Rating: 
Summary: The kids are what counts.
Review: If you rate this book based on the recipeies or your feelings about Don Imus you just don't get it. The book and the ranch are about the kids.
I am the father of an 8 year old cancer survivor. We almost lost Chris during this horrible ordeal. Chris is too young to go to the Imus Ranch but did go to a similar camp. He found out he has friends who understand. He can be normal again.
Buying this book directs attention and money is towards eliminating childhood cancer and the needs these kids have as they fight a grown up disease. I think that is the point.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fair Review
Review: Reading reviews of this book it seems that the vast majority are colored by the reviewer's view of Don Imus. Those who are fans of Don love the book. Those who don't like Don hate it (and many throw in a few personal insults for good measure). This review will be Imus-neutral.The book essentially is in two sections. The first section is made up of two essays: a shorter one about life in the kitchen and a longer one about the ranch in general. Neither is spectacular. The kitchen one is the better of the two; mildly amusing in parts as it details how the kitchen is the center of the household and family, whether at the ranch or the reader's home. I had some trouble with the second essay. While it does provide an interesting look at the workings of a real cattle ranch and how that relates to the kids it is somewhat preachy. Also, the piece is self-aggrandizing in places. In my opinion there's just too much of the "look at all the great, selfless things we do." I also found some of the text (especially the sidebars) a bit condescending as the tone shifts to "talking down" to the reader. One final nit: every mention of a product or service has a brand-name in front of it. I don't know if this is the result of cross-promotion agreements or what, but it puts a very commercial shade over the entire book. The biggest problem with the essay part of the book is that it suffers from over-editing (more so the second essay than the first). As is stated in the Acknowledgements both were originally written by David Von Drehle (a fine writer in his own regard) and then rewritten. I suspect the book would have been better if Mr. Von Drehle's work had been left untouched. In particular, the second essay seems to have been written in the third- person (and obviously by an outsider), and then clumsily converted to first-person (Mrs. Imus). Literally, it seems like the conversion was a simple search-and-replace, converting all the original "they's" to "I's" and the like. This results in an essay which was supposedly "written" by someone with an intimate knowledge of the ranch (Mrs. Imus) but reads like a Sunday morning newspaper feature story. This contradiction in viewpoint leads to a number of sloppy transitions and a quite a few passages which just don't "read right." On to the cookbook part of the book. It opens with a look at the ranch pantry, which is a very simple introduction to vegan ingredients and southwestern cooking. Nothing surprising here, and those looking for that sort of introduction should look elsewhere - the pantry description is just too brief. The balance of the book consists of several hundred recipes broken down into the usual categories (breads, soups, salads, main dishes, etc.). I found nothing particularly innovative here - I mean, sloppy joes are sloppy joes however or wherever they're made! The recipes I've tried have been good, and they're certainly healthy. Most of the recipes are quick and simple to prepare, and meat and milk products can be substituted with only minor adjustments. I will say the southwestern recipes are a little tame for my taste, understandable for the "newbie" kids from across the country who will eat this food, and which is easily remedied with a little extra "heat." A few closing comments. The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs, and obviously a lot of work went into the pictures of both the ranch and the food. The overall graphic design is also top-notch. The only thing I'd like to have seen was a recipe index; some are hard to find buried in the overall index, and some are listed in odd places even there. Bottom line? If you support the ranch (as I do) or are curious about it or vegan cattle ranch food (an oxymoron?) in general buy the book. If you do not, there are plenty of better vegan and/or southwestern cookbooks available. My score: 2 of 5 for the recipes, 2 of 5 for the writing, and 4 of 5 for both the layout and the photos. Overall, 3 of 5.
Rating:
Summary: inspiring book, amazing veggie recipes
Review: i've been listening to the imus program for about a year. when he gets too blustery or when the talk turns to sports i switch stations. don't let occasional irritation or boredom with the program (nobody's perfect) stop you from buying this book. it's a beautiful book filled with wonderful little stories about the imus ranch. it's also one of the best, if not the best, vegetarian cookbook i've ever seen. the recipes are easy, ingredients are available at the supermarket, and the photos are great. kudos to deirdre imus for a wonderful effort on so many levels
Rating: 
Summary: Phony Book
Review: The absurdity of this book should be obvious since it's a vegetarian/ranch cookbook. Give me a break! A ranch exists to produce MEAT, which is what cowboys like to eat most. I cannot believe this book is a top seller unless Imus is buying the books himself, which would clearly be a possibility for a shameless self-promoter such as Imus. The Imus ranch is really all about Imus- what a phony.
Rating:
Summary: Home on the Imus Range
Review: Lets not be guilty of splitting hairs here shall we. While, to one degree or another, Don & Deidre Imus are doing a worthwhile venture in organizing and sustaining a ranch for kids with cancer, this couples recent release " The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys " does smack of not so little grandstanding by our authors. Why? Inquiring minds may want to know. There's an old saying that goes " no good deed goes unpunished " and needless to say the Imus's seem to have taken this colloquial to heart. Turning to Mr. Imus's regular early morning MSNBC show one is barraged with the famous crumudgeons rants and raves about keeping up the ranch and how much trouble it seems to be for our favorite AARP talk-show host. One can only wonder why he would attempt such a huge venture if indeed it was the almost insumountable obstacle that he seems to constantly reminds his listeners that it really is. Nevertheless Mr. Imus, with no small religious fervor, chronically regales us with all the trouble he understakes for these sick children and how, in his very own words, " I simply don't need all this! " All the while turning a rather unpleasant shade of red with eyes bulging, mumbling incoherently and looking for all intense purposes as if he may blow the proverbial gasket. Ah, apparently the life of a good-natured, though highly irrascible, talk show host is never an easy one! Or so one would think from listening to the "Iman." Apparently our talk/radio show host has no qualms with letting the world know just what a truly outstanding samaritan he misguidedly believes he ctually believes he is. "Don, me thinks you protest too much!" All this would be good and well but to release a cookbook that seems little more then another sad example of him and the Mrs. " blowing their very own horn " seems not only disingenuous but even a little unseemly as well. While hiding under the guise of 'do-gooders' the Imus's tend to ultimately come across as a couple who are seeking sainthood for their well-intended, if not intensely self-aggrandizing, purposes. The book, while offerng little in the way of respectable recipies, has our favorite cowboy couple in full Southwest overload with pictures of the ranch and of course with photos of their own son Wyatt as well. Sadly, nothing seems to be off limits for airwave's very own version of Roy and Dale Evans. Again, a noble cause for kids with cancer but Don Imus just cannot seem to be able not to parade him and his wife's not so noble virtues for all the world to see. Sadly, the whole venture seems rather creepy and misguided in its heavy-handedness. Indeed, perhaps no good deed ever really does go unpunished.
Rating:
Summary: It's ......AWFUL!!
Review: To quote the Iman...it's AWFUL! I merely looked over it in the store out of curiosity.....and like the cat, it nearly killed me. As for the vegan diet or whatever it is.....if it is supposed to be so great how come... 1) the Iman is always and forever sick or pretending to be so. 2) their horrid foul mouthed brat is already overweight at age 5 Don't waste your money on it. The Iman claims it is great, but as we all know, his opinions are the same as the last person he spoke with. He will probably turn on his own dimwitted child wife and pan the whole venture about the same time that he turns on scary hairy Kerry
Rating:
Summary: A healthy refreshment to a soul
Review: The magnificent views that this book has offered is a panorama of a working ranch. I am house bound because of disabilities and enjoy where I could have been.
I cannot thank you enough for the tireless input regarding making our own homes healthier. The recipes are gems.
The work that is being done on this ranch is an example of 'being kind is always the right thing to do.'
I had pre-ordered the book after viewing I Man ranting albeit amusingly so about the chess set being set up incorrectly so I have that copy. It made me a happy camper.
I am a disabled human because of a medical community that is supposed to first of all "DO NO HARM".
You truly are deeply committed and I pray fervently that your endeavors can continue until Jehovah God steps in and says "Okay, you guys, you've screwed it up enough. I'm taking over."
Until that day, may you be very blessed.
Sincerely caring, Ellyn McCabe
Rating:
Summary: Buy and Read the Book and Stop the Imus Bashing!
Review: If you think Imus couldn't retire and move anywhere he wanted and has to resort to "fronting" a charity for kids with cancer, to build a ranch, then you're nuts. If the Imus Ranch or this book did nothing more than help make one kid's life better for a few hours, it's probably more than you (or I) have ever done or will do.
If you've got a problem with Imus, don't listen to him...if you've got a problem with people helping dying kids, I hope Bo Dietl pays you a visit soon.
Rating: 
Summary: The word "vegan" used way too loosely
Review: Deirdre refers to the Imus ranch as being "strict vegan". By definition, this means abstaining from all animal products, milk, eggs, all dairy, and honey, in addition to meat. It also implies an overall sense of compassion to all creatures. Numerous recipes in this book call for the use of eggs and cheese. (Admittedly, Deidre offers the substition of soy cheese for the latter.) At one point in the book she clarifies that the Imus ranch is actually "ovo vegetarian" (using eggs), although the eggs are organic and obtained from the Imus' own chickens. I find this to be very misleading. Few people have their own organic chickens to obtain eggs from. Even if "free range" eggs are available by store purchase, these chickens all end up in the same place- the slaughterhouse. There are literally thousands of vegan recipes available- few are found in this book. There are also multiple books outlining the concepts of veganism elsewhere, including in relation to compassion, health and environmenmental benefits, etc.
The Imus ranch is truly a ranch, including teaching the kids to rope calves. This most definitely flies in the face of vegan principles.
The Imus seem like truly well-meaning people. The kids that visit the Imus ranch are enriched by being able to visit the ranch. To carry the concept of compassion one step further, it would be wonderful if the Imus' would consider working with farm animal rescue organizations such as the Farm Sanctuary. Such a concept put into action would be far more enriching for all involved. (If a book was written about this with truly vegan recipes included, all the better!)
Rating:
Summary: Win-win
Review: This book is not only practical, it supports a good cause.
And, on top of that, it's filled with delicious recipes that are high on nutrition. Buying this book is a win-win for everyone.
Debbie Farmer, parenting author of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat'
| 
