April 13, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Draeger’s Cooking School, Menlo Park
1010 University Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
http://www.draegerscookingschool.com/

March 19, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
CALM’s Celebrity Authors Luncheon
Double Tree Resort
Santa Barbara, CA
http://calm4kids.org/events/authors-luncheon/

“[Steak with Friends] is a fine one with far more than steak recipes and while instructive, it’s not a how-to-grill book. Tramonto chose steak as the centerpiece because it’s a hallmark of Chicago and it represents an indulgence. He wants you to know how to cook it perfectly to your taste because “if you overcook it, there’s no going back.” The grilled steak section includes numerous cuts with tomahawk (aka Cowboy cut – a bone-on ribeye), flatiron, skirt and hanger among the lot, and then he moves to classics like Steak Diane, Beef Wellington, and Filet Oscar. There are 150 recipes and the variety beyond beef is superb (fewer than 30 recipes are actually “steak”) including Peekytoe crab salad, cioppino, garlic sausage, lemongrass duck, even the ubiquitous mac & cheese. Desserts like Killer Chocolate Pudding and Key Lime Brûlées are mouthwatering. The headnotes are charming, informative, and insightful and you’ll find the sidebars and tips useful. Don’t overlook the Sources section to learn where the pros buy when local isn’t available.” ––Pen and Fork http://bit.ly/dqKnbk

“A great book for steak lovers and anyone looking for simple, elegant food. ” ––Today http://www.today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38678442

“My experience with this book was a good one from start to finish. … This book is meant to bring all [Rick Tramonto] knows, and his experiences as a professional chef, to the home cook. He succeeds quite well at doing so.” ––Books Cooking By Ingredient http://bookscookingmy.blogspot.com/2010/08/check-out-steak-with-friends-at-home.html

““The title of this book says it all:  This is about eating steak dinners with good friends and enjoying all that implies,” states Tramonto.  Except it doesn’t stop at steaks.  It also includes hot and cold appetizers, salads, soups and sandwiches, fish and seafood, sauces, stocks, dressings, marinades, and syrups, other meat and poultry, side dishes, and desserts.  Shew! … It’s simple and honest food which I think was Chef Tramonto’s goal.  If so, he succeeded and this is definitely a go-to book for a family dinner on the weekend, or a casual yet nice dinner with friends.” ––100 Miles http://www.100miles.com/review-steak-with-friends/

“Here’s a corrective spit in the eye to mediocre steakhouses everywhere. … In this lavishly photographed cookbook, Tramonto provides clear and precise steps for preparing the perfect steak. Most of steak recipes here are for the outdoor grill, but he also offers his interpretations of classic steak house preparations such as Steak au Poivre. Steak with Friends keeps steak front and center, but there are other alternatives big in flavor and presentation: Grilled Pork Chops with Mushroom-Sausage Stuffing, Stuffed Leg of Lamb with Grilled Ramp Pesto, Grilled Chicken with Roasted Squash Salad, Cedar-Plank Salmon with Mustard and Maple and Grilled Shrimp with Garlic and Ginger.” ––Stovetop Readings http://bit.ly/b8EJnO

“Steak with Friends: At Home with Rick Tramonto is not your average ‘fire-up the grill’ manual. Established chef and cookbook author Rick Tramonto kicks the genre up a notch with fabulous appetizers and stunning preparation. His food is far from fussy; the flavours are robust and complex. His tips for BBQ beginners are invaluable. … There are tasty recipes for chicken, fish, and lamb too – and sinful desserts.” ––Dolce Dolce http://www.dolcedolce.com/?tag=rick-tramonto

“Nationally renowned chef Rick Tramonto has been an executive chef in the Chicago area for more than thirty years. He has won numerous awards and compiled six previous cookbooks including “Tru: A Cookbook from the Legendary Chicago Restaurant” and “American Brasserie,” both bestsellers. His latest collection focuses on steak and seafood along with the delicious accompaniments ranging from appetizers to desserts. In the hands of a pro like Tramonto, a steak isn’t necessarily just a steak but rather a gift from the gods. His cookbook features 150 recipes divided into 12 chapters: Cold Appetizers; Hot Appetizers; Salads; Soups and Sandwiches; Fish and Seafood; Steak on a Plate; Steak and Beef Classics; Steak Toppers, Rubs, and Glazes; Sauces, Stocks, Dressings, Marinades, and Syrups; Other Meat and Poultry; Side Dishes; and Desserts. There are also sections devoted to sources, metric conversions and equivalents.” ––Tucson Citizen http://tucsoncitizen.com/cooking/2010/05/26/peppercorn-steak-featured-in-new-rick-tramonto-cookbook/

“With recipes geared toward home chefs in an easy-to-read format and accented with warm photography of Rick and his family, Steak with Friends: At Home, with Rick Tramonto is for anyone who loves grilling or cooking at home with friends and family.” ––Cooking Nook http://www.cookingnook.com/steak-with-friends.html

“The 150 recipes for steak and seafood, along with side dishes and desserts in Steak With Friends are geared toward home chefs.  Written in a light, conversational tone Tramonto makes it clear that you don’t have to be a professional chef to cook a great meal. ” ––CommitmentNow http://bit.ly/9EJTcO

“[Steak with Friends is] devoted to home cooking for casual entertaining. It’s full of ideas for gathering friends around the grill and sharing fun, hearty meals, and it’s also about cooking the things that partner well with steak. So, in addition to steak recipes, you’ll find soups, salads, cedar-plank salmon with mustard and maple, rubs and sauces, grilled chicken with roasted squash salad, bread pudding with gruyere and shitake mushrooms, waffle-battered onion rings with maple-chili sauce, and even desserts. And, while this book is all about entertaining at home, it is clearly from a chef’s perspective with recipes like pan-seared foie gras with peaches and mint, hamachi sashimi with pineapple bubbles (foam), and filet oscar topped with an asparagus and crab salad layered with bread cut in rounds the size of the filet. I like that about this book. I appreciate learning chefs’ techniques as they’re adapted for home cooking.” ––Lisa is Cooking http://bit.ly/9NYyA7

“Just a glance at the book shows the Chicago culinary great in a different light. From scripture passages sprinkled throughout its pages to casual photos of family and friends enjoying table time and suggestions for music to play while cooking (everything from his favorite Led Zeppelin to Billy Joel, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles and Metallica), Tramonto’s new work is not only a fun read but it sheds an interesting light on the man who takes his artistry to the hilt on the global culinary stage. Seen throughout “Steak with Friends,” co-written with Mary Goodbody, is Tramonto the family man, music lover, provider of plain good hospitality, simply great home cook and cordial host.” ––nwi.com http://bit.ly/908nPh

“While an accomplished chef in the restaurant, this book is written and targeted to the home cooks like myself who appreciate sipmle recipes with grand results. Rick really hits home [in Steak with Friends] with recipes that I really want to try and soon! I’m not sure I can wait to get my grill going.” ––Foodie in Disguise http://bit.ly/9zYlP4

