Customer Reviews

The Big Book of Breakfast: Serious Comfort Food for Any Time of the Day

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A great cookbook idea for a novice, new couple, or serious breakfast lover. It will encourage people to spend more time with a good breakfast, and perhaps with each other!

If you don't eat eggs, this book offers delicious alternatives (hot oatmeal with nuts,etc., meats, breads, even tofu dishes). If you love eggs, this book is a rich resource. I appreciate that in addition to recipes to be made while everyone is waiting (scrambled eggs), she includes recipes to make the night before, make a few hours before, etc.

This is an attractive cookbook with very easy-to-follow recipes and instructions. Her 'serve with' suggestions are for recipes also included in the book.

I wish it were hard-cover, because the larger width isn't ideal for reading other than on a table or countertop, and it has no photos, but the descriptions are tempting and I'm headed to the kitchen to try a few new recipes.

To me this book is better than ok but much less than exceptional to deserve 5 stars. Ther are a fairly substantial number of recipes for all your key breakfast dishes such as eggs, omelletes, waffles, pancakes, stratas, quiches and more. The recipes overall are good, mostly simple and straightforward and some recipes are quite creative and original.

Whats missing here is photography. Not a single photo in the entire book. I personally like to see at least a few of the finished dishes to get a feel for the authors perspective. Take for example the Green Eggs and Ham. This is one that I would like to have seen in a colored photo and it would hav complimented the book.

Other than that observation, if you like breakfast and want to add some extra flair to your Sunday mornings, it's a good source for some new ideas.

I have been working my way through several breakfast books and this has been one I have been turning to regularly.

Recipes I have tried and liked: Berry Slush, Orange Slush - both were easy and YUMMY! Smoked Salmon Omelettes, Farmer's Breakfast Casserole, Eggs Gratin, Sweet Spiced French Toast, Autumn Pancakes, Jiffy Buttermilk Pancakes, Oatmeal Buttermilk Waffles, Buttermilk Waffles,

Recipe tried, but needs tweaking: Apple Pie Pancakes. Tasted ok, but didn't look good - need to tweak this one.

Recipes I have bookmarked to try in the future: Orange Juice-Banana Smoothie, Lucy's Lemonade, Swiss Scramble, Scrambled Eggs with Sliced Tomato, Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, and Hazelnuts (though I foresee omitting the hazelnuts); Favorite Omelette; Zucchini, Tomato and Fresh Herb Omelette (can you tell I have an herb garden?); Puffy Cheese Omelet with Spinach and Fresh herb filling, topped with Tomato Salsa; Cowboy Frittata; Mushroom, Bell Pepper and Ham Frittata; Classic Quiche Lorraine; Spinach-Sausage Quiche; Egg-Sausage Strata; Crab Strata Supreme; Holiday Strata; Ham and Cheese Breakfast Strata; Apple Strata; Baked Eggs Florentine; Baked Cheese Blintz Casserole; French Toast with Orange Cream Filling; Spiced Overnight French Toast; French Toast Bake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread; Sticky Bun French Toast; Spiced Whole Wheat Pancakes with Nuts; Pumpkin Pancakes; Chicken Divan Crepes; Turkey and Mushrooms in Herb Crepes; Blueberry-Peach Dessert Crepes; Crab & Shrimp Crepes; Hawaiian Waffles; Gingerbread Waffles; Country Potatoes; Cheesy Potatoes; Oatmeal Brulee; Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl; Pumpkin-Apple Spice Muffins with Streusel Topping; Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter; Rich Scones with Lemon Curd; Cranberry Scones; Chocolate Chip Orange Scones; Scones with Spiced Sugar Nut Topping; Orange Nut Bread with Dried Cranberries; Chocolate Zucchini Bread; Overnight Spice Nut Coffee Cake; Summer Fruit Custard Coffee Cake; Famous Cinnamon Rolls; Glazed Lemon Cake; Cranberry Sorbet

As you can see, I have many breakfasts ahead of me full of experimenting with new recipes!!!

I will say if you have bacon or ham; bell pepper, mushrooms, eggs, cheese and potatoes, you can probably make 1/2 the recipes in this book. :)

This book far and away has been the best resource for fun new recipes that I have ever found.

The food I have made from this book has again and again left me so delighted with the treat I have just enjoyed. So many cookbooks call for so many ingredients and those ingredients are often times expensive. In looking for tasty new dishes that aren't too expensive for me, I have discovered some 3 ingredient and 4 ingredient cookbooks. These cookbook's recipes did not provide me with any where near as many A+ entrees as "The Big Book of Breakfast".

I am putting the rest of Maryana Vollstedt's cookbooks in my "cart" here at Amazon to save for later so that I can buy them when I can afford them.

There Cheers for Maryana Vollstedt!

The recipe for Shrimp and Artichoke Strata is worth the price of the book alone. Although I have only made a few of the recipes (just got it before Christmas), everyone is wonderful. Many make-ahead recipes and different than the usual stratas. Stress-free recipes!

My husband has started fixing brunch every Sunday but, other than omelets or basic eggs, his repertoire was a bit thin. I gave him this book for his birthday and now, every weekend he uses this book and comes up with all kinds of neat and great tasting ideas. I strongly recommend that all women follow suit; it's wonderful sitting and reading the paper while my husband is slaving away in the kitchen!

I do wish this book had pictures, however, the recipes are good enough to sell the book on their own without them.

This is my second cookbook by this author and its the favorite of the 2. At least 90% of the recipes I can't wait to try, the other 10% I won't only becuase I don't like mushrooms=)

The recipes in here were well thought out and well put together. There is something in this book for everyone.

I own a number of breakfast cookbooks, but I think this one is the best. The book has over 300 pages of recipes that are simple and easy to follow. I enjoy cooking a nice breakfast on the weekends, but I don't want to spend all morning in the kitchen - these recipes are quick enough that I don't have to. Also, just paging through the cookbook one morning I was able to find recipes that use ingredients that I had on-hand. So I can use it even when I haven't planned ahead!

The book includes a number of recipes for different types of breakfast foods. A few favorites are:
breakfast beverages
omelets
frittatas
quiche
breakfast casseroles
french toast
pancakes & waffles
crepes and blintzes
potatoes
breakfast breads
fruits

Each category contains a nice variety of recipes so you can try out different flavors (like Greek-Style crepes, crab & shrimp crepes and blueberry-peach dessert crepes). This cookbook also got me inspired to experiment a bit and use ideas from different recipes to create something of my own. (for some reason, no other cookbook has inspired me that way...)

Other reviewers mentioned that there are no photos, but that didn't matter too much to me. I thought the recipes were mouth-watering yet simple and this is one cookbook that will definitely get used in my kitchen!

I was in a store called Cooks World in Rochester, NY. The book was being offered as a package purchase with a stove top grill and spatula and the book. I liked the appearance of the book and ask if I could purchase it. She said she was sorry but it was only available as part of the package. I thought I bet I could get it on Amazon.com. Sure enough it was there and for $8.00 less than the listed price purchase price of the book. The book is light physically and easy to handle. The type is large enough to read easily. Most recipes only require simple things. The spices required are enough and not expensive. It is basically simple and although some of the recipes are too spicey for my famile most are great. I liek breakfast and being as morning is my best time, I enjoy cooking it. The jacket is attractive and pleasent to look at. on a scale of 10 I would give it a 8.5. Thanks, Bob Watt

My son loved this cookbook as well as the other book we bought on Amazon. He is incorporating some of the recipes in his breakfast menu. This book was received in a very timely manner and great condition.

Thank you.