Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux: Recipes From the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Cafe Life

Amazon.com

Beyond the well-known, sometimes lurid, events of renowned painter Vincent van Gogh's short life lies a much more mild daily existence of meals with friends and neighbors. Van Gogh's Table presents a gentle and kinder look at the visionary's world. Authors Alexandra Leaf, a culinary historian, and Fred Leeman, the former chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum, offer a tale of the artist's life through the lens of his last home, the Auberge Ravoux. Van Gogh was a constant traveler who frequently boarded at small hotels and dined in cafés. During his few months at this inn, van Gogh produced numerous magical works. As a tribute to the incredible painter, and the café life that inspired him, Leaf and Leeman have brought together stories and images of the artist's life and work with menus from his days at the Auberge Ravoux. Try recipes like Warm Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraiche or Dark Chocolate Soufflé Cake with Crème Anglaise to experience the sweeter side of van Gogh's world. If you're a fan of the great painter or a lover of French cooking, then this book is a must-have. --J.P. Cohen

Book Description

At the Auberge Ravoux, in a tiny artists' village twenty miles from Paris, Postimpressionist painter Vincent van Gogh found a measure of peace in an otherwise ill-starred life. In what would be his last home, he enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow artists and an unparalleled burst of creativity.

The auberge still operates today as the Maison de Van Gogh. Little has changed since Van Gogh set down his bags more than a century ago, and visitors to its cafT are treated to the same regional cuisine that he dined upon.

Here is an intimate view into Van Gogh's world, as stirring as sharing poulet and pommes sautTes with the artist himself. Written by one of America's foremost culinary historians, with Dr. Fred Leeman, the former chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and including an introduction by the auberge's proprietor, this unique cookbook/art book explores life in the artists' cafT, with traditional recipes ranging from the hearty to the refined. Letters, engravings, postcards, and a selection of Van Gogh's paintings transport the reader to the turn of the century.

Customer Reviews:

Van Gogh's Table: Dining at the Auberge Ravoux.......2006-09-09

In Vincent Van Gogh's brief 37 years, he resided in at least 38 locations spread among four different countries. The Auberge Ravoux inn in northern France was to be the last of Van Gogh's residences, for it is where the artist died in 1890. The author purchased the Auberge Ravoux Inn and renovated it with the help of dedicated craftspersons and turned it into a memorial to the artist

Van Gogh's Table is a collaborative effort that combines an art book with recipes designed to evoke the flavors of Van Gogh's time, along with cultural and culinary history augmented by Van Gogh's illustrations and paintings. Fifty recipes for bistro classics such as Rosemary Roast Chicken with Pan-Fried Potatoes, and Garlic and Warm Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraiche,

A recipe for beef bourguignonne begins with; "In our time-pressed age, such a dish requires that we step back for a moment and remember that some things in life are worth waiting for -- especially stews."

Vincent van Gogh spent much of his life in cafes, hotels, and small inns. These establishments often became the subjects of his paintings, Van Gogh's Table is a unique presentation of culinary history, Van Gogh's artwork, and recipes that transport readers to the Auberge Ravoux in the year of 1890.

As a professional artist and dedicated cook, I found this a uniquely enjoyable book.

A perfect blend of art and cuisine.......2006-07-08

This lovely book, a perfect blend of art and cuisine, will satisfy any reader, from the most casual van Gogh fan to the most discriminating foodie and/or art historical specialist. As the subtitle indicates ("Recipes from the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Café Life"), it's is partly a cookbook, featuring recipes from the Auberge Ravoux, a 19th century inn in the town of Auvers-sur-Oise where van Gogh lived the last seventy days of his life, and where he died.

