Customer Reviews

Comfortably Yum: Food for Body and Spirit

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was extremely excited to find out that Ms. Perkins, a talented home chef, was putting out her own cookbook.

My excitement increased as I tore through my copy of "Comfortably Yum" and found that my all-time favorite food quote (the description of breakfast from Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Farmer Boy") was Ms. Perkins's pick for the intro. to her Breakfast section. I knew that my keen anticipation had not been in vain.

What I love about Ms. Perkins's philosophy about food is that it is a gift to be enjoyed, and that if people have "food issues" that's about other things and choices they make, not about recipes prepared well. She doesn't stint in the use of butter or sugar, and she has this marvelous story about her mother-in-law:

"Last Thanksgiving, my friend Tina Fairweather asked her (Luisa's mother-in-law) how to make it(cream of vegetable soup); my mother-in-law began giving instructions in response.When she came to the cup of milk and the cup of heavy cream, Tina asked, 'So you could use half-and-half, then?'
My mother-in-law replied in gracious but firm tones, 'Oh, no. I find there is no substitute for heavy cream.' Amen, Mother, amen."

Ms. Perkins also manages to convey her patience and kind heart via her writing: she presents an extremely useful ingredients/tools section at the beginning, which will certainly help in re-creating the recipes to their best advantage.

This book is actually a love letter to her family and friends, and she has beautiful commentary throughout, including humorous "Prelude" and "Postlude" sections. The Prelude concerns Ms. Perkins's personal history with food, and the Postlude contains some of her philosophy about food and enjoyment. Ms. Perkins is also an active member of her church, and she shares LDS traditions and philosophy along with her comments on family rituals and fun. Her comments are never heavy-handed or proselytizing, however - her views on these areas simply add to the points she's making about a particular recipe or section.

The recipes themselves are everything one could wish for - practical and delicious. Most of the recipes are fairly straightforward, but whether a recipe is as simple as her "Lynyrd Skynyrd" dip or is somewhat more complex, such as her Fondue recipe, her directions are crystal clear and feature humor and heart. Drinking peppermint tea is part of the Fondue ritual, for example, and listening to Los Fabulosos Cadillacs or The Gypsy Kings on low is a secret for making the Chicken Enchiladas the best they can be. While many of the recipes could define home-cooked "comfort food" - creamed tuna, a truly fabulous granola recipe, lemon squares, chocolate cake, and the previously mentioned enchiladas (which apparently elicited her wedding proposal), there are also a wonderful smattering of international recipes, especially Canadian (including poutine - for which I praise Luisa forever) and many Swiss recipes, reflecting her mother-in-law's heritage.

The sections themselves cover the gamut: breakfast, soups, main dishes, accompaniments, desserts and "snacks and pantry food".

I've had a tradition of giving Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" to newlyweds, college grads, and those who are just, plain starting new lives: for me, it is the modern version of "The Joy of Cooking". I love the book, but it's somewhat overwhelming, and there are some things that Bittman does far better than others (his bread section, for example, is fairly abysmal, IMHO). I've decided to switch, however, to "Comfortably Yum".

While it is on a smaller scale, "Comfortably Yum" is everything a new cook (or an experienced one) could wish for, and in addition to the fabulous culinary recipes, a wonderful recipe for living life with heart and humor is woven throughout. Who could ask for more?

In the tradition of Laurie Colwin and Ann Hodgman, Luisa Perkins serves up her own rich portions of entertaining prose and time-tested, delicious recipes in her new book, Comfortably Yum. Many (maybe all?) of these recipes can be found on Luisa's wonderful blog, Novembrance, but now they're here in one place and, much to my delight, on my kitchen counter.

Each recipe (whether reprinted, reinvented, or "reverse-engineered") reflects the writer's love of good food and generosity of spirit. Perkins is liberal (or, shall we say, progressive) with her use of heavy cream, butter, milk, and cheese. She has my unflagging affection for her description of eggs (pg. 143) as "Nature's perfect food."

There is wisdom in Luisa's approach to food: "Food is a blessing," she writes. "Don't worship it, but do savor it.... Share it with as many people as you can." Amen, Luisa, amen.

While it's true that Luisa Perkins is my friend, it is not true that all of my friends are talented and trustworthy cooks. With Luisa, however, you can't go wrong following any recipe or any piece of culinary advice she has to offer. Everything she touches is like gold to me. Luisa is one of those women who does everything wholeheartedly. With whatever she wishes to excel at, she is a diligent student, and as a result, her efforts are blessed with success. So when I was told the news that a whole collection of Luisa's culinary masterpieces would be published all in one binding? I had to have it!


As I made my menus for the last several weeks I scheduled in many of her tried-and-true recipes. I wanted to try some of everything before I wrote this review. I can't think of anything more enjoyable. Plus, I felt connected to my soul-friend who lives at the other side of the country from me.


When Comfortably Yum arrived in my mailbox from Amazon, the first thing I had to do (because I'm a nerd like that) was to read it cover to cover like a novel. Yes, I read cookbooks. And a good one will not let a reader down! This one was no exception. Even if you have a complete aversion to tasty food and being anywhere near a kitchen, you would find yourself thoroughly entertained by Luisa's narrations throughout the book. Several times I was laughing out loud, and there was more than one "Amen, sister" uttered vocally.


For instance, the first recipe we tried was "Cranberry Upside-Down Tart", which begins with this introduction:


"I got this recipe from a lovely German lady in our congregation (of course, I've monkeyed with it). Elga called it a dessert when she gave me the little handwritten index card, but I know she must have been kidding, because, um, see, Elga, it doesn't have any chocolate in it."


Amen, sister.


And thus "Cranberry Upside-Down Tart" goes in the breakfast category. And it is perfect there. My kids loved it. With a tall glass of cold milk, it was the most delicious start to our day.

