Reviews (1)

Not for the home cook, but the book doesn't professes to be for the home cook.
These are the best cookbooks together now (I have read and used a lot of Belgian and French cookbooks!).
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Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Methods - Gourmet    5. Regional & Ethnic - American - California Style    6. COOKING / Methods / Gourmet    7. Cooking / American / California Style    8. General cookery    9. New York   

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. General    5. Methods - Quick & Easy    6. Cooking / General   

Reviews (9)

Great Great Book
As a Chef for a large Oil Field Camp in Alaska allot of these workers are from the South. Since we do a Cajun theme meal once every 5 weeks this Encyclopedia as come in handy allot. So full of useful information and history that it really brings to light allot of things that I never knew about Cajun cooking and cuisine. Would highly recommend this book if you're a lover of Cajun food as I am becoming and so are the people I feed.

The best of everything
This book is the greatest compilation of where Cajun & Creole Cuisine came from and where it is now.It is a fantastic read, and just generally fun to look at the pictures.BUY THIS BOOK!

An Oasis in My Desert
For the last 5 years we've been living in the deserts of Mexico and southern Arizona.I know all too well what it means to miss New Orleans.On a trip home last summer, friends of ours had this book displayed on their coffee table.I knew immediately I had to have it on my own table in Arizona.People there just don't understand our passion for food and culture.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking / Wine    2. Regional & Ethnic - Cajun & Creole   

Reviews (47)

Biggest Book of Disappointing Slow Cooker Recipes!
I am like the last reviewer -I wanted easy, chop it/dump it in and forget about it type of recipes.At first glance in the bookstore it looked good and bought it.I have been disappointed by this one - a lot of recipes have "weird" ingredients that a family with small kids just wouldn't eat or that I wouldn't have in my cupboards.I keep looking for a "keeper" recipe and just can't find it.Look at other slow cooker cookbooks - pass on this one.

big disappointment
I tried several recipes that sounded good--none was, I have given the book away!

Not terribly impressed with this one
You can find other slow cooker cook books that are better than this one. The recipes seem common and tired, the page layout and design is riotous and adds nothing to the content. This book compared to others had a lot more "what the heck" recipes -- "what the heck? I'm not going to try and serve THAT to my kids", that kind of thing. I'd look at other cook books, especially "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" which I found to be far superior to this cook book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Courses & Dishes - General    4. Electric cookery, Slow    5. Electric cooking    6. Methods - Special Appliances    7. Cooking / Special Appliances    8. Gadget cookery    9. crockery; slow cooker; crock pot; make-ahead   

Editorial Review

First published in 1950, Read more

Reviews (92)

A little bit newer desired
When I was first married, in 1966, I received a Betty Crocker cookbook that I wore out through so much use. I bought a newer version but didn't like it as much as my older one. I was trying to duplicate the older one when I bought this one. I think was trying to find one that was published a little later than this one. I don't really like the way the index is set up in this one but I do appreciate the good amount of basic information provided for a new cook.

A "must have", but...
Does contain very helpful information for the beginning cook left out of many "general" cookbooks. All the recipes turn out well, unlike recipes in some other cookbooks that seem like nobody ever tried before publishing them. Good for building confidence in a new cook.
Can't go wrong with the original!
My grandmother used this cookbook religiously for years and through it, taught me to love cooking and baking. Her original book was lost over the years, so I was delighted to get this version. It's absolutely perfect and so many recipes bring back fond memories. The recipes are simple and basic enough that I can share them with my 5-year-old daughter. We love the blueberry muffins and my husband raves about the pineapple upside down cake. Still my favorite cookbook! Thanks Betty! :) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, American    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Reference    5. Regional & Ethnic - American - General    6. Cooking / General    7. General cookery   

Reviews (5)