But don't be misled. This is not just another pretty coffee-table book with yet more pretty color reproductions of "The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum," etc. This is a work of substantive scholarship, but presented in such a way as to be accessible and enjoyable to anyone. The second half of the book, including the recipes, is authored by culinary historian Alexandra Leaf (in cooperation with chef Christophe Bony), who contexualizes the recipes in a larger discussion about van Gogh's time in Auvers and culinary customs of the time. The first half is authored by art historian Fred Leeman, former chief curator of the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. His essay, "A Private Life in Public Places," discusses van Gogh's biography, but primarily from the view of his time spent in restaurants and cafés, so it's not the usual story that's been recounted so many times. In addition to discussing more well-known van Gogh paintings like "The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum" or "The Night Café," Leeman also includes lesser-known paintings and drawings that specialists will be happy to see and non-specialists will enjoy learning about. His analyses of the works are clear and persuasive, sometimes offering alternative datings and interpretations. Julia Galosy, who worked with Dominique-Charles Janssens, the current owner of the Auberge Ravoux, in restoring the inn, also contributes a wonderful essay on that specific café and its history. All the authors rightfully avoid the tabloid sensationalism that unfortunately pervades many published treatments of the artist (including those written by evident non-specialists in a lame attempt to make a quick buck).

Handsome illustrations of nearly every van Gogh work mentioned (including some that are rarely illustrated), archival photographs, and lovely photographs of the contemporary incarnation of the Auberge Ravoux and its cuisine, add to the stand-alone value of this book. For those who are interested, there are endnotes in the back of the book, leading readers to specific citations in van Gogh's letters and elsewhere, and a brief but comprehensive bibliography.

On a side note: I purchased and read this book a few months ago in preparation for a visit to Auvers-sur-Oise. My plans included a luncheon at the Auberge Ravoux and a pilgrimage to Vincent's lonely attic room. Reading this book, including Mr. Janssens' forward, was the perfect preparation for my visit. Sitting in the cozy atmosphere of the Auberge and enjoying a three-course luncheon (including the Marinated Herring and Salmon from p. 110, a plat du jour of chicken fricassee [not in the book], and the positively sublime Chocolate Mousse Saboyan from p. 130) was a wonderful experience that I will always treasure. A different experience, more spiritual and moving in character and even more memorable, was the actual visit to Vincent's room upstairs. Mr. Janssens and his associates are to be commended for their dedication to Vincent's memory through their work at the Auberge Ravoux, and the authors and publisher of this book are to be commended for diffusing that work in book form.

While at the Auberge Ravoux, I purchased at the gift shop one of the "torchons" (table linens) embroidered with the name of the auberge (pictured on p. 109). Both it and this book share a place of honor in the van Gogh section of my personal library.

Bon appetit!

Gorgeous Magnificent Book!.......2006-01-08

The Grandmother's Apple Cake recipe in this book is my favorite recipe on Epicurious so I bought the book hoping the other recipes would be as good. Wow! It was so beautiful and interesting and so much more than a cookbook that I gave it to a good friend as a Christmas gift and ordered another.

This is really half art book, half cookbook. The book is co-written by an art historian (mostly the first part, which recounts Van Gogh's last days, spent in the hotel, when he churned out 70 paintings in 70 days) and Alexandra Leaf, a food historian, who together with the chef at the hotel (which exists to this day) includes recipes for dishes Van Gogh ate. They're fantastic. Highly recommended.

It's wonderful.......2002-11-07

It's entertaining and educational. I really enjoyed. Great gift idea.

Van Gogh's Table.......2002-01-20

I have enjoyed reading the historical and personalized view of Van Gogh's stay at the Auberge Ravoux. The recipes appear to be ones that can be enjoyed. My husband surprised me with the chocolate mousse the other night and it was the best I have ever eaten.
Compliments to Alexandra Leaf!

Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook

Average customer rating:

Highly recommended !!
You don't need to be chef....
A very good thing
Exquisite French-American Offerings
Odd organization, good content

Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook
Daniel Boulud , and Dorie Greenspan
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Jean-Georges: Cooking At Home with a Four-Star Chef
Le Bernardin Cookbook: Four-Star Simplicity
Braise: A Journey Through International Cuisine
A Return to Cooking
Simple to Spectacular: How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication

ASIN: 068486343X

Amazon.com

Daniel Boulud is one of America's greatest chefs. Known for his inventive yet deeply flavored French-American food, Boulud has earned nothing but superlatives for his cuisine at Daniel and Café Boulud, his two Manhattan restaurants.

The challenge was to translate his dishes into recipes that home cooks could use and make their own--a test that he and food writer Dorie Greenspan have more than met. Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook contains 150 recipes for superb food for every course and every season, and while the recipes, in their elaboration, clearly belong to a chef, they have nevertheless been "translated" by Greenspan with meticulous attention to what everyday cooks can manage when it's cooking they want to do. Those seeking a comprehensive view of Boulud's work, as well as cooks wanting to make food "just like the master," should be very pleased.

