This is my all-time favorite cookbook (and I own a ton of them). The recipes are easy to prepare and usually contain fewer than ten ingredients. I have found at least fifteen dishes that are always dependable, quick to prepare, and exceptionally popular with guests. The only downside is that very few of the recipes are particularly health-conscious -- heavy cream and butter are two of the most common ingredients. Nonetheless, I recommend this cookbook heartily to anyone who likes good food but doesn't have hours to spend in the kitchen. Too bad it is now out of print!

This is a terrific book for people who want to prepare 5-star recipes, but don't have the time to spend an entire day inthe kitchen. It's especially good for dinner parties, since the recipes are sophisticated, but EASY! Great for people who don't really cook a lot, but want to fake it.

This is an amazing book and tells you everything you need to know. I found it much more helpful than "All U Can Eat" by Lela Nargi, which I bought first---less "humorous" patter, and more real information. This book is a real treasure and I would recommend it to anyone just learning to cook.

It has everything a person needs to know about cooking! It has great definitions and terms as well as tips! There are also some easy recipes!

This book delves into the human element that makes up any warship. It starts from the Navy's conception of a class of light carriers, retrofitted from light crusiers, that would serve as a stop-gap measure until the larger Essex Class carriers could be brought on line. The resulting developement was a small, but fast, carrier that was staffed by battle experienced officers and men, many from the USS Hornet, that quickly gained the attention and admiration of the Navy's top brass. From the energy filled first hand accounts of dog fights, related by the participants themselves, to the heroric effort to save the ill fated ship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the authors present never before printed insight into both the ship and the crew. The book dispells many previous inaccuracies concerning the source of the explosions that would dome not only the Princeton, but would also claim hundreds of victims that made up the crew of the USS Birmingham. These first hand accounts were collected over the years by interviewing the participants at veteran reunions and recollections of Mr. Bradshaw, himself a crew member of the USS Princeton. From the combat wizzardry of VF-27 (Catsmouth) to the daring deed of Ens. Burgess, the reader will truly enjoy this book. I give it a thumbs up all the way!

We just love this ice cream cookbook. It has the best recipes for all the classics, like an incredible vanilla bean ice cream and the richest chocolate peanut butter ripple ever. But it also has some unusal flavors that are also wonderful, like strawberry rhubarb ice cream (which we made last week and the best so far) and fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream. I can't wait to try the port wine and fig ice cream next! It's a terrific value!!

Though I've never been to Nantucket, this book absolutely makes me want to go, the next time I'm on the East Coast. In the meantime, I can flip through this gorgeous book and dream. The photography is alluring and recipes so inventive and interesting. Some of them seem a little cheffy, but for the most part they look easy enough to make for a summer dinner party. Plus, the profiles of the restaurantuers make me want to try their recipes! It makes a great gift.

There are so many delicious sounding recipes in this book that I didn't know where to start! First, I made the brioche, was was so much better than the usual bread-machine brioche (it was truly yeasty and buttery and tender).In general, I've had uniformly great results with this book, and recommend it to people with bread machines and a sweet tooth.

I love this restaurant & have always loved the desserts. I was skeptical about buying the book because most restaurant cookbooks I have purchased never have my favorite recipes from the restaurant. This one has them all & then some!!! My favorite is the warm chocolate ganache cake!!! This cookbook is great & the recipes are easy enough to follow!

I don't usually write reviews but I have to in this case because Fleming's book has exceeded my expectations. I got it as a Christmas gift, and have since made about half a dozen of the recipes for a dessert party I had for my birthday last month. They were all superb, and while some were a little more complicated than others, all were definitely worth it. The party was a huge success, mostly due to Fleming's desserts, which disappeared before any of the others I made. From this book I made the panna cottas (almost too easy), chocolate caramel tarts (they were a lot of work but such a hit), caremelized pineapple (easy), maple flan (turned out perfect), chocolate brownie cookies (a cinch), and goat cheesecake with candied kumquats (very easy, gorgeous). I recommend this book to anyone who loves making desserts and isn't a complete beginner.

