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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious, fresh, accesible cooking, May 5, 2009
This review is from: Mariel's Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life (Hardcover)
I have been eagerly awaiting Mariel Hemingway's first cookbook since "Healthy Living From the Inside Out," her first publication, was released years ago. I am happy to report that "Mariel's Kitchen" does not disappoint.
This cookbook emphasizes local, fresh and organic ingredients. It is a good companion to "Super Natural Cooking," a similar cookbook by Heidi Swanson.
I enjoy Hemingway's book better, however, for a number of reasons. For a "natural" cookbook, the ingredients here are much more accessible. You won't have to rush out and buy five new kinds of flour and hard-to-find regional ingredients. Also, this book is NOT vegetarian, which I appreciate. I try to eat naturally, but I do not intend to give up chicken, fish, and beef. (Hemingway is mindful to note when vegetarian substitutions can be made for those who feel otherwise.)
Overall, I would recommend this book to any cook interested in farmers' markets, natural cooking, or simply healthful eating. It is full of beautiful pictures, comprehensive lists of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and recipes organized by season. Hemingway also offers some interesting tips on going "green" and how to best utilize local resources.
Highly recommended!
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!!!, May 17, 2009
This review is from: Mariel's Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life (Hardcover)
As I grow older, I have really focused on the whole issue of food. It is always amazing to me just how powerful what we put in our bodies can be! and I am also amazed at how much crap there is out there and how easy it is to buy.
Along cames Mariel's first book which got me thinking alot about the whole process, including detoxing, etc. I have always admired Mariel and felt that she was a survivor. I was extremely thrilled to finally, finally get her cookbook, as her first book had a few recipes (one of which I use all the time and love) but did not come close to having enough recipes to keep me happy.
Well, I am certainly happy with this cookbook. Once again, Mariel's second book is beautifully illustrated using beautiful colors and great pictures of Mariel, preparing, serving and actually eating the food, but more importantly of the finished product. Since I am not a great cook, I appreciate having pictures of the meals to make sure that I am not completely off target when I created them.
As for the recipes themselves, I have already done 5 of them and they are extremely easy and tasty. I am a little scared of using things like real butter and coconut oil, but Mariel's point (as she writes in the book) is interesting - basically saying that if we remove the "perceived no nos" of food and simply enjoy healthy, satisfying foods within reasonable portions, our bodies will not crave what it does not need. I also appreciate the comments and thoughts that Hemingway sprinkles along in the book.
There are only two things that I thought were a little less interesting. The first one is that she has sectioned this book by seasons, which is a tad difficult to work with if you are looking for breakfast recipes for example as these are kind of here and there and not located under "breakfast". Also, I live in Montreal and let me tell you that the foods Mariel considers "in season" for her summer or winter, are definitely not necessarily the same as mine.
Secondly, and this one is a biggie - the ingredients that Mariel uses are top notch - which, of course, is wonderful for the body (not to mention the taste buds) but they are extremely, extremely expensive and a bit of a challenge to find. I had to run to 3 different health food stores to get the variety of flours and other "staples" that Mariel recommends and when I did buy the 3 flours ( 1 lb each of coconut, brown rice, Almond), Xanthan Gum and White Balsamic Vinegar, I ended up paying $75.00. Yikes! that is really what I consider sticker price shock!!!!! Which may be no problem for people who are saying "well, it beats the price of junk food", but since I don't really spend $$$on junk food in the first place, I simply gulped down the price tag and told myself it was worth it.
Having said that however, I have to say that the recipes really are delicious and I am in love with this book. I am already dying to read Mariel's follow up cookbook with more great, great recipes.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite Gluten-Free Cookbook, July 12, 2009
This review is from: Mariel's Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life (Hardcover)
I have been cooking since I was a child. My first experiences in the kitchen were with my grandmother, preparing dishes common to the Southern Region of the United States, though we actually lived in Southern California. As much as my grandmother enjoyed cooking, canning and baking, her daughter, my mother, did not, so everything I learned about maneuvering around a kitchen, I learned from my grandma. (I used to think that perhaps the cooking gene skips a generation, but fortunately, my three daughters enjoy cooking and they are all quite talented in the kitchen.) The most important thing I learned from grandma was to prepare meals with love. Feeding her family was an extension of her love for them, especially her grandchildren. She grew up poor, in Texas, and she knew how to stock a pantry and stretch a meal better than anyone I have ever known. Grandma made the most of what was in season and used canning and the freezer so nothing ever went to waste. Reading Mariel Hemingway's latest book, Mariel's Kitchen, Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life reminds me of my grandmother, and how she inspired in me a love for good, seasonally fresh, lovingly prepared meals.
To tell you the truth, it is rare that I actually purchase a cookbook. Having cooked for as many years as I have, and having four children with endless food allergies requiring special diets, I have spent the better part of my time in the kitchen the last 25 years developing my own recipes. I first heard about Mariel's Kitchen on Twitter, the social media site. What jumped out at me was the fact that recipes in Mariel's Kitchen were gluten-free. I had to check it out, since at least half of my family and most of my friends follow a gluten-free diet.
This is where I start to gush about a cookbook, and I do so without embarrassment. I first sought to try some new gluten-free recipes, and I found a simply lovely and now cherished cookbook, so unexpectedly aligned with my personal philosophies about food, the environment; and the connection between mind, body and spirit. Mariel's Kitchen is probably the first cookbook that ever made its way to my bedside table, which is usually reserved for books of inspiration by authors like Pema Chodron, Echkart Tolle and Byron Katie. In its own way, Mariel's Kitchen is a book of inspiration. Ms. Hemingway writes, "So how do we make real food a part of real, everyday life? That is what this book is about." Real food; do we even know what real food is anymore? Mariel's Kitchen does a good job of reminding us that real food does not come from the freezer section of the local grocery store.
Ms. Hemingway goes on to describe the importance of developing a "repertoire of doable, nutritious recipes that are tasty enough to repeat and that share lots of ingredients." In a nutshell, Mariel's Kitchen is for anyone with a busy schedule who desires to eat healthy, delicious, nutritionally dense, easy to prepare, affordable, practical meals. I think that describes most of us, right?
If you are new to preparing gluten-free recipes you will appreciate the chapter on Pantry Essentials. Some of the ingredients in the recipes in Mariel's Kitchen might be new to some readers, and I commend Ms. Hemingway for including a very thorough list of resources at the back of the book for the novice.
In addition to the wonderful recipes, Mariel's Kitchen is a feast for the eyes. The photography is beautiful. I have spent many evenings with a cup of tea, just leafing through the book, enjoying the photos and planning menus.
Without hesitation, I highly recommend Mariel's Kitchen as a first cookbook, or as an addition to a well established library of cookbooks, and especially if you are interested in following a gluten-free diet.
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