Bridgehampton Weekends : Easy Menus for Casual Entertaining

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Summary: Should be Called "Vapid and Trite Weekends"
Review: A friend (former) gave me this book and I found it silly and lamentable at best and unswervingly pretentious at worst. I think the author put it best, "It's not just the food, not just the people, and not just the setting. It is how it all comes together." This book is embarrassing to write, embarrassing to buy, embarrassing to read. Such vapidness should be kept to oneself and not celebrated as it is here.

Rating:
Summary: Some good recipes but a little snobbish
Review: First, some of the recipes are pretty good. Especially the tortilla soup and the chicken fricasse (although there is way too much parsley in the dumplings.) The glazed carrots with almonds are very good, as is the chicken paprikash. The banged chicken is ok, nothing really wonderful about it, but decent. I found similar recipes in other cookbooks that are better, such as The Best Recipe (Kimball), or American Home Cooking. What really irritates me about this book is the fact that Ellen is a big "name dropper". She has to talk about how her husband played tennis with former President Bush while she sat chatting with the Mrs.. Then she tells us how she visits Tom Brokaw at his ranch in Montana. There are several references similar to these. Personally, I don't really care about who she knows or who's house she visits! I buy cookbooks for good recipes, nice photographs, and good cooking techniques, not to hear all about the social pedigree of the author. Bottom line: better recipes for the same dishes can be found in other cookbooks without all the self absorbed name dropping.

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Summary: Love the book!
Review: Great book for those who love to entertain but don't want to spend a lot of time making a big fuss in the kitchen. Wonderful Recipes. Thank you, Ellen!

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Summary: Makes entertaining easy
Review: Great ideas for entertaining as well as family dinners.It's a wonderful coffee table book too.

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Summary: Yummy Food for Everyone!
Review: I know, I know, I am the daughter of the author but I have to say something about the book. (Remember one can be objective about a family member). FIRST the quality of the food: I have been cooking a lot of these recipes - some for the past 15 years and they are something to be proud of! Really delicious and so easy. Exceptional recipes (which I literally dream about) include: lima bean & pea puree, the meat loaf, the split pea soup, the rice pilaf, the bourbon cake, the red velvet cake and the chicken fricassee. Just to name a few. SECOND the variety of foods and recipes: which is a tribute to the author and her life experiences and are truly diverse! Just look at how many cultures and countries are represented here. FINALLY, Tom Eckerle's photographs: which are exquisite and transforms the book into not only a well-worn cookbook but a "coffeetable book" as well. My hats off to you, mom. I'm proud of you. How nice of you to share with everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Yummy Food for Everyone!
Review: I know, I know, I am the daughter of the author but I have to say something about the book. (Remember one can be objective about a family member). FIRST the quality of the food: I have been cooking a lot of these recipes - some for the past 15 years and they are something to be proud of! Really delicious and so easy. Exceptional recipes (which I literally dream about) include: lima bean & pea puree, the meat loaf, the split pea soup, the rice pilaf, the bourbon cake, the red velvet cake and the chicken fricassee. Just to name a few. SECOND the variety of foods and recipes: which is a tribute to the author and her life experiences and are truly diverse! Just look at how many cultures and countries are represented here. FINALLY, Tom Eckerle's photographs: which are exquisite and transforms the book into not only a well-worn cookbook but a "coffeetable book" as well. My hats off to you, mom. I'm proud of you. How nice of you to share with everyone.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific (and beautiful) book
Review: In the past weeks, I've seen Ellen on the Today show, Larry King, Good Morning, etc. She seemed so relaxed about entertaining and fixing complex dishes. I'm not. I admit it. So I bought both her books, and I understand. She mixes complicated dishes with easy ones, such as glazed pork with mustard and brown sugar along with baked whole onions that you just plop in the oven. I can't yet adopt her "don't worry about mistakes and enjoy" style but I'm trying. This is a must book for scardy kats in the kitchen like me. Oh,by the way, the pictures are beautiful.

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Summary: This is a wonderful gift for friends!
Review: Last month, I received Bridgehampton Weekends as a housewarming gift with a note: "Hope your home and friends are as warm as this book." It is the first book of it's type (cooking) that I've actually read from cover to cover. The stories and thoughts are wonderful and the recipes mix and match food in such clever ways -- from presentation to preparation to color and calories. And the special tips from Ellen in the margins of the book take any fear away -- what a good idea for an author to think ahead of how a reader could get in trouble! It's like she's with you in the kitchen. I can see why famous people like Tom Brokaw and David Brinkley love her way of entertaining. Finally, the pictures by Tom Eckerle are beautiful -- the Hamptons should be photographed more often. I keep the book on my coffee table rather than the kitchen. And I've sent at least ten books to my friends as gifts -- with warm notes.

Rating:
Summary: Some good recipes but a little snobbish
Review: Last month, I received Bridgehampton Weekends as a housewarming gift with a note: "Hope your home and friends are as warm as this book." It is the first book of it's type (cooking) that I've actually read from cover to cover. The stories and thoughts are wonderful and the recipes mix and match food in such clever ways -- from presentation to preparation to color and calories. And the special tips from Ellen in the margins of the book take any fear away -- what a good idea for an author to think ahead of how a reader could get in trouble! It's like she's with you in the kitchen. I can see why famous people like Tom Brokaw and David Brinkley love her way of entertaining. Finally, the pictures by Tom Eckerle are beautiful -- the Hamptons should be photographed more often. I keep the book on my coffee table rather than the kitchen. And I've sent at least ten books to my friends as gifts -- with warm notes.

Rating:
Summary: This is a wonderful gift for friends!
Review: Last month, I received Bridgehampton Weekends as a housewarming gift with a note: "Hope your home and friends are as warm as this book." It is the first book of it's type (cooking) that I've actually read from cover to cover. The stories and thoughts are wonderful and the recipes mix and match food in such clever ways -- from presentation to preparation to color and calories. And the special tips from Ellen in the margins of the book take any fear away -- what a good idea for an author to think ahead of how a reader could get in trouble! It's like she's with you in the kitchen. I can see why famous people like Tom Brokaw and David Brinkley love her way of entertaining. Finally, the pictures by Tom Eckerle are beautiful -- the Hamptons should be photographed more often. I keep the book on my coffee table rather than the kitchen. And I've sent at least ten books to my friends as gifts -- with warm notes.