... and then came the Book of Cheese
From Quebec's Chaput Vacherin Mont d'Or to Ireland's Ardrahan and Roomano of Holland to Switzerland's Sbrinz, Cheese - A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best by Max McCalman and David Gibbons is a sumptuous feast for mind and eye to 200 of the world's finest cheeses. Listen to what McCalman has to say about Epoisses - "the King of Cheeses" - "Take it out of the fridge, put it on a plate, wait for it to turn meltingly soft and alluring, then cut in and enjoy the beautiful essence of controlled milk spoilage." No wonder this book has become my guide when seeking out a new world of artisanal cheese to explore!
A Course on Cheese
I love a good piece of stinky cheese. I enjoy taking it out of the fridge and letting its nasty old stank peel the paint off my walls, knockout my cat, and make the local children cry. It's how you know you gots yerself sum quality cheese right there.
Remarkable!Essential for Anyone Interested in Cheese
This book, written by one of America's foremost authorities on cheese, is remarkable.The material is well researched, the photographs are stunning, and the recommendations are top notch.Particularly important are the wine pairings, which are insightful and very useful.Like McCalman's "The Cheese Plate," this book looks as elegant as a coffee table book, however it contains a wealth of information valuable to any cheese enthusiast.
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Subjects:  1. Cheese    2. Cookery    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Dairy Science    6. General    7. Specific Ingredients - Dairy    8. Varieties    9. Cooking / Reference   

Reviews (19)

Professional Encyclopedia of Haute Cuisine
For this new translation, the dust jacket proudly proclaims 'Here, for the first time, is presented to the English-speaking public the entire translation of...'The copy on these dust jackets is usually just ad copy written by the sales department, and I would not take what it says too seriously. When I was much younger, I had the Crown version of this book as I happily puttered around in my kitchen. I no longer have it, and am unable to verify claims as to the superiority of this new translation over the older version (according to the editorial page, this translation dates to 1979 and is based on the 1921 French edition).
The Chef of Kings
August Escoffier was known as "The king of chefs and the chef of kings". This book is indispensible to anyone who is serious about the culinary arts. Escoffier defined the benchmark for classic French cooking from which most western cooking gets its roots, much like all forms of modern music from rock to country have their roots in classical music.You can find essences of classic French cooking in even the lowliest diner fare.
Classic
I am very annoyed that people who do not have any idea of what this book is, have the audacity to rate it. If you made the mistake of buying this book thinking it was a cookbook that is your own fault! Please don't rate Escoffiers culinary writings based on your own stupidity.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Methods - General    4. Regional & Ethnic - French    5. Cooking / French   

Reviews (20)

Tasty!
Wells is the first person to attempt this kind of beer book and I think he succeeds wonderfully. Neophites can learn a lot about beer and the craft brew movement (not to mention a nicely delivered short history of beer in the world and America) and the beer savvy will like his chapters on Extreme Beer, yeast rustlers and a home brewing contest. Meanwhile, if you like travelogue there's lot of tasty stuff in there. The first chapter on a "beer spill" at a legendary Florida beach bar is funny and informative and Wells' trip down the Mississippi River in search of the perfect beer joint is a nice ride. Perusing the reviewer before me who declared the book "awful" I can't help but think: it's not that Wells can't write. It's that some reviewers can't read!

The Cheap American Pale Lager of Beer Books
Simply awful.Though author Ken Wells may not have succeeded in finding "the perfect beer joint" (as the "premise" of this book seems to have been), he certainly succeeded in writing an awful book about a delightful subject.
Entertaining look at Beer Culture
Even though it was stated that a goal of this book was to find a perfect beer joint, the true essence of this book (as the TITLE depicts) is to show Beer Culture in America.
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Subjects:  1. Bars (Drinking establishments)    2. Beer    3. Beverages - Beer    4. Breweries    5. Cooking    6. Cooking / Wine    7. General    8. History    9. Popular Culture - General    10. United States    11. Cooking / General   

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Wine And Wine-Making    5. Wine Buying Guides    6. COOKBOOKS - Cookbooks Gen TRD PB    7. Cooking / Wine & Spirits    8. Wines   

Reviews (17)

GRATE BOOK FOR VEGGITARANS
This book woould be a grate gift if you havea friend or a family member that does not eat meat now they can have some new recipies that don't take for ever to make , now they can make a meal and not wast thier time in the kitchen cooking they can be in and out in a lott less time and have more time to do what they love.joanna
Thanks Rachel Ray
I have previously read many of Rachel Ray's cook books and had always wished there was one with more vegetarian recipes. Well, this one is just that. Simple, 30 minute meals that taste great and are easy to make.