The book, like Café Boulud's menu, is divided into four sections: "La Tradition," which contains dishes influenced by the traditional cooking of Boulud's upbringing; "La Saison," a source for recipes prepared with the freshest seasonal produce; "Le Voyage," Boulud's world-cuisine dishes; and "Le Potager," devoted to vegetarian specialties. Each section encompasses a range of dish types; "La Tradition," for example, presents Onion Soup with Braised Beef Shank, Chicken Grand-mère Francine, Chick Pea Fries, and the Café's celebrated Chocolate Mousse Trio, among other offerings. Readers will also delight in Lobster with Sweet Corn Polenta in "La Saison," Morels and Pea Shoot Gnocchi in "Le Voyage," and Lemon-Lime Risotto with Asparagus in "Le Potager," among others. The authors also provide an exemplary glossary of ingredients and techniques, an investigation of equipment, and a list of sources for less readily available materials. Thirty-two pages of color photos show readers what they're aiming to achieve, and what can actually be done, with Boulud and Greenspan at their side. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

"Cook the sauce another minute, then add just a touch of olive oil," urges Daniel Boulud in his kitchen at Café Boulud in New York City. "Not too much. That's it," he exclaims. His voice carries his passion as he swirls the copper pan holding the finished dish. Over the tops of his glasses he assesses the color and takes in the aroma of the sauce. Then he brings a few drops of it to his lips. After thirty years of cooking in France and America, the chef knows what he wants. "I'm looking for balance," he explains. "A hint of herb, a little acidity -- sweet seafood needs a bit of sharpness -- and all the brininess and flavor of the scallops." It is a simple but perfect recipe and it has been given all his attention, commitment, and talent -- as have each of the recipes in this simple but perfect cookbook.

Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook contains all his creative cooking skills made accessible. By means of Dorie Greenspan's expertly written recipes, Daniel accompanies you into your home kitchen, where his inspiration becomes yours and his instructions are easy to follow. With little effort, you find yourself reproducing his magic on your own stove.

One ingredient for a perfect dish is family tradition. In the book's first section, La Tradition, we are transported to the original Café Boulud run by Daniel's grandparents on the outskirts of Lyon -- France's culinary capital. Daniel's education as a cook began with his grandmother and the Poulet Grand-mère she lovingly prepared for her guests. It continued with great chefs that shaped his unique interpretation of home cooking. Recipes such as Skate with Brown Butter and Capers, Hanger Steak with Shallots, and splendid Pommes Frites reveal the influences of his French roots.

But tradition also includes respect for seasonal ingredients. In the next section, La Saison, Daniel accompanies us through the market. We select peas and sugar snaps that are ready to tumble into the pot for the Chilled Spring Pea Soup. Fresh corn becomes the surprise ingredient in Lobster with Sweet Corn Polenta. Complete the celebration of the seasons with Ruby Grapefruit with Pomegranate Sabayon or a milk chocolate-cherry tart like no other.

In the third section, Le Voyage, Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook takes us on an exploration of many of the world's cuisines with dishes as varied as Italian-style Veal Gremolata, Spanish Gazpacho with Anchovy Toast, or a fast and easy Asian salad of crab, cucumber, and mango. Imagine yourself under the warm Middle Eastern sun as you taste Daniel's Coffee-Cardamom Pots de Crème.

In the last section, Le Potager, Daniel offers an extraordinary selection of vegetarian dishes, from easy starters like Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad to main courses such as Lemon-Lime Risotto with Asparagus or bone-warming Root Vegetable Cassoulet, and, of course, sublime desserts to cap any meal.

Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook opens wide the door of his kitchen and invites you in with 150 recipes that will unfailingly stimulate your passion for flavor while offering a healthy, easy, and modern approach to good eating. He also provides a collection of basic recipes that are used at Café Boulud; a glossary of terms, techniques, and ingredients; and a short batterie de cuisine, a guide to pots, pans, and a few gadgets. He even provides a list of trusted suppliers so you can find the same ingredients he uses at Café Boulud. Thirty-two pages of color photographs of finished dishes prepared personally by Daniel will allow you to see, and almost smell and taste, what you are cooking. Watch as this book becomes the extension of your own hands. Whether making a salad for one or a dinner for eight, let Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook be your reliable guide to great food.

