Cocktails In Tahiti Review

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(More customer reviews)My husband and I went to Tahiti for our honeymoon. I saw this book on Amazon.com and I just had to have it. The pictures, facts and drinks were amazing!
I decided to have a Tahitian party last weekend with my family and friends. I was able to recreate the Tahitian cocktails we had on our honeymoon and share some interesting facts about the islands, as well as, the hotels in the French Polynesia. The cocktails were so easy to make and they looked so festive. I was able to recreate the look of the cocktail by using the pictures in the book. Everyone at my party kept raving about how much they loved what they were drinking and wanted to see the Tahitian cocktail book. After looking at the book - they just had to have a copy. I was so excited about their requests, I can order this book on-line and have it shipped to my home just in time for Christmas. I do not have to "fight" the crowds at the mall! My party was a huge Tahitian success!
If you want to bring the French Polynesia Islands to your home and experience paradise - I highly recommend this book. Thank you for making my party festive and memorable!!!


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Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites Review

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(More customer reviews)I must admit that I, like other reviewers, was at first disappointed by the offerings in Giada's latest publication. When I looked at the recipes closer, however, I realized how much I appreciated the book.
Fans are used to an array of savory, Italian dishes...understandably because this is what Giada has turned out before. This new book puts more of an emphasis on fresh, light flavors. Many recipes call for butternut squash, melons, and other vegetables.
The recipes are no longer strictly "Italian," which I think opens Giada's creativity. Although many recipes call for fresh herbs, I found the ingredient list to be, in general, significantly less intimidating and pricey. It's really about fewer groceries with fresher, bigger flavors. I particularly enjoy the "(Not) Just For Kids" section. Here we find fun recipes for things like pizza pot pies, polenta-fried shrimp, and mascarpone mini cupcakes with strawberry frosting.
I think Giada's new direction, away from specifically "Italian" cuisine and into an Italian-inspired Californian cuisine, will prove successful. After three cookbooks of mostly traditional Italian food, she needed to expand somewhere anyway. Staying loyal to strictly Italian food may have become boring and listless for both the chef and her following. I can't wait to see where she goes next!

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Everyday Dining with Wine Review

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(More customer reviews)Immer is truly becoming a resource for wine & food combinations! This is her fourth venture into publishing books on this, and each is just outstanding, fun, practical, and interactive.
Here she goes where not many venture, into inexpensive but good wines for everyday, home dining. She offers recipes paired with selections that one would not normally think of. Here she introduces us to what she learned in Spain --- having wine with our dinner, and not just our ordinay routine of trying to enjoy our favorite with everything, but reaching out to try Reisling with "Plank Cooked Salmon". I was not into this at first sight, but first bite changed it all. She is right on that the combo of the Indonesian Five Spice BBQ sauce lights up with a great WashState or Aussie or NewZealand Riesling.
There are more great things like this to try out, all lined up by grape type, i.e. Chardonnay, Dessert Wines, etc. This is nice way to venture out, e.g. try type normally wouldn't or go the other way and line up a recipe like "Turkey Quesadillas with Sesame-Sweet Potato Mole Sauce" and she what she pairs it with: in this case "Barrel Fermented Chard."
She writes with spice and it is just plain fun to treat your taste buds to new delights with the likes of "Chicken Legs Braised in Pinot Grigio Mojo" paired with a Pinot Grigio. Or for finale, how about "Ice Wine" with "Tropical Fruits on the half-shell with Banana Crunch Topping". Truly Yum!
Finally, couldn't resist letting you into some combos here that knocked me out: Spanish wines with Spanish Stype Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo and Manchego Fricos, and Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Chorizo. Great brunch or weeknight supper with an attitude!
There are some good color photos, source suggestions along with technique advice. This lady can cook, pair wine and entertain all the while. This is certainly a volume to put in your collection and give away to those friends who need this jumpstart in their wine/dining life.

