The Czechoslovak Cookbook Czechoslovakias best selling cookbook adapted for American kitchens Includes recipes for authentic dishes like Goulash Apple Torte Crown Classic Cookbook Series
May 30, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
Joza Brizova
In Czechoslovakia, a country known for fine cooks, a copy of Varime Zdrave Chutne a Hospodarne graces nearly every kitchen. Now this best-selling Czechoslovak cookbook has been adapted for American use. The Czechoslovak Cookbook contains over 500 authentic recipes that convey the essence of Czechoslovak cuisine.
Hearty soups made from modest ingredients are one of the hallmarks of Czechoslovak cuisine. Contained in this volume are recipes for such favorites as Garlic Soup, Creamed Fish Soup, and Rye Bread Soup. Robust meat dishes include Ginger Roast Beef, Braised Beef with Vegetables and Sour Cream, Beef Goulash, Tartar Beefsteak, Mutton with Marjoram, Veal Cutlets with Mushrooms, Stuffed Breast of Veal, Veal Paprika, Roast Pork with Capers, Braised Sweetbreads, and a variety of pates.
The poultry and game chapter contains recipes for Chicken Paprika, Roast Capon, Roast Goose. Stuffed Roast Squab, Roast Hare with Sour Cream, and Leg of Venison with Red Wine.
The Czechs are particularly fond of meals centered around egg dishes and dumplings, for instance Baked Eggs with Chicken Livers, Farina Omelet, Noodle Souffle with Cherries and Nuts, Noodles with Farmer Cheese, Napkin Dumplings, Dumplings with Smoked Meat, and Sour Cream Pancakes. Rounded out with a vegetable dish like Sauteed Cabbage, Green Beans Paprika, or Stuffed Kale Rolls, these entrees make a tasty and inexpensive dinner.
The Czechs are justifiably famous for their baking, and The Czechoslovak Cookbook is full of delectable baked goods: Bohemian Biscuits. Crisp Potato Sticks, Salt Rolls, Pretzels, Christmas Twist, Checkerboard Cookies, Bishop’s Bread, and Honey Cake.
Suitable for both the experienced cook and the novice who hasn’t ventured beyond broiling a steak, The Czechoslovak Cookbook is a valuable asset to any kitchen.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars A very good cookbook for Czech and Slovak food
“The Czechoslovak Cookbook” By Joza Brizova is a very good cookbook for Czech and Slovak food. The book was originally written in the 1960s and the passage of time has brought some changes. Notably, what was Czechoslovakia is now the two countries, The Czech Republic and Slovakia. I think the book might be more useful if the recipies of the different ethnic groups were labeled more specifically, as there is a change of cuisine between the countries, from West to East. However, the recipes are sound and yield good food. In general, one finds foods related to the surrounding countries as well as recipes specific to the main ethnic groups within the two countries. This is, probably, the best standard cookbook for this area of Europe. Best of all, all the directions are written specifically for American kitchens and there is no worry about metric measures.
5 Stars The Czechoslovak Cookbook
This cookbook was excellent. I found several of my grandmother’s recipes in here and because many of her recipes did not get passed down to other members of the family, I can now use this great cookbook and think of all the wonderful meals she prepared for us.
3 Stars Probably the best of its kind, but still a little disappointing
I’ve used this cookbook for a couple of years now, and have mixed feelings about it. As some have already mentioned, for the uninitiated its hard to find the “classic” recipes in here, and you may wind up making some oddball thing that a true Czech has never heard of (but is still in this book for some reason). Secondly, i find that a lot of the savory recipes are a little off, and not true to form — as in they usually feel like they’re missing something, either a spice, or key ingredient. It feels like an *almost* authentic recipe, with just one thing missing. For the sweets and pastries though, you can’t go wrong with this book.
I also have something to add that hasn’t been mentioned yet, and that’s regarding the actual writing of this book. It reads mostly as an ingredients list, with the instructions of the recipe often only 1 sentence long. While i understand that Czech cooking is usually not that complicated and can often be one-pot cooking, i feel like a lot of steps have been left out that a novice cook wouldn’t know to do. Additionally, there is some confusion in the book, with base recipes presented in multiple forms. For exmaple, there are 2 pound cake recipes, which are then presented with multiple variations to create different end-products. Great in theory, but its never explained why the 2 base recipes are different, and when you should use one over the other. Instead, the variations always read “begin with pound cake recipe 1 or 2, add xyz…”. I find that frustrating.