Well, that is until we tried the "Scones", and the "Oat Breakfast Bars", and the "Baked Doughnuts", and the "Dewey Buns", and the "Biscuits and Gravy", and the "Mother of Invention Muffins". Luisa's scones were the topic of a blog post long before she published her cookbook, and I had been wanting to try them ever since. Only laziness in copying the recipe kept me from doing so, but now that I have, they have become a breakfast staple in our home. And, like many of her recipes, they are so versatile. You can change up what you add to them each time. We especially like dried cranberries and chocolate chips (together) over here.


Luisa and I share many food philosophies and kitchen practices, like bring on the (raw, if possible) dairy products, and take the time to make your own homemade stock. Less processing and more 'real' foods (butter versus margarine, for example) bring health and wholesome deliciousness. Her soup category is hard to beat. "Potato Cheese Soup" (which she introduces with "One of my basic cooking equations is this: potatoes + cheese = comfort. Feel free to check my math." Can I hear another 'Amen, sister'?), "Clam Chowder", and my personal favorite, "Quick Black Bean Soup" were very heartily accepted by everyone in the family. Seriously, she wasn't kidding when she calls her Black Bean Soup "Quick"--I think it was even heated through within 6 minutes--and easy? Nothing is easier. I ate it for several meals and every time I professed my love.


There are so many recipes to try! "Chicken Enchiladas", "Lasagna", "Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf", "Quiche" (just let me die now, please. I've now lived.), "Tuscan Chicken", and "Zucchini Casserole" were my favorites. I can't wait to try every other main dish.


Desserts? Please. Luisa knows desserts. I've been privileged to sit eagerly at her dining table with her brood of children anxiously awaiting her cookies from the oven. After she's doled them out to us, I have been guilty of coveting more than my fair share and, I'll admit, plotting to steal more. Try her "Chocolate Drop (Mostly) Dead Cookies", or her invention, "Brookies". "Sourtastic Lemon Squares" make my mouth water even as I type their name. "Chocolate Caramel Bars"--I would marry them I love them so much, and the "Vermont Apple Crisp" is just about as perfect an autumn dessert as you can get. I also heartily recommend "Chocolate Sour Cream Cake" and "True Love Cheesecake".


Oh, man, I'm hungry.


Comfortably Yum is a user-friendly cookbook. You don't need master kitchen skills or expensive equipment. You won't even have to hunt down hard-to-find ingredients. You will need butter, but that's a good thing, and you will find yourself excited to gather your family around the dinner table night after night as you nourish them with food prepared with love. The name really says it all.


And I love how Luisa summarizes her food philosophy in her Postlude:


"I don't hold with demonizing food, or feeling guilty about it, or talking about how unhealthy or sinful it is to indulge in it. Food is a blessing, a gift from God. I do not believe food makes us sick or fat; I believe that what is going on in our minds and spirits has far more to do with metabolism or the body's other functions than science can yet measure.


"All I am saying is give peace a chance: end your war with food. Don't worship it, but do savor it with thanks and praise to its Creator. Share it with as many people as you can; let's take the energy we used to spend on ambivalence over food and use it to find ways to feed the poor and hungry among us."


Amen, sister, amen.

I am a self proclaimed foodie. I love to cook and I really, really love to eat. If any part of that statement sounds like you or someone you know, this is the cookbook for you.

Luisa has filled every page with her love of cooking and food and her years of experiment and research. Her descriptions are as delightful as the recipes. I have torn through the book and made at least two recipes from each category in only a few short months. I can't stop thinking about the butter cream frosting and sour cream chocolate cake. I make "Patrick's Pasta Sauce" at least once a week. My husband, a self proclaimed pasta hater, had three generous helpings of the lasagna last Sunday. There isn't one recipe I've come across that has made me think anything less than "WOW."

The book is always in my recipe stand, open to some amazing meal I plan to tackle next. It has become the cookbook I use the most. I've just purchased additional copies to give as Christmas gifts to all the chefs in my life.

This book is a cooking must. Buy it now!

Previous reviewers have already said much of what I would say so I'll be brief. In Comfortably Yum we have been given a gift of such warmth and delight! Luisa Perkins' sweet and humorous personality all but leaps off the pages within, and the recipes, ah the recipes. I've tried several now and all have been raging successes. Here we are taught a keen appreciation for food and laughter and everything wonderful in between.

I'm not much of a cook. But, when I got my hands on this book, I knew I would be able to successfully make any of these recipes. Luisa explains the recipes, and tells you not only how you can modify the recipes to make them into other things (the scone recipe is simple to modify to a dumpling), but the music that you should listen to while you do it. It is not just a cookbook, it is cooking with your friend Luisa with you in your kitchen, listening to music, sharing great stories, and sharing a wonderful meal while you do it.

I can't say enough good things about this cookbook. It really is a gem!

That recipe alone is worth the price of the book. We have made banana, zucchini, apple, applesauce, chocolate chip, raspberry/white chocolate chip, etc. We love them. They are a regular breakfast staple around our house, along with the scones.

The Sour-tastic Lemon Squares finally satisfy my lemon-loving mouth!

I have read the book several times from cover to cover--it is a fun read that let's you see into the heart of this fabulous cook. I have heard that there could be another Comfortably Yum in the future. Make it so, Mrs. Perkins! Make it so!

Comfortably Yum is a cookbook that reads like a novel. While of course it is full of divine recipes and brilliant advice, it's so much more than that. Perkins has poured not only the finest recipes and cooking ideas into her cookbook, but her personality as well. I couldn't help but smile as I read through it, eager not only for the next amazing recipe but also the next funny anecdote. This book makes a perfect Christmas gift for all your Foody friends and family. I'll definitely be sending out a few copies this year. :-D