Best of the Best from Iowa: Selected Recipes from Iowa's Favorite Cookbooks

Rating:
Summary: Nostalgia, and good food
Review: I am originally from Iowa, and this cookbook just warms my heart and makes me think of home. The authors don't just present recipes; they include photos and little facts about places in the state, so it's enjoyable to read for those tidbits. Some colloquialisms are in there, like the enduring usage of "oleo" for "margarine." You will find that many recipes reflect German, Dutch, and Swedish influences, because of the historical immigrant groups who came to Iowa and settled the prairie. The main ingredients reflect the great agricultural products of the state--excellent pork/ham and beef recipes especially, because Iowa's meats are unsurpassed in quality. A few of the recipes "appeal to the Midwestern palate," which was my mother's polite way of saying something involved too much Jell-O or other prefab ingredients, or was bland. ("Hotdish 'n' jello salad.") In any of the state series cookbooks, you gotta find the gems that appeal to you. I found that the more sophisticated and exotic part of Iowa cuisine wasn't really represented here. If you want to find the Generally Accepted Gems, try the Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Dessert, or Hall of Fame Quick & Easy books. Thanks, Gwen & Tupper, for a very entertaining series of cookbooks!

Rating:
Summary: Nostalgia, and good food
Review: I am originally from Iowa, and this cookbook just warms my heart and makes me think of home. The authors don't just present recipes; they include photos and little facts about places in the state, so it's enjoyable to read for those tidbits. Some colloquialisms are in there, like the enduring usage of "oleo" for "margarine." You will find that many recipes reflect German, Dutch, and Swedish influences, because of the historical immigrant groups who came to Iowa and settled the prairie. The main ingredients reflect the great agricultural products of the state--excellent pork/ham and beef recipes especially, because Iowa's meats are unsurpassed in quality. A few of the recipes "appeal to the Midwestern palate," which was my mother's polite way of saying something involved too much Jell-O or other prefab ingredients, or was bland. ("Hotdish 'n' jello salad.") In any of the state series cookbooks, you gotta find the gems that appeal to you. I found that the more sophisticated and exotic part of Iowa cuisine wasn't really represented here. If you want to find the Generally Accepted Gems, try the Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Dessert, or Hall of Fame Quick & Easy books. Thanks, Gwen & Tupper, for a very entertaining series of cookbooks!

Rating:
Summary: Iowa's Favorite Cookbooks
Review: I enjoy all the receipes in this book. It brought back a lot of childhood memories.

Rating:
Summary: Iowa's Favorite Cookbooks
Review: I enjoy all the receipes in this book. It brought back a lot of childhood memories.

Rating:
Summary: Good Basic Food
Review: I like to try foods from different regions of the country and like the other books in this series, this one is very good. Most of the food isn't too fancy, but everything I have tried from this cookbook has been delicious. I would especially recommend the Pork Chop Casserole and the Radio Cake. I took these to a potluck dinner and they were gone in 20 minutes! One strength of this book is that recipes are collected from different churches, families and community groups from around the state. This gives one the opportunity to try foods representing different traditions within the state. Until I read this book, I must confess that I had no idea about the great variety of culinary traditions in the Midwest.

Rating:
Summary: Good Basic Food
Review: I like to try foods from different regions of the country and like the other books in this series, this one is very good. Most of the food isn't too fancy, but everything I have tried from this cookbook has been delicious. I would especially recommend the Pork Chop Casserole and the Radio Cake. I took these to a potluck dinner and they were gone in 20 minutes! One strength of this book is that recipes are collected from different churches, families and community groups from around the state. This gives one the opportunity to try foods representing different traditions within the state. Until I read this book, I must confess that I had no idea about the great variety of culinary traditions in the Midwest.