In any case, i think if you’re a decent cook and have tasted most of these things before, you can improvise your way to the final product. Its the only resource i have for Czech recipes and as such i treasure it, but i also find it to be the most poorly written cookbook i own.
5 Stars The Czechoslovak Cookbook
If you like Czech food this is the best cook book. My sister-in-law is from the Czech Republic and I purchased one for her also. She has been trying to convert the measurements she used in the Czech Republic for years and her food taste great but not exact. She is so happy to have this cook book with USA measurements. She uses it everyday and I use it at least twice a week. Just reading the recipes makes my mouth water. I have purchased two and will be purchasing three more.
5 Stars Well worth the price
I’m an old Czech man, and most of my mom’s and grandmom’s recipes have been lost over time. This book is a breath of fresh air for my Bohemian roots. There are many recipes that I remember from my childhood, and many more that I hadn’t heard of before. It lacks a recipe for utopenci, but I could make that in my sleep. Still, for only 12 bucks, it’s worth every penny of it.
The Great Big Burger Book 100 New and Classic Recipes for Mouthwatering Burgers Every Day Every Way
May 29, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
The Great Big Burger Book 100 New and Classic Recipes for Mouthwatering Burgers Every Day Every Way
The average American consumes three hamburgers a week, and Murphy and Singh figure it’s time this all-American sandwich got its culinary due. In this authoritative guide to cooking burgers of all stripes, the authors sprinkle facts about burgers and burger restaurants around the U.S. throughout while keeping their focus tight on the recipes. By creating beef, poultry, seafood and vegetarian spins on the classic, authors Murphy and Singh seek to expand the home cook’s burger repertoire, sometimes stretching the definition of “burger” just a bit beyond its capacity. Offerings range from Barbecue Cheese Burgers and Pecan Pesto Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Fennel to is-this-really-a-burger? offerings like Salmon Burgers in Grape Leaves. Though half the length of the comprehensive “Where’s the Beef” chapter, the veggie burgers section provides about 30 choices, including the oddball Brussels Sprouts, Apple and Walnut Burgers (which also contains onions, bread crumbs and apricots). Other veggie recipes, though, like the Grilled Portobello and Spinach Burgers, will appeal even to meat eaters. Cooks will want to read the recipes thoroughly before starting, since the authors often list the cooking oil and the oil used in the meat mixture as one measurement, and sometimes leave important garnishes out of the ingredients list. This isn’t a flawless cookbook, but for the burger lover, it’s got definite appeal. Photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars The Big Burger -
I have browsed through the book but have not put it to use yet - I hope it’s a good book - you never know with these recipe books - I think if you get one or two that work for you, it’s a good deal. phyllis
3 Stars More than burgers
Although I haven’t had time to try out the recipes, there is a lot more than “burger” recipes here. The book includes what seem to be tasty recipes for salmon, tuna and crab “burgers” as well as lots other choices including turkey, chicken and veggie burgers. There are recipes for lots of toppings, sauces and even Nancy Silverton’s hamburger buns. Hope the recipes work out as well as they read.
5 Stars Impress your family and friends with the best burgers anywhere.
This book is the best. Short recipies, most on only one page complete with an introduction to the recipe, accompaniments, serving suggestions, tips and resources for hard to find ingredients this book has it all. This is a collection of recipes from some of the greatest burger restaurants in the country like, P.J. Clarke’s, Hut’s Hamburgers, Mel’s Drive-In and so many more. Wether you love beef, pork, veal, lamb, turkey, chicken or duck, you got the best recipies at your fingers. Legal Seafoods Tuna Burger, is “to die for” and it’s here along with other fish, crab, lobster scallops and shrimp favorites. Veggie burgers never tasted better. This book is a must have for anyone that loves to cook, entertain and eat.
4 Stars good burger book
Overall, this book is what i wanted in terms of hamburger possiblities. There are some recipes that i wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, although they are all well written and i think i could pull them all off if i decided to cook them. Good book on hamburgers and overall a good buy.
5 Stars Best Darn Burger Book I’ve Found!
I love to BBQ and Grille (there is a big difference). My wife and I have cooked at least 10 of the recipes in this book and they are all fantastic. This book is not like some that give a handful of recipes, there are tons. This is very creative stuff, easy to cook and unbelievably flavorful. If you want to get oohs and aaahs over your cooking for the minimum effort, this is the book. And to think, they’re just burgers! This is one of the “Man Trilogy” (as dubbed by me). The other 2 must have in the “man library” are the Weber Big Book of Grilling, and the Complete Meat Cookbook. Grille on!