Good food, but a lot alike
I've made several dishes from this book, but I have to say a lot of them are so similar that it's not like a new recipe. I'm a big fan of RR's cook books, and granted this is one of her earlier ones. Her other cook books don't have many vegitarian meal- she loves her meat. So, this was a great idea. As she says in the beginning that her fans asked her to make it, and that's what she did. I gave it 3 stars because the recipies are good, and easy to follow. But there are too many that are so similar. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. General    4. Methods - Quick & Easy    5. Specific Ingredients - Vegetables    6. Vegetarian - General    7. Cooking, Wine & Spirits   

Editorial Review

Discover why every kitchen worth its salt has a flour-dusted, bouillon-stained, batter-encrusted and whisk-maimed copy. ... Read more

Reviews (105)

My go-to for new dinners
I am recently married and love to cook, and of the several new cookbooks I got, this is the one I use the most, especially for "real life" cooking. It's organized well, so I know where to look if I want to cook chicken, meat, pasta, fish, cookies, something in the crock pot, etc. Each recipe I've tried has turned out well, and has been worth the effort involved. I bought a copy for my sister, so now I'm constantly telling her "Try that spicy chicken and rice bake, we loved it."

Great Starter & Basic Cookbook
I received this cook book as a wedding present 3 years ago and have been very pleased with it.
My most trusted cookbook!
I love this cook book! It has TONS of great recipes. Everything from cakes, pies, and breads, to pastas and various meat and vegetable dishes.It even has a recipe for homemade pasta. I was really amazed at how many great recipes it contains. Plus, I know I can trust it because Homes and Gardens tests their recipes. So, far I have only tried a few but every one has turned out great! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - General    5. General    6. Methods - General    7. Regional & Ethnic - American - General    8. #1; cooking; basics; everyday; technique; tips; favorites; tested    9. Cooking / General    10. Main courses   

Reviews (166)

I Was Underwhelmed. . .
Some friends had referenced some recipes and ideas from this book, so I got a copy.I'm totally underwhelmed.The attitude and tone of the book, starting with the pergorative "Diet Dictocrats" put me off to anything good that may have been found within it.
Good and Bad
This book has some definite plusses and minuses.Some of the information and recommendations in it are extremely well-documented.Others are not well-documented, and some are just generally suspect.(The author says we should all be eating raw meat regularly, and doesn't even address issues of e. coli or salmonella.She also recommends soaking all fruits and vegetables in bleach water prior to eating them, although chlorine is a known carcinogen.)
Most educational cookbook you'll ever read
Sally Fallon's cookbook scores high in the 'educational' department. Not content with providing healthy recipes, the book's introduction and ingredient "side notes" are a full text within themselves. And I applaud her taking a stand against conventional nutritional wisdom, which I have found - for my body - to be a recipe for disaster.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Health    4. Cooking / Wine    5. General    6. Health & Healing - General    7. Nutrition    8. Diet and Health    9. General cookery    10. Health & Fitness / General   

Reviews (2)