“Steak with Friends will appeal to any steak lover, with its dazzling selection of 150 refined, yet easy-to-prepare recipes for steak and its many “friends,” from seafood, poultry and other meats, to salads and hearty sides, to tasty desserts. Chef Tramonto shares his steakhouse secrets, from decoding the dizzying array of cuts at the butcher shop to choosing well-marbled meat and coaxing that perfectly charred crust and juicy interior. ” ––WLS-TV Chicago http://bit.ly/b51haq

“”Steak with Friends” is full of mouth-watering, indulgent food that is homey but also has an elegant edge. The recipes I tried were all relatively easy to make and really delicious–exactly the kind of food you want to share with your family and friends. It is “guy friendly” but varied enough to appeal not just to men, and it is the type of book any grill master or home chef would love.” ––Kahakai Kitchen http://bit.ly/d8JmE1

“This delicious book with beautiful photos and personal stories would make a great Father’s Day gift for the man on your list.. and yes, it would be great for women too! ” ––Living in the Kitchen with Puppies http://bit.ly/cAD7aO

“Tramonto invites readers into his home, sharing his food, faith, friends and family. The book features 150 recipes for steak and seafood, along with all the accompaniments, ranging from appetizers to desserts.” ––Desert News http://bit.ly/ajhilo

“A couple of porterhouse steaks grilled to medium-rare and topped with a Gorgonzola crust rendered us speechless with delight” ––Janet Rausa Fuller, food editor Chicago Sun-Times http://bit.ly/bJ1lpn

“Tramonto’s seventh book showcases steak and the “friends” (sauces, glazes, and side dishes) that complement it. Readers can feast their eyes on full page close-ups of finished dishes like grilled T-bone steaks alongside a bright green streak of pesto as well as smaller photos highlighting the cooking process. Pictures of Tramonto shopping, cooking, eating, and relaxing with friends and family make it easy to imagine what it might be like to spend an afternoon with the famous Chicago restaurateur.” ––Library Journal http://bit.ly/cgM5H7

“Chef Rick Tramonto’s latest cookbook might be titled Steak with Friends. But red meat isn’t the only food that pops from the 300 colorful pages of his seventh cookbook project. This 150-recipe collection pays equal attention to “friends” of steak.” –Pioneer Local http://bit.ly/cog4Ak

“The phrase “Steak with Friends” plays on two levels: enjoying a great steak in the company of great friends and family, and enjoying a great steak in the company of great accompaniments like potatoes, wine and cheesecake. The recipes takes cooks through the menu, from cold and hot appetizers and salads (Hamachi Sashimi with Pineapple Bubbles, Chicago-Style Garbage Salad) to soup and desserts (Vidalia Onion Soup, Key Lime Brulees).” ––Daily Herald http://bit.ly/aB3crg

“Steak with Friends is an earthy, warm, and inviting book, a reflection of Chef Rick Tramonto’s love of food and friends.  The book is packed with recipes to cook with friends that are inspired and spectacular, but never complex in execution.  Filled with tips and hints for having fun in the kitchen and for eating well, Steak with Friends will motivate the most casual reader to host a get-together of friends and family to share a great meal at home.” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://bit.ly/9T3hoS

“Rick Tramonto’s seventh cookbook, Steak with Friends: At Home, with Rick Tramonto, takes you inside the north suburban Chicago home of the executive chef/partner of Tru and Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood. The cover depicts the author with his family, seated by a platter of hefty steaks and “friends”-natural pairings with steak-in the chef’s ample home kitchen. ” ––Publisher’s Weekly http://bit.ly/ciecjx

“Chef Rick Tramonto invites readers into his home in his new Steak & Friends: At Home, with Rick Tramonto cookbook, to release in April from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Focused on food, faith and family, each chapter of the 304-page hardcover cookbook, written with Mary Goodbody, opens with one of the chef’s favorite Scripture verses and includes 150 steak and seafood recipes with all the trimmings.” ––Christian Retailing http://www.christianretailing.com/index.php/newsletter/inspirational-gift-trends-bulletin/199-march-17-2010/21042-new-product

“Steak with Friends: At Home, with Rick Tramonto. Chef Rick Tramonto, of Tru in Chicago and Tramonto’s Steak and Seafood in Wheeling, Ill., invites readers to pull up a chair in his home kitchen in his seventh cookbook. He offers 150 easy-to-follow recipes geared toward the home chef that reproduce the flavors of the high-end steakhouse food he’s known for. He emphasizes proper selection and preparation of steaks and includes drink recipes and even music suggestions to play while you cook. The book is warmly accented throughout with light-hearted anecdotes and photography of Tramonto and his family.” ––Chef Magazine http://chefmagazineblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/chef-cookbooks-to-satiate-all-tastes.html

“In 2008, Ebert wrote about the seemingly retro rice cooker in his Chicago Sun-Times column. That two-year-old topic has evolved into a cookbook of the same name. On Sept. 21, 2010, Ebert will add the word “chef” to his resume when The Pot and How to Use It hits bookshelves.” ––Tonic http://bit.ly/cirygI

“Cancer left Roger Ebert unable to eat or speak—but it didn’t rob his ability to cook. The beloved film critic, who often reminisces about the foods he misses (root beer, Steak ‘n Shake) on his blog, doesn’t mind sharing a restaurant meal or a kitchen cooking lesson with a reporter. “Food for me is in the present tense,” he tells the New York Times. And to prove it, he’s publishing a cookbook.” ––Newser http://bit.ly/cbOus9

“Would love to flip through this cookbook, if only for Ebert’s witty words, enviable sense of humor and clear passion for food.” ––Fancy Food Magazine http://bit.ly/bn67sy

“…Food — the cooking and sharing part of it — still means so much to [Roger Ebert] that he is publishing a cookbook this month. It’s based entirely on meals to be made in a rice cooker. The title is “The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker”. In 2008, long after he accepted that he would never put food in his mouth again, he wrote a blog post presenting his philosophy of The Pot as a way for all the people with not much space and not much time or money to cook for themselves. … The post became the frame for the book.” ––The New York Times http://nyti.ms/damEFa

“Roger Ebert’s surprising new cookbook The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker will be available on September 21. He has been battling thyroid and throat cancer for eight years and is now unable to eat without the assistance of a feeding tube. However in his book he shares his love of the rice cooker and teaches how simple it is to slowly whip up healthy inexpensive dishes that go well beyond rice.” ––The Independent http://bit.ly/cOwt3r

“Cancer may have robbed Roger Ebert of the ability to eat, but it won’t stop him from dishing out cooking advice. Four years after cancer surgery left the famed film critic unable to speak or eat, Ebert is publishing a cookbook dedicated to rice cookers, a kitchen appliance he lovingly calls “The Pot” and champions as an answer for those strapped for cash, time and counter space. “To be sure, health problems have prevented me from eating,” Ebert writes in the book. “That did not discourage my cooking. It became an exercise more pure, freed of biological compulsion.” The idea for the book came after a 2008 blog post he wrote about rice cookers prompted hundreds of comments, with many readers including their favorite recipes. “I think I was somewhat frustrated by not being able to eat and I wanted to live vicariously,” the 68-year-old said during an interview at his Chicago home, his laptop computer speaking his typed answers. The book includes many of those comments, as well as more than two dozen recipes for dishes such as chili, risotto, jambalaya and oatmeal — Ebert’s favorite. He took a witty and funny tone when writing it; he says he didn’t want it to sound too specialized or difficult.” ––Salon.com http://bit.ly/bqJsOL