Sips and Apps Classic and Contemporary Recipes for Coctktails and Appetizers
May 28, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
Sips and Apps Classic and Contemporary Recipes for Coctktails and Appetizers
When it comes to cocktails and appetizers chef Kathy Casey is an expert at balancing flavors and textures. Sips & Apps has 100 recipes that include not only classics like the Martini and Manhattan but also creative new concoctions like the Douglas Fir Sparkletini and the Blue Thai Mojito. Appetizers include simple finger foods like Roasted Pear Crostini with Gorgonzola and ChaCha Cashews and more substantial treats like Asian Shrimp Cakes with Sweet Chili Sauce. Lots of info on stocking a home bar and plenty of techniques and extras (like a nifty double ribbon marker labeled “sips” and “apps”) make it easy to match up the right sip with the right app.
Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes and Cookies for my Gastronomic Wednesday
May 27, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
The Diabetic Gourmet Cookbook More Than 200 Healthy Recipes from Homestyle Favorites to Restaurant Classics
May 26, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
Scrumptious, healthy, crowd-pleasing recipes for people with diabetes and their loved ones
The editors of Diabetic Gourmet Magazine understand that although people with diabetes must carefully monitor their eating habits, they still crave their favorite sweets and savory dishes. Now, with this all-new collection of healthy recipes that are perfect for everyday meals as well as for entertaining, you can enjoy making tasty dishes for yourself, your friends, and your family that are as good for you as they are delicious.
The Diabetic Gourmet Cookbook features more than 200 original gourmet recipes complete with detailed nutritional information and diabetic exchanges for easy meal planning. By featuring healthy versions of traditional favorites–from pot roast to macaroni and cheese to banana cream pie–this mouthwatering collection shows how you can safely and effectively eat well if you have diabetes or special dietary needs and still enjoy wonderful food. You’ll find easy-to-prepare recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, breads, desserts, sauces, and more along with a host of healthy cooking techniques–which makes The Diabetic Gourmet Cookbook essential for every health-conscious cook’s kitchen.
Pecan Winter Waffles • Huevos Rancheros • Blueberry Blintzes Topped with Lime Crema • Cranberry Apple Muffins • Baked Onion Rings • Brazilian Smoked Black Bean Soup • French Onion Soup • Refreshing Spring Tabbouleh • Spicy Thai Chicken • Crisp Cornmeal-Coated Catfish • Greek Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce • Chicken Francese • Creamy Coleslaw • Ginger-Lime Sugar Snap Peas • Cranberry-Orange Biscotti • Key Lime Cheesecake Squares • Georgia Peach Pie • Baklava • And many more tasty recipes!
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars did i get the kindle version
i cant even get to the pages i want. i have to spend half hour with the next page button to find recipe i want. this is not a kindle version.
5 Stars Gourmet for Diabetics
Being a diabetic, I am always looking for great recipes. This cook book is an answer to my prayers. It gives me a broader spectrum of selection instead of the normal recipes. I don’t feel like I am tied down to every day foods. With the recipes in this book, I feel like I am not diabetic and am eating sinful foods.
5 Stars Diabetic gourmet cook book
A great book with lots of good food. Very healthy, and good for you even if your not diabetic!
5 Stars Great book to get
For me , it was really a very good choice to get this book, and I recommend it to averyone who has to follow a special diet for diabetic, and also anyone who want to learn to eat better.
5 Stars Great info and recipes made with real food
I was impressed with the extent of information about diabetes and cooking that preceeded all of the recipes. What a great resource this has turned out to be for me. I have enjoyed several of the recipes very much and was especially pleased to find that they include more nutritional analysis than other cookbooks I have (including saturated fat, sugars and fibre). Lots of recipes low in fat, sugar, salt and cholesterol and lots of real, whole food instead of processed foods and chemicals. I think this book was worth every cent and recommend it.
