Keeping Good Company: A Season-by-Season Collection of Recipes, with Entertaining and Homemaking Ideas

by Roxie Kelley, Shelly Reeves Smith

Whether it's cookbooks, comfort, "confessions", or kids, these engaging books make the perfect gift for that special woman in everyone's life.

Genres: Cookbooks

166 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just received this little cookbook in the mail and couldn't wait to take a look at its contents. The authors note that their cookbooks are meant to be more than simple cookbooks. "Because we are more than empty food vessels perpetually needing to be refilled, we all long for an occasional guide to addressing our other human needs--those of companionship and connection.""Keeping Good Company" is a reminder. . .that it is the good company of friends and family that sustains us, as well as the favorite foods we share."

This is built around the concept of recipes for each of the four seasons (plus an addendum at the close of the book). The logic of this, by the way, is not fully clear. They suggest as one accompaniment to a spring main dish a summer side dish! But that is of little moment!

Some recipes that I selected to look at more closely based on my own eating and cooking interests. . . .

Spring: Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken. I have tried some similar recipes, but this one, featuring lemon juice, honey, rosemary, poultry seasoning, pepper, garlic, and chicken breasts, really draws my interest. There is, on the very next page, Grilled Honey-Garlic Chops. This is one that I intend to try out as soon as I can. Pork chops, lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, water, and garlic cloves. Yummy sounding!

Summer: Here is a nice potato recipe that might please even my picky family (I can't cook smashed potatoes with pesto, for instance). This might meet family needs, though. Garlic, potatoes, milk, salt and pepper. Sounds simple--and it is--but the garlic adds something neat! On page 44 is a rub for grilling meat or poultry that I love just thinking about!

Fall: Beautiful Brie is a delicious sounding side dish, featuring onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, mushrooms, chopped spinach, and brie. Put stuff in the oven (after having sautéed some of the ingredients) with the brie on top! Yum city. . . .

All in all, some fun recipes. This isn't a heavy duty cookbook like "Joy of Cooking," but it's looking to me like a nice little addition to my kitchen library.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sister turned me on to these cookbooks and this one is my favorite. I'd never seen any of these recipes before and yet they were all familiar. The authors have grouped the recipes into seasons and the font is a friendly-looking cursive (less intimidating than other cookbooks). My favorites are the Grilled Honey-Garlic Chops, Ranch Avocado Dip, Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes... I'd better stop there.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe is a family favorite!

[Pam Fairchild]

Great recipes and beautiful illustrations.