Customer Reviews

The Cracker Kitchen: A Cookbook in Celebration of Cornbread-Fed, Down Home Family Stories and Cuisine

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I'm a Lowcountry Jew, as alien to the typical New York Jew as a Jewish Cowboy bustin' broncos out West. I'm not a bookworm, but I didn't play football either. I can tell you all about grits, but I didn't know what a bagel was till I went "up North". I talk slow, but I talk a lot. See what I'm getting at here? Who the hell am I? I know now. Janis Owens told me in THE CRACKER KITCHEN. I'm a Jewish Cracker.
And everyone in my synagogue down here feels the same way. Why? They're Jewish Crackers too. We read a lot, but we like our grits cooked just the way Ms. Owens and her folks do. And since in our little community THE CRACKER KITCHEN has surpassed even the Old Testament (to say nothing of EXODUS) in popularity, our Oneg Shabbats are so downright mouth-watering and delicious, so divinely inspired by Ms. Owens' recipes, that Hell, even the Methodists, the Baptists, and the Presbyterians are showing up. In THE CRACKER KITCHEN Ms. Owens shows us all two things: who we are, and that the way to a man ( or woman's) heart is through his stomach, Cracker or not, as long as you're using her recipes.
Unlike so many books that come out of the South nowadays, Ms. Owens never condescends. She sees our cracker heritage for what it is, and loves us unconditionally. THE CRACKER KITCHEN transcends race, culture and class as Ms. Owens voice-- funny, arresting, disarmingly honest and bold--transcends modern Southern literature.
If you don't read this book, consider yourself stupid for life. This from a Jew. This also from a Cracker.
Thank you, Ms. Owens.
The Cracker Kitchen: A Cookbook in Celebration of Cornbread-Fed, Down Home Family Stories and CuisineThe Cracker Kitchen: A Cookbook in Celebration of Cornbread-Fed, Down Home Family Stories and Cuisine

I have quite a selection of "soul" food, "country cooking" and "comfort food" cookbooks and this one rates up high on my list, right along with "Mama Dip's Kitchen" by Mildred Council and "Soul Food: Classic Cusine from the Deep South" by Shelia Ferguson. I have cooked numerous receipes from all and get nothing but compliments on any receipe that I choose to prepare either for family dinner or potluck suppers with friends and family. Living on the Gulf Coast in humid Texas, I have never found a biscuit receipe that worked well at our elevation and with our climate. The "Fundamentalist" Biscuit Receipe donated by the author's own father is so far the best that I have been able to find and prepare.

I have recently procured a copy of this delightful new southern cookbook, and I can already say that on behalf of me and my family, the tasty recipes inside will make you the center of attention at any party or feast. Not to mention that with this cookbook not only do you get recipes for all sorts of courses, occasions, and seasons, but along with them you have funny stories and the author's memories revisited. The Cracker Kitchen makes for a good read as well as a yummy one!

I was born in Alabama and grew up in central Florida, where we all proudly referred to ourselves as Florida Crackers, mostly to distinguish ourselves from the Yankee tourists...and all of our mamas cooked just like the recipes in this cookbook. I loved this cookbook so much that I bought a second copy for my sister, who now lives in New Hampshire and sorely misses our mama's cracker cooking.

If you're from the south, the stories and recipes will bring back memories of sitting on the porch in the shade, and sipping sweet tea, after consuming a big plate of fried chicken, corn bread, creamed corn, green beans, fried okra, fresh tomatoes, and a big hunk of pecan pie with homemade ice cream...while listening to your mama, grandmama and aunts telling family stories and talking about what they're going to cook for dinner tomorrow.

Thank you Janis Owens for publishing a cookbook that will keep all of our mamas' recipes alive for future generations.

I read this cook book as I would read a novel...I couldn't put it down. I come from a long line of "Crackers" on both sides of my family and memories flooded my heart. I could see my Great Aunt Annie kneading the dough for the dumplings, could smell my Great Aunt Margaret's fig preserves simmering on the stove and could taste the melt in your mouth fried chicken of my Aunt Margaret's (namesake of my Great Aunt Margaret) that I have never been able to duplicate even though I studied her methods in her kitchen from the time I was very young.

My sister loves this book. It is full of lots of recipes that her nother in law had told her about but couldn't find anymore. We usually don't bother with recipe books, because it is all online, but not many of these, you can't get them online. This book is also a good read with lots of stories, so it is a great educational book too.

In The Cracker Kitchen, Janis Owens has brilliantly combined a cookbook of delicious Southern recipes with heartwarming family stories. Each mouth-watering recipe is introduced by a very humorous family anecdote. Along with the homespun recipes, she thoughtfully provides entire special occasion menus. She begins each menu with its delightful cracker history. Many charming black-and-white family photos warmly depict many of her ancestors...sometimes intimately sharing a meal. She reveals many secrets of good old-fashioned Southern-style cooking. Ms. Owens has magnificently written a loving tribute to her family in a style that is both entertaining and inspiring. I absolutely loved this book. Written in an appealing folksy style, I was truly captivated. I learned its not just about cooking a tasty meal, but its about the memories of sharing it with a table of loved ones. I highly recommend this wonderful cookbook for yourself and all your friends!!

Should you be looking for the perfect budget recipe for bringing about fun and delicious large dinner party you need to look no further than THE CRACKER KITCHEN by Janis Owens. I love all of her books and now am finding I love all of her recipes. We invited some 30 or more of our friends over and by the end of the evening THE CRACKER KITCHEN was being passed around and around. Our friends were laughing out loud at the stories and claiming the recipes were straight out of their grandmother's kitchens..even the yankees! I highly recommend this book for the good writing and for making me look like a great cook.

I attended a dinner party in Florida where all the food served was prepared from recipes using The Cracker Kitchen. The food was delicious! Then I attended a book conference where Janis was on a panel with other writers discussing "food, fun, and friendship." That's exactly what a cookbook should be about--bringing people together for good food, fun, and friendship. This book is a good read AND a good book of recipes--a wonderfully different kind of cookbook!! If you're looking for a new addition to your own recipe collection, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a gift to surprise and delight, this is also the book for you!

Linda Busby Parker

this book will make you proud to be a cracker if you are one, or wanting to become an honorary cracker if you aren't. thank you, janis owens, for bringing all us crackers out of the closet and making us proud of our unique and colorful heritage!