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended !!.......2007-09-01

Daniel Boulud is truly one of the world's greatest chefs, and this book is written proof of that. If you want simple, basic French cuisine that you can make at home without a lot of fuss, then this is the book for you.

You don't need to be chef...........2006-08-16

You don't need to be a chef to enjoy this book.
The story of Daniel Boulud's passionate journey to become a world class chef is a great read. He talks the talk and walks the walk! I have since dined at his restaurant (Cafe Boulud)
and would say it was of the best meals of my life! Everything went right to create a transcendant dining experience. This
doesn't happen by accident and the book explains all that Chef
Boulud puts into his art. Enjoy!

A very good thing.......2003-11-17

Martha Stewart captured the charm of this book in her introduction when she says `...I cannot wait to open it again (for)... those recipes that I want to try immediately... then to all the other recipes, because I'd like to try them also'. I have felt that same urge while reading other great cookbooks, such as Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking', to which this book is a worthy amendment. This urge is a sure sign that the author(s) of the book have something which have touched your sensibilities.

It is important to note that while Daniel Boulud is the headliner, there is a very important co-author, Dorie Greenspan, who has won more cookbook awards than any three celebrity chefs put together. It's hard to determine exactly how much Dorie contributed, but, as a major cookbook author in her own right, I have to believe her contribution was a lot more than transcribing Boulud's words from tape recordings and notes. My guess is that, at the very least, she was instrumental in translating the recipes from the restaurant to the home kitchen. Her contribution must be, therefore, essential to the attraction of this book.

As other reviewers have noted, the book, like the menu at Café Boulud, is divided into four independent sections covering French, World, Seasonal, and Vegetarian cuisines. In evaluating the recipes, I believe this division is incidental. All of the recipes are easily identifiable as having sprung from the French culinary tradition. The only thing distinguishing one section from the others in my reading is that the first section on traditional French recipes presented a concrete look at the elements of Nouvelle Cuisine in the Troisgros brothers recipe `Salmon and Sorrel Troisgros'. In the past, I have read many generalities but few real examples on what this movement is really about. I thank Daniel and Dorie for that. There is, of course much, much more.

While the subtitle of the book proclaims it to contain recipes for the home cook, these are primarily only practical for the `foodie' cookbook collector, food hobbist, weekend meals, and special entertaining meals where the added cache of preparing something from Café Boulud adds interest to the feast. Almost all recipes are LONG, with long ingredients lists. Many recipes include long marinades and braises. Most recipes include substantial subpreparations such as for stocks and sauces. Luckily, the authors always add a warning when the technique requires a plan ahead step. None of this detracts from the type of enthusiasm Martha Stewart had for the book, as I felt the same thing. These are good recipies.

It is to our advantage that the new interest in food in the US is centered around both American and French cuisines, as this means that very few ingredients used in this book will be hard to find. I have even seen Jerusalem artichokes in my local supermarket. No need to travel to a farmer's market or to the regional megamart. Spices and herbs should be no problem. The hard to find stuff is more likely to be things like sweetmeats and marrow bones.

I found no errors in this book. The closest it came was to relate Jerusalem artichokes with globe artichokes in the main section of the book. The two are not botanically related, and this is cleared up in the appendix on ingredients. In general, I find such appendices on tools, techniques, and terms to be of little value, since, being just a few pages long, they invariably omit something you may look for. This book's appendices have good content, but they fail to explain many of the French culinary terms. I also give little credit to the pantry recipe sections, but, in this book and other good books like it, you need to know how the author prepared their veal stocks and the like to really know how their stuff is supposed to turn out.

The color pictures in this book are the way I like them in separate sections, all together, so you can page through all the pictures to choose a dish. In this book, the pictures are divided into the four sections of recipes. Very wise.

This book is MUCH better than the later `Chef Danial Boulud: Cooking In New York City', where the celebrity chefs started entombing their cuisine in coffe table books with lots of useless photographs. The absence of Ms. Greenspan's influence is also felt in the latter volume.

Even at $35, this book is a keeper.

Exquisite French-American Offerings.......2003-04-16

This superb chef provides intense food that the home gourmet that has been cooking for sometime can easily handle with ingredients that are not as bizarre and hard to find as most cookbooks from star chefs.

