An earnest, if uneven, cookbook for Sunday occasions.
In this debut cookbook, Morgan fondly recalls foods from past Sunday afternoons and evenings that she spent visiting her relatives’ houses, strolling the farmers market, having picnics at the beach, or watching football games.
The author’s recipes here serve up nostalgia, along with some newer ideas to shake things up. Various chapters address breakfast food (“Carpe Your Diem”), picnic fare (“Perfecting the Piqué Nic”), TV-viewing snacks (“Couch Potato Fan Food”), fancier entrees (“Culinary Class”), and desserts (“Sundaes & Confectioneries”). These are all are rich, hearty foods made from scratch, and they’re not aimed at dieters, although the author does encourage sourcing ingredients from local farmers markets. The type is large and easy to read, and most recipes include large, full-color photographs by the author, which would have benefited from professional lighting and food styling. Although she includes serving sizes, she doesn’t supply preparation times. There are additional tips at the end of many recipes, such as “Gotta-Have Gadgets,” including a cherry-pitting tool, and “Sunday Jump Start,” offering tips on how to use leftovers. The recipes range from such classics as “Chicken ‘n Dumplins” to more exotic entries, such as “Roasted Pepper Chutney on Welsh Rarebit Sandwiches.” Many recipes are somewhere in between these categories—classics with a twist, such as “Tequila-Spiked Berry Shortcakes” or “Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Bread Pudding.” The introduction paints the cookbook as a tour through memory lane, but anecdotes about specific recipes are sparse. Some instructions could have left more room for adaptation; for instance, instead of saying “drop the batter into the lined muffin cups using a 3-inch ice-cream scoop,” the author could have simply described how full the cups should be. Other recipes depend on specific appliances, such as a bread machine, which isn’t always mentioned right away. That said, there are some fun recipes here for readers to try for their next family gathering or afternoon at the park.
An earnest, if uneven, cookbook for Sunday occasions.Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4809-4049-9
Page Count: 334
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co.
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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