American Home Cooking: Over 300 Spirited Recipes Celebrating Our Rich Tradition of Home Cooking (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A breakfast that includes fresh pie is indeed a meal to enjoy. Authors Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison assure us in American Home Cooking that pie for breakfast was standard American fare in the days before Corn Flakes and Cap'n Crunch. The home cook at the turn of the last century was faced with seemingly overwhelming reasons to abandon the traditional cooking of her progenitors--ease and speed of packaged foods, the barrage of advertising, and mounting health concerns among them.

"The amazing thing is not what we lost in this period," the authors write, "but what survived.... In every corner of the country cooks refused to give up their most cherished regional and ethnic dishes. They may have reserved them for special occasions, or may have altered them in some ways for convenience or health purposes, but they kept the heritage alive for future generations."

And at the turn of another century where we are besieged by even more advertising, more foods built around speed and ease, and more health concerns, Jamison and Jamison have compiled a book of recipes that gives us the flavor of where have come from as Americans and who we are. This is not a unique concept. But where so many books that have preceded American Home Cooking have been rife with recipes for dishes you'd rather never serve, let alone taste, Jamison and Jamison have let delectability be their bellwether.

Serve your hungry the likes of Georgia Bits and Grits Waffles for breakfast, as well as a slice of Apple-Cranberry Pie. Perhaps a Brown Oyster Stew with Benne for lunch, accompanied by an Oregon Hot Crab and Cheddar Sandwich. There's Crawfish Etouffée to consider, as well as Willamette Valley Grilled Chicken with Blackberry Sauce. Check out the Chicken-Fried Steak, and the directions for making your own fresh lard, ye of nonsqueamish nature. When you get to the Broccoli-Rice Casserole and the recipe for Wilted Greens with Hot Bacon Dressing, you're only halfway through the book. Potato and bean dishes are yet to come, as well as sweet and sour pantry goodies, breads and rolls, those great pies and cobblers, and cookies and cakes. It's all here, ending with a mint julep. --Schuyler Ingle

From Publishers Weekly

The husband-and-wife team of James Beard award-winning authors (The Border Cookbook; Smoke and Spice) offer 400 recipes celebrating four centuries of American home cooking. The Jamisons carefully distinguish home cookingA"simple, hearty, seasonal fare... prepared for and enjoyed by family and friends"Afrom convenience foods (like tuna noodle casseroles and pizzas) and elaborate haute restaurant-style preparations. Seventeen chapters explore the diversity of the American table, including breakfast fare (flapjacks, grits, hash), sandwiches, appetizers, soup, game, garden vegetables, preserves, baked goods and beverages (from mint juleps to sassafras tea). Emphasizing fresh ingredients and straightforward techniques, recipes feature an assortment of regional classics, from New England Clam Chowder and Swiss Steak to Fried Green Tomatoes and Hoppin' John, as well as local specialties like eastern Virginia's Tidewater Peanut Soup, the Florida Keys' Old Sour Seafood Salad and New Mexico's Chimay? Carne Adovada, a chile-infused pork preparation. Culinary trivia (e.g., turtle soup was once a favorite among American home cooks) and technique tips lend nuance and context to America's rich culinary tapestry. The Jamisons authoritatively articulate the pastiche of multicultural influences that characterize American regional cuisine, enabling readers to rediscover national (and regional) culinary treasures. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (October 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767902017
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902014
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,286,890 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back To Our Roots, December 4, 1999

By	William M. Kraus (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cookbooks like computers have a bias toward the exotic. We need starter set computers and we need back to basics cookbooks. The former is a pipe dream. The latter is here. It's American Home Cooking. Have you forgotten how to make a New England Boiled dinner [I had]? This cookbook will show you how your mother used to do it. And venison? Macaroni and cheese? The really good stuff you used to get at home [even jalapeno recipes if your home was in the southwest] is all here. The directions are lucid, the results are predictable. Home at last.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great cookbook for any chef!, December 2, 1999

By	Zoe Gardner (New Mexico) - See all my reviews

I have been a fan of the Jamison's cookbooks over the years, and this latest addition is the best one yet! There are many old favorites (check out the macaroni and cheese... ) and some tasty regional specialties. The recipes are written clearly enough for a novice cook to follow, and there are interesting ideas for the experienced chef. As in their other books, the Jamisons include some historical background for the foods, which rounds out the book nicely. And did I mention the lucious color photos?

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comfort food and so much more!, April 17, 2000

By A Customer

It's easy to see why this book was a recent winner at the Julia Child IACP awards! The Jamisons have amassed a fabulous collection of the great recipes we've all loved as we were growing up, as well as new ones to enhance anyone's repertoire. The scrumptious photos tempt anyone's taste buds! Lots of informative tidbits are packed in with all the recipes. So many delicious recipes, but we especially love the macaroni and cheese. Classic comfort food that's easy to make and really hits the spot. This book is great for novice cooks as well as the more experienced ones, and the Jamisons' research benefits all of us!