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Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends
Eva Longoria may be most recognized for her role as Desperate Housewives ’ saucy Gabrielle Solis, but on her own time, there are few places she would rather be than in the kitchen, cooking the food she loves for her family and friends. Here is the food Eva loves to eat, and the recipes in Eva’s Kitchen trace her life story, taking readers on her culinary journey—from the food she was brought up on to the recipes inspired by her travels abroad to the dishes she serves during casual nights at home.
Having grown up on a ranch with every meal based on what was in the family fields, Eva believes, like so many of us, that good cooking relies on local, fresh, easy-to-find ingredients. In Eva’s Kitchen , she teaches readers essential cooking skills and she sprinkles in the histories and traditions behind her favorite dishes, including personal stories and anecdotes that capture the warmth, humor, and joy of her most memorable meals.
In her first cookbook, Eva welcomes you into her kitchen, offering 100 of her favorite dishes—many of which are family recipes collected over the years—all fused with her passion for cooking. She also shares memories of her Texas ranch upbringing, her very first cooking adventures, vacations overseas, nights in with her girlfriends, and last-minute pre–red carpet meals.
Inspired by her heritage, Eva highlights the essentials of great Mexican cooking, Texas style—with her family’s recipes and techniques for making the world’s best tamales, homemade tortillas, Spanish rice, and Pan de Polvo (Mexican pastry), to name a few. She also offers dishes from a variety of international cuisines, from Latin American to Italian and French, inspired by her globe-trotting travels. A taste of Lemon Dover Sole whisks Eva to a tiny hotel-restaurant she once visited on a trip to Normandy; the recipe for Cannellini Beans with Crushed Red Pepper was a souvenir from a trip to Florence; kimchi adds a kick to her Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts, a Thanksgiving staple; and Yellow Squash Soup with Lemon brings her full circle, back to her family’s vegetable garden in Corpus Christi.
With full-color food photographs, intimate portraits of her family and friends, and a glimpse into Eva’s home and her lesser-known domestic side (family first, acting second, she says), Eva’s debut cookbook will entice her loyal fans and inspire home cooks to broaden their culinary horizons and create memorable meals for the people they love.
Having grown up on a ranch with every meal based on what was in the family fields, Eva believes, like so many of us, that good cooking relies on local, fresh, easy-to-find ingredients. In Eva’s Kitchen , she teaches readers essential cooking skills and she sprinkles in the histories and traditions behind her favorite dishes, including personal stories and anecdotes that capture the warmth, humor, and joy of her most memorable meals.
In her first cookbook, Eva welcomes you into her kitchen, offering 100 of her favorite dishes—many of which are family recipes collected over the years—all fused with her passion for cooking. She also shares memories of her Texas ranch upbringing, her very first cooking adventures, vacations overseas, nights in with her girlfriends, and last-minute pre–red carpet meals.
Inspired by her heritage, Eva highlights the essentials of great Mexican cooking, Texas style—with her family’s recipes and techniques for making the world’s best tamales, homemade tortillas, Spanish rice, and Pan de Polvo (Mexican pastry), to name a few. She also offers dishes from a variety of international cuisines, from Latin American to Italian and French, inspired by her globe-trotting travels. A taste of Lemon Dover Sole whisks Eva to a tiny hotel-restaurant she once visited on a trip to Normandy; the recipe for Cannellini Beans with Crushed Red Pepper was a souvenir from a trip to Florence; kimchi adds a kick to her Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts, a Thanksgiving staple; and Yellow Squash Soup with Lemon brings her full circle, back to her family’s vegetable garden in Corpus Christi.
With full-color food photographs, intimate portraits of her family and friends, and a glimpse into Eva’s home and her lesser-known domestic side (family first, acting second, she says), Eva’s debut cookbook will entice her loyal fans and inspire home cooks to broaden their culinary horizons and create memorable meals for the people they love.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
39 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Eva Longoria
4 books12 followersEva Jacqueline Longoria (née Eva Jacqueline Longoria) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives.
She became a nationally recognized model in the 2000s after appearing in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines, reaching #14 in the FHM "Sexiest Women 2008" poll, and having appeared on the cover of various international women's magazines including Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. Longoria married NBA guard Tony Parker in 2007 and divorced him in 2011.
She became a nationally recognized model in the 2000s after appearing in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines, reaching #14 in the FHM "Sexiest Women 2008" poll, and having appeared on the cover of various international women's magazines including Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. Longoria married NBA guard Tony Parker in 2007 and divorced him in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 14, 2011
This has been one of my favorite cookbooks! I rarely purchase books, but this is a must have! I cannot wait to make all these delicious meals!
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August 10, 2011She didn't need to have recipes... I would have bought it if it were just photos of Eva Longoria with food.
February 15, 2017
I liked that there were quite a few pictures, but for me almost all the recipes seemed so generic. I think with this that I was expecting more. It was interesting to look at and I would totally eat what was in here but as far as cooking.... nothing in this book inspired me to want to cook anything.
March 28, 2022
I liked the chatiness of this book the recipes are simple and straightforward. I'm looking forward to making some of the recipes and my dil family makes tamales .my granddaughter was eating the last one when I last visited. I almost wrestled her down to the ground lol maybe with Eva's recipe I too can get a tamale lol
October 8, 2022
Nice, but nothing special for me.
November 26, 2022
Loved her stories and her recipes!!! Love the pictures and very easy to follow recipes!
February 27, 2023
A nice but not earth shattering collection of recipes for the home cook.
June 3, 2015
I initially ordered this cookbook because Eva is another Texas gal, and I'm always on the lookout for great recipes that remind me of home. I was not disappointed. She includes some real comfort food, like Carne Guisada and Chile con Carne. I was pleasantly surprised by her non-Tex Mex recipes too, though. Last week I cooked a total of 4 recipes from this book, and only one was Latin (Hungarian Paprika Chicken, Artichoke Dip, Turkey Shephard's Pie, and Cuban Ropa Vieja). They were ALL delicious, and husband-approved. I'd call myself an intermediate cook, and I did not struggle at all with any of the recipes. I'd say this is a great book for beginners, too. I will definitely be cooking my way through Eva's Kitchen!
May 20, 2012
I thought this was a great book. Ms. Longoria has an easy style, and the photos are beautiful. She shares some family stories along with her recipes, and it's really much more than a typical cookbook that might contain one or two useful recipes. Many of these are easy to prepare, yet different from usual fare, and easy to adapt to different tastes. She includes