HomeCookbooksSoul Food CookbooksAmerica I AM Pass It Down Cookbook: Over 130 Soul-Filled Recipes |
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11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 TRUST ME FOLKS...DON'T LET THIS ONE SLIP BY YOU! Goodness, I love good food! Feb 09, 2011
By D. Blankenship
This is one of those books that I have not had the chance to buy and own yet. Fortunately for me I have a rather large circle of friends, all quite into cooking, and I had the further good fortune of having one of those friends that bought this one hot off the press. Me being me, I had no qualms what-so-ever in asking to "borrow" the book for a bit, giving it a read and giving several of the recipes a try.
All I can say is "wow." There are around 130 dishes represented in this work. We have tried four of them (More about that later), and after a scan of most of them I was unable to find a looser in the group!
As the product description notes, this is a wonderful blend of food, history, family remembrances and a very nice little group of essays that are a complete delight to read. Probably some of the best recipes my wife and I use are ones that have been passed down generation after generation in our own family. It only makes sense that we are not the only family on the planet that receives its cooking lore from past generations, nor are we the only family that is lucky enough to be blessed with forefathers and mothers that were great cooks. I do not know if your family is like ours, but in so many cases we find that our recipes have been learned either by word of mouth, observation and participation with a beloved grandmother, mother, aunt (uncles too) or other member of the family. What we do have is writing is often quite cryptic in nature and takes a certain amount of "interpretation" on our part.
But here we have an expert writer; an expert cook that has recorded the recipes of past generations and done it well and in addition has chose to share with the world their vast knowledge of good eats and how to prepare them. We all have that member of the family; the elusive and vague one, that is a great cook but for some reason or another is quite reluctant to share their knowledge (I personally think that this is a "control" thing...at least it is in the case of one of my aunts...bless her heart). How frustrating. Fortunately for use, this is not the case with this work...we get all the facts, all the ingredients (no holding back on that key element aunt Anne...you will note if you are reading this!).
Anyway, the book is designed to be extremely user friendly. I found no ingredients listed that are not easily available. I found no cooking technique that was not doable for most cooks that have at least some experience in the kitchen.
We have tried, among a couple of others, the buttermilk fried chicken, Honey Dijon pecan slaw and the apple dumplings. This is good eating folks! All three dishes were extremely easy to prepare and all were absolutely delicious.
When you get this book, do NOT over look the essays and bits and pieces of family history recorded here. I dare say you will be reminded of members of your own family...I found many of the stories quite touching and written completely from the heart.
I am overly bad about returning "borrowed books" but in this case as I happen to work with the friend that loaned it to me, I was unable to avoid and dodge my responsibilities and will now be forced to buy my own copy of this thing...I say forced, but I can assure you that it will be money well spent. I have often paid far more for a cookbook and received far less that what is being offered here.
My highest recommendations go with this one.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The Best Jun 20, 2011
By Barbara
This is one of the best cook books I have ever recieved A lot of the recipies remind me of ny grandmothers. I have have tried a few and they came out great.. Thanks Chef Jeff
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful Cookbook! May 14, 2011
By Kathryn Poulin
There is a great introduction about the history of African American cooking in the United States. The cookbook is divided into twelve chapters including baked goods, desserts, seafood, poultry and meats, vegetables, pastas, grains and beans and beverages. There is a chapter for extras such as sauces and pickles. And one chapter is devoted to Pass It Down menus. There is a section at the end, Chapter 12, for writing down your own home recipes.
Stories and photos illustrate this unique cookbook. I found some great recipes included: Momma's Sweet Potato Pie, Buttermilk Fried Chicken,Spoon Bread, Seafood Gumbo and Peach Cobbler. There is a great mix of recipes in this book!
All in all, a wonderful collection of African American history and stories, photographs and delicious recipes!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Cookbook to pass down from generation to generation Mar 14, 2011
By S. choice
I am so glad I purchased this cookbook. It has some really great recipes in it. I have tried several already. This is a cookbook you can pass down to your children and grandchildren. I may be a little bias because one of my good friends has a recipe published in this cookbook. Even with that it is a wonderful book with a lot of history.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Nice book Aug 21, 2011
By efillup
I like this recipe book, but I haven't had an opportunity to make any recipes yet. The ingredients are those that I keep in my kitchen so I look forward to making some delicious food.
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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