Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Suzanne J. (Suzyjal) - Reviews

1 to 20 of 22 - Page:
Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbecue: 100 Easy Recipes for Backyard Barbecue
Review Date: 8/13/2008
Helpful Score: 3


Okay, so usually I don't get sucked in for the big "celebrity in the kitchen" cookbooks, but for some reason, I gave this one a try. I really like it!
Al gives a lot of good tips on how to properly barbecue,and he covers everything from appetizers to desserts. the recipes are easy to prepare, and the ones I have tried are very tasty. My personal favorites (so far...) are the Corn, Black Bean and Tomato Salad, Grilled Quesadillas, Blueberry Cobbler, and that Honey Mustard Marinade, now a staple in my house.
And the guy is funny! It is an informative and entertaining read.


The Artful Pie: Unforgettable Recipes for Creative Cooks
Review Date: 1/11/2008


This is not only a cookbook, it's a work of art. It features traditional pie recipes, as well as twists on old favorites, all served up on a background of contemporary art. As big as a record album,(remember those?) it's a great book to just sit down and read too.
It has recipes for a few different types of crusts, plus tips on how to produce a great crust every time. My personal faves are ultrasmooth chocolate malted pie,buter brickle banana pie, and black bottom pie.


Baking (Greatest Ever)
Baking (Greatest Ever)
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 5/28/2008


This one is really good. I like this series because there are nice glossy pages with step by step photos for each recipe. They show you the steps and the finished product. They cover desserts, cakes and bread, cookies, and they even get into appetizers and snacks, entrees and some vegetarian and vegan stuff too.


The Cake Mix Doctor
The Cake Mix Doctor
Author: Anne Byrn
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 69
Review Date: 1/10/2008
Helpful Score: 4


This is a very handy one to have around. It's so easy to make an ordinary box mix into something extra special, just by adding a few extra ingredients. Whenever we have a birthday or an event around here, it's the first place I turn. The author is also full of hints and tips on baking in general, which I have found very useful. Also, each recipe has a little tid bit or back story that goes with it, which I love.
Don't be expecting a lushly illustrated book though, it has black and white photos throughout, and a few color pages which illustrate each cake in the beginning of the book. Not appealing photos; they look like badly lit mugshots. Don't let this stop you though, it's a handy book to own.


Cancer Has Its Privileges: Stories of Hope and Laughter
Review Date: 10/17/2007
Helpful Score: 1


I have found, in my personal journey, that the more positive you are, the faster your recovery will be. It's really pretty simple. This book was one of those that had me nodding my head and laughing out loud. There is something in here that every survivor can relate to-and a lot to learn for the friends and family of one.


The Changing Seasons (American Sampler)
The Changing Seasons (American Sampler)
Author: Susan Winget
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 9/14/2007


A beautifully illustrated book, with tons of ideas for a multitude of cross stitch projects.


Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2005
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2005
Author: Heather Averett, Nancy Fitzpatrick Wyatt
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 10/23/2007
Helpful Score: 2


You seriously can't go wrong with a cookbook like this. It's packed with ideas, set up in magazine article fashion, so it actually runs month by month. There are also several full color inserts throughout the book, highlighting some of the recipes.
One of my favorite features is Lighten it Up, where they take a favorite recipe and lighten the calories and fat on it. I can tell you, you'll never miss it.
I use this and books like it every week when I'm cooking for my family, and I have to say my cooking is improving quite a bit. My family thinks I'm a genius all of the sudden. I just smile and nod.


Cooking 'Round the Clock: Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals
Cooking 'Round the Clock: Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals
Author: Rachael Ray
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 79
Review Date: 6/1/2008
Helpful Score: 2


I dunno...I really wanted to like this book. But the fact of the matter is, it was poorly organized,a little repetetive, and it had FOUR, count 'em, FOUR pictures. Come on now, I need a little more inspiration than that! Don't get me wrong, I love watching her, it just didn't translate well for me.


The Dinner Doctor
The Dinner Doctor
Author: Anne Byrn
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 44
Review Date: 1/10/2008
Helpful Score: 6


I'm a sucker for the doctor. First I bought the cake book, YUM...then I saw this one so I got it too. It sounds kind of like cheating, I know; doctoring up ready made made food with fresh ingredients, but it works for me on many a night!
Anne Byrn has a way with food. I am in the habit of marking the pages of my cookbooks with post-its, so it's easy to find dishes that I liked. This book has a lot of post-its. Her chicken pot pie is the easiest, and best tasting I've made. I loved her curried chicken and artichoke casserole, and even my picky five year old cleans his plate for my chicken picatta.(Well, except for the capers!) There's a lot more than chicken though, she has soups,salads,even a chapter on desserts.

