Good Food For Good Times [Hardcover]

Jamie Gwen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 2007

Throwing a fabulous party is one of the great joys of life. Good Food for Good Times is a collection of irresistible recipes to celebrate memorable occasions. Jamie Gwen, Chef, Sommelier and radio and TV personality, along with Lana Sills, has written another irresistible cookbook filled with simple, sensational recipes. Good Food for Good Times is an essential reference for all of the special occasions in your life; Parties, gatherings and get-togethers for merriment, togetherness, triumph, success and seasonal celebrations! You ll find recipes for summer feasts and fun such as Crispy Dijon Chicken with Lemon Basil Potato Salad and a Butterflied Leg of Lamb Provencal. Learn to make a Totally Amazing Brisket Burger or Grilled Salmon with a Jalapeno Hollandaise, perfect for entertaining. And, to end your meals on a sweet note, you ll find recipes for a Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Cupcakes, the most incredible Double Lemon Bars, a Brown Butter Pecan Pie and more. With chapters that include menus for Autumn Nights and Afternoon Tea, gifts of food, cocktails to toast with and special celebration sweets, Good Food for Good Times offers an enticing alternative to the traditional cookbook by offering you a full menu for every family gathering, celebratory dinner or outdoor feast. Complete with more than 100 recipes, dozens of cocktails and stunning color photographs along with Chef s Tricks and Wine Pairing Tips, this cookbook will be the manuscript you will always turn to for everyday get-togethers and special occasions. Good Food for Good Times will help you turn each day into a delicious celebration!

Editorial Reviews

Review

PARTIES MADE EASY, FROM CINCO DE MAYO TO GRADUATION By TOM MENTZER Scripps Howard News Service 2007-04-30 Parties without good food are like summer without sunshine: no one really has much fun. But whipping up memorable eats is never easy, especially for a crowd. Enter Jamie Gwen, a regular on the Home Shopping Channel and author of three cookbooks. Her latest effort, "Good Food for Good Times" (Powerline Publishing Group, $24.95), dishes up more than 100 recipes for 21 occasions, from birthday brunches to graduation parties. Gwen's recipes are simple, but she doesn't skimp on innovation. Pumpkin ginger pancakes and chocolate bread pudding with a sea salt caramel sauce are just two examples of nice twists on regular favorites, a surefire path to memorable meals. Her Mexican Fiesta collection is a readymade Cinco de Mayo party. Margaritas for the masses are simple but tasty, while the chilled avocado and pineapple soup with chipotle cream and green chile cheese puffs could hold their own against a line of tequila shots. Gwen's graduation-party gallery is also impressive, perfect for picky youngsters. Especially interesting is the Reuben dip, a deconstructed Reuben sandwich ideal for a hungry mob. Other winning assemblies include a picnic series (crispy Dijon chicken, lemon basil potato salad) and a soup-centric party with tomato, mushroom, carrot and beet soups. It's a shame there aren't more menu cookbooks being published, especially with larger groups in mind. The stress of cooking keeps many from hosting parties, which is a shame. If there is one quibble with this volume, it's a lack of narrative. Assuming a home cook wanted to prepare an entire menu, a few tips on timing would be invaluable, especially for the broader menus. Bringing several dishes to the table at the same time is one of the trickier parts of cooking. But overall, Gwen's ideas on hosting memorable gatherings are spot on, with a variety of bold flavors that offer something for everyo --Scripps Howard News Service

About the Author

JAMIE GWEN is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and a Certified Sommelier. She invigorates taste buds with a refreshing approach to cuisine on television and radio with her weekly 2-hour live radio show on Talk Radio 790 KABC and frequent television appearances. With a great respect for fabulous food and the art of cooking, she truly loves to share recipes and tips that help make dishes come alive with flavor. Chef Jamie can be seen dishing up something delicious on the Home Shopping Network and you can find her columns and recipes in magazines nationwide. This is her third cookbook. LANA SILLS was born and raised in New York where she began her culinary career and developed a passion for eating and preparing innovative dishes in her mother s kitchen. She has always loved to cook and entertain and has been the owner of a successful café and bakery, and a long time restaurant consultant. Lana brings her culinary expertise to the airwaves as Producer of The Chef Jamie Gwen Food & Wine Show on KABC in Los Angeles. She is a phenomenal cook, and is proud to be Chef Jamie s mom.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 191 pages
• Publisher: Powerline Publishing Group; 1st edition (March 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942320913
• ISBN-13: 978-0942320916
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,781,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the BEST cookbook.., November 11, 2008

By 

Karen G. "Karen G." (Germantown, Tn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Food For Good Times (Hardcover)

After reading and looking over all the recipes in the this book they ALL look easy and wonderful. I was delighted to find a cookbook that would NOT send me running all over town for ingredients that I had never used or tasted.

All of the recipes use common ingredients so picky kids should love them. They are recipes that could very well become favorites for my family. There are 'fancy' dishes for a dinner party and dishes that are for everyday.

I am a little disappointed that the 'signature' is just a sticker with NO last name and looks like it could have been printed off. This to me does not represent a signed copy!

You will not be disappointed with this purchase unless you are only wanting a signed copy then this book is really not for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have, July 1, 2008

By 

P. Kersting (Yorba Linda, Calif) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Food For Good Times (Hardcover)

Chef Jamie Gwen has so many great recipes in this book that I have been giving it to friends when they ask me about the food I bring to gathering.The pictures are so great that it just makes you want to try everything.
You can see Chef Jamie's passion for food in everything in this book. I feel this is a must have in anyones collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jamie Gwen does it again!, October 2, 2007

By 

Heidi L. Borland (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Food For Good Times (Hardcover)

The latest cookbook from Chef Jamie Gwen is a real winner.
Each of her sensational celebrations in one's life, from birthdays, to football parties, to baby showers , to an open house are magnificently paired with easy simple recipes for good food. Even if you are a novice chef you will enjoy this cookbook and your family and friends will be amazed at your new found culinary talents. I especially love the chef tips and wine pairing tips. If you are looking for really great food for those special occasions in your life, then this cook book is a definite MUST buy. You will not be disappointed.