“In the mood for Chile Orange Chocolate Sorbet? Cardamon Mint? Dark Chocolate Anise? You’ll find all that and more in “Spice Dreams: Flavored Ice Creams and Other Frozen Treats’ by Sara Engram and Katie Luber.” ––Courier Post Online http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100818/LIFE/8180301/Here-s-the-scoop

“Based on a simple formula, ice cream waits with open arms for the imaginative use of spices and herbs to create surprise and delight the taste buds.  Spice Dreams makes full use of the imagination, turning it to sorbets and frozen yogurts as well as ice cream, then combines the inventions into sandwiches and sundaes.  … This is sugar and spice and everything nice.” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/Books_on_Sweets/Spice_Dreams_Engram_Luber.html

“Forget the processed ice creams you find in your local grocery store and make your own. Sara and Katie show you how to take all-natural ingredients with fresh and dried herbs and spices to create some refreshing new flavors. Try something new and make a  twist to your favorite summer treat: ice cream.” ––Foodie in Disquise http://bit.ly/dh30hH

“Turns out, digging into the cabinet was the hardest part, and the result around my house is that we’re all swooning over odd-flavored ice creams. “Spice Dreams” recipes include sorbets, frozen yogurts and popsicles. The ice creams are custard-style - calling for egg yolks - which requires a little more work but yields an impossibly sensuous treat.” ––Hampton Roads http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/pass-herbs-and-try-cone-spice-cream

“This book has me jumping up and down like a child. I wanted to put on a sundress and run threw a field of sunflowers or just get on my bike pedaling as fast as I can through the neighborhood with my tassels and hair blowing in the breeze and a cone in my hand savoring the arrival of summer. Can you imagine adding spice to ice cream? This book has opened up a whole new freezer of ice cream possibilities.” ––Chocolate and Croissants http://chocolateandcroissants.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html#3152622532183829032

“This book is devoted to ice creams, sorbets, and frozen yogurts made with sometimes adventurous flavor combinations. There are options like honey-mint ice cream with thyme and basil, chile-lemongrass ice cream, white chocolate-allspice ice cream, and chocolate ice cream with cumin and fennel. In the sorbet chapter, pink grapefruit-tarragon sorbet and chile-orange-chocolate sorbet both grabbed my attention. There are also suggestions for frozen sandwiches and sundaes like cardamom snickerdoodle ice cream sandwiches and peach waffle sundaes with cinnamon syrup. Last, there’s a chapter for sauces, syrups, and toppings to further gild the lily” ––Lisa is Cooking http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/2010/06/brown-sugar-and-spiced-banana-ice-cream.html

“Do you remember going to Baskin Robbin’s 31 Flavors when you were a kid? The novelty was that they actually had 31 different flavor options to choose from. Not long ago, ice cream manufacturers began to realize that anything goes when it comes to ice cream flavors. Just when I thought every possible flavor had been created, along came a newly released cookbook called Spice Dreams. Sara Engram and Katie Luber are the real “Spice Girls”. They know their stuff when it comes to enhancing recipes with herbs and spices. Their latest cookbook has more than 50 ice cream recipes that incorporate spices and herbs. These ladies know how to take an ordinary flavored ice cream, add a dash of this and that, and create something extraordinary. This past weekend I made their Apple Spice Ice Cream. It is without question the best ice cream that I have ever made. ” ––Grin and Bake It http://grinandbakeit.com/ice-cream-essentials-give-away-get-ready-for-summer

“This little book packs huge flavour.  … All the spices in the cookbook can easily be found in your local markets or, likely, you will have them in your cupboard already. Get ready for some exotic combinations like Chile-Lemongrass Ice Cream, Marjoram-Mint-Coconut Sorbet, Lemon-Allspice Frozen Yogurt, and toppings such as Ancho-Lime Syrup and Cardamom-Coconut Toasted Topping. With Spice Dreams, your summer just got a little more exciting.” –Living in the Kitchen with Puppies http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies.blogspot.com/2010/05/spice-dreams.html

“Sara Engram and Katie Luber, founders of The Seasoned Palate, a Baltimore-based company that specializes in packaging organic spices in one-teaspoon packets for convenience and freshness, have compiled a collection of recipes with an emphasis on fresh and natural ingredients. The fifty recipes including ice creams, sorbets, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and other delectable frozen treats are certain to please ice cream connoisseurs throughout the country. Most of the recipes in “Spice Dreams” are fairly straight-forward and accessible. What sets them apart from ones found in other collections is the use of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom. It’s summer, it’s hot, and it’s time to break out the ice cream freezer. This dandy little cookbook serves up tasty frozen treats with the added zest of spices.” ––Tucson Citizen http://tucsoncitizen.com/cooking/2010/05/26/new-cookbook-adds-spices-to-ice-creams-and-other-frozen-treats/

“If you’ve yet to cross over to the ranks of the at-home ice cream churners, we’ve got some sweet news: when you make ice cream at home, it can taste a whole lot better, and you can make it exactly toyour preference. This summer that means playing with fresh flavors like citrus, cinnamon, cardamom, and tarragon. Thankfully, Sara Engram and Katie Luber, authors of Spice Dreams, are experts at combining spices and creating surprisingly lip-smacking frozen treats.” ––Ready Made http://www.readymade.com/projects/article/spice_cream

“The book is devoted purely to frozen desserts, and a quick skim through will have any sweet tooth’s mouth watering. Authors Engram and Luber are spice connoisseurs, aiming to combine spices with frozen treats to make the best delectable summer desserts. The book first addresses how to make homemade ice cream. From basic vanilla to honey-mint with thyme and basil to brown sugar and spiced banana, each flavor is different than anything you’d find at the supermarket. If you prefer something lighter, there’s also an array or sorbet and frozen yogurt recipes to try, like mango with cumin and cinnamon and pink grapefruit-tarragon.” ––Kansas City.com http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/05/1925624/as-summer-heats-up-so-do-options.html#ixzz0nAMMQntB

“It was love at first site. I mean how can you not be smitten by a cookbook entitled: Cider Beans, Wild Greens and Dandelion Jelly? This fine work, subtitled Recipes from Southern Appalachia, may take some liberties, I see a number of delicious looking Cajun influenced recipes sneaking in here, but it’s certainly a fun read.  The book features several beautiful pictures of this wonderful and still wild span of States, as well as a short but engaging history of the settlement of the region, but the meat of the book, no pun intended, is, of course, the set of classic recipes, sourced from some of the area’s finest restaurants and inns.  There is also a great appendix resource in the book that not only lists all of those restaurants, (road trip anyone?) but also offers sources for some of the typical ingredients used in Appalachian cooking” ––Snooth http://www.snooth.com/articles/wine-and-food/appalachian-cooking/

