Taste of Home Recipes Across America Cookbook
I received this book for free from Netgalley for review consideration, opinions expressed are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you.
Taste of Home Recipes Across America Cookbook Publication Date: Sept. 12, 2013Pages: 512
Format: eARC
Indie Bookstores | Amazon
Goodreads
Delicious, close-up photos will make you want to dive into this cookbook and cook your way across America's best food.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Whether sinking your teeth into crispy Southern Fried Chicken, enjoying a Philly Cheese Steak or sampling a slice of Ozark Mountain Berry Pie, you simply can’t beat the comfort of iconic American foods. Now, it’s easier than ever to sample the flavors of the country with Taste of Home Recipes Across America.
This keepsake collection offers 655 recipes that deliver regional flair from all 50 states. Grill up a fiery Southwestern barbecue, stir together a little Texas Caviar, host a New England clam bake or share a Chicago deep dish pizza! You’ll find everything from no-fuss snacks and quick supper ideas to weekend menu items and impressive dessertseach of which left a delicious mark on its part of the country!
Divided into five regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest and West), Recipes Across America offers all the mouthwatering specialties enjoyed by locals, including unforgettable dishes featuring regional produce. You’ll even discover ethnic favorites passed-down through generations of cultures who established roots in various cities throughout the nation.
As a bonus, you’ll enjoy fun food facts and folklore sprinkled throughout the pages. (For example, did you know that Chef George Crum of Saratoga, NY is rumored to have created the potato chip after a customer complained about the chef’s fried potatoes?) There are even colorful photos and notes regarding regional landmarks, infamous restaurants and more.
With so many recipes, photos and kitchen tidbits, Taste of Home Recipes Across America makes it a snap to take your senses on a culinary vacation you’ll cherish for years to come.
Recipes
NORTHEAST: New England Boiled Dinner, Pennsylvania Dutch Pork Chops, Maple Syrup Corn Bread, Vermont Baked Beans, Brooklyn Blackout Cake, Joe FroggersSOUTH: Barbecued Sticky Ribs, Bourbon Baked Ham, Low Country Boil, Andouille-Shrimp Cream Soup, Pimiento Cheese Spread, Hummingbird Cake, Southern Sweet Potato Pie, Benne Wafers
MIDWEST: Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza, Rolled Swedish Pancakes, Howard’s Sauerbraten, Beer Margaritas, Kansas Whole Wheat Bread, State Fair Cream Puffs, Lemon Kolaches
SOUTHWEST: Sizzling Tex-Mex Fajitas, Chicken Tamales, Award-Winning Chuck Wagon Chili, Armadillo Eggs, Daiquiris, Texas Caviar, Chunky Fresh Mango Cake, Mexican Ice Cream
WEST: Pacific Rim Salmon, Pork with Artichokes and Capers, Plum Chicken Wraps, Baked Potato Cheddar Soup, California Sushi Rolls, Champagne Cocktail, Habanero Apricot Jam, Sourdough French Bread, Hawaiian Cake, Wyoming Cowboy Cookies
With this collection the country is yours from coast to coast. You can plan a Southern summertime barbecue, feed hungry hands with Tex-Mex, enjoy the silky smoothness of maple syrup pie, have a German feast for Okoberfest, juicy fruits from the Pacific Northwest or a Classic Cobb Salad. Enjoy!
For 20 years, Taste of Home has been the world’s most popular cooking publication. Through the pages of the flagship magazine, popular cookbooks and online community, Taste of Home offers a friendly exchange of family-favorite recipes, cooking tips and personal stories from genuine home cooks. Because professional food staff tests and evaluates every recipe in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, readers are guaranteed success every time.”
My Thoughts
My family has been collecting Taste of Home magazines and cookbooks ever since we got married. We share the recipes, trade the cookbooks and just about every holiday has multiple Taste of Home recipes on our family’s table, like Mandarin Pork Roast at Easter, Fruit Marshmallow Salad at Christmas, the French Banana or Pumpkin Pancakes for holiday brunch and the Cranberry Gelatin Salad for Thanksgiving. I have about 2 years worth of the magazines and the Slow Cooker cookbook is well loved and well used! So many Taste of Home recipes end up into my family favorites cookbook that I made for each household in our growing family.
So when I had the opportunity to review Taste of Home’s newest cookbook on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance. I love the close-up photos of each dish and the stories from each contributor on the importance of the recipe to their family. The pictures really helps attract my little ones eyes as they help me choose which dishes to make. It gets us all excited about food and cooking together. The recipes are simple, tasty and typically use easy to find ingredients.
Perusing this book had me excited to cook regional favorites, like Philly Steaks, Maple Syrup Corn Bread, Fajitas, Bourbon Ham, Hummingbird Cake, Habanero Apricot Jam and Sweet Potato Pie (ok the Beer Margaritas, Champagne Cocktail and Mexican Fried Ice Cream too). What I found unique about this Taste of Home cookbook is there were also photos and notes about the cities and landmarks in the region. These cookbooks make great gifts, I know I would be happy if I got one!
Based on my prior experience with Taste of Home’s cookbooks, I will give this cookbook a 4 rating though I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet. I am sure out of 512 pages of home cooked goodness, I am bound to find many more wonderful dishes to add to our family favorites cookbook.
What are your favorite cookbooks? What are you looking forward to eating during the holidays? What are your traditional family holiday dishes? Happy reading and delicious eating!
Oh I LOVE Taste of Home. This looks like a fabulous cookbook. Thanks for sharing it!
I love having the different regions all in one book! You have lots of varieties for meal plans!
I’m a big fan of the Taste of Home collections too. My mom has been getting them for years. I like them because the recipes are practical.
I love their cookbooks. I got one last year and it was fantastic 🙂 I don’t have a favorite cookbook per se but my favorite recent find was one full of food-truck recipes 🙂
Oohhh food truck recipes sounds like one I would want. What’s the name of it? what’s your favorite recipe out of it? Thanks for commenting Felicia!
I love cookbooks even though I’m not a good cook. I have a Patti Labelle Cookbook that I’ve been meaning to make some recipes from. This cookbook sounds great!
Interesting, I didn’t know Patti LaBelle had a cookbook! I wonder if her food is as great as her voice. I wasn’t a cook at all before getting married. The Taste of Home cookbooks got me hooked on trying new recipes and I got better at cooking slowly but surely.
I do love taste of home recipes.
i’m a bit scared to find out what an “armadillo egg” is though???
Lol, I didn’t see that recipe but “armadillo egg” does pique the curiosity! thanks for commenting Tammy!
I’ve always been impressed with the Taste of Home recipes. Most of them are really good and authentic, meaning they weren’t just concocted to sell a brick of Brand X’s soup or cream cheese.
I think I’ve told you I don’t typically cook. However, I’ll hit a slump where I’m like “Give me new recipes!” And my husband cooks, so he’s always up for new recipes too. This book sounds like it has a good number of staples in it. Things most anyone would like. I may take a look at it!
Despite the fact that I am a horrible cook, I LOVE cookbooks. Maybe it’s the best chance I have of seeing delicious looking food in my actual home. I’m definitely putting this book on my Christmas list!! Yay!! –Lisa
This looks tasty, now I want to jump in the kitchen and make the recipes. Thanks for sharing!
I’m a big fan of Taste of Home and I also have a ton of their magazines. I like their recipes because they’re very family oriented- not too fancy and pretty easy to follow. My family loves pretty much everything we’ve tried from them.