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Easy to follow kids' notes help even the youngest cooks achieve success and pull-out grocery lists for each menu make shopping a breeze.
Helen Puckett DeFrance was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. The fourth child in a family of six children, she learned cooking from her grandmother, Helen Todd. She holds a masters degree in Education from Pepperdine University with an emphasis in the Montessori method of education which promotes a "hands-on" approach to learning. Helen and her son, Martin, live in Jackson.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Family Cookbook,
By lily spain "emily" (california) - See all my reviews
This review is from: At Home Cafe (Hardcover)
This is a fantastic cookbook for the whole family. There are terrific recipes that even the most inexperienced cook can succeed with AND that even the pickiest eater will be amazed by! I was very impressed with the easy lay out and set up. There are even pull out grocery lists in the back of the book to make shopping and meal planning a breeze. This is the best, most fun cookbook I've run across in a while- and it's a beautiful book too! I would recommend this as a gift or a treat for yourself....SO much fun to cook with!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pass the Creole seasoning: one of my favorite cookbooks,
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This review is from: At Home Cafe (Hardcover)
At Home Cafe has become, over the few weeks that I've used it, one of my most used and favorite cookbooks. I'm buying a copy for my sister in law to use for her family. The kidsnotes are fabulous for including even the smallest helper; I've used them for my eleven year old and interpreted them for my three year old with much success. And most important, most of the recipes taste really good. I mean that. The recipes, for the most part are delicious. The "designer" sandwiches like Greek roll ups and homey basics like cheesy meatloaf are new staples at our house. Forget opening a can for your tomato soup. Try their recipe for home made. It's worth the trouble.
So why didn't I give it five stars? The menus are too ambitious, not all of the recipes deserve five stars and the portions they are designed for are too large. For example, for the sample menus that the ladies provide for "a school night", I had to spend three and half hours in the kitchen. My family swallowed the orange almond salad, stuffed themselves on carrot fries made in the oven, had seconds on cheesy meatloaf and raved about creamed corn cut off the cob, but was it something I wanted to do on a nightly basis? Some of the recipes were not exactly bombs, but were disappointments. Like that "Absolutely Delicious Danish" that was surprisingly easy to make? It wasn't delicious, merely palatable, a bit of a let down. It was one of the few things I made that wasn't eaten by my boys. The Buffalo Chicken sandwiches were a busy cooks nightmare, calling for marinating, then grilling, then slicing and saucing and rolling up the chicken. It just wasn't worth the trouble for a sandwich which only tasted OK. The other thing that I don't like about the book is that I have to cut down the recipes, which make portions of eight or ten. The layout of the book, for the most part, is great. But don't be distracted by the cute paintings, there aren't any helpful *photos* of the dishes, and some of them are a little complicated, though most are not. And as other reviewers have said, the directions are blessedly simple and easy to follow. A great help for the new cook, except that a new cook could really use pictures, too. If you're really just starting out, something more comprehensive, like Julia Child's "How To Cook" might be even more appropriate. This book outlines the details of how to make each dish, even down to the details of how to scrape carrots and shred cheese, but it seems to be more for someone who can cook a little bit and has kids to share the kitchen with, I think. It lacks the refinement of an approach on par with Ms. Child's. And for its audience, there are several delicious and easy to prepare recipes that I have used. But be aware that this is an introduction to a different way of life. This is an introduction to big southern homecooked meals by two ladies from Mississippi. You'll have to go out and buy Bisquick (for a recipe that copies Popeye's biscuits!), onions,garlic, salsa, cumin and Creole seasoning and put some more time in at the stove than Rachel Ray requires. It is not a time saving cook book, but it is a very fun and rewarding cookbook. For me, I am making the commitment and I love the book, with very few reservations. I like the changes that we've made in our way of eating and cooking with At Home Cafe. I especially like including the kids.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great family cooking!,
This review is from: At Home Cafe (Hardcover)
We love this cookbook at our house. The recipes are so easy to follow, even for a child. The writers break down steps to a level that an adult would not need, but this gives the young cook independence and confidence in being the leader of a cooking activity. Plus, the recipes we've tried have all been tasty, even for the adult palate! Bon apetit!
P.S. - The shopping lists are key to the learning experience for a young cook. Perfect extra touch! This book makes a great gift!
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