“Joan Aller’s “Cider Beans, Wild Greens and Dandelion Jelly” tackles the foods of southern Appalachia with credit to the native and immigrant cultures that spawned them.” ––Associated Press

“Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly by Joan E. Aller. This cookbook is more than just a collection of recipes, through its lush photography and stores that document the history, people, and places in the region, it takes readers into the very heart of southern Appalachia.” ––Tucson Citizen http://tucsoncitizen.com/cooking/2010/08/17/new-cookbook-features-tasty-recipes-from-southern-appalachia/

““Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly,” by Joan E. Aller, includes more than 100 recipes, many accompanied with images and stories, for dishes made with foods prized by the people of southern Appalachia.” ––Bluffton Today http://www.npaper-wehaa.com/bluffton-today/2010/08/10/#?article=969398

“Joan Aller’s cookbook Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly: Recipes from Southern Appalachia reminds me of the way my grandparents cooked when I was coming up.” … So, if you’re looking for a nice introduction to Southern cuisine, or Southern Appalachia cuisine in particular, with all the history and folklore that goes along with it, then this book is for you.” ––Project Foodie http://bit.ly/9jSsUG

“”Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly: Recipes From Southern Appalachia” by Joan E. Aller: Some of the dishes in this irresistibly titled book date to the 1800s. The inclusion of a Southern Appalachian dictionary shows it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A map of the eight states is a nice bonus. Worth investigating: old-fashioned root beer, corn cob jelly and an appetizer called Mississippi Sin that’s made with French bread, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cooked ham, sour cream and a holy trinity of sweet onion, bell pepper and Worcestershire sauce.” ––NorthJersey.com http://bit.ly/9pHaOX

“In her beautiful new cookbook, Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly, Joan E. Aller, an artist and Tennessee dweller, lovingly documents the foods and history of the Southern Appalachian mountain ranges she calls home. She offers grits and redeye gravy for breakfast, okra soup and Tennessee-style corn pone for lunch, and Mountain Fried Steak with Possum Trot Cowboy Gravy for dinner. Got a sweet tooth? There’s Mountain Molasses Stack Cake and George Washington Carver’s Sweet Potato Pie for dessert.” ––Cowboys and Indians http://www.cowboysindians.com/blog/post.jsp?id=1468

“Joan Aller is an artist by profession and fearless by nature. No soon had she painted her mailbox than she was off, photographing barns and bridges and learning the ways of her new neighbors. That led quickly to food — and five years of research. At the end, she had gorgeous photographs of Southern Appalachia, luscious photographs of Southern food, and 8,000 pages of recipes and history. The good news is that Ms. Aller and her editors put her work on a diet. The result is a 212-page book that was extravagantly handsome until my wife and I started dog-earing the pages. Silly us — we want to cook almost everything here.” ––Huffington Post http://huff.to/9AR2Ul

“Some of the dishes in this irresistibly titled book date to the 1800s. The inclusion of a southern Appalachian dictionary shows it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A map of the eight states is a nice bonus. Worth investigating: old-fashioned root beer, corn cob jelly and and an appetizer called Mississippi Sin that’s made with French bread, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cooked ham, sour cream and a holy trinity of sweet onion, bell pepper and Worcestershire sauce. ” ––The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/06/15/ST2010061504657.html

“[Joan Aller] set out to document the history of [Southern Appalachia], from its landscape to its people and the food that sustained them. “It all started out very modestly. I started taking pictures of old barns and cabins and talking to people in the area. Then I started researching the different cultures that were here,” she said. The result of her work — which took five years from research to publication — was 8,000 pages of history and recipes that she and publishers at Andrews McMeel culled into a 212-page book.” ––Knox News http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/jun/10/new-cookbook-documents-areas-food-history/

“Reading the introduction to the just-released Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly, you might think this is going to be one of those spiral-bound potluck affairs with Xeroxed photos and hundreds of recipe contributors.  Nope. This part history/part cookbook is brought to you by a major publishing house and includes beautiful photographs taken by Aller, a California native who moved to the mountains of Eastern Tennessee several decades ago. With today’s bookstore shelves so littered with cookbooks from food celebrities, bloggers and journalists, it can be easy to forget that everyday home cooks (cooks without blogs) write great cookbooks, too. Really great cookbooks.” ––LA Weekly http://bit.ly/cwd5hc

“It’s amazing to me that a book that is supposed to be a cookbook could transport me away like this one did. But Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly isn’t just a typical cookbook. I found myself  totally immersed in the awesome photography of the Appalachian area, and also enjoying the history of the area. I was transported back in time to the days of my grandmother’s cooking through some of the recipes. … If you add but one new book to your cookbook shelf this year, let it be this one. You will not be disappointed at all.” ––Small Town Living http://stliving.com/?p=2926

“[Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly] is local cooking, but it’s meant to be transporting. You really get a sense of a unique place and how the food there evolved through the centuries. The author, Joan E. Aller, is an artist with a home in the Appalachian Mountains and has made this pretty much a love letter with photos, history and resources. She’s collected recipes from friends, neighbors and innkeepers for a great mix of down-home and swanky food: cowboy gravy and trout cakes with remoulade; fry bread and lemon-pepper popovers; old-fashioned root beer and grilled okra with pine nuts.” ––Epicurious http://bit.ly/b2l1G4

“Featuring more than 150 recipes for down-home, soul-satisfying dishes, Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly is more than just a cookbook. Complete with passages on the history, places, and people of southern Appalachia, along with lush full-color photography of the food and scenery of the southern Appalachian Mountains, Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly serves as both a cookbook and a guided tour of the local lore, traditions, and culture of this uniquely American region.” ––Banana Smoothie http://bit.ly/dcdrhV

“Each region of the nation has its own cooking traditions and is known for certain foods. Joan Aller explores the tastes and traditions of the southern Appalachia in “Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly“. There are more than 150 recipes, including everything from breakfast to beverages, so that you can try these Appalachian traditions in your own home. … The author submerges readers in Appalachian culture by providing a history of the region with accompanying photographs. Aller includes a short summary with each recipe about how she found it.” ––News Tribune http://bit.ly/ad37k4

“In Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly, author Joan Aller has dedicated herself to recording the recipes and the by-ways of life in the southern Appalachians.  Aller writes of the region and its food with tenderness, understanding and respect. There are no recipes from Ma and Pa Kettle in these pages, but rather recipes that have been honed through time, and that reflect the different cultural influences that have shaped them. … With authenticity, and with great love for the traditions of the area, Aller offers recipes that speak of tradition, as well as newer recipes in the ever-changing landscape of cuisine.” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/regional_american_cookbooks/appalachia_ALLER.html

“As soon as I opened Cider Beans, Wild Greens and Dandelion Jelly Recipes of Southern Appalachia by Joan Aller I knew it was full of recipes that I had to cook this summer. … And make no mistake; these recipes are a chef’s take on country food. Aller’s recipes are fine-tuned with a simple elegance.     ––Dolce Dolce http://www.dolcedolce.com/?p=3562

