99 Favorite Amish Recipes
By: Georgia Varozza
Rating: 4 of 5
First of all, the temporary digital copy that I was provided did not include any pictures at all. I’m not sure if that is par for the course with Ms. Varozza’s cookbooks or if it was because this was an Advanced Reader Copy and the pictures were not ready in time to provide with the cookbook. While ARC’s are not finished products, all of the cookbooks that I have received in the past had at least some pictures included. I will not judge this book based on this lack but then again, I cannot comment on the quality of the photos either.
The next thing I noted about the “99 Favorite Amish Recipes” is that they seem to be perhaps “inspired” by Amish recipes. I can’t think that the Amish are in the habit of buying Velveeta, Cool Whip or some of the other processed foods mentioned in the book. Perhaps these are more Mennonite than Amish? In any case, for those who wish to adhere to a non-processed form of cooking, this book may be a bit of a disappointment for you.
For me, the recipes in the book were right on the mark. For the most part, they include easily obtained products (except for the pig’s stomach – was there an alternate that we could use?), easy to cook, delicious to eat, and hearty for the day.
The book is divided into three meals, breakfast, mid-day meals and snacks, and quick and easy dinners. There is a wide range of recipes and ingredients. I was especially captured by a 20 minute tomato soup that starts from tomato paste. I also liked having the recipes for basic egg noodles and non-egg noodles as well as cottage cheese included.
I don’t own any of Ms. Varozza’s previous books but I did take a look at the recipes names in the last Amish cookbook. It does not look, from the titles at least, as if these are duplicate recipes. She does use a lot of ground beef but I think that one could substitute ground turkey or chicken if desired for a good number of those recipes.
If you are looking for a good basic set of recipes that rely mostly on non-processed foods, this is a nice cookbook. I consider it a good starter cookbook and one that would be good, portion-wise, for a family. It is not a cookbook to challenge an advanced chef or which introduces new skills or ingredients (except for that pig’s stomach – which I would prefer not to use at all.) I like it and think it is a solid 4 star book if the photos stand up to the test. Hopefully, for future books, the publisher will give more thought to including the photographs so early reviewers can give comments on those, too.
I received a temporary digital ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Harvest House Publishers, Inc, via Netgalley.
First of all, the temporary digital copy that I was provided did not include any pictures at all. I’m not sure if that is par for the course with Ms. Varozza’s cookbooks or if it was because this was an Advanced Reader Copy and the pictures were not ready in time to provide with the cookbook. While ARC’s are not finished products, all of the cookbooks that I have received in the past had at least some pictures included. I will not judge this book based on this lack but then again, I cannot comment on the quality of the photos either.