A fine book reference from a fine Pastry Chef!!
I had heard about this book from friends and colleagues and was determined to get it.After reviewing the recipes, ingredients, techniques and methods, I have determined this to be a PREMIERE and excellent reference book for improving my baking and pastry skills.It is truly a great asset to any beginner/intermediate/advanced home pastry chef-in-the-making.
On Baking by Eddy Van Damme is a MUST for every Chef & Cook!
This cookbook is a feast for the eyes and offers extraordinary recipes for both the novice and professional baker. The recipes bring a new creativity and delicacy to the palate, herefore unavailable.I have prepared many of the recipes and ALL have been winners: check out the creme brulee and then continue to read through the multiple options that spring from this one delicious dessert.
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Subjects:  1. Baking    2. Baking - Confectionery    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Courses & Dishes - Bread    6. Methods - Baking    7. Methods - Canning & Preserving    8. Methods - General    9. Cakes, baking, icing & sugarcraft    10. Cooking / Culinary Arts & Techniques    11. Food & Drink / Cookery    12. General cookery   

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Courses & Dishes - Desserts    4. Courses & Dishes - Pastry    5. International And Ethnic Cookery    6. Cakes, baking, icing & sugarcraft    7. Cooking / Desserts    8. Cooking; desserts; pastries    9. Desserts   

Reviews (5)

A superb "how-to" introduction to Spice Island cuisine
Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore is a compendium of one hundred authentic recipes celebrating Spice Islands cuisine, from Green Mango Sambal and Lemongrass-scented Coconut Rice to Indian-Style Fish Stew with Okra, Javanese Grilled Chicken, Sweet Spiced Mung Bean Porridge, and much more. In addition to the recipes themselves, Cradle of Flavor provides extensive information on obtaining and preparing ingredients that may seem exotic to cooks from outside the Spice Islands, as well as a handful of color photographs. A superb "how-to" introduction to Spice Island cuisine for cooks of all skill and experience levels.

A Delicious Journey along the Ancient Spice Routes
I am not much of a cook, and certainly not of exotic foods that require many spices and shopping in special markets. But I bought this book because I had heard that, apart from recipes, it offers a travelogue and historical glimpse into the mystery and wonder of the ancient "Spice routes," a subject that has always fascinated me. Oseland too is captivated by this mystique and his adventurous spirit also takes him deep into the hills and paddys and homes of the Spice Islnads. We get not only the whiff of history but also perceptive glimpses of modern Indonesia - its religion, politics, social tensions and customs - all boiled down through the experience of individual families around a dinner table of delicious food.
An Inspiring Cookbook
I got this book a few weeks ago and was immediately engrossed by the descriptions of food in the Malay Archipelago.It makes the unknown world of Indonesian and Malaysian cooking approachable.I found the chapter that explains the ingredients very helpful, as were the color photos. (I wish there were even more pictures, though.)Since I've never done any "Spice Islands" cooking before, I figured I'd start with something relatively easy.So I tried the "Sate Ayam" (chicken satay) and it was a big hit with my family.We all thought the flavors were perfectly balanced.The directions for the satay are very clear and walk you through every step.Now I'm ready to try some of the more complex dishes.My only complaint is an esthetic one--I wish the margins were wider and the typeface for the ingredients was less blocky looking.Nonetheless, the cookbook has definitely inspired me.Now I want to go shopping in Chinatown...or better yet, in Indonesia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Southeast Asian    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Regional & Ethnic - Asian    5. Regional & Ethnic - Pacific Rim    6. Cooking / Asian   

Reviews (8)

This is a real life-changer!
I've tried them all, every diet that is. Not only have I tried a lot of diets to lose weight, I've also worked with other books on eating to control inflammation. This is a great approach. I feel and look the best I've felt in years. The proof has been in testing the foods in my own body. I feel MUCH better and I'm finally losing weight after 2 years of chronic fatique and puzzling weight-gain in spite of eating a healthy diet and taking a lot of the right supplements. You can use the tables to change your current eating and food purchasing habits if following the diet plan isn't for you. That's what I did and it worked like a charm. I own a fitness club and am very familiar with everything out there. This is a gem. Buy it and use it. Eliminate the more inflammatory foods you currently eat and spike your diet with powerful anti-inflammatory foods and see what happens!