Listen, you can't be the Contessa when you've got a scout meeting and a soccer game. Try it out.


The Dogs of Babel
The Dogs of Babel
Author: Carolyn Parkhurst
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 404
Review Date: 9/21/2007
Helpful Score: 1


I picked it up this book and saw that it was about a grieving young man who wants to find out the nature of his wife's death, by teaching his dog (the only witness) to talk.
I know, I know, that's what I said. Weird! So I was intrigued, not by the premise, but by wondering just how the author was going to pull this one off!
She did a good job! The book was well written, and there were several flashbacks which took us back to the relationship of the couple in all of it's stages. I loved the charecters, I loved the dog. It was a love story, and a mystery all rolled into one. Pick it up.


Duck and a Book
Duck and a Book
Author: David Shannon
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 29
Review Date: 3/31/2010
Helpful Score: 1


I wouldn't waste your time with this one. It's not really a book- its merely a pamphlet. It's only a couple of pages long and in my opinion, should not be listed here.


The Elegant Gathering of White Snows
The Elegant Gathering of White Snows
Author: Kris Radish
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 183
Review Date: 9/21/2007
Helpful Score: 14


I'm sorry, I really am. But this is the most contrived, cliche piece of trash I think I have ever had to read. So overwrought. So dramatic. There were passages that were so bad, we took turns at book club reading them out loud and laughing. If you love low end, southern-ish chick lit, this is the one for you. Otherwise, keep moving.


Future According to Kids
Future According to Kids
Author: Valerie Shaff
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 6/2/2008


This is a large beautiful book in which children of all ages and from all corners of the earth speak candidly about thier hopes, fears and dreams of tomorrow. These kids describe the world as they see it, in simple, often hilarious prose. There are over 200 photographs in this coffee table size book that's great for the whole family.


The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook: More Than 1,000 Recipes * 1,800 Photographs
Review Date: 10/29/2007


This is a good one. Big and heavy, full of page after page of photos for you visual people out there. (Like me!) It includes everything from appetizers to entrees, soups, veggies, desserts and everything in between.
It's the book you buy for the new bride. It's the book you turn to when you want to make the gravy once a year like me.It's the book you open up when you have no idea what to make for dinner, and you just need a litle inspiration. It's the book you sit on the couch with at night and read because it's just that interesting.
Real food. Real good.


Hershey's Easy Baking
Hershey's Easy Baking
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 6/9/2012
Helpful Score: 2


You're laughing aren't you? A board book? Really? You laugh, but I'm telling you, this is a great little book to own. It seems silly, but some of my favorite classic dessert recipes come from this little book, including the only chocolate cake and frosting my daughter wants for her birthday every year, and the best chocolate brownies I have ever made. My 8 year old son actually chose "Hershey's Best Brownies" as the recipe for his class cookbook. High praise indeed.


Kitchen Life : Real Food for Real Families--Even Yours!
Kitchen Life : Real Food for Real Families--Even Yours!
Author: Art Smith
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 6/24/2008
Helpful Score: 1


Terrific, very user friendly book. This is a great book for the person who likes to cook, use fresh ingredients and make wonderful meals, but perhaps needs a little shove into the ranks of the organized.
Art starts by asking you a few questions about your own cooking and living habits, then you can use that info to find the best recipes to suit our style.
He also has chapters on how to organize your pantry, best shop the stores, and plan menus. There is also a question and answer chapter, where Art holds the hands of several readers, helping them with thier everyday kitchen concerns.
The meat of any cookbook is, of course, the recipes, and Art is right on with these. He makes good, no nonsense, family food, with fresh ingredients, and wonderful flavor. Not a soup can in sight. I highly recommend this one.


The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
Author: Bill Bryson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 283
Review Date: 4/25/2008


Truly a delight. Bryson is hilarious! This is the perfect book to pack in your carry on bag. If you're looking for a nice getaway, look no further.


New Garden Book
New Garden Book
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.8/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 6/14/2008


A terrific resource for the beginning or seasoned gardener. Covers all aspects of your outdoor space, including lawns, trees and shrubs, perrenials, annuals, bulbs, ground covers, you name it. Tons of color photos. I turn to this book quite a bit when I have questions.


Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure
Review Date: 9/25/2009


Tiny bites of reading; quite delicious!


Pillsbury Good for You!  : Fast  Healthy Family Favorites
Pillsbury Good for You! : Fast Healthy Family Favorites
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 9/16/2007


I really like this one. It's full of good, healthy recipes, to be sure. But they are also easy to prepare, using fresh ingredients. Also the format is great; it's a spiral bound softcover. Good bet for busy families.


1 to 20 of 22 - Page: