Beat That!: Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: Ann Hodgman is a wonderful author
Review: Ann Hodgman's cookbooks blend humor with recipes that are simple and familiar. I grew up with food like this and it is comforting to have it presented in a way that is peppered with humor.

Rating:
Summary: Ann Hodgman is a wonderful author
Review: Ann Hodgman's cookbooks blend humor with recipes that are simple and familiar. I grew up with food like this and it is comforting to have it presented in a way that is peppered with humor.

Rating:
Summary: For cooks who like their food seasoned with laughter
Review: Ann Hodgman, former humor writer extraordinaire for the sadly missed SPY MAGAZINE, has come back to an overjoyed audience with her "Beat This!" and "Beat That!" cookbooks. The titles refer to the gauntlet flung down by Hodgman, challenging any and all to come up with a better recipe for, say, corn chowder (she calls hers "milkish, but not milkoid"), pasta salad, oatmeal cookies, and so on.

Some fun selections from Hodgman's kookily ruminative head notes on the recipes:

[On Bacony Split Pea Soup] "I know we all need to eat lower on the food chain, and at my house we're trying. Still, there's no denying that any split pea soup tastes a thousand times better with a hefty dose of smoked meats. This recipe gives you double value--bacon AND a ham hock."

[On Mrs. Westerman's Almond Pastry] "Where is Mrs. Westerman these days? When I was growing up, she was a friend of my mother's who made wonderful Christmas ornaments and also this wonderful almond pastry. In one cookbook I've seen, this recipe is called 'Spanish Breakfast Pastry.' I beg to differ! Mrs. Westerman is not Spanish!"

The book's recipes are frankly and proudly eclectic, as is Hodgman's sense of humor. She has the gift of sounding as though she's sitting right next to you as you read--her conversational writing style is absolutely a hoot, and the recipes work. Every single one that I've tried has been a keeper, which is more than I can say for a lot of more uppity-crust cookbooks out there.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent. You can't beat it!
Review: Every book that I have by this author is hilarious. These cookbooks you can sit around and read and enjoy. I have laughed out loud at the three cookbooks I have by this author.

This cookbook is not full of low fat recipes. It doesn't claim to be the easiest recipes. It has the best of the best recipes. IF they are high in fat or take some time to prepare, this cookbook promises they are worth the effort. So far, I agree. Everything I have made out of these two (Beat This and Beat That) has been great. And I'd say most of the recipes are not time consuming, nor do they require exotic ingredients.

Excellent. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as "Beat This"
Review: I haven't tried all of the recipes in Beat That! Despite the author's encouragement ("I haven't scared you off, have I? Because these really are wonderful."), I've lacked the courage to tackle her homemade bagel recipe. But when it comes to potatoes, wow! Ann is a woman who knows what to do with a potato. Her Cheese-Stuffed Baked Potatoes are now the official stuffed baked potato at my house. Gingered Carrot Salad is another keeper. I wrote "fabulous" in the margin after the first time I made it for a church supper. Trust me, you need this book.

Rating:
Summary: Love to Read Cookbooks?
Review: I just bought this book, and couldn't put it down. I love to cook, but I love to read cookbooks more. This book not only has some great recipes, but the funny style of Hodgman makes it a joy to read!

I highly recommend this book for cookbook readers, like me, or for people just looking for some good food recommendations.

Rating:
Summary: How can one *not* love a cookbook dedicated to Keanu Reeves?
Review: With Beat That!, Ann Hodgman continues her fight for culinary supremacy, even if it is only in her own mind. This book is every bit as funny and as good as its predecessor, Beat This!, with the added fillip of Hodgman admitting when she's been beaten, as she does by printing a reader's recipe for "superior" potato salad. Even though this salad contains the always low-rent Miracle Whip, Hodgman allows that it's better than her potato salad because it contains both sausage AND bacon. Yes, she was bested by smoked meats, and happily concedes the battle. What a gal. Buy this book.