Organized by major influence, i.e. Berries; Stone Fruits; Figs, Melons and Grapes; Apples, Pears and Quinces; Citrus Fruits; Tropical Fruits; Vegetables; Nuts; Herbs and Flowers; Spices; Sweet Essences; Cheese, Milk and Cream; Chocolate; and the finale: Signature Composed Desserts.

Impressed by the creativity and sophistication of intense flavors here, e.g. Tamarind-Glazed Mango Napoleons which burst with the richness of mango, enhanced by basil, mint, tamarind and lime; Carmelized Brioche Puddiing with Blackberry Cream and Fresh Blackberries; Lemon-Poppy Seed Shortbread; Pistachio Nut Brittle; Lavender Creme Brulee; Chocolate Biscotti with Pistachios and Sour Cherries.

Her idea of "Composed Desserts" is creative and inspires the home gourmet to experiment with fixing and matching desserts in texture, warm to cold, etc. I've made up one of my own using these recipes and it turned out wonderful. This is fun feature of the book.

This selection is well presented, with nice photography, clear instructions, advise on techniques, sources, etc.

What sets this collection apart is the sophistication of intense, clean flavor combos, e.g. Bay Leaf Flan. This likely isn't for every cook, but will be a turned-to resource for discriminating gourmets who desire to set before their guests a unique and tasteful ending to a meal that will leave a memorable taste and impression.

I have made quite a few of the breads from this book (my favorite is the Garlic Parmesan) and have generally had wonderful luck. The book shows how many different things can be done with the bread machine. A few of the breads are so-so but it could be due to my tastes. My one complaint is the book needs and index.

I have had great success with the recipes from this book. My family especially likes the sweet and fruit breads for breakfast and snacks, like orange marmalade, coconut almond, Mexican chocolate, cinnamon banana oat, and honey lemon. There are some weird flavors (borscht??? watercress-pea??? date with jalapenos???) that you may never be interested in making but so many more delicious creative ideas that you may wish you had more than one bread machine so you won't have to wait 3 hours before you can make another loaf!! I highly recommend this book-- it is fantastic, and as a bonus it is the cheapest cookbook I have ever bought!

I've had excellent results using Melissa Clark's book...the bread flavors are really creative and the loaves delicious. I particularly love the golden bread, using golden syrup, which makes the most excellent french toast, and also the potato bread, which is moist and just a little bit sweet. I agree that the book could use an index, but otherwise think it's an excellent tool if you have a bread machine. The person who had trouble must not have been following the directions carefully...

Carol Higgins Clark's latest book, Twanged, is a light hearted, easy read, but without much depth. All of Carol's books star Regan Reilly whose life never changes...overworked and in need of a vacation (and a companion!). The main question of this book, what do the initials CT stand for, was never answered. So much emphasis was placed upon the "stalker" however, the ending was wrapped up so quickly that he was basically shuffled away. It was almost as if Ms. Higgins Clark was leaving for a vacation and needed to complete her book...the story ended quite rapidly and without much surprise or excitement.

I listed to this book on audio cassette. The best thing I can say is that I finally finished it. Carol Higgins Clark should not read her own books. In portraying several characters, her shrill voice got on my nerves. Next time, get a professional actress to read.

Most of you people didn't even get it! Carol is not trying to be like her mother and shouldn't and doesn't deserve to be compared to her mother. They write totally different. Carol is an entertaining author with a good grasp on mixing humor and mystery. Not all mystery has to be deep, dark and foreboding and Carol is not trying to be. She writes well and Twanged is a great new edition to her Regan Reilly series. I caught myself snickering a lot. It is a thoroughly enjoyable good read and a welcome change from more serious fare and those who think it was bad or juvenile just don't know how to enjoy a funny book. Go back to reading something dark and gory and let the rest of us have fun.