find, but the index gives them under main ingredients rather than recipe titles.

We have tried dozens of Ann's recipes, both from the book and her columns since she wrote the book. (She is one of the few food writers I collect every week.) I like some of her recipes and don't like others, but I recommend the book in spite of personal reservations about specific recipes--there is probably something here you will like or can adapt. Our typical complaint when we don't like a recipe is that it isn't highly seasoned. This book might not help someone in Minnesota, but it does work well anywhere with a Mediterranean-type climate, and ideas can be adapted to local foods.

The book is in print in Sept. 2007. It is worthwhile if you can get fresh ingredients and are willing to experiment with seasoning.

Editorial Review:

Featuring the very best recipes from her weekly Seattle-Post Intelligencer column “Fresh from the Garden,” Ann Lovejoy's newest book consolidates her passion for gardening and cooking into a year-round celebration of fresh, organic ingredients. Organized by season, her simple, uncluttered recipes emphasize bright flavors, aromatic herbs, and an abundance of fresh produce — from familiar favorites like raspberries and zucchini to more exotic items such as garlic tips and dandelion greens. Recipes include Lavender Lemonade, Grilled Prawns with Pumpkin Seed Salsa, Garlic Turkey with Green Peppercorn Gravy, Cress and Fennel Soup, Ginger-Berry Shortcake, and many more. Lovejoy offers a wealth of advice on selecting and growing specific varieties of produce, and her time-tested organic gardening tips are designed to help readers make the most of their growing year.

Pacific Northwest: The Beautiful Cookbook

Kathy Casey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Pacific Northwest the Beautiful Cookbook: Beautiful Indeed 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This cookbook is magnificent! With breathtaking photography,stellar production values and innovative recipes which emphasize the unique bounty of the Pacific Northwest, what more could anyone ask for in a cookbook? Grab your own copy to use and treasure forever!

There's more to the Pacific Northwest than rain and salmon. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This beautiful book illustrates both with magnificent photographs and excellent recipes why the Pacific Northwest has such glorious food. From authentic regional appetizers to zesty main courses and tasty desserts there is great food to make and enjoy. We have given several as gifts, and are trying to find more!

The Best of the Best! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Of all my cook books, this is my favorite. The beautiful illustrations are a plus along with the truly unique recipes. It's such a beautiful book I leave it on my coffe table for my friends to look through and comment. As much as I like experimenting with different styles of cooking, I seem to always return to this book. It truly represents the unique style of cooking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

I'm looking for a copy of this book . . . 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Please contact me at either : hiltonpu@fedsure.co.za . . . or P O Box 371, Noordhoek, 7975, South Africa Many thanks!

Best Places Seattle Cookbook: Recipes from the City's Outstanding Restaurants and Bars

Cynthia C. Nims, Kathy Casey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

I am smitten 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I am not a cook, but after reviewing this book, i really want to be, not to mention that the recipes left me salivating. It may not be a book for the complete beginner but with some enthusiasm, the recipes in this book are very do-able. The side essays written by kathy casey are funny and informative and both authors clearly try to make the recipes understandable and do-able for the home kitchen. I am smitten with my kitchen and the tasty treats i can make in it. Thanks to Kathy Casey and Cynthia Nims for their tempting inspirations!

I can vouch for the el camino enchiladas and bahia mussells 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.

The enchiladas, especially, were great, which they should be since it took one chef, two drunken sous chefs, and one person sitting on a stool shouting instructions about 2 solid hours to make them. But it was worth it.

Brings a luscious taste of Seattle into any home dining menu 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The collaborative effort of Cynthia C. Nims and Kathy Casey, Best Places Seattle Cookbook collects 125 recipes from the most heavily patronized chefs in Seattle. Restaurant favorites such as Baked Oysters with Beurre Blanc; Heirloom Tomato Salad; Lemon Rosemary Biscotti; Fresh Blackberry Tart, Cadillac Margarita; and more come with exhaustively detailed preparation instructions to bring a luscious taste of Seattle into any home dining menu. The explicit text details the subtle nuances of each dish in this highly recommended resource for aspiring chefs of intermediate culinary skills and above.

Editorial Review:

Recipes from Restaurants and Bars in Seattle.