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Andrea Immer has one of the world's best, and least pretentious, wine palates.In her debut cookbook she proves that her taste in food is just as finely honed and down-to-earth.Presenting 125 recipes that pair magnificently with wine, she shows how to bring these great flavor combinations to the dinner table—with minimum fuss and at minimal cost.Her food and wine matches are guaranteed to make even weeknight meals special occasions.Wine enthusiasts and epicures alike could not be in better hands:World-renowned Master Sommelier Andrea Immer is also a graduate of the French Culinary Insitute, where she refined her already formidable cooking skills and understanding of food flavors, and where today she is dean of wine studies.In her new book, she solves that most vexing dinner dilemma—which wines to serve with what foods. Drawing on her sophisticated understanding of tastes, she offers up internationally inspired delicacies like Cumin-crusted Lamb; Fettucine with Proscuitto, Sage, and Mushrooms; or Tarte Tatin with Bourbon and Vanilla. She also offers down-home dishes like Fast-Track Baby Back Ribs, Turkey Quesadillas with Sesame Sweet Potato–Mole Sauce, or Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Chorizo.Everyday Dining with Wine is filled with recipes emphasizing a robust harmony of flavors for every course from soup to dessert.Andrea believes that wine should be a part of everyday dining—for both pleasure and health. With this book in hand, you can choose a recipe and then find the wine that complements it best, or start with a special bottle and discover its perfect food partner.Here, too, are Andrea’s answers to such common and perplexing questions as "Where should I store my wine?”; "Once I open a bottle, how long will it be good?”; "Does the shape and quality of glassware matter?”Wine and food belong together, whether for a weeknight meal or a dinner party. With Everyday Dining with Wine there is no guesswork involved in making any meal a cause for celebration.

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After-Dinner Drinks: Choosing, Serving and Enjoying Review

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(More customer reviews)Many wine lovers in the United States don't really know much about after-dinner drinks - it is partially because most of the people drink coffee with desserts, not wines or spirits. This book provides information from the very basic to the in-depth inspections - helping the readers explore this wonderful new territory. Nice illustrations/pictures are a definite plus. Hopefully, this book will encourage you to take a closer look at the dessert wine list next time when you dine out!

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In Style Parties (The Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining) Review

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(More customer reviews)Instyle's latest book "InStyle Parties (The Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining), is a step by step guide to hosting your best party!
The 192 page hardcover, coffee table sized book (10x9x1/2)describes in detail the invitations, decor and menu for a variety of parties ranging from a backyard luau to a mediterranean dinner. Other parties include super bowl, afternoon spa, baby shower, birthday dinner, thanksgiving dinner and more. The super bowl party for example suggests a buffet menu that includes chili with turkey and white beans, sugar and spice pecans, tortilla chips with bean dip and an ice cream sundae dessert bar. Make the invites by writing on card stock glued on mini football pennants and decorate with mini plastic football players and goalposts. The book tells you exactly what to do from week to week to prepare for the party.
It also suggests modifications for each party. Don't feel like fixing food? Order a platter of preassembled gourmet deli sandwiches.
There are a lot of cute, novel ideas in the book. The holiday cocktail party has you crushing candy canes in martini glasses. Oscar night suggests sending invites in film canisters. The baby shower party would have you decorating with tea lights in baby food jars and serving goodies in silver baby cups with baby spoons.
The book serves as a launching pad for ideas. The spa party suggests you consider splurging on Swarovski crystal studded spa invites..well I am not likely to do that..but using this idea I might buy some crystals at a craft store and doctor up a another cute invite. The book does give some "over the top" ideas for parties but it also gives substitutes. It all depends on your budget and desire.
The book also includes chapters with some great basic information; how to stock a bar, the decor, the table, the food and the invitations. The table section for example, details tableware. linens, setting the table, serving styles, seating and extra help.
Choc o' bloc with full color photographs of different parties and interspersed with the occasional picture of a celeb noshing on this or that, Instyle Parties is a super resource and sure to make your next event even more special!
Lee Mellott


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Want to throw an A-list party without spending heaps of time and money? "In Style: Parties", the complete guide to easy, elegant entertaining, is the one-stop guide to making every event stylish and personal, and it proves once and for all that entertaining at home can be easy, fabulous, and fun. Organized in three sections, the book includes: the basics of party preparation, including what to serve and how to create the perfect atmosphere; complete party guides for every occasion, from dinner parties for 8 to cocktail parties for 30;and a listing of the top resources for food, drink, and decor, from artisanal cheeses and exotic chocolates to flowers and flat wear. The book begins with the basics section, which arms readers with the essentials of party planning. In thorough yet accessible detail, this section provides tips on how to plan a menu, stock a bar, set a table, serve cocktails, and feed a crowd, efficiently and with finesse. Also covered are tips on invitations, decorations, and music, which set the tone for a special occasion. The heart of the book is twenty of the most popular party guides published in "In Style" magazine over the last five years.Playful themes, fresh and simple recipes, sexy drinks, elegant decor, handy timetables, and a non-stuffy approach make it easy to stay on top of all the little details. Readers can follow the guides closely, mix up elements from different guides to suit their unique vision, or simply use them as inspiration. With its elegant illustrations and vibrant images of celebrity-studded evens, colourful drinks, luscious foods, and sophisticated decor, "In Style: Parties" put the fun of parties first.

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