“Fortunately, for all foodies and lovers of hearty food that feeds both body and soul, Joan Aller unearths a mother lode of southern Appalachian sustenance for “Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly: Recipes from Southern Appalachia” ––Appalachain News Express http://www.news-expressky.com/articles/2010/05/19/everyday_living/01book.txt

“The author [of Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly], Joan E. Aller, lives on a dirt road surrounded by the Appalachian mountains. She lives a life that many of us dream of. A life of simplicity, serenity and comraderie with both humans and animal life. She has researched the history of the Appalachians and has compiled many recipes from the mountain folk as well as from many Inns and Restaurants.” ––Once A Week Vegan http://7shadesofvegan.blogspot.com/2010/05/mushrooms-stuffed-with-rice-and-greens.html

“It’s gourmet without the guilt. “Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget” by Amy McCoy is just the ticket for cash-strapped food lovers pining for their fancy cheeses and expensive cuts of meat.” ––The Portland Press Herald http://www.pressherald.com/life/cookbook-corner_2010-08-25.html

“Loss of paid work put an end to what Amy McCoy calls her willy-nilly food spending and led to her blogging about making the most of her food dollars at poorgirlgourmet.blogspot.com. This grew into a book, “Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget.” Her goal for these recipes is to feed four people well for $15 or less. To help accomplish this, McCoy lists her favorite ways to save money: not wasting food (which includes being careful about what you buy and planning for leftovers); buying in bulk and locally in season; buying whole foods (this means meat on the bone and entire vegetables, not the pre-cut kind); and buying items on sale.” ––Register Guard http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/sevendays/25170489-35/couscous-mccoy-juice-almonds-bowl.csp

“The appeal of Amy McCoy’s “Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget,” lies in its phenomenal ability to balance good taste with a tight budget.” ––Bluffton Today http://www.npaper-wehaa.com/bluffton-today/2010/08/10/#?article=969398

“If you think eating inexpensively must equal unhealthy take-out, prepare to be enlightened. Amy McCoy, author of the blog and new cookbook, “Poor Girl Gourmet,” believes cheap and healthy food can be a reality in anyone’s life.” ––Radio Boston, Boston’s NPR Station http://www.wbur.org/2010/06/14/pour-girl-gourmet

““Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget,” [is] a 222-page book that features 83 gourmet recipes, all but seven of which can feed a family of four for $15 or less. The items in the book are divided into four categories — soups and salads, entrees, veggies and sides and bakery and desserts. There’s also a splurge section that includes meals priced in the $15 to $30 range. ” ––The Herald News http://bit.ly/cAQbPF

“The best part about this book is Amy’s creativity and sensibility behind each and every recipe.  With the turn of every page you will find good, clean, and fair ingredients combined together to make a delicious gourmet meal that won’t wipe out your firstborn’s college fund.  The recipes account for the cost of every ingredient used to prepare each dish down to the cent, allowing even the most sophisticated palate to eat well despite the effects of the current economic recession.” ––Slow Food USA http://bit.ly/cmJKTp

“Think eating inexpensively means hot dogs, mac and cheese, and cold cereal? Not quite.  Instead, eating frugally includes Honey-Balsamic Chicken Thighs, Ginger Soy Sirloin Tip Stir-Fry with Mushrooms, Roaster Butternut Squash Soup, and Oatmeal Wheat Beer Bread.  These, and many more, are some of the recipes included in Amy McCoy’s Poor Girl Gourmet. ” ––Examiner.com http://bit.ly/cUDIp0

“We have reviewed a slew of “frugal cookbooks” since the recession began. Poor Girl Gourmet by Amy McCoy is the first “budget” cookbook I have not tossed out. This book is fabulous no matter your budget. Amy McCoy loves to cook and she knows how. She and her husband shopped without regard for price or quantity before the recession hit them. Now, she still shops at Whole Foods and cooks tasty gourmet meals, but the difference is she plans her menus and draws on her family’s legacy of Italian home cooking. There are no compromises in this book. Her recipes are fabulous and exciting.” ––Dolce Dolce http://bit.ly/aO7icg

“If you want to eat like a queen on a  pauper’s budget – this is the book for you! It definitely earned a top 5 cookbook spot on my shelf!” ––Katy Shops http://bit.ly/dxFRzG

“A new cookbook might make it a little easier to eat well at less the cost. Massachusetts-based network and television producer Amy McCoy found herself out of work during the recent economic downturn. Out of necessity, she transformed herself from a willy-nilly food spender to a rather parsimonious consumer. Her reinvention led to a blog with the end result a delightful cookbook that offers up engaging stories, friendly advice, and savory recipes, all geared to save money but eat well.” ––Tucson Citizen http://bit.ly/bib04S

“After years of liberally spending on whatever gourmet foods she wanted, Amy McCoy had developed a gourmet palate.  With the economic downturn, she found dollars and cents challenged that palate.  Determined to eat delicious food she reined in her spending and devised ways to eat gourmet-style dishes without an astronomical food bill.  To share her discoveries, she created the poor girl gourmet blog. As she discovered both old and new ways of thrifty cooking, the blog became popular. Now she has compiled her information, discoveries, and creatiions in an easy-to-read book, organized along traditional lines, and filled with tips and recipes, all of which fall within the parameters of a well-calculated budget. ” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/family_cookbooks/Poor_Girl_Gourmet.html

“Most of all, this cookbook brims with comforts of culinary ease. Many ingredients already are in our pantry. If not, a market visit is inexpensive as Amy pays careful mind to cost. Then, minimal work is asked of me in the kitchen. Burden-free. Worry-free. Minimal weight of moolah in my pocket. Maximum reward.” ––Palate to Pen http://www.palatetopen.com/?p=2297

“In her brand new cookbook, Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget, [Amy McCoy] takes us on a low-budget, high-quality food adventure, offering proven tips for eating wholesomely on the cheap, as well as providing reliable recipes to back the tips up. Her suggestions for frugal eating are one hundred percent applicable for every household and well worth reading about.” ––Simple Bites http://www.simplebites.net/10-tips-to-help-you-conserve-some-coin/

“Amy shows how to make healthy and delicious meals for four for under fifteen dollars, breaking each recipe down to dollars and cents. These are simple but gourmet meals that are presented in a friendly and conversational manner. You will be inspired to shop smarter, eat better, and save money.” ––Living in the Kitchen with Puppies http://bit.ly/c4bVgX

“You don’t have to pay a lot even if you love eating well, according to “Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget,” by cable television cooking personality Amy McCoy. … “Each recipe serves at least four people, so it’s perfect for families on a budget,” said the publisher. … Abundant recipes make up the bulk of the book, of course. Each is published with a section explaining how the author managed to make the dish and stay under her $15 price limit” ––Lincoln Courier http://bit.ly/bQWNRI

“In “Poor Girl Gourmet,” McCoy packs in scores of colorful recipes with short paragraphs explaining what inspired them. There are also tinted boxes telling readers the estimated cost of the meal for four people, and even what the cook can expect to pay for the individual ingredients. The cookbook also includes Poor Girl Gourmet Pointers for saving money, a section on wine values, menu suggestions for staying under a $15 meal budget, and even a “Splurges” chapter for when you want to crank it up to a $30 ceiling.” ––The Sun Chronicle http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2010/06/02/features/7443314.txt

