Inside the Jewish Bakery by Stanley Ginsberg

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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Bread is one of my biggest weaknesses. Other than a cheese shop, a bakery can draw me in quicker than anything. I love baking my own bread and filling the house with the wonderful smells and then sitting down to the amazing flavors. I expected this book to be right up my alley. Make no mistake; there are some great recipes in this book. I was very disappointed with the number of errors. I actually received the second edition, so I expected the errors to be fixed. There's only half a dozen or so on the errata page, but those were noted to be mistakes in the first edition so I was really surprised that ALL the mistakes weren't corrected for the second edition. I also had to laugh out loud at the recipe for Bakery Challah which calls for 7 1/2 egg yolks. Really?! I've never seen a recipe call for you to split an egg yolk before!

This book is filled with wonderful recipes that call you in and cry out to be made. I can imagine that this would be a jewel for someone who grew up in New York or somewhere with Jewish bakeries and now has moved away and can't get all the lovely baked goods they grew up with. I hear people talk about the different breads, rolls or pastries that were their favorites, and chances are they're in this book! I just have to caution you to print out the errata page for any corrections first.

I received a copy of this book from Camino Books for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Salt Block Cooking by Mark Bitterman

My rating: 5 of 5 spoons
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I have a guilty pleasure: I love cooking shows! It was while watching one of my favorite ones that I first saw someone use a salt block to cook and I was immediately fascinated. I was very excited to get this book and check it out. I did NOT realize how expensive the salt blocks can be!  Definitely be ready to make an investment if you want a good salt block of a decent size.

The recipes in here range from super simple to slightly more complicated, but definitely intriguing. You have to try the "Salt Brick Grilled Chicken"!! There's a great section in the beginning filled with history, how to shop for a salt block, sizing guide, handling and more. This is definitely the quintessential book on salt block cooking, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to foray into this area of cooking.

I received a copy of this book from Andrews McMeel Publishing through the Lisa Ekus Group for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pretzel Making at Home by Andrea Slonecker

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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I'm not a fan of the hard pretzels you buy in bags, but I love a good soft pretzel every now and then, so I was really interested in getting into this book and trying my hand at it.

The book itself is a nice layout. More photos would have been nice, but the photos they have used are great. There is lots of good information in the front of the book with history, whys and wherefores. I haven't really gotten to cook much out of this book, though. As a Christian and non-drinker, I will not buy beer--even to cook with and a good portion of the recipes call for beer. I also have a tiny kitchen and 4 little kids, so I don't really have a good set up to use the lye solution. However, there is some great information in this book, lovely dips/toppings and a few recipes I can cook now and with some more research maybe I can find a good substitute for the beer and cook some more of these recipes.

I did drop the rating to a four due to the beer and lye as not everyone can/will use these, but for someone with no problems with beer and a good setup to be able to use the lye, this is definitely the book to go for!

I received a copy of this book from Chronicle Books through the Lisa Ekus Group for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Small, Sweet and Italian by Maria Bruscino Sanchez

My rating: 3 of 5 spoons
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"Small, Sweet and Italian-ish" might be a better title for this cookbook. A good portion of the recipes seem to be more derivative than actual Italian recipes, which made it somewhat of a disappointment to me. I can create Italian-ish recipes on my own. I was looking for authentic Italian desserts, and so this cookbook didn't quite cut it for me.

On the other hand, if you just want some delicious dessert recipes, or if you are a die-hard Sweet Maria's Bakery fan, this would definitely be a great cookbook for you! There are some amazing recipes in here (including some that are authentic Italian desserts) that would make a perfect finishing touch for any meal. Definitely try out the Godfather Cupcakes, Chocolate Cookie Cannoli with Whipped Cream and Pistachio Chocolate Cupcakes to name a few.

The only other issue with this cookbook is that the author assumes you have a stand mixer, so most if not all of the instructions are for a stand mixer. If you don't have one, you just have to figure out the best way to do it yourself.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Sardinian Cookbook by Viktorija Todorovska

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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Sardinia is the lesser known of Italy's two main islands. Sicily, the more well-known island, is very dear to my heart, and I think that made me even a little more excited to check out the similarities and differences between cooking and culture of the two islands.

