Block Parties & Poker Nights : Recipes and Ideas for Getting and Staying Connected with Your Neighbors

Rating:
Summary: Run, Don't Walk - Away!
Review: I read the other reviews before I wrote this, and I couldn't help but notice that NOT ONE of the "reviewers" said anything about the recipes. Why? Because they are terrible! Let me explain: I am a cookbook reader, collector, cook and baker. I read/review and try cookbooks ALL THE TIME. This cookbook is terrible! The recipes just do not work - and I've tried a lot of them.
As far as ideas go, if you want to get really chummy with your neighbors, then buy this book - that's where it gets 2 stars from me.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for new neighbors
Review: My family recently moved into our first home in the suburbs. We're on a very busy street without sidewalks so none of the kids on the block knew each other. This book has really helped us learn how to connect to our new neighbors. We started throwing neighborhood parties for all occassions, and the kids on the block finally know each other.
This book has so many fun and inventive ideas, adorable drawings, and easy recipes that work well for crowds. Three new families have moved in this year and the book has given us wonderful ideas to welcome them! (We now bring welcome baskets that include a list of important places in the area.) I wish someone in the neighoborhood had read this book before we had moved in!

Rating:
Summary: What an adorable book!
Review: Not only am I a new neighbor, but I am a terrible cook, and Peggy Allen's book is full of fun and super-simple recipes that I cannot wait to try out on the folks next door! It's also well laid-out and enjoyable to glance through. Flip through it, you'll see what I mean.

Rating:
Summary: Review of Peggy Allen's "Block Parties and Poker Nights"
Review: You can watch Martha Stewart and HGTV all day long and still not know the significance of food as an emotional currency during gatherings. From paying your respects to saying hello to the new neighbors, you'll be reaching for this book so much it belongs next to the dictionary and yellow pages.