“I loved this cookbook because as a parent I want to serve and eat healthy foods without spending a lot of money but not scrimp on the taste of it. … There is roughly 84 recipes in the book and here is what I loved about that, there is a photo with every single recipe (BONUS for me) and with each recipe she has also broken down the cost of the items so it shows you what you end up saving on each meal.” ––Cindy’s Love of Books http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/06/poor-girl-gourmet-review.html

“”Poor Girl Gourmet” is a great book for anyone looking to eat gourmet-style food but not break the bank doing it. Everything I tried was simple to make, most recipes don’t require special or “fancy” ingredients, and it all tasted great. There is a good variety of types of ingredients and food and it definitely has a gourmet edge. It is the kind of food you can enjoy as a weeknight meal, or comfortably serve to company. Most of the recipes are set for four people, but I found them easy to reduce if needed. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for any foodie or foodie wanna-be who wants to eat well and wants some help saving money while doing so.  ––Kahakai Kitchen http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2010/05/cookbook-review-poor-girl-gourmet-eat.html

“Without the freelance work she’d done for 13 years, [Amy McCoy] kept cooking there in her Rehoboth kitchen — and then she started writing about it. She created the Poor Girl Gourmet blog and shared not just recipes but details on how she was learning to eat wonderfully without spending like she used to be able to do. … McCoy’s passion for fine food and her willingness to cook her way out of life’s unexpected twists and turns can inspire us on many levels. It can send us into the kitchen to cook her recipes for exceptional meals made with simple ingredients. It can encourage us that following our passion can sometimes lead to a new career or mission or way of life. … It will no doubt be welcome by home cooks near and far. It is a superior guide on how to create fine dining in your home inexpensively.” ––The Providence Journal http://www.projo.com/food/content/fd-poor_girl_gourmet_05-19-10_Q6IFT2A_v28.11c59574.html

“This beautiful cookbook features decadent and delectable recipes for foodies with limited budgets, but sophisticated tastes. The book includes: 83 budget gourmet recipes featuring seasonal ingredients, including soups and salads, entrees, vegetables and sides, bakery and desserts, and splurges. All but seven of the recipes are $15 or less and serve four. Recipe pricing is based on regular prices, non-GMO treated meats, and doesn’t require clipping coupons” –– Susie Said http://suzysaid.com/atlanta/index.php?page=stories&display=254

“Do you love gourmet food but can’t afford it in this recession? You’re in the same boat as author Amy McCoy, who started a blog on gourmet food on a budget after the economy took away her luxury life. The blog has now been turned into a cookbook featuring McCoy’s secret tips and recipes. The most helpful chapter of the entire book is entitled “Poor Girl Gourmet Pointers,” where McCoy tells readers how to get the most bang for their buck. Tips include cooking at home, planning meals for a week, minimizing wasting food and shopping in ethnic markets. The book is then divided into chapters based on type of course. Each recipe includes how many people it feeds, which is always at least four, how much it will cost and McCoy’s personal commentary on the dish. From espresso granita, serving four people for $1.57, to honey mustard and cider-marinated pork spareribs for four at $7.56, McCoy’s frugal expertise will save any reader a fortune. And just because the recipes are inexpensive doesn’t mean that the food isn’t just as delicious as a gourmet meal at any restaurant.” ––KansasCity.com http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/05/1925624/as-summer-heats-up-so-do-options.html#ixzz0nAL2t6r4

“The Poor Girl Gourmet cookbook aims to dispel the myth that inexpensive food is of inferior quality, unhealthy, or difficult to prepare. Each meal for four costs $15 or less, with many of the recipes coming in at under $10. McCoy relies on techniques learned from her mother, grandmothers, and years of home cooking to create memorable meals from less expensive ingredients, and always with an eye toward quality and flavor.” ––Slow Food Rhode Island http://bit.ly/bXLlNW

“Tessa Kiros’ Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook is unique in its kind. It artfully blends memoir and cookbook and takes us on a voyage back to our own childhood. Apples for Jam consists of  a collection of easily followed recipes interwoven with wonderfully colorful photos and prettily designed pages. … But what is maybe the nicest about this book is its capacity to enchant. If you do not feel like cooking you can still enjoy the artwork, relish in the photos and read the little stories and Tessa’s childhood memories and let her take you back on a trip to your own cherished past.” ––Mama Used to Cook This http://mamausedtocookthis.wordpress.com/2010/08/07/apples-for-jam-a-colorful-cookbook-by-tessa-kiros-2007/

“I love this cookbook and find the recipes and the writing so inspiring (not to mention the gorgeous photography). In addition to the recipes, Tessa Kiros, the author, also offers lots of vignettes on childhood memories and on mothering her own children. It’s a delight!” ––Salt and Chocloate http://saltandchocolate.blogspot.com/2009/11/meatless-supper-7.html

” I’m not a foodie, barely a baker, and hardly a cook, but I love Apples for Jam, Tessa Kiros’s cookbook that is organized by color.  It’s impossible to ignore this gorgeous book design–spot gloss glowers on top of a pink and red cover that vibrates with joy. Inside, the book is a delight as well. The book is divided into sections by color (red and pink are my favorites!), filled with full page beauty shots of the food, family snapshots and doodles, and memories of Kiros’s childhood kitchen.” ––Each Penny Pretty http://eachpennypretty.blogspot.com/2009/09/weekend-read-apples-for-jam.html

“Apples for Jam is the third delightful book from Tessa Kiros. Inspired by the excitement and simplicity of childhood, Tessa has brought together recipes based around colourful, pure, fresh ingredients that create uncomplicated and delicious family meals. From the comfort of soups and roasts, to the striking colours of beetroot gnocchi and mango sorbet, to the simplicity of rice pudding with nutmeg, this book weaves recipes with reflections and hopes. Alternative ingredients and options for serving suggestions are given for many of the recipes, extending their appeal. The evocative text and innovative recipes are complemented by beautiful photographs and illustrations Filled with comfort food and warm memories, Apples for Jam is a vibrant and charming cookbook for people who love food and life.” ––Cook-Books.com http://www.cook-books.com.au/ccp0-prodshow/apples-jam-tessa-kiros-new-hardcover-cookbook.html

“[The Scandinavian Cookbook is] a thing of beauty, about as much a coffee table book as cookbook, full of gorgeous Scandinavian landscapes. It also has some wonderful sounding recipes. The book is organized by month, and each recipe has information about the recipe’s basis, or the author’s history with it.” ––Knit Think http://knitthink.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/02/friday-food.html

“Now is the time to indulge your inner Scandinavian.” ––Rocky Mountain Telegram http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/bake-indulge-your-inner-scandinavian-14713

“Trina Hahnemann’s offering, The Scandinavian Cookbook, brings the essence of Scandinavia to life and to the table. Lars Ranek’s food and landscape photography is just as remarkable as Trina’s seasonal recipes.Trina offers a modern twist on Scandinavia’s traditions with wholesome and mouthwatering dishes organized by the calendar month. Her progressive take on taste celebrates the region’s rich traditions of family meals and festivals, as well as its robust seasons, with simple recipes made from healthy and timely ingredients.” ––Imaginary Kitchen http://bit.ly/1duA4I

