| Easy as A-B-Z-D |
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| Sunday, 27 April 2008 | |
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Easy as A-B-Z-D: Step-by-Step Recipes from an Italian Kitchen and more By Victoria L. LaPaglia Infinity Publishing, 2007, 154pp.
Little did I realize when I agreed to review GAYA nominees, that I’d be sent a cookbook. How do you review a cookbook? Well, the answer is to cook, and cook I did. Vickie LaPaglia’s little book is a gem. She began this cookbook, she says, as a way to pass her favorite recipes on to her children. The granddaughter of Italian immigrants, she features many authentic Italian recipes in the book as well as traditional American fare such as, well, apple pie. The intriguing title came from a non-Italian friend’s attempt to recall the author’s signature baked ziti dish, which he remembered as ABZD. (The friend is now a family member.)Reading this book is like sitting in the kitchen, having a chummy conversation with Vickie. At the recipe for Italian Sausage Soup: My friends and I would go shopping on some weekends, and took turns on who would buy lunch . . . This is my version of a delicious soup I have had at Olive Garden many times with my friends Debby and Sherry. The recipes are easy to follow, even the more complicated ones. Of the five I tried, every one turned out well and tasted scrumptious—people raved over the Dinner Fruit Salad—though I caught one misprint. Um, I’m sure it was one cup of cornmeal, not cornbread, in the recipe for Honey Cornbread. I especially liked the pineapple casserole made with Italian bread, which would be wonderful to take to a potluck dinner. The recipes are enlivened with family photos, stories, Italian proverbs, and wisdom from Grandmother, as well as cooking hints and tips. I’m planning to make the Baked Ziti for my son when he graduates from college this year. This unpretentious book, small and handy, can hold its own with the slickly designed cookbooks of late, some of which seem more about fancy graphics and pictures of the chef than about food. Easy as A-B-Z-D would be a good gift for Mom, a June bride, or anyone who loves good food. The book is available at www.buybooksontheweb.com and the author may be reached at abzdcookbook@yahoo.com {mosimage} Anne Lovett, a Georgia native, began her writing career with a humor column for her high school newspaper, hoping to write science fiction. She was educated at Emory and Georgia Tech, receiving a Ph.D. in natural products chemistry. She helped to found a manufacturing and technical supplies company now doing business nationwide and eventually made her way back to writing, though not science fiction. A member of Georgia Writers, Georgia Romance Writers, AWP and Rosemary Daniell’s Zona Rosa Alpha Babes, her short fiction has appeared in Aethlon: Journal of Sport Literature, The Distillery, The Jewish Women’s’ Literary Annual, and Red Wheelbarrow. Non-fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared locally, and several novels are in the pipeline. She is a regular contributor to the online journal The Grapevine Art & Soul Salon (www.barbaraknott.net). |
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