Customer Reviews

Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night: Bringing Your Family Together with Everyday Latin Dishes

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a fan of Daisy Martinez for years. In her first cookbook, she gave us the traditions and flavors of Puerto Rico-which is her family background as well as mine. Those recipes allow me to share family traditions with my children and pass them on to the next generation, the flavors my grandmother passed down to us. With her second cookbook, "Daisy:Morning, Noon and Night:Bringing Your Family Together with Everyday Latin Dishes", she has brought us the flavors from all over Latin America, which shows just how diverse and wonderful our cooking styles, cultures and people are.
That said this book is for anyone that wants to change up the same old routine! Enjoy!

I have Daisy's first book and it is one of my fave cookbooks--so much so, pages are literally falling out of it. It is clear and concise. When this book came along, I knew I had to have it and even bought one for my sister's b'day gift as she didn't have Daisy's first book. However, this book leaves me a bit flat, almost as much as her arepa recipe turned out--a disaster, I threw it all out. Very disappointing b/c I am an experienced cook and this doesn't usually happen to me. I found out AFTER the fact that one of the ingredients, "precooked white cornmeal," was not the same white cornmeal I had. Daisy casually mentions a brand to use but NEVER says it is IMPERATIVE to use THAT brand for correct results, duh. Not to be deterred, I then sought out and bought the correct precooked cornmeal (Harina P.A.N.) and tried again, much better, but I probably won't make it again, nothing stellar. Ironically, a footnote at bottom of that recipe said that by using 1/4 cupfuls of the batter it would yield 12 larger 4" arepas...not! It only made six, not even close to 12. So this was a second goof in that one recipe alone! Geesh. I made her limeaid, a simple beverage, and it used some vanilla extract. I thought it odd but I followed the recipe and put it in...didn't like that backnote of flavor at all, so I made a written notation in my cookbook to OMIT that the next time. So out of 2 recipes, neither was one to write home about.

I hope the other recipes I have tagged don't leave critical info out so I can help salvage my 3-star rating which I leave as is until I give other recipes a fair chance. The recipes don't sound overly unique, but I have tagged several desserts that look interesting, as well as refried beans, a potpie dough, creamed spinach, and a "pastelon" (plantain and picadillo casserole). Thankfully Daisy has included here, as in her first book, her all-important recipe for sofrito, alcaparrado, and her yummy yellow rice (heaven on a plate) that is the backbone of her first book and what makes her paellas the ones I choose to go to; so if nothing else, try the yellow rice recipe in this book or her first...the flavor is just great. It is worth the whole price of admission. So in short, if you don't have Daisy's first book, get that first; that's my honest & sincere recommendation.

Daisy outdid herself with Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night. My husband learned how to cook with Daisy Cooks and he is so looking forward to learning more. Daisy's recipes are not only delicious but simply. My husband follows her recipes to the T. My husband is Black and I am Puerto Rican and he makes a better sofrito, achoite, arroz con gandules and pernil than me. He quickly browsed the book and already went to the store and bought chorizo to make "Eggs with Chorizo and Ripe Plantain".

Food Network's Viva Daisy star Martinez offers Latin cooking for everyday and company meals in this well-illustrated, colorful book. Organized by meal (and further divided into weekday, leisure and entertaining), Martinez has adapted dishes from all over the Spanish-speaking world.

Try a Mayan (mushroom, arugula, spinach) omelet for a quick healthy breakfast, Plantain Fritters or Arepas for leisurely weekends. Or Potato "Jelly Roll" with Tuna Salad Filling for a make-ahead brunch. For lunch there's Peruvian-inspired Cream of Zucchini Soup with Crabmeat or various Empanada fillings (with illustrated, step-by-step instructions), Pressed Sandwiches, or Shrimp Ceviche Xni Pec.

The barbecue section includes Argentinean Grilled Pork Shoulder and Peruvian Napa Cabbage Slaw as well as classic Argentinean Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce. Fast weeknight dinners range from Panfried Breaded Cutlets from Argentina to Soupy Rice with Pigeon Peas, and on the side there's Cumin-scented Fried Potatoes, classic Spanish salty Wrinkled Potatoes, Yellow Rice or New Style (less fat) Refried Beans.

Get started with a Spicy Gazpacho Shooter at the Cocktail Party, then cool down with Black Bean and Queso Fresco Tastaditas or Barcelona-inspired Smoked Trout and endive Canapés. Twice-fried Plantain Cups or Yuca Fritters are sure to impress while Chorizo-Stuffed Mushrooms can be prepped ahead.

The dinner party might start with Cream of Chestnut Soup with Posole (Puerto Rico) followed by Cuzco Roast Pork Loin with Onion and Pepper Stir-Fry and/or Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Rice and Cheese, or Multi-Culti Braised Oxtails. Or maybe you'd prefer a do-ahead buffet with Grilled Octopus Salad, Pastelon (Plantain and Picadillo Casserole) and the classic Chicken with Rice.