“The book is divided into the twelve months of the year and focuses on a ‘light, modern version of Scandinavian home cooking’. The four seasons are reflected in the recipes, with much emphasis on fresh local produce. A short introduction accompanied each recipe, explaining the background to the dish, sometimes with a personal anecdote. I find this an essential part of any cookery book, because I like to learn about the origins of a dish than simply be told how to prepare it. For example, Hahnemann describes Skagen, located in the northern tip of Denmark, where the famous Skagen fish soup comes from, and it sounds like a place I would love to visit.” ––World Foodie Guide http://www.worldfoodieguide.com/index.php/the-scandinavian-cookbook-by-trina-hahnemann/

“Translated for an American audience, The Scandinavian Cookbook is a visual feast for any food lover and traveler to places far from home, offering a view and taste of Nordic life that I know hardly a thing about. As evident by the diversity of recipes in her book from fruit porridge (her grandmother’s beloved recipe) to Venison with celery root gratin to Danish butter cookies, they are more than gravlax.” ––Romney Steele, author of  My Nepenthe http://mynepenthebook.com/2009/09/food-with-love/

“Both the recipes and the photographs of this beautiful “coffee table” book demonstrate the haunting simplicity that is the hallmark and the glory of Scandinavian cooking.” ––About.com http://scandinavianfood.about.com/b/2009/08/07/trina-hahnemanns-the-scandinavian-cookbook.htm

“I loved this book.  I love that it is organized by month and by what is in season.  It totally takes the guess work out of what to cook.  Open the book, turn to the current month, and make something amazing.  Although the cauliflower soup is listed in November, all of the ingredients are in season here in Washington, D.C.  It is my lucky day.  I would totally recommend picking up this book.  The recipes, pictures and stories are worth it.   Trina Hahnemann has written a great book.” ––Savory Reviews http://www.savoryreviews.com/2009/07/15/book-review-the-scandinavian-cookbook/

“The book has 115 recipes divided by months and grouped into seasons to make the most of the local foods available in the Nordic region. The photography is gorgeous, (done by Lars Ranek, one of Scandinavia’s premier food photographers), and features beautiful shots of the recipes, the ingredients and the countries themselves, making this the kind of cookbook you want to read and enjoy. Each recipe or grouping of recipes has notes about the history and customs of the dish, so I found myself learning a lot going through the book and selecting recipes to try. Hahnemann set out to show that modern Scandinavian cooking has “evolved” from the more traditional recipes and many of the dishes take inspiration from other countries and cultures while making the most of local ingredients.” ––Kahakai Kitchen http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2009/06/cookbook-review-scandinavian-cookbook.html

“Trina Hahnemann’s offering, The Scandinavian Cookbook, brings the essence of Scandinavia to life and to the table. Lars Ranek’s food and landscape photography is just as remarkable as Trina’s seasonal recipes. Cooks will enjoy 340 rich and evocative four-color photographs by Lars Ranek, who uniquely showcases the beauty he finds in the food and culture of Scandinavia.  Trina offers a modern twist on Scandinavia’s traditions with wholesome and mouthwatering dishes organized by the calendar month. Her progressive take on taste celebrates the region’s rich traditions of family meals and festivals, as well as its robust seasons, with simple recipes made from healthy and timely ingredients.” ––Food Reference http://www.foodreference.com/html/scandinavian-cookbook-421.html

“The book is not only an introduction to the cuisine of Scandinavia, but to its culture. This is a lovely book for beginners and experienced cooks looking for inspiration.” ––Dolce Dolce http://www.dolcedolce.com/?cat=25

“As a well-traveled food writer, Trina Hahnemann nurtured a desire to show the world that Scandinavian cooking has “moved on” from the old-fashioned cookbooks that once represented her native cuisine. The result is The Scandinavian Cookbook, filled with delectable recipes grouped by season that share the beautiful and healthy foods found in the world’s Nordic countries.” ––Global Gourmet http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/2009/scandinavian-cookbook/

“Simple, clean, well executed food that is imaginative enough to be interesting, but simple enough to cook without too much sweat. Oh, and it also has rather spellbinding photography in it.” ––Wright Food: Recipes and Culinary Adventures from a Brit in Seattle http://mattikaarts.com/blog/charcuterie/citrus-cured-copper-river-salmon/

“The recipes are a mixture of familiar traditional recipes, variations on the traditional (like fish cakes in curry sauce), and new recipes using traditional Scandinavian ingredients. There are photographs of almost every dish, interspersed with photos of the raw ingredients and cityscapes, landscapes and people, all of them in glorious colour. The abundance of photographs means that this is not just a recipe collection, but actually a gorgeous coffee-table book as well.” ––Ice Cook: Icelandic cooking, recipes and food culture http://icecook.blogspot.com/2009/05/cookbook-review-scandinavian-cookbook.html

“The Scandinavian Cookbook is an amazing cookbook. The photos are absolutely beautiful. There are plenty of recipes for people with special diets, including spelt buns and plenty of meat and fish dishes, or recipes than can be altered to accommodate.” ––With Without http://withwithout.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/book-review-the-scandinavian-cookbook/

“I am mad about this book, The Scandinavian Cookbook by Trina Hahnemann. I have to pace myself with this book, especially during the May, June, July and August chapters because the pages are filled with images that remind me of my childhood.” ––Miss Whistle Whistling http://misswhistle.blogspot.com/2009/05/scandinavian-cookbook.html

“The Scandinavian Cookbook is chock-full of delicious and easy to make recipes and stunning photography.” ––WCBS Dining Diary, by Bob Lape http://www.wcbs880.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3704679

“Eating Local tells the stories of people whose lives are as vital as the food they produce, and gives recipes that extend that vitality to the consumer.   The message within the book is to love the land, eat well, be vital in your own life.  It is dedicated to “America’s hardworking farmers who make eating locally possible. … Janet Fletcher, formerly of the celebrated Chez Panisse, has created recipes that allow ingredients to star.  There are such wonderful recipes as Sicilian Spring Vegetable Stew; Pickled Yellow Wax Beans with Fresh Dill; Broccoli Rabe and Turnip Greens with Hot Pepper Vinegar; Grilled Eggplant Cannelloni with Ricotta and Prosciutto; Braised Chicken with Apple Cider, Tarragon, and Cream; Grilled Flank Steak with Old-Fashioned Creamed Spinach; Polenta with Chopped Broccoli and Pecorino; Carrot-Zucchini Bread with Candied Ginger; Heirloom Apple Tart with Almond Filling and Calvados Cream; Grilled Nectarines with Mascarpone Ice Cream and Crushed Amaretti.” ––Ukiah Blog http://ukiahcommunityblog.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/cookbook-review-eating-local/

“This book is truly a love letter to the eating local movement.” ––Project Foodie

