2024 the best cookbook ever review

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(as of Dec 13, 2024 17:06:08 UTC - Details)

From a James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame author, “healthier, deliciously creative, easy-to-make comfort foods—what could be better than that?” (Sacramento Observer)

A good cook once said that a casserole is a blend of inspiration and what’s on hand. Add to that a generous helping of know-how, and you’ve got The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever.

Call it a hotdish, covered dish, or casserole—in these pages, you’ll find one-dish meals for every season and any occasion, put together with James Beard Cookbook Hall of Famer Beatrice Ojakangas’s customary common sense and uncommon culinary flair. For breakfast, there are make-ahead strata and quiches or last-minute offerings like baked omelets and Eggs Florentine; for lunches and brunches, light fare or full-on midday meals; and for dinner a dizzying array of dishes, meaty or vegetarian, made with fresh ingredients or pantry staples—from Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing to Baked Spaghetti, Southwestern Beans, or Autumn Vegetable Stew. Leave room for dessert, because Ojakangas includes sweet casseroles like Mocha Fudge Pudding and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. You’ll even find bread here in casserole form, from sweet Cinnamon Bubble Bread to savory Cornmeal Spoon Bread and tender Sally Lunn.

Ojakangas has advice for both expert and novice about ingredients, equipment, and meals. Combine that with whatever you have in the pantry and fridge, and this cookbook is the perfect guide to everything that a casserole might be.
 
“Any of these casserole recipes are great to take to parties, church dinners, or community potlucks. . . . In any season, casseroles can be comfort food at its finest.” —The Blade
“Inventive and exhaustive.” —Star Tribune

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0061MIESG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books LLC; Original edition (September 1, 2008)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2008
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 10778 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 1306 pages
Reviewer: I Do The Speed Limit
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The "Best"? For once I agree
Review: There are an awful lot of cookbooks out there that claim to be "The Best" right there on the cover and right in the title. Usually I pass them by, because from experience, I know the claim will be bogus. That is probably why I passed on this book many years ago when it was first published. I don't remember my reasons right now, except to be able to say--without a doubt--it was not because I don't like casserole cooking! Because I do. And I have a lot of cookbooks that deal with casseroles. Turns out, I waited much too long to buy this book.I picked this up on the recommendation from another reviewer, whose reviews I've run across many times in the past few years, and whose opinions I tend to agree with.I have a favorite ground ham/cheese/onion/fine noodle casserole from the 60's that we get a hankering for several times a year. It's only fault is the can of mushroom soup that gets added as a binder. I looked through Ojakangas' recipes to see if there was anything similar to it (no there isn't), but what I did find has now endeared me to this woman for the rest of my time on earth: A substitute for canned mushroom soup. Of course, I've run into similar substitutes on the internet, but this one actually works perfectly and tastes wonderful (plus I added extra mushrooms). My ground ham casserole from the 60's has never tasted so good!So I ordered this book at the end of winter and have been trying to use it, but as the weather is turning warm, we more often than not are cooking from our garden and grilling. Looking forward to a big crop of zucchini and tomatoes, I looked in this book for zuke and tomato casseroles, and I was not disappointed! There are a load of them! That fact ranks high in my eyes.There are also some very nice strata recipes and those are always nice recipes to have on hand. There is also a recipe for Jansson's Temptation (potato, onion, cheese, anchovy), which is wonderful, but a bit obscure, and I was surprised to see it.Of course, these are casserole recipes, so we're not talking gourmet here: You will find some questionable things like fresh flounder in a casserole and a rice casserole called a paella, but I can overlook those things because I don't see short cuts and canned soup or vegetables in any of the ingredient lists of the more than 500 recipes.

Reviewer: Grandma
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Much More than Tuna Noodle!
Review: One of the ways I've found to indulge my passion for cookbooks without breaking the piggy bank is to watch the Kindle specials. Beatrice Ojakangas is one of my favorite cookbook authors, one whose recipes have never steered me wrong. Her Blueberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake from Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Holiday Baking Book is a recipe I've made time and again and even featured on my blog (June 28, 2012). So, I was overjoyed to find The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: With More Than 500 Recipes! on special a couple of weeks ago.Long before there was such a thing as the Crock Pot, busy women relied on casseroles to make week-night meals quick and easy while recycling "leftovers" into something new. Put your casserole together the night before or in the morning before you go to work and then all that needs to be done is to heat it in the oven, something even the kitchen-challenged husbands of yesterday could manage. This is a huge volume, one that will really stretch your definition of just what a casserole is. You'll find dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, appetizers for parties, casseroles big enough to feed the multitudes or small enough to feed just two, even dessert. Some rely on leftovers or pantry staples, others on fresh ingredients like the excess zucchini that magically appears in our gardens come August.I found dozens of old favorites and as many more that I'm dying to try, but my favorite part of the book are the directions that Beatrice gives for making your own fresh substitute for the "cream of" soups that were so commonly part of casserole recipes in our mothers' day.You'll find dishes for every appetite and taste, but do remember to taste as you go. You may like more salt or chile than a given recipe calls for.I did find a couple of errors in the Kindle version - nothing at all unusual in a volume this size (one recent volume I've acquired has 6 full pages of errata) - so I contacted Beatrice about them. Here are the two that I found and Beatrice' reply.The Green Bean, Mushroom and Onion Casserole omits onion from both the ingredients list and the directions. Beatrice says 'The mistake here was that the onion wasn't removed from the title. It should read: "Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole"'.The Salmon Soufflé (in the chapter of casseroles for 2) omits the instructions of what to do with the salmon. Beatrice says "In the salmon souffle, the ingredient line should have read "1/2 cup canned or cooked salmon, flaked" and it is to be added last of all to the basic sauce in Step 2. That also means that the salmon should be listed right after the shredded sharp Cheddar cheese."If you've a Kindle you can just note those changes at the appropriate place in the recipes.Here's one very similar to a casserole I often made when we lived out west -SOUTHWESTERN BREAKFAST CASSEROLEI first had this spicy egg, cheese, and sausage casserole for breakfast in a wonderful inn in Santa Fe, New Mexico.SERVES 86 ounces bulk-style chorizo sausage1/2 onion, finely chopped4 cans (4 ounces each) whole mild green chiles, drained1/2 pound queso fresco (Mexican farmers' cheese), finely crumbled8 large eggs, beaten1/4 teaspoon pepperTomato salsa for servingPreheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking up with a fork, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes longer, stirring, until the onion is tender. Remove from the heat.Cut each chile lengthwise in half and remove the membranes and seeds. Line the bottom of the dish with half the chiles, arranging them cut-sides up.Sprinkle half of the chorizo mixture over the chiles and cover with half of the cheese.Beat the eggs in a medium bowl and add the ground pepper. Cover the cheese layer with half of the beaten eggs. Top with the remaining chiles in one layer, and layer the remaining chorizo and then the cheese on top. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the cheese.Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the casserole is set. Let stand for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve the squares topped with salsa.Ojakangas, Beatrice; Cushner, Susie (2008-09-10). The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: With More Than 500 Recipes! (Kindle Locations 2406-2429). Chronicle Books. Kindle Edition.NOTE - I have no trouble finding fresh chorizo and queso fresco at Walmart, where I sometimes can also find large 28 ounce cans of whole green chile. Don't forget the tortillas. This recipe could easily be cut in half.Grandma's $0.02 - There is something for everyone in the pages of The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever: With More Than 500 Recipes! Delightful - and highly recommended!

Reviewer: Robin Snell
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: a good recipe find.
Review: The recipes are easy to understand and straightforward. I will enjoy trying many of them, although admittedly, at this point I have only read them and have not actually prepared any of them. There is a lot of interesting information about the history of casseroles and ways to substitute ingredients without sacrificing flavor.

Reviewer: Karen B
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: My husband and I are both enjoying this cookbook. We haven't had it for very long, but every recipe I have made from it has been delicious. Would certainly recommned it....

Reviewer: Willow Arune
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Good selection