Take it on faith, it might help.
I purchased this book because I knew that inflammation theory has a lot of credibility with Andrew Weil and some others in the medical community at present.A limitation of the book is that the reader is not told in any detail how the inflammation index that is so central to the plan is derived.Taking it on faith, I tried it and it did reveal some things: for example, a personal preference for fruit and whole-grains over vegetables that almost certainly was not an entirely good thing. It does give you a way to quantify those kinds of things, and it would be hard to imagine how it could be misused unless someone tried to slather huge quantities of anti-inflammatory curry and ginger on top of an unhealthy diet.All in all, a provocative book that doesn't contradict common-sense good principles of diet and will likely improve your diet and make you healthier if you take the trouble to do the math. Also, the recipes are good.

Good dietary recommendations, but not quite the whole picture
This book offers up sound dietary advice.Foods are rated according to a formula that predicts how inflammatory they are to your body.The formula is not specified, although the factors that are considered are listed.I would have liked more information as to how much weight was given to the various nutrients and why. Information not contained in the USDA food database wasn't included in the formula.Therefore, a number of factors, such micronutrients, pesticide residues, etc. are not addressed. The inflammatory effects of eating charbroiled foods or deep fried foods are not discussed. This is an interesting attempt at quantifying the anti-inflammatory and inflammatory qualities of most common foods, and for the most part is quite helpful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative treatment    2. Consumer Health    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. Diet therapy    5. Diets - General    6. Health & Fitness    7. Health/Fitness    8. Inflammation    9. Nutrition    10. Nutrition And Diet    11. Self-care, Health    12. Health & Fitness / Nutrition    13. Health & wholefood cookery   

Reviews (35)

Cleansing diet eliminates food addictions.
The Rice Diet Solution makes this excellent program completely accessible and it is working remarkably well for me. I've been sitting on 60 extra pounds for abut 10 years. Fad dieting brought instant but temporary results once I returned to eating 'normal' foods made addictive by sodium, fats and sugar. Once I accomplishedthe initial cleansing phase of low sodium and no sugar and, most importantly, no processed foods, my addictions vanished and the weight continues to peel off. I lost half of my goal in two months. I now prefer salad to pizza and won't touch meat. I eat three high nutrition, high fiber, fresh meals day, which prohibits hunger and keeps the calories low. The exercise part is easy! I just gave up my car and walk and take public transit. I'm saving money and stopped my daily contributions of packaging and plastic to the landfill. The book is a guideline to a new way of life that continues to nurture my spirit and redefine my presence and participation in the world.

Easy and it works!
In the first few pages you are told everything you need to know to understand the diet part of this plan. Without even finishing the book, I jumped right in and started and immediately started losing weight! It is so simple, easy and FILLING. If you love fresh vegetables and fruit and can curb your sodium intake, you too should see immedialte results. The rest of the book gives you the nutritional explaination of the healthfulness of the plan (as a health care professional this is something important to me) and advice on lifestyle changes such as taking time for yourself. Easy to read and understand and follow.

A real eye opener
The Rice Diet Solution includes hundreds of tasty, filling, easy-to-prepare recipes -- some from the Rice House kitchen, others inspired by major chefs and adapted to Rice Diet standards.The Rice Diet is not just an eating plan. It's a physical, emotional, and spiritual program that will change the way you live, giving you new vitality, energy, and longevity. Ricers report that the Rice Diet not only helps them solve weight problems they've struggled with their whole lives but also teaches them a whole new way of healthier, more mindful living.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery (Rice)    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Diets - General    5. Health & Healing - Weight Control    6. Low Cholesterol - Nutrition And Diet    7. Low Sodium - Nutrition And Diet    8. Reducing diets    9. Specific Ingredients - Rice & Grains    10. Cooking / Dietary   

Reviews (4)

Things are really pass down!!!! Must have book!!!
When I read this cook book I realize how things are just pass down through generations. Regardless if you've been born in this country. The cooking styles are the same and I soon realize how the women in my family cook must of the food that's in this book... This is an amazing book and Thank You too the Chef!!! It just brings back memories....:-))