Unique is the organization of recipes, here into four groupings of Traditional French, Seasonal Specialties, Other Cuisines and Vegetarian.

Offerings in each include main entrees, sides and desserts as well as first courses, soups, etc.

A marvelous dish from French category is Sea Bass en Croute or the Cornish Hens a la Diable. Unusual combo exemplefies Boulud's coupling of tastes, Sweet Swiss Chard Tourte. Don't tell your guests what this is until they eat. Swiss Chard done right is magnificent. A tangy sweetness to it that here is married with honey, orange and pine nuts. This is superb!

How about Cod with Blood Orange Sauce and Creamy Grits from Seasonal section? Who would have thought to put blood organes with cod? Citrus goes so well with seafood as this, but with grits? This guy is truly French-American chef.

I find his abilities and recipes to be inspirational for amateur gourmet. Techniques are not too formidiable and much is offered in the way of purchase and prep techniques. The small, details are what is worth the book. The user will see that this guy is on to each ingredient and wants to display its savor at max.

This is breakthrough cuisine, with simple, straightforward technique, but full throttle flavor and expert combining of luxurious components. You'll have fun with this one!

Odd organization, good content.......2003-04-06

I'm not crazy about the way this book is structured -- it's really four small cookbooks in one, each carrying through from appetizers to dessert, themed around one of the ways Boulud looks at dining. But with that said, there's great stuff in here. Wonderful long-cooked chicken, for example, and good basics, too. If you don't know how to make pate brisee' or sablee', he'll tell you, and tell you how to do it with a range of power tools, too. Buy it.

Home from the Vinyl Cafe: A Year of Stories

Average customer rating:

From a high schooler
Entertaining and heartwarming
A great diversion from ...
Stuart McLean is *the* Canadian Humourist...
An hilarious accounting of a year in the life...

Home from the Vinyl Cafe: A Year of Stories
Stuart McLean
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Vinyl Cafe Unplugged
Vinyl Cafe Coast to Coast Story Service
Vinyl Cafe Diaries
A Story-Gram from Vinyl Cafe Inc
Stories from the Vinyl Cafe

ASIN: 0743270002

Book Description

Welcome to the world of the Vinyl CafŽ. Meet Dave, the owner of the world's smallest record store. Meet his pal, Kenny Wong, who runs Wong's Scottish Meat Pies. Meet Dave's wife and their children who, along with everyone else in town, bump and stumble through a hilarious year of mistakes, miscues, misunderstandings, and muddle.

Whether it's the mystery of sending kids to camp, the dangers of putting up Christmas lights, or the potential for mayhem at the grocery store, in the hands of humorist and master storyteller Stuart McLean the chaotic melody of daily life is underscored by the harmonious sounds of family, friends, and neighbors.

Customer Reviews:

From a high schooler.......2006-06-14

I picked this book out of a list given to me by my 12th grade english teacher. After searching everywhere i ordered it off amazon and am very pleased i did. it is an amazingly light, funny story about a 'stock' family that is a great summer read. i recommend it to both guys and girls, great book!

Entertaining and heartwarming.......2004-10-07

I can see why Stuart McLean is one of Canada's beloved storytellers through the warmth, humanity and humor of his stories. My favorite stories came early in the book, one of them being "Turkey" which starts off both the book and the Winter section. The description of the turkey before it was roasted had me and my husband howling with laughter. Another favorite is the one about the birthday party, especially the scene where Dave tries to frost the cake while it is still warm. My husband recently made the same mistake when he was frosting my birthday cake. I think there is enough depth to this collection of stories that most any one can come away with a favorite story or at least a favorite scene.

A great diversion from ..........2002-12-02

... a very ordinary family. Now, I don't mean ordinary in the boring sense of the term, quite the contrary. This is a collection of short stories spanning a year in the lives of a middle-class family. Everyone will be able to recognize themselves or others in these people to whom funny things tend to happen.

A quick read that will have you smiling (and giggling) on the bus.

You won't regret picking it up, and will look for McLean's other collections of stories about this wonderful family upon completing it.

