Customer Reviews

Southern Living 2005 Annual Recipes: Every 2005 recipe -- Over 900!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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Compiling all 900 of the recipes from its monthly magazine from 2005 into one volume, Southern Living features seasonal and traditional southern recipes which will appeal to food lovers from around the country. Collard greens, black-eyed peas, hush puppies, and hoppin' john share space with other southern specialties like Chocolate Red Velvet Cake (made with two bottles of red food coloring), congealed salads, a variety of biscuits, and some of the best pies and cakes imaginable. The editors also feature Tex-Mex, Italian, Greek, and Cajun cooking, however, along with a variety of menus for the barbecue, grill, and smoker, broadening the scope (and audience) for their well-tested recipes, which are often accompanied by gorgeous photographs.

The recipes run the gamut from family favorites to "fast fixin's," make ahead meals, freezable desserts and entrees, and "light and healthy" fare, though this latter feature is small compared to the number of luscious, full-fat recipes. Nutritional information is provided for only a handful of recipes--the "light and healthy" ones--so those on lowfat diets will have to read carefully to figure out for themselves what the saturated fat content is for the other recipes and/or what substitutions can be made.

Full menus for holidays, company dinners, picnics, barbecues, and brunches take the guesswork out of planning for big events, providing the busy host or hostess with reliable and tasty main courses, salads, appetizers, and desserts. Indexed by recipe titles, month-by-month specialties, ingredients, and topics (beverages, breads, salads, etc.), the book also has bonus sections of the 2005 Cook-Off Winners and Editors' Favorites, along with highlighted helpful hints and cook's notes regarding procedures.

Interesting, and sometimes surprising, combinations appear. Spinach and Strawberry Salad, Reuben Quesadillas, Florentine Stuffed Onions, Mexican Minestrone, Peppered Beef Tenderloin with Portabello-Marsala Sauce, Watermelon-Feta Salad, and gooey Caramel Apple Muffins (my favorite) are only a few of the creative and delicious recipe variations in this comprehensive cookbook. Clearly written and user-friendly enough for the beginner, this book also offers plenty of elegant and inspired company fare, guaranteed to make your next dinner party a Big Event. n Mary Whipple

Where else can you find so many recipes all carefully tested in the Southern Living Test Kitchens in Birmingham? This annual volume collects the best recipes from a year's worth of magazines. It's a great collection in a kitchen-friendly format. Of course we especially liked the Thanksgiving recipes excerpted from our own book, "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban."

Southern American regional cooking at its best and a nice gift for anyone who loves great food...

I used to purchase these directly from Southern Living but get them substantially cheaper from Amazon. Thanks. Book was delivered as promised. This was the only one I was missing!

I received this cookbook as a gift about a year ago. It honestly set on the shelf for months before I really looked at it. I do not read Southern Living magazine and I usually do not like recipes in magazines in general. These recipes are not what you usually see in magazines. All the ones I have tried are very suitable for cooking at home. For the most part the recipes call for everyday ingredients that are easily found in your regular grocery store. It is divided into months of the year, so that's handy for incorporating seasonal produce. I like how recipes are grouped together so all the recipes you would want for a meal are next to each other on the same page. You may like this or not. Another reviewer mentioned that it was hard to find something specific and that is true. However the general index isn't bad as most recipes are listed by their name and their main ingredient. There is also a month-by-month index which seems like a waste of space since it is in the same order as the book itself.

I bought this as a gift and it was greatly appreciated.Southern Living always has a highly rated product.

The recipies in these Southern Living cookbooks are pretty good for the most part, but the organization is a disaster. No sections for types of recipies, such as cakes, vegetables, meat, they just put it all together in "menus" which you then have to read through to find anything. Too much work, its almost an accident when I actually find what I'm looking for. I'm glad I bought them used so that the price was about right for what they are.

This cookbook has pretty much anything one would want to prepare. I have not cooked much from it yet, but the recipes look easy enough. The 2005 magazines had so many wonderful recipes, and I love how this book compiles all of them!