First tip: Always keep your cooking area clean to prevent cross contamination.
About the book: Denise Burroughs combines her rich Italian heritage with years of southern tradition in Let’s Eat!, her debut cookbook. Her love for cooking shines through in this comprehensive book, suitable for all levels of cooking experience. Let’s Eat! provides readers with simple, inexpensive dishes. Recipes range from “Potato Flake Chicken” to “Chocolate Italian Cookies.”
Her strong Italian background shines through in many recipes, combining her love of tradition and her passion for rich flavors.
Burroughs’ unique dishes have been cultivated through years of experience, filling the hearts and stomachs of her friends and family. She writes: “Enjoy what you do! Your kitchen is your way of self expression and the heart of your home.”
In Let’s Eat! Burroughs goes on to share cherished childhood memories of her family cooking authentic Italian meals. Burroughs recalls: ” Back when my great grandmother used to make pizza they called it ‘Tomato Pie’. It was not like pizza we get today. It was square and had sauce, oregano, and grated cheese on top.”
Burroughs includes helpful cooking tips for first-timers and some useful veteran secrets. She takes great pride in her recipes and is excited to share them for the very first time. She is confident these recipes will satisfy your family and friends.
My thoughts: This is the first cookbook I have reviewed and I had fun reading it. Lately, I seem to be obsessed with cookbooks, so this book came along at the right time and will make a nice addition to my growing collection! What I loved about this cookbook, in particular, are the first few pages. There are 10 tips from the kitchen, which include things like adding sugar to water when cooking corn on the cob to sweeten the corn (did not know this!). There is also a section called ‘How Much of This Equals That,’ which includes sections on butter, chocolate, flour (1 pound of flour equals 3 1/2 to 4 cups), and sugar – what a great idea to include in the book! Also included is a page of baking substitutions, a list of tips for preparing marinades and sauces and a section called ‘Is It Done Yet?’ I think all these pages are going to be extremely helpful as I am not the most skilled chef – I much prefer baking to cooking, but have been dabbling in cooking more so now that I am married. Some recipes I definitely plan on trying are Easy Eggplant Parmesan, Homemade Mac & Cheese (hubby and I love trying new recipes for mac and cheese!), the mini cheesecakes and the merry mojito! I think this book would be a great gift for a newlywed couple or someone just starting out on their own.
About the author: Denise Burroughs was raised in the sun, she came from a large Italian family with very strong ties to their heritage. She was born in Rome, NY and moved to Miami, Florida in December of 1969 with her mother. Raised in South Florida, she attended school until 1983. Having two daughters from her first marriage, she remarried in 1995 and in 2004 moved to Tallahassee, Florida where she currently resides.
She’s the owner of a paint and body shop and a member of NAPEW (National Association of Professional & Executive Women 2007-2008). A love for cooking and a desire to share wonderful family traditions was put to paper to create Let’s Eat! There have been so many people who have inspired her in her life, but no one inspired her more than her mother. Many of the recipes in this book have been served many times over and enjoyed by family and friends. She is happy to share them all with you and hopes you enjoy every bite as they were all made with lots of love.
You can visit Denise at www.deniseburroughs.com.
I received a complimentary copy of Let’s Eat! by Denise Burroughs from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour.