Soul is the Proper Noun
Having been to Africa, I know a little about the enchantment of at least parts of that vast continent.I admit I love Africa, Africans, and African food. I've looked for a book like this for quite a while and I am not at all diappointed at what I see here.I love the way this book is organized and written, and it is not the recipes alone that have whetted my appetite.The stunning photographs have made me long for a return trip so I can greedily consume the colors and sounds as well as the food of these exotic places.Until then, this book is the next best thing to being there!

outstanding
I am about half way through this book now, an excellent lesson in African food and reference book, as a Certified Executive Chef it is a prize to my library right next to the french laundry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, African    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. International And Ethnic Cookery    5. Regional & Ethnic - African    6. Africa    7. Cooking / General    8. Food & Drink / Cookery   

Reviews (13)

Most interesting food writer since Jean Carper
Almost two decades ago, Jean Carper revolutionized my thinking about food with her well researched book, "The Food Pharmacy," a fascinating treatise on the health-promoting properties of foods.Since then there have been innumerable self-appointed food gurus, most of whom struck me as primarily self-promotional and thin on scientific backing.While I do continue to consider Nina Planck's iconoclastic food theories with the proverbial grain of salt, I think she has done an enormous service for the health-conscious reader by approaching the entire topic of foods, and particularly the controversial issue of dietary fats, with a fresh and relatively unbiased eye.She has assembled an impressive body of research to support her assertions regarding grass-fed meat and dairy products, and touches on many other important topics, such as the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids to the developing fetus.New to me was the research regarding the importance of lauric acid, a key component of coconut oil, as a health-promoting fatty acid.I remain skeptical about a few of her assertions, and I also partially disagree with her largely anecdotal criticism of the vegetarian diet.However, she has opened my mind to some very new approaches to food and nutrition.Additionally, she has brought the sensual pleasure of food back into focus as an integral component of healthy eating.After reading this book, you will believe more than ever the old adage that "You are what you eat" -- you'll just regard what you eat in an entirely new light!

Who knew!
I was looking to learn more about healthy eating and I ran across this book at the library.I was fairly sceptical at first but as I kept reading everything she was saying it all was starting to fit together and make sense.She quotes study after study in her book which helps give foundation to her ideas. The thing that really got me about this book is that it is common sense to eat food in thier more natural "unprocessed" state.We are so used to processed food in this age Nina Planck tells us how to know what traditional foods are and what industrial foods are.If you would like to get information about what you are eating and how it might be affecting you, and how to eat to maximize all nutrients available in your food this book is perfect for you.Also, it is delicious and revitalizing to eat this way!

Food for Thought
I checked this book out of the local library, and after extending the loan twice purchased my own copy on Amazon.It is thought provoking and a little disturbing when you consider how very different today's diet is from fifty years ago.After reading Real Food I talked with my sixty-something year old mother about how her family ate during her childhood.It seems that in gaining convenience and product consistency we have lost character and nutritional value in many foods.I have made some changes in the way I am feeding my family and I do find very real differences in the products I buy at the local rural (farmers')market.Nina Planck is a thoughtful guide toward a different way of eating.A nicely written and informative book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Diet    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. Diet/Nutrition    5. Diets - General    6. General    7. Health & Fitness    8. Nutrition    9. Nutrition And Diet    10. United States    11. Health & Fitness / Diets   

Reviews (5)

The Low GI Diet Cookbook:100 Simple,
I did not like most of the recepies that were in the book.They were too exotic for me.A couple of the desert recepies were ok and I did like the color pages that showed the food.

Too many odd spices and ingredients
The recipes in this book look really good.It is a beautiful book. However, too many require unusual spices and ingredients for the ordinary cook. On the other hand, some of the recipes do use everyday ingredients.
The best diet concept

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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Health & Healing - General    4. Health & Healing - Weight Control    5. Cooking / Dietary