This was such a great book, both to read and to cook out of! There is a lovely section on the island itself as well as bits and pieces scattered throughout the book. The recipes are a fascinating array. I have oven roasted potatoes for years, and almost didn't make the recipe for "Potatoes with Mediterranean Herbs" for that reason, but I would have really missed out! I've always roasted my potatoes from a raw state, and I wasn't sure about baking the potatoes for at least 45 minutes AFTER boiling them to a fork tender state. Wow! They were amazing!! Like silk or velvet on the inside with a luscious crust on the outside, they became an instant favorite in my house! I'll be honest; the "Endive with Extra Virgin Olive Oil" was a bust. Even my husband who loves all cooked greens couldn't eat them. The uber-simple "Chicken with Capers" more than made up for the endive. Such a few ingredients, and a simple preparation, but what a flavor!! We had company over and they raved over the chicken as well!

This is a great cookbook to dip into the waters of Sardinian cooking. I'm far from finished with this book as there is so many more recipes that make my mouth water just reading them! I did drop my rating to 4 stars due to the amount of hard-to-find ingredients. Items like myrtle (dried and/or crushed leaves and branches), bottarga, fregola and more may be available in some specialty stores, but most will probably have to order them off the internet.

I received a copy of this cookbook from Agate Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summerland by Anne Quatrano

 My rating: 2 of 5 spoons
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My roots are in the South, and I was raised on Southern cooking. I was excited to see a book on Southern cooking, but refined. I was not expecting a book that was so "refined" in most places it in no way resembled any Southern cooking I've ever known! "Kumamoto Oysters with Caviar and Champagne Gelée", "Broccoli Soup with Sabayon and Shaved Perigord Truffle", "Potted Quail Livers", "Caramelized Onions, Olive Soil, and White Anchovies on Dark Bread" (No, that is not a typo, it's actually "olive soil"). Where are these people from? Well, they may have moved to the South, but he's from Hawaii and she's from Connecticut. I think a lot of that shines through in these recipes.

There are some good, basic recipes that are very Southern in here that are worth cooking, like "Shirred Farm Eggs", "Summerland Farm Egg Custard", and "Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon" to name a few. There are even a few authentic dishes that I WOULDN'T recommend--can you say "Head Cheese"?!? Seriously, though, if you are looking for true Southern cooking that's just a little healthier or a little more upscale, I don't know if this is for you. If you're looking to impress someone with fancy food which may or may not resemble Southern cooking at all, this is probably the book for you.

I received a copy of this book from Rizzoli International Publications through The Lisa Eskus Group for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Callie's Biscuits and Southern Traditions by Carrie Morey

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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I have lived all over the US, but I am a Southern girl at heart. My parents were both born and raised in the South, and I grew up on good, Southern cooking. I couldn't wait to start cooking from this book. I'll be honest, I'm something of a biscuit snob. To me, biscuits should be simple and so I haven't made Callie's biscuits yet (I've never HEARD of putting cream cheese into biscuits!), but will probably give them a go sometime in the future. I do heartily agree with her preference for White Lily flour for your biscuits, though. It's the best brand I've found for great biscuits.

A Cup A Cup A Cobbler

This is definitely a book on Southern cooking and, as such, Callie loves her butter!! Now I love butter as much as the next person (I refuse to even have margarine in my house!), but 1 stick of butter for the "A Cup A Cup A Cobbler" recipe was definitely too much. I took it to church for our potluck, and the ladies there agreed that the cobbler taste was good, but it was way too much butter. I would recommend dropping it to no more than 1/2 stick, and possibly less. On the same vein, I was going to whip up the "Christmas Cast-Iron Apple" which looks like a cross between an apple pie and an apple crumble today, but between the pie crust recipe and the pie recipe, it calls for a grand total of 2 1/4 sticks of butter! I decided to hold this recipe until Thanksgiving when I can just indulge and not worry about it!


Mrs. Em's Bread

Mrs. Em's Bread has a wonderful flavor. It's quick and easy to whip up and the results were great. I will say that the inside of mine was slightly doughy even though by her guidelines it should have been done, but that could be partly due to my new loaf pan. Next time I'll let it cook about 5 minutes more than she says.

 

This book has a great basic roasted chicken recipe with instructions for several varieties. I made the Greek Chicken, and it came out wonderful!! It is very easy to make and has a luscious flavor to it.

If you're into eating healthy, be careful with this book!! It is truly Southern in many ways. However, if you just love to eat Southern and hang the calories, or if you want that splurge ever so often, this would be a great cookbook for you! I definitely plan to keep it around, and there are lots of recipes I can't wait to try. (The "Lighter Low Country Tomato Pie" is absolutely calling my name!) Grab yourself a copy and let's get cooking!!

I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.