Stuart McLean is *the* Canadian Humourist..........2001-07-02

In "Home from the Vinyl Cafe," Stuart McLean gives us a rousing journey of one year in the life of Dave, Morley, Sam and Stephanie. From one Christmas to the next, we step in an check up on the family a few times each season, with such fantastic stories as "Dave Cooks the Turkey," and "School Days." Rousing, amusing and touching in turn, McLean's tales are as much a joy to read as they are to listen to.

Now, if you have no idea who I'm talking about, you're in for a real treat. Stuart McLean is a humourist who speaks on the radio twice a week with his wonderful Canadian prose short narratives, which always manage to make me laugh out loud. I've bought a few of his tape collections so I can listen to them whenever I'd like; he's that good. You follow the lives of this small family through their idiosyncratic - and wonderfully Canadian - trials and laughs throughout this book.

Stephen Leacock award winner McLean has put together a wonderful collection here, and if you can get a copy, do.

It is important to note that this book is not out of print, it is merely published in Canada. You could get it through a Canadian source with no troubles.

An hilarious accounting of a year in the life..........2000-10-08

McLean's book, 'Home from the Vinyl Cafe,' is a hoot from start to finish. It's a sorry day in Canada that this title is now out of print, it really is. McLean's a national treasure of humour.

If you do manage to find this title (I've got my fingers crossed for you), then beware - do not read this while on public transport or eating out. You'll be laughing out loud, long and hard, from the get-go.

The opening sequence is one of the funniest pieces of prose I've read in a long time; you will never look at Christmas dinner in the same light again.

McLean has an easy-going, conversational writing style that engages the reader immediately - he draws you in as a willing voyeur, anticipating the next hilarious calamity to strike the book's protagonist.

If you live in the north climes where it gets cold at night, the final sequence in the book will harken back your days of daring... ever stick your tongue to cold metal? Not so funny for the poor soul who dares such trickery, hilarious for those who're watching.

Book Description

Sitting by the fireside, humming carols and knitting mittens…not! For these stay-at-home moms, the weeks before Christmas are anything but mellow. How can you balance housework, home crises and the husband without losing your mind? Plug in your laptop!

Meet Dulcie, Zelia, Jocelyn, Rosalyn, Veronica and the rest of the women of SAHM I Am. An e-mail loop of stay-at-home moms, they've seen each other through months of domestic drama: babies who won't come, bills that won't leave, kids who won't listen and spouses who won't talk. Now, as the yuletide approaches, the SAHMs are on hand once again, bearing gifts of sisterhood, sanity and the real Christmas spirit.

Customer Reviews:

Better than the First!.......2007-02-04

It is not often that you will find a sequel that is better than the original. But, Ms. Efken has done it. I loved SAHM I AM, but @ Home was even better. Once I started the book, I could not put it down. It is a fast read and leaves you eager for more. I am hoping that there is a 'SAHP We Are' in the works, or some sort of third book. I love the idea of adding the Dads. Please keep up the great work!

FUN AND FRIENDSHIP: THE EMAIL WAY.......2007-01-26

If you've ever been in an email discussion loop, you'll fit right in with cyber-girlfriends, Dulcie, Zelia, Jocelyn, Veronica, and Rosalyn. Fans of Efken's first mom-lit novel, SAHM I Am, will find plenty to laugh about in this snappy yuletide tale.

The quick-paced email exchanges between these stay-home moms make for hilarious reading as they try to balance housework, family crisis, and the impending holiday madness.

Though the book is uproariously funny, Efken delves into important issues, such as struggles with infertility, postpartum depression, going back to work, discipline problems, and isolation. If you're a woman who plugs in a laptop to stay connected and sane, this jolly faith-filled novel will keep you turning the pages.

-- Christian Women Online Book Buzz

Meredith Efken has done it again!.......2006-12-05

She has put out another book that I proceeded to finish in just a few hours. I was actually in the process of reading two other books, but I dropped them both to read this one. It was definitely worth it. I declare it tied for best book of the year!

In @Home, the sequel to SAHM I AM, we again are meeting up with members of the SAHM (stay at home moms) email group. Rosalyn is now on better terms with her sister Veronica but the two are still at it with their sibling rivalry. They propose to hold a contest as to who can have more readership with their posts, while each facing their own personal situations. Dulice finds herself in the position as a working mom while her husband has become a SAHD. Zelia is in the process of adopting two children from Zimbabwe while Brenna is trying her luck with egg donation adoption. Then there's also Jocelyn who's slowly busying herself to death, Paige who has to take over for her pastor husband who's fallen ill, and Marianne, the newest member who finds herself with the baby blues and a very unruly 2 year old. The women still find time to get together and talk about everything through the email loop.