Let Them Eat Historic Cake
May 26, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
Month of Meals Quick and Easy Menus for People with Diabetes Classic Cooking
May 25, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
Month of Meals Quick and Easy Menus for People with Diabetes Classic Cooking
Millions of ways to mix and match! Here’s how it works:
Each menu planner has 28 days worth of new menu choices; pages are split into thirds and are interchangeable. There are 20,000 menu combinations in each book. No matter which combination the reader chooses, carb counts and nutrients are correct for the entire day
At Home with Magnolia Classic American Recipes from the Owner of Magnolia Bakery
May 24, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
At Home with Magnolia Classic American Recipes from the Owner of Magnolia Bakery
A Greenwich Village landmark, the Magnolia Bakery features homemade desserts that people line up for. Recipes from the famous store were featured in The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook by Magnolia owner, Alyssa Torey. In At Home with Magnolia, she provides 90-plus all-course, all-occasion formulas–classic and original–for dishes like Chicken Kiev; Leek, Corn and Mascarpone Tart; and Gemelli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes, Arugula, and Yellow Pepper. This is good, simple-yet-sophisticated food with a definite lightness-of-hand; keyed to seasonal bounty, the recipes–including desserts like Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Heath Bars and Pecans, and Pineapple Cheesecake with White Chocolate Sauce and Macadamias–are also easy. With many color photos of the dishes and of the author on her farm (where, presumably, the recipes originated), this is just the sort of collection cooks will find themselves relying on again and again. –Arthur Boehm
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Not a Baking Book
This book is a disappointment. By purchasing this book by an owner of Magnolia Bakery, I was, of course, looking for baking recipes - cupcakes, cakes, etc. This is just an average, scattered topic cookbook. Having the name Magnolia Bakery in the title (along with cupcakes featured on the cover), while certainly truthful, is very misleading. Sure, all that information is in the review, but I assume a lot of us purchase books by an author known to (and liked by) us, and expect something similar. Imagine purchasing a third book by a mystery writer, and winding up with a romance novel! I would consider Allysa Torey a baking expert; I would not look to her for a lasagna recipe.
4 Stars Earthy, eclectic, accessible recipes
AT HOME WITH MAGNOLIA is a personal and eclectic collection of recipes inspired by what author and Magnolia Bakery owner Allysa Torey cooks at home in upstate New York. It is not a large collection, nor particularly ground-breaking, and it is as much a style book loaded with romantic Martha Stewart magazine like photographs of Torey`s enviable homestead as it is a cookbook.
Torey in upstate New York can depend on her own garden and the local farmer’s market in season but is otherwise stuck with the kind of supermarket those of us who live beyond suburbia and exurbia are used to. Thus her lists of ingredients are not exotic and overly expensive, and will not leave many people scrambling to find substitutes or giving up. Her recipes are obviously inspired by a fresh abundance of ingredients. They are simple, but not simplistic or accidental: obviously she has learned what ingredients go together well. She is not averse to using the occasional prepared item: there’s one recipe that calls for a can of soup! My favorite: the turkey sausage and broccoli rabe cavatelli. I make it with chicken sausage and have experimented with dandelion greens which worked just fine. Some of her recipes use more heavy cream and butter than I like, and then there are some that call for leaner ingredients. There is, for Magnolia Bakery fans, a cupcake recipe. It is the buttermilk pie, however, that I’m going to give a whirl next. Like I said, the book is eclectic and accessible.
5 Stars good recipes
What a pleasure to read and see. This cook book has simple, fresh ideas for casual lunches or get togethers and the photos evoke a easy summer day.
I have alot of cookbooks and this is on the top of my favorites list.
4 Stars Good book
This is a good book, and I am a reader of cookbooks, marking some pages to try recipes at a later date. A great way to relax after a super fast paced day at the office. But this is a good book, not as many good recipes as the first one, but a good book.
5 Stars Fantastic!!!
I love this cookbook. I made the lemon tarragon chicken tonight - it was absolutely perfect and the green beens!! Wonderful. I have so many “note” stickers in this book - I should have just started at the first recipe and worked my way through instead of wasting a package of “note” stickers. I have all of Magnolia’s cookbooks - and you can’t go wrong with purchasing them — they are keepers and this one is particularly great to give as a gift - so many interesting and wonderful recipes and nice stories and pictures.
I think it unfair for someone here to give this book a 2 because they made a mistake and thought it was a cupcake book…don’t blame the book for that!
