Scan barcode
rjdenney's review against another edition
4.0
There should have been more pictures but I still enjoyed it and will be following some of the recipes very soon. Everything looked and sounded so good. I also loved the little touches of decorations and the tiny inserts of snippets from the authors mystery novels. :)
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
Excellent mix of authors and recipes -- this is sure to appeal to mystery and food fans alike. Several of my favorite authors (including Charles Todd (who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America!), Louise Penny, Allison Leotta, and Laura Lippman) contributed to the collection and several recipes from the "new to me" authors made me want to check out their books. Each recipe comes with a short blurb about the recipe and the associated works by the authors. Equally enjoyable is the conversational style in which some of the recipes are written -- it's almost like the author is right there in the kitchen with you! The recipes range in skill level, making this a fun collection regardless of your own culinary prowess. While I've enjoyed all of the recipes I've tried so far, my three favorites are Lisa Scottoline's A Tomato Sauce for All Seasons (which is actually two versions in one recipe -- the summer version was perfect for a beastly hot summer day!), Gigi Pandian's Caramelized Onion Dal (normally I don't like onions but this recipe was so tasty, I ate every bite!), and Ben H. Winters' Detective Palace's Three-Egg Omelet (the instructions are a hoot and so clear that I finally succeeded in producing an omelet that looked like ones I've only aspired to in the past).
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
What a great collection! I already know that I love to READ cookbooks and I am a huge fan of the mystery genre, so this was right up my alley. What I loved even more was reading the blurp ahead of each recipe as to where the recipe came from - whether it was from a book they have written or just from their lives, it was great!
I picked out a few recipes to try and here they are:
Whole Wheat Wild Blueberry Lemon Pecan Muffins
Avgolemono
Charlaine's Very Unsophisticated Supper Dip
Rigatoni a la Bolognese
Worth-the-Effort Turkey Tetrazzini
Cheddar-Monterey Jack Cheese Sauce with Broccoli
A Tomato Sauce for All Seasons
Holiday Grogg
I absolutely loved the format of this book and would love to see more!
I picked out a few recipes to try and here they are:
Whole Wheat Wild Blueberry Lemon Pecan Muffins
Avgolemono
Charlaine's Very Unsophisticated Supper Dip
Rigatoni a la Bolognese
Worth-the-Effort Turkey Tetrazzini
Cheddar-Monterey Jack Cheese Sauce with Broccoli
A Tomato Sauce for All Seasons
Holiday Grogg
I absolutely loved the format of this book and would love to see more!
raeallic's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it, such a creative way to share recipes! Going to go out and buy this one!
julieawallace's review against another edition
5.0
THE MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA COOKBOOK REVIEW from
http://wordstormcasserole.com/2015/04/themysterywritersofamericacookbook/
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook appeared in my mailbox the other day, and I had no idea why it had been sent to me. Fortunately, the mystery was solved with the included letter: I’d won it on a LibraryThing.com giveaway. But were the recipes any good? I began my investigation.
Word to the wise: there are affiliate links in this article. If you click a link and buy a book, I’ll get a tiny sum of money. Thank you. Additionally, because I won this book, I’m under no obligation to give it a good review. Heavens knows not all cookbooks are created equal.
First I looked at the 175-page hardcover book. It’s published by Quirk Books who claims the cookbook features “hard-boiled breakfasts, thrilling entrees, and cozy desserts…” While I know Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark, Harlan Coben, Sue Grafton, Scott Turow, James Patterson, and others can write like nobody’s business, can they cook? Or write a recipe to satisfy my curiosity? I perused and selected a handful of recipes to explore.
Grand-Mere Marie’s Root Vegetable Vichyssoise by Wendy Hornsby takes some patience what with cleaning the leeks and chopping celery, carrots, and other root veggies like turnips, parsnips, winter squash, and rutabagas. But with a base of thick-cut bacon, a splash of white wine, and a dash of butter, this soup is a winner. Perfect for a late spring when there are brave crocus blooming amidst a spattering of light wanna-be snow.
No, more than that.
It’s to die for.
I couldn’t help myself. It really IS that good.
Likewise the Latvian Solstice Squares while perhaps not totally authentic to Latvia culture, deserve a place in your dessert back pocket. With preparation similar to Eagle Brand’s illustrious Magic Cookie Bars. This version uses a mixture of German chocolate cake mix and butter as a base, then throws in semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, and almond brickle chips. Heck, my German chocolate cake mix included a pouch of dry ingredients to create that luscious coconut frosting – I threw that in with the base mixture and was delighted with the results. Oooeee gooey goodness.
The Mystery Crackers by Sandra Brown are as easy as can be, and certainly tasty. Definitely something you’d want to make if you hate to cook and have some time to spare. Or, as Brown writes in the introduction, “I can make Mystery Crackers while I’m writing. And I keep them in the fridge of my office for snacking. If I’m in a lull, I can nibble a few to ‘spice things up!” While I didn’t go for the suggested cayenne pepper, I did try them with a smoked paprika – yum!
I was also intrigued by the Farfalle with Fennel and Pine Nuts on page 62; this recipe is by author Leslie Budewitz. Unfortunately, my local super-duper mart did not have fennel. I improvised with shredded brussels sprouts and walnuts for me. And with the guidelines in the recipe it still turned out really good. Who knew brussels sprouts worked so well with raisins and cinnamon? My adapted recipe is below.