I looooooooved this book. It's so addictive to read because there are no chapters to stop at. I found everyone's story funny, sad, touching, and very very real. The only thing I didn't like was the attitudes of some of the women when Dulcie was talking about her work experience. While it's understandable that things have changed with her life, it still wasn't fair for the group to gang up on her and accuse her for not being true to herself. I don't think it's right for people to tell others what to do simply because that is what work for their own selves. Dulcie enjoyed going to work, the other women should not have put guilt trips on her for doing so. There were some times I wanted to strangle Rosalyn with her snobbishness but at least this time we had Veronica there to tell her off about it. The sisters' relationship was very funny and realistic. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's such a fun and easy and enjoyable read and it helped to get me in the holiday spirit.

(i also must confess that I never got the hang of the Christmas song game and only figured it out after I visited Meredith's website and saw the answer *sheepish look*.)

A must-read for the Holidays!.......2006-12-04

This is my all-time favorite Christmas novel EVER. I usually think holiday stories are sappy and never watch them on television, let alone read them. I'm not sure why. I used to like The Grinch That Stole Christmas. Hmmm... Anyway, I'm thoroughly impressed with how Meredith has taken an e-mail loop and made the characters so vivid and real that I want to join the loop myself. Though the story ends with Christmas, it covers over half the year so you can read it at any time and still enjoy it. Honestly!

I SO love the classic Christian snobbery exhibited by Rosalyn, the loop moderator and topic of the week coordinator. We all know someone like Ros, don't we? And the struggles with parenting and job-related issues were so realistic and well-portrayed that I was sucked right in. I've had many infertile friends and the pain is so real. These gals on the SAHM I Am loop are the real deal. Even their e-mail names made me snicker. That Veronica, she just tells it like it is. Sometimes we need that. And her metaphor about the cake...I almost wet my pants over that one. You have to read it to know what I mean!

I just can't say enough about how hilarious, yet deeply spiritual this book was. Some of the scenes with the kiddos just made me want to cackle like a nut case. And how many of us take on so many projects and causes that we neglect our first love? Enough said. I think even my son would love this story. The lessons within its pages shoot straight to the heart. Fabulous book. Now go out and get one before they are all gone!

Another visit with SAHM I Am Ladies.......2006-11-17

This is the second book with the SAHM women and it's just as funny and sarcastic as the first time around. If you read the first book you'll find all of your on-line friends here. Rosalyn, who tries very hard to be as perfect as she thinks she is, has a new passion. She and a group of women, which she founded, call themselves Godly Women for the Enforcement of National Christian Holidays, or GWENCH. Their program consists of ways to protest against the commercialism of Christmas. Everyone else in the on-line group thinks this is ridiculous and get a little perturbed with her, except Dulcie who doesn't shop until the last minute anyway and isn't about to get upset over something that is months away.

Zelia and her husband are adopting children from Ethiopia and Brenna and Darren are trying to snowflake adopt through the Frozen Embryo Program. Marianne has drifted into depression, although she's also into denial about it. and Veronica, who loves to needle her sister, Rosalyn, is pregnant and miserable and doing her best to keep things stirred up.

@HOME For the Holidays is just as funny, witty and touching as SAHM I Am, Meredith Efken's first book. The characters are a group of women who share everything through e-mail, and after a while you feel they are your friends too. You almost expect to turn on your computer and find an e-mail message from one of them. Don't miss this one.

Bistro: Casual French Cooking at Home (Cafe)

Average customer rating:

Bistro: Casual French Cooking at Home (Cafe)
Valerie Lhomme
Manufacturer: Silverback Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Book Description

According to an amusing, but undoubetly incorrect etymology, the word "bistrot" goes back to the times of Napoleon. Its said that Russian soldiers in Parisian bars shouted "bistrot" (hurry up) to get a drink.

During the last 20 years, the "bistrot" has regained popularity. Many well known chefs have re-introduced old recipes in their new Bistro style restaurants.