“The meat of the book is its vegetable chapter. Recipes are of the minimalist kind but with twists — whole okra, grilled and kissed with smoked paprika — that may surprise. Recipes do double-duty. Trim the ribs from floppy leaves of Swiss chard to make packets of mozzarella and anchovies for the grill, but don’t think of tossing those ribs. They star in another dish with yogurt, walnuts and dill.” ––Chicago Sun-Times http://bit.ly/dv2ntx

“Instead of meal courses, Fletcher has divided the book into fruits and vegetables (with a small section on dairy and meats), so readers can flip to the ingredient they’re looking for - arugula, eggplant, sweet corn, for example - and related recipes. If the gorgeous photos don’t send you to your nearest farm stand, the recipes will: Creamy Red Onion Soup, Braised Peas and Fennel With Pecorino, and Peach and Boysenberry Cobbler.” ––The Columbus Dispatch http://bit.ly/bOVk4A

“Organized by vegetable, Eating Local shares the wisdom of farmers to guide you in eating smartly and creatively from whatever bounty comes your way.” ––KidoInfo http://bit.ly/dBBp1x

“As you can see the cover is beautiful, but I promise you that all of the 150+ photographs in this book are amazing. It features wonderful pictures of different types of produce that are just so bright and colorful. I have to warn you that this cookbook will make you want to visit your local farmer’s market! As lovely as the pictures are, Eating Local also is filled with so many delicious recipes. As you can see the cover is beautiful, but I promise you that all of the 150+ photographs in this book are amazing. It features wonderful pictures of different types of produce that are just so bright and colorful. I have to warn you that this cookbook will make you want to visit your local farmer’s market! As lovely as the pictures are, Eating Local also is filled with so many delicious recipes.” ––Booking Mama http://bit.ly/9UrQJB

“CSAs and farmers markets are a wonderful way to buy your produce, but figuring out how to get the produce home and then what to do with all that bounty is an ongoing issue, says Bay Area food writer Janet Fletcher. Her new book, “Eating Local, The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers,” is a joint venture with Sur La Table. The cookware boutique’s corporate headquarters in Seattle is a drop-off point for CSA boxes in a pilot program the company hopes may eventually expand. The idea, Fletcher says, is “to make it easier for people to buy local, support local farms and get fresh food on their own table.”" ––Fresh Produce Talk http://bit.ly/bkMHDA

“In “Eating Local,” … cookbook author Janet Fletcher has partnered with Sur La Table to create a useful reference for anyone who’s ever wondered what to do with the parsnips at the bottom of their Community Supported Agriculture box; or for those who look longingly at a perfect bunch of squash blossoms at the farmers’ market, but pass them over for a more recognizable vegetable.” ––SFGate http://bit.ly/cU0JH3

“Eating Local is a gorgeous hardcover cookbook that is worth getting just to look at the photographs. But if you’re a Localvore or someone who tries to eat from the bounty of their garden, you’ll want to get Eating Local for the amazing recipes it offers.” ––Confessions of an Overworked Mom http://bit.ly/cd4FsP

“”Eating Local, the Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers,” by Sur la Table and Janet Fletcher. You can’t help but be hungry as you page through this volume of delight, with color photos of farmers and their crops and of stunning food from around the country. These recipes are all doable, and make the most of local produce, often as simple twists on favorites (Grilled Tomatoes With Pesto, anyone?).” ––Star Tribune http://bit.ly/a1uUKw

“The cookbook contains 150 recipes focused on ingredients that may be new to you or are in abundance during certain times of the year.  Do you know how to prepare the eggplant and arugula in your box?  No problem!  Just look up a recipe.  Do you need some fresh and interesting ways to prepare all that zucchini that florishes in August?  The answer is here.” ––Examiner.com http://bit.ly/aG8GSN

“Hot off the presses, “Eating Local” just crossed our desk, and already we can tell that it’s a keeper – one whose recipes will bring us back time and again, especially as farmers’ markets in our area share their bounty. Written by food journalist Janet Fletcher in conjunction with Sur La Table, a retailer of gourmet cooking utensils and related merchandise, this book instructs home cooks on how to make the most of the “localvoire” movement, that is, using foods of the immediate area sourced not too far from home.” ––Lake County Journal http://www.lakecountyjournals.com/articles/2010/06/14/39000451/index.xml

“The book is organized by ingredient, so as each fruit or vegetable comes into season, you can turn to that section to find several recipes highlighting the fresh ingredients.  Or, if you’re like me, you’ll pick your favorite vegetable (eggplant) and cook everything in that section. … Every recipe I’ve tried is surprisingly simple and delightfully fresh.” ––Alexandra Hedin http://alexandrahedin.blogspot.com/2010/06/read-it-eating-local.html

“This lovely cookbook is a farmers markets dream because the every single recipe had a fruit or vegetable included in it and perusing through it is like walking the stalls of our local farmers markets. Each page is bursting with fabulous produce and it’s like visiting a stand from a favorite farmer. The color, freshness and appeal of every recipe is a proud reminder of why so many of us try to eat local and support our farmers.” ––White on Rice Couple http://bit.ly/cknoE5

“Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers is the latest issue from Sur La Table.  It is written by Janet Fletcher, a food writer with excellent credentials.  She was trained as a cook at the Culinary Institute of America and Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley.  She won three James Beards awards for her food writing for the San Francisco Chronicle and she’s authored or co-authored 20 cookbooks.  She’s a Master Gardener, too. So you can expect great recipes to help you make the most of your deliveries from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, your local farmer’s market, or your own veggie plots. The book also includes techniques for preserving seasonal food so none of your precious crop need go to waste. It also takes you behind the scenes so you can learn what a CSA farmer’s life is like, through photos and interviews.” ––Fresh Dirt, Sunset.com http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2010/05/opportunities-to-meet-your-local-farmers-at-sur-la-table.html

“James Beard Award-winning writer Janet Fletcher is garnering considerable buzz for her newest cookbook, “Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers“, with its glorious photographs and 150 tempting recipes. Stories and images from 10 small family farms are interspersed among recipes” ––Mercury News http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15063075?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

“This one is the book you give as a gift to your locavore friends when they invite you to the beach house for a week. Like most Sur La Table books, it’s a feast for the eyes: lushly photographed, and somehow both elegant and earthy. Haven’t got any friends with a beach house? Yeah, me neither, actually. Fortunately, Eating Local cooks as good as it looks.” ––NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127062738

“Thousands of Americans purchase their groceries from supermarkets, fully aware that their groceries have probably been imported from halfway around the world. But what few realize is that meats, cheese, fruits and vegetables from local sources are not only fresher, but they’re often also cheaper and taste better. Sur La Table and Janet Fletcher’s new cookbook celebrates this, and teaches Americans how to cook with more local, fresh ingredients so they can enjoy food that much more.” ––KansasCity.com http://bit.ly/dtYprI

“This newest collection from Sur La Table (The Art and Soul of Baking; Things Cooks Love) is perfect for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscribers and farmers’ market fans looking for ideas on how to use their produce. James Beard Award–winning food writer Fletcher profiles ten American farms with CSA programs. Since the book focuses on fresh, seasonal produce, recipes are organized by primary ingredient rather than course.” ––Library Journal http://bit.ly/cgM5H7