The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan Classic Diet Recipe Cards from the 1970s
May 22, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan Classic Diet Recipe Cards from the 1970s
Several years ago, while dutifully helping clean out her parents’ basement, Wendy McClure struck comic gold when she discovered an intact and well-preserved collection of Weight Watchers Recipe Cards from 1974:
They were neatly arranged in their own plastic file box. Plenty of the dishes seemed normal enough, but as I flipped through them, some of the recipes began to alarm me. And then I found the card for the Rosy Perfection Salad. I fell over. I laughed so hard I started coughing, and I fell back on the floor and I waved the card at my mom, who just rolled her eyes. ‘Can I please have these? Please?‘ I begged. ‘What do you want them for?’ she asked. ‘To cook?’ ‘No,’ I said. She let me have them. I think they might have been my grandma’s, but she never copped to actually buying them. Nobody else did, either.
What McClure unearthed were astonishingly grim, unintentionally hilarious recipe cards (sample dishes: Aspic-Glazed Lamb Loaf and Snappy Mackerel Casserole) containing no nutritional information but illustrated with eerie photos clearly staged by a props department not averse to self-medicating. Compelled to share her discovery with the world, McClure posted the cards on a website, framing each with her own side-splitting and appropriately warped comments. The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan–a titled borrowed from one of the myriad improbably named recipes contained within–unleashes the entire god-awful collection. No review can quite capture the horrors of the recipe cards or the genius of McClure’s riotous quips. Suffice to say these are milk-through-the-nose, tears-down-the-cheeks funny and a striking reminder of just how bent the 1970s were. Worth the price for the Molded Asparagus Salad and the Stuffed Apples Ganges cards alone. –Kim Hughes
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars SOOOOOOOOOO funny
My sister and I read this book and we CRACK UP. Wendy has our type of humor and she is our hero. When you see the pictures in this book you’ll be horrified and wonder WHO created these disgusting recipes. They shouldnt exist, but Im glad they do, otherwise we wouldnt have this book!
5 Stars I grew up with a mother who dieted
Although I don’t know that my mother ever had these cards, I know she was a member of weight-watchers from way back, and I just wish she was around to see this book - she’d find it as hilarious as I do. I loved the commentary. There are some reviewer for this book that said that the humor was low-brow; but to be honest, their reviews are somewhat coarse and harsh. Some of them are are offended by the fun being poked at the past. This is one of a many books out now that lets us have fun with the past.
And, yes, someone will make fun of things we do now 30 years from now. I’ll buy those books, too. If you can’t laugh at yourself, then you need to reexamine the life you’re living and try not to take things too seriously! If you have a mom who may have made any of these recipes way back then, buy this book for them as a stocking stuffer. They’ll probably enjoy it.
4 Stars Hysterical!
I bought this for a friend as she and I try to lose weight. The food is bad enough but the commentary is priceless.
5 Stars Health Warning!
Made the mistake of reading this alone. Laughed so hard I couldn’t catch my breath. I got a little panicked. I strongly suggest reading only when someone is nearby, listening for choking sounds.
4 Stars Hilarious
This book was on the clearance table at the book store so I bought it for fun and I laughed out loud reading it. The one about the frozen cheese log was hilarious. Thanks for making me laugh Wendy.
Jewish Holiday Cooking A Food Lovers Treasury of Classics and Improvisations
May 21, 2009 by Classic Recipes · Leave a Comment
Jewish Holiday Cooking A Food Lovers Treasury of Classics and Improvisations
Cohen (The Gefilte Variations) celebrates both the variety and spirit of Jewish holidays and the variety of Jewish cooking in this appealing book. Each major holiday throughout the year, from Rosh Hashanah in the fall to Shavuot in early summer, has its own section of recipes, as does the weekly Sabbath; strictly observant Jews as well as those who are not entirely familiar with the religious significance of all the events will appreciate Cohen’s detailed comments on their history and meaning at the beginning of each section. Those with less experience in planning big feasts will also be grateful for the variety of menu suggestions that accompany each holiday: Passover seders, a Hanukkah latke party with superb traditional and nontraditional latkes, a vegetarian dinner for Sukkot. Cohen draws on Jewish cuisine from every tradition: Leek Croquettes from Rhodes, stuffed chicken soup from Iran and a pineapple-coconut milk kugel from Bombay are just a few of the pleasantly exotic yet authentic offerings; she also puts new twists on old standards, as with Moroccan-flavored brisket and deconstructed kasha varnishkes that feature portobello mushrooms and eggplant in lieu of quantities of fat. Each recipe is helpfully coded to indicate whether it is meat, dairy or pareve, though she often provides variations to accommodate all needs in this book that’s enjoyable to read and inspiring to cook from. (Mar.)
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