And finally, I implore you to make Sue Grafton’s recipe for Kinsey Millhone’s Famous Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwich on page 87. While Grafton urges readers to avoid improvisations, sometimes a tight situation requires quick thinking. I did what I had to do:
Creamy PB, the toasted lower half of an “Everything” bagel, and a five perfect bread & butter pickle chips completed my snack. And I’d do it again.
Case closed. Proceed to the nearest bookstore or click on a link to buy, cook, and eat.
http://wordstormcasserole.com/2015/04/themysterywritersofamericacookbook/
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook appeared in my mailbox the other day, and I had no idea why it had been sent to me. Fortunately, the mystery was solved with the included letter: I’d won it on a LibraryThing.com giveaway. But were the recipes any good? I began my investigation.
Word to the wise: there are affiliate links in this article. If you click a link and buy a book, I’ll get a tiny sum of money. Thank you. Additionally, because I won this book, I’m under no obligation to give it a good review. Heavens knows not all cookbooks are created equal.
First I looked at the 175-page hardcover book. It’s published by Quirk Books who claims the cookbook features “hard-boiled breakfasts, thrilling entrees, and cozy desserts…” While I know Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark, Harlan Coben, Sue Grafton, Scott Turow, James Patterson, and others can write like nobody’s business, can they cook? Or write a recipe to satisfy my curiosity? I perused and selected a handful of recipes to explore.
Grand-Mere Marie’s Root Vegetable Vichyssoise by Wendy Hornsby takes some patience what with cleaning the leeks and chopping celery, carrots, and other root veggies like turnips, parsnips, winter squash, and rutabagas. But with a base of thick-cut bacon, a splash of white wine, and a dash of butter, this soup is a winner. Perfect for a late spring when there are brave crocus blooming amidst a spattering of light wanna-be snow.
No, more than that.
It’s to die for.
I couldn’t help myself. It really IS that good.
Likewise the Latvian Solstice Squares while perhaps not totally authentic to Latvia culture, deserve a place in your dessert back pocket. With preparation similar to Eagle Brand’s illustrious Magic Cookie Bars. This version uses a mixture of German chocolate cake mix and butter as a base, then throws in semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, and almond brickle chips. Heck, my German chocolate cake mix included a pouch of dry ingredients to create that luscious coconut frosting – I threw that in with the base mixture and was delighted with the results. Oooeee gooey goodness.
The Mystery Crackers by Sandra Brown are as easy as can be, and certainly tasty. Definitely something you’d want to make if you hate to cook and have some time to spare. Or, as Brown writes in the introduction, “I can make Mystery Crackers while I’m writing. And I keep them in the fridge of my office for snacking. If I’m in a lull, I can nibble a few to ‘spice things up!” While I didn’t go for the suggested cayenne pepper, I did try them with a smoked paprika – yum!
I was also intrigued by the Farfalle with Fennel and Pine Nuts on page 62; this recipe is by author Leslie Budewitz. Unfortunately, my local super-duper mart did not have fennel. I improvised with shredded brussels sprouts and walnuts for me. And with the guidelines in the recipe it still turned out really good. Who knew brussels sprouts worked so well with raisins and cinnamon? My adapted recipe is below.
And finally, I implore you to make Sue Grafton’s recipe for Kinsey Millhone’s Famous Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwich on page 87. While Grafton urges readers to avoid improvisations, sometimes a tight situation requires quick thinking. I did what I had to do:
Creamy PB, the toasted lower half of an “Everything” bagel, and a five perfect bread & butter pickle chips completed my snack. And I’d do it again.
Case closed. Proceed to the nearest bookstore or click on a link to buy, cook, and eat.
gnostalgia's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very nice collection of easy to prepare, simple recipes. In fact, many of the recipes in this book are very familiar to my family with just a few minor variations and tweaks. All in all, the entire family enjoyed thumbing through the book and they enjoyed “The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook” as much as I did — and between you and me that’s saying something.
Excellent pictures, excellent recipes, and wonderful info about the Authors, makes “The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook” something really special. I give it 5 stars out of 5 and recommend it for everyone.
Excellent pictures, excellent recipes, and wonderful info about the Authors, makes “The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook” something really special. I give it 5 stars out of 5 and recommend it for everyone.
punkeymonkey529's review against another edition
4.0
This is a review for Quirk Books as part of their blogger team. Thank you guys.
First I was going to add a video along with this of me semi-preparing one of the recipes, and a review of it..but I recorded it on my tablet, and well I'm not to good with videos. The file was too big for all the editing software I tried. (I admit I didn't try very hard with editing the video,but it's not the most important thing. I can still put in my word about it. :) ) I did only cook one thing from the book right now, I'll make more later.
OK, I made Karen Haper's Zucchini Bread. I chose this because it was cheap,easy,and well I like zucchini. I did really enjoy it. As I was making it I kept thinking I was doing something wrong, and prayed it would turn out correctly. When I pulled it out of the oven I was glad it came out. The only issue I had was it stuck to the bottom of the pan a little. I did grease it like I was supposed to, but like I said I'm just not the baker type really.
I also made quite a mess making it. Book is already soiled...oops. well it's a cookbook that's going to happen.
I flipped through the book, and was really impressed. I was trying not to drool over some of the pictures of the stuff I would eat. Some stuff I know I wont make, just either I won't eat it, or well I also don't have anyone to cook for in general.
This book is really well laid out into categories,and many well known authors have put in their favorite recipes. Pick this up if you're hungry. preferably for food. Feed your hungry for murder and mystery with food inspired by your favorite authors,and feed your hungry for murder and mystery with a book from your favorite mystery author.