Customer Reviews

Louisiana's Award Winning Recipes

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Out of all my cookbooks,this is the best organized and the binding makes it so easy to work with. I can tell a lot of thought and work went into it. The large print is helpful for me. The size is perfect for the counter and the "tips" are an extra delightful bonus. The recipes are so easy to follow and most ingredients are already on hand. I've tried some of the recipes and they are delicious! This cookbook is a wonderful addition to any kitchen.

Do you love Southern home-cooked foods? If you have ever been to Louisiana, you know that there is nothing like the flavors that come from that historic State. Cooking in the Louisiana tradition is close to my heart since all of my family comes from Louisiana. That's why I love to collect cookbooks of Louisiana recipes. So it was a natural for me to pick up the "Louisiana's Award-Winning Recipes Cookbook" by Missy Armstrong, Dottie Brewer and Harrietta Randazzo. If you're looking for simple to prepare, real home-cooking, tasty recipes, you'll enjoy this compact cookbook.

Louisiana is known for rich, savory dishes and this collection of award-winning recipes by home cooks presents a good variety of dishes to explore. The "Louisiana Award-Winning Cookbook" is comprised mainly from a collection of recipes that were submitted to the New Orleans Times Picayune Newspaper for a contest to see who could cook up the best recipes. The authors say this book contains award winning recipes from Louisiana "that reveal methods of preparing the dishes that were kept secret for generations."

One thing for sure, you have to love rich, high-fat foods to really enjoy authentic Louisiana cooking. The recipes in this cookbook carry on that tradition and do not bend to the rules of any contemporary diet craze. For example, the "Everyday Country Cornbread" lists Gold Metal self-rising flour and 2 tablespoons of Crisco butter flavored shortening with the option to use plain Crisco shortening in the ingredients. Another example is the "Surprise Chicken Kiev" that calls for 2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning to flavor the pounded chicken breasts. You might need to substitute these types of ingredients with something more accessible or fitting into your diet choices. However, if you can stick as close as possible to the recipe, you will have a great experience of the basic flavor and zest of the authentic Louisiana dish.

For the most part, the ingredients used are readily available and I tried several of the dishes in my kitchen as a treat for my family. The "Spicy Okra Puffs" were easy to prepare and added just a bit of heat on the tongue with the addition of Tabasco Sauce in the mixture. My family enjoyed the "Steak au Poivre" dish for Sunday dinner that was marinated in a cup of dry Vermouth which tenderized the meat and added to the simple flavors which is another little known tradition of Louisiana cooking.

You'll find some dishes for special occasions that you might have wondered how to prepare such as the "New Orleans Cajun Fried Turkey" with Cajun Injection Seasoning, or the "Golden Glazed Rock Cornish Hens" with a homemade golden glaze.

The cookbook does not have an index which means you have to skim whole sections to find a recipe. But the short chapters make it easy to find what you need. Although the book is not too large, it provides a full range of dishes to try, from appetizers and dips to beverages, vegetables, meats and desserts. I like this cookbook. Good recipes from this region are a treat and it's even better when you find no-frills recipes that come from the home kitchen of cooks from the area. "Louisiana's Award-Winning Recipes" represents a labor of love that will be a welcome addition to the shelves of cooks who love Louisiana foods.

Consuelo S. Meux, Ph.D.
[...]

Louisiana's Award Winning Recipes has a wide variety of recipes with a distinctly Southern flavor. Sure to add some "spice" to your meals. I particularly liked the division of chapters - it's easy to find your favorites like the award-winning Pork Chop Casserole for Ordinary People on page 74. I also liked the binding, which made the book very easy to use.

I meant to give this 5 stars! I love Southern cooking and I was very impressed with the recipes contained in this cookbook. There is a marvelous selection of tasty recipes covering every food category imaginable. The recipes are clear and easy to follow and the tips are very helpful. This will easily become my favorite cookbook.

Missy, Dottie and Harrietta have compiled a wonderful collection of recipes from a special section of the New Orleans Times Picayune newspapers southern cooks. As the title states, the recipes are award winning, so you are getting nothing but great, tested recipes here. There is your usual cache of breads, baked goods, appetizers, soups, salads and main dishes. There are tips for reducing fat, working with vegetables, and how you can get the maximum amount of vitamins from your food. A cook book you will keep handy on your kitchen counter.

Louisiana's Award Winning Recipes offers a variety of culinary delights from the traditional southern fare of corn bread and gumbo's to the unusual soup du crocodile. If you have a sweet tooth, you'll be delighted with recipes such as turtle cake, strawberry puffs and pecan pudding. This cookbook is a must!

When I started reviewing the book "Louisiana's Award Winning Recipes" I expected to find some fine Cajun style recipes. While I was not disappointed and found several such recipes, it also contained many old-fashioned favorites. One of my favorites, old-fashioned skillet cornbread, was included in the text and is a recipe that is not easy to come by with most cornbread recipes including a fair amount of sugar (this one does not).

The book is divided into several sections: appetizers, beverages, breads, soups, salads, vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood, pies, tarts, and desserts. Other really good recipes include Party Shrimp and Mushrooms, Stuffed Peppers, and Poulet Luzianne. Unusual recipes that you are unlikely to find in other cookbooks include Crawfish and Corn Soup, Turtle Soup Manchac, Catfish Gumbo, Soup Du Crocodile, Jambalaya, Spicy Okra Puffs, and Creole Shrimp Stew.

This book is not about fancy cooking but the kind of dishes that you are likely to encounter at a church potluck dinner or a backyard family get-together. It is the traditional home-style cooking common to Louisiana and sure to please anyone looking for such recipes. "Louisiana's Award Winning Recipes" is a highly recommended read for those looking for Cajun style cooking or old-fashioned, traditional recipes.

Well I come from the land down under and you can't get much more Southern that that! This is a delightful little book with scrumptious recipes, many of them award winners.

It is easy to read and follow with big enough words to glance at while cooking, great tips throughout, an ideal size and cleverly bound so that you can lie it flat or stand it upright - perfect for anyone that has wrestled in the kitchen with cooking books!

Easy, simple, tasty recipes covering a very wide range of ingredients. I am sure that many are old American favorites and my taste buds are looking forward to working my way through each recipe.

A great book for teaching kids basic, home made, easy recipes. Bon appetit!!!