Book Description

Cafe Wisconsin returns in a new, updated version that provides a sure-bet guide to Wisconsin’s best small town, home-cooking cafes. For this second edition, author Joanne Raetz Stuttgen traveled more than 12,000 miles in six months, revisiting old business districts and main streets in search of the ultimate cafe, the perfect slice of homemade pie, and the meaning of life in Wisconsin’s down-home cafes.
Featuring 133 cafes, with another 101 Next Best Bets alternatives, Cafe Wisconsin is every hungry traveler’s guide to real mashed potatoes, melt-in-your-mouth hot beef, from-scratch baked goods, and colorful coffee klatches. At the counter of aptly named cafes like the Coffee Cup, Main Street, and Chatterbox, you’ll laugh with owners, shake dice with customers, and find the authentic taste and flavor of Wisconsin.
Come on. Let’s go out to eat!

Customer Reviews:

Where's Bobby's Beef?.......2006-09-14

Author Joanne Raetz Stuttgen had the great fortune to get paid to wander Wisconsin eating at small (no more than ten thousand hearty, hungry souls) town cafes. She captures the ambience as well as the taste of these places, often the social hub of their communities. The reviews are rendered with tender loving care wherein it is evident that she took the time to get to know the people, local culture, and their stories, not just a quick look at the menu and a slam the food down, bam the check paid, thank-you m'am, and on to the next. After digesting this book, this reviewer hopes to be able to eat my way through my next visit in the Land of Cheese. My only quibble is that Ms. RS with-held the name of best darn cheeseburger "barn" in all of America's Dairy Land. People in-the-know will go miles and hours out of their way (it's 19 miles off I90-94, which at that point are travelling together) to get a cheeseburger at the Bowling Alley in Evansville. Try it! You'll love it! And give the owner a hug. Anybody with burgers that good, with the gumption to be a belligerent Bears fan in Cheesehead PackerLand, deserves a hug. /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

Cafe Cakes ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)

Average customer rating:

Cafe Cakes ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)

Manufacturer: ACP Publishing Pty Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cakes | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Desserts | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Wicked Sweet Indulgences ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)
Salads ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)
New Finger Food ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)
Tapas Antipasto Mezze ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)
Muffins, Scones and Bread ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)

ASIN: 1863962301

Book Description

These handy little cookbooks might be small, but they're chock-full of recipes to suit every need and taste. With a wide range of 50 titles to choose from, the series is broken down into 4 distinct categories: the Make It Tonight range is ideal for busy cooks, with fuss-free, fast, delicious food; the Sweet and Simple range satisfies your craving for something sweet, with easy-to-follow recipes that are just a little bit wicked; the Healthy Eating range demonstrates how you can have high flavor but low fat; and the Creative Food range are for those who enjoy adventure in the kitchen. This little series has it all.

The espresso encyclopedia: The complete guide for the home preparation of European cafe-quality espresso, cappuccino & caffe latte

Average customer rating:

The espresso encyclopedia: The complete guide for the home preparation of European cafe-quality espresso, cappuccino & caffe latte
Bernard N Mariano
Manufacturer: Trendex International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Krups Encyclopedia of Coffee and Espresso
Espresso: Ultimate Coffee, Second Edition
Espresso from Bean to Cup
Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying, Fifth Edition

ASIN: 0964322218

Coyote's Pantry: Southwest Seasonings and at Home Flavoring Techniques

Average customer rating:

Coyote's Pantry Southwest Seasonings and at Home Flavoring T

Coyote's Pantry: Southwest Seasonings and at Home Flavoring Techniques
Mark Charles Miller , and Mark Kiffin
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Coyote Cafe
Red Sage: Contemporary American Cuisine
Cool Coyote Cafe Juice Drinks
Tamales
The Great Salsa Book

ASIN: 0898154944

Customer Reviews:

Coyote's Pantry Southwest Seasonings and at Home Flavoring T.......2000-06-26

After having the opportunity to eat baby back ribs cooked in the Spicy Chipotle Tolect Barbecue Glaze, I tried the receipe myself. While the prep time is long, it is well worth the effort. The only confusing instructions is the receipe for chile puree (page 120). The receipe does not tell you how many chiles to use. I prepared baby back ribs for a family/friend barbecue. Everyone including the guests from Massachusetts raved about the ribs!

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