Desserts include Flans, Coconut Panna Cotta with Tropical Fruit, Baby Banana Beignets.

Sauces can be found throughout - Creamy Avocado (for fish, chicken, shellfish), Peruvian Aji Verde, cold Salsas, Cilantro Pesto, and more.

Martinez concludes with menus, complete with prep timing up to a week ahead, then a chapter of Basics from stock to rubs, and a glossary of ingredients. This is simple, punchy food, adapted for American lifestyles without losing the feel of authenticity.

One of the first recipes I made was the Mayan Omelet. It combined spinach, arugula, and cremini mushrooms. The arugula was too bitter for me and I'll leave out next time. But the omelet was very good nonetheless. Next time I would add manchego cheese which I was surprised was not included in the recipe. I later made the Asparagus with browned butter and pecans. I did not like the taste of boiled asparagus and would probably roast it next time with olive oil. Since the pecans were still whole it was difficult to eat together. I would crush the pecans next time so they'd actually stick to the asparagus, more like a coating?
What I didn't like was recipes starting at the bottom of the page and then continuing on the next page. You were flipping pages back and forth while preparing dinner and it was just awkward. Not many pictures at all. I made the grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce and there wasn't nearly enough sauce for the 4 steaks. You'd have to double if not triple the recipe to get the necessary amount of sauce. I liked the recipes but every single one I had to change, alter, add. I would suggest sticking with her first book. This one is OK, but the first book is so much better.

I have been reading and using Daisy's first (PBS) cookbook and I have been blown away by it. I watch her PBS series (from 2005) over and over again. She's such a spitfire! And her recipes seem so authentic. I have searched out culantro and been mightily impressed.
This new book. I don't know. I know I won't use it as often as the first. She looks like a Soccer Mom, now, and she uses shortcuts in some of the recipes (Minute rice!)
I say, DAISY!. get back to your roots and teach us more of the authentic latin cuisines you know. I've got your old sofrito bagged in my freezer in 1/2 cup portions. And I loved the themesong to your first series. Takes a good half hour to get it out of my mind after each episode. First cookbook was nominated for prestigious awards, and it deserved them. Get back to that state of mind and I'll give your next book a try, but not without checking it out in person at a brick and mortar store before ordering online. Please return to the basics of Latin cooking and make us follow you, not you follow American ingredients. I love you Daisy! You should definitely be up there with Rick Bayless, considering your wonderful Latino upbringing.

Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night: Bringing Your Family Together with Everyday Latin Dishes offers the author's own adaptations of Latin cuisine and comes from her family's travels to different Latin American countries, experiencing each country through its food and culture. Daisy kept notes on the foods her family enjoyed: her re-creations of these dishes makes for a vivid survey, spiced with color photos throughout.

I love this cookbook! It is fun, has great photos and the recipes taste great.

Daisy has come through again with another excellent book for those who love those Latino flavors.
Her first book, "Daisy Cooks - Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World," introduced us to some of the best and favorites of Puerto Rican cuisine. Easy to read and follow, she mixed her warm style and great sense of humor with all the directions needed to recreate all those wonderful recipes from the "Conchita and Valentina Martinez Cooking Academy," recalling those days when she learned from her favorite instructors, her mother and grandmother.
With "Daisy: Morning, Noon, and Night," she continues with this same easy-going style to add recipes from all her travels around Latin and South America, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Arranging the book for specific meals (breakfasts, lunches, dinners, main, side, etc.) as well as mix-and-match recipes ("Who says a side dish can't be a main course?"), she again gives the reader everything they might need to create any dish, including variations and substitutions, where to buy, and Internet resources. Interspersed throughout are her stories of family, friends, and travels that make this book so appealing and solidify the fact that the kitchen is the center of the family circle. This book is a great addition to any chef's recipe shelf.
As an aside, for those who have not experienced a "Daisy Live" event, I strongly suggest (actually, RUN!) to the next one closest to you. Her warm, down-to-earth manner will charm you as she invites you into her world with stories of family and friends - it's like her personal invitation to join her in the kitchen to share un cafecito and a laugh or two. I guarantee you will not leave disappointed!
(Of course you can follow Daisy on Food Network's "Viva Daisy" or on re-runs of her first show, "Daisy Cooks!" on various public television stations.)

So excited! I just got your book from the post office. The first recipe that made me laugh out loud was the "maybe this will shut you up' eggs recipe. That's the boricua attitud right there. I love it! I think I will try the shrimp bisque recipe first. Now that I have all the ingredients at home. Followed by the Yellow Rice with Bacalao and Peas! You've got pastelon here, pollo a la brassa and guava shells filled with cream cheese mousse...That's it , I'm in heaven!! Promise to post pics! Thank you Daisy, this is a great book. All my love, girl. You ROCK!