Joyce Lamont's Favorite Minnesota Recipes & Radio Memories

Joyce Lamont, Linda Larsen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In more than fifty years of broadcasting from the Twin Cities WCCO, Joyce Lamont shared countless recipes, household tips, travel notes, and homey anecdotes with her audience. In the process she became one of the best-loved cooks, household helpers, and radio personalities in the Midwest--and a virtual member of the family for millions of listeners. This book collects 300 recipes from Joyce Lamonts kitchen--all of them well tested over time by her vast and devoted audience. Characteristically simple, well-seasoned, delicious, family-friendly, and reliable, these recipes are the essence of comfort food. Each week WCCOs "Best Buys" guided homemakers to the foods that were in season, at peak quality, and reasonably priced. Just so, this book follows the calendar, directing readers to the freshest ingredients available throughout the year and making the most of these in recipes that celebrate the seasons plenty. Sweetened and spiced throughout with Ms. Lamonts reminiscences of radio personalities and on-air antics, these recipes invite us back into one of the warmest and most welcoming kitchens ever to serve such a close, extended family. And as a bonus the book includes a collection of Ms. Lamonts household hints--tips that range from drying gourds for decoration to the best way to open a stubborn jar--suggestions that are as trustworthy and timeless as the recipes they accompany.

Huckleberry Cookbook

Stephanie Hester, Alex Hester

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Editorial Review:

The very word huckleberry connotes wild places and wide open spaces, where prized picking sites are passed down from generation to generation. Bags of berries are a hot commodity at local farmers’ markets—to be used fresh or hoarded in the freezer for use in the long winter to come. From Huckleberry Banana Smoothies to Huckleberry Beignets to Coq au Huckleberry Vin, Huckleberry Cookbook offers more than fifty ways to enjoy the sweet, ripe taste of summer for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all year round.

Alaskan Halibut Recipes

Cecilia Nibeck

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Creative ways to serve halibut! 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

No longer will I be at a loss for what to do with my halibut! This cookbook serves up over 200 recipes that prove fish does not equal boring! The recipes are organized by type of dish: Soups and appetizers, and main courses. You'll find all the standard fare like halibut chowder, halibut in beer batter, halibut cutlets, broiled halibut with vegetables, etc., but you'll also find exotic tastes from around the globe, such as halibut kedgeree, halibut hawaii, halibut with Banana, spicy halibut creole, easy cioppino, thai halibut pudding, japanese skewered halibut, and even something called muchli moolu, which features coconut milk. While I can't vouch for the absolute authenticity of the recipes from other places, I can say that the recipes I've tried are delicious and feasible for the home cook.

I took off one star because the recipes could be better organized, and one of the recipes I made was a bit bland. However, the spiral binding is a great feature that allows the book to lay open.

Christina's Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from a Northwest Island Kitchen

Christina Orchid

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Stories of an Island Gem 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

As customers who have already enjoyed Christina's restaurant--which, as expats visiting from France, my family and I stumbled into 20 years ago--we may be biased. But this is more than a compendium of the wonderful cuisine we have enjoyed there, more than the sum of welcome and ambiance (and WHAT a view from the deck overlooking the waters of Eastsound!). Christina knows how to write as well as to cook. The little essays about discovering food as she grew up in the Pacific Northwest bring the recipes to life. They also provide a capsule history of a generation: from the wheat fields of eastern Washington to the burgeoning restaurants of Portland, Oregon, to the lovely little island north of Seattle (Orcas) that is home to the gem she created as a single mom a couple of decades ago. Read the book. Go to the restaurant. Live some history!

Editorial Review:

Deeply evocative of the San Juan Islands, the recipes and ingredients of Christina's Cookbook give readers a flavorful tour through all of the area's eddies, bays, and gardens. Just for starters, readers can try recipes for Crab Fondue and Fennel Breadsticks, Mussels with Garden Lilies and Curry, or Singing Scallops with Sweet Cicely and Cider. Add to this a side dish of charming tales and worldwide adventures, and the innovative recipes become all the more enticing. Roasted Halibut comes with a story on how it got its glaze; a millionaire playboy in the South of France is behind the delicious lamb recipe; and if readers want to discover how icy Doug Fir Granitas came to be served at the James Beard House, they can open up to the chapter on desserts (which also includes Poached Cherries and Lavender Ice Cream). For fans of authentic northwest cooking and seafood alike, this colorful cookbook is deliciously entertaining.

Gold 'N Delicious: Recipes Hand-Picked from the Great Northwest

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Wonderful resource for all your cooking needs! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a great cookbook! Recipes are easy to follow and unique. It provides a great combination of creative family fare to fantastic dinner party ideas.Will appeal to people from all over the country not just the Northwest!

Tried and true - the cookbook I reach for first! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is the cookbook I reach for when someone says, "please bring an appetizer. . . or dessert. . .or a vegetable dish. A true representation of northwest cuisine written in an easy to follow manner and presented beautifully! You will treasure this Junior League cookbook.

Awesome Cookbook 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I am not a great cook, and I don't have time to cook extravagant meals, but whenever I cook something from this book, people always ask for the recipe. They never guess that dishes with such gourmet flair are so simple to prepare.

A Cookbook Staple 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is by far the best cookbook I have ever used. I received this as a gift from a friend who lived in Spokane (as I collect Junior League cookbooks) and it's been one of my favorites ever since. My friend also bought one for my cousin as a gift and she and I enjoy sharing our enthusiasm about this cookbook. The quality of the printing is excellent as well, with thorough instructions, nice thick pages and perfect organization. This is a great gift to anyone that enjoys cooking, from the novice to the professional chef!

Entertaining in the Northwest Style: A Menu Cookbook

Greg Atkinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

great meal ideas and recipes 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love Greg Atkinson's writing style and his approach to food. Simple, innovative and comforting. His prose and life anecdotes are wonderful.
The recipes range from simple to sophisticated, but are eminently doable.
The stories that accompany each menu really set the scene.

Editorial Review:

This colorful cookbook captures the contemporary Northwest lifestyle with an array of thematic menus: sophisticated beach picnics, a spring meal to celebrate the return of the salmon, brunch aboard the cabin cruiser (just as delectable on land). Greg Atkinson’s uninhibited love of life and food shine through as he describes high tea in the garden or a dinner that draws luscious offerings from the Pike Place Market. The 14 menus capture the very essence of the statement, "Life is good." And how can it not be with fresh Kumamoto oysters from Puget Sound, or Copper River salmon from Alaska, or herbed and grilled leg of lamb? Each special menu consists of five to seven recipes that, served together, comprise a memorable culinary event. For example, Atkinson's menu for a romantic summer dinner includes "Matisse Bread" or Fougasse, Three Shellfish with Three Citrus Fruits, Provençale Chicken with Tomato and Orange, and Chocolate Marquis with Saffron Cream.

Nuevo Tex-Mex: Festive New Recipes from Just North of the Border

Robb Walsh, David Garrido

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

There's something awfully comforting about a cookbook that starts with a chapter on what to drink (which beers with which kinds of food) followed by eight cocktail recipes, five of them a variation on the margarita theme. Hibiscus Margaritas and Mango-Key Lime Margaritas should tip off the unsuspecting that they have just entered uncharted territory.

The drink chapter is followed by the salsa chapter (Papaya-Habanero Salsa, anyone?) is followed by breakfast--Truffled Egg Tacos? Bacon-Gruyere Migas? "What a cathartic joy it is," writes Robb Walsh, former food editor of the Austin Chronicle and one of the few American food writers with functioning taste buds, "to make a happy face with two sunny-side up eggs for eyes and bacon strips for a mouth, and to douse that cheerful bastard with a torrent of fiery red sauce." With sentiments like that, the reader is assured that only good food can follow.

And follow it does: Steak, Endive, and Blue Cheese Tacos; Shark-BLT Tacos; Serrano Ham Quesadillas; Pork and Raisin Pasillas; Wild Mushroom Mole Enchiladas; Duck Breast in Green Mole; Chipotle Swordfish Fajitas; and on into desserts.

The authors would like us to believe that this is a whole new departure on Tex-Mex food. And it certainly is that, a departure. But what they call Nuevo Tex-Mex is really just the same contrived "fusion" that happens when overamped chefs shove cuisines and ingredients of the world up against each other. There isn't anything in this book that couldn't be put on a pizza, say, and if baked in a wood-fired oven, be called startling and revolutionary in some circles. Many of the results of David Garrido's fun-in-the-kitchen escapade are indeed tasty, but benchmark of a new cuisine? Hardly that. This could only happen in America, where the culinary compass is currently in the control of a gentle-voiced Chihuahua with a taste for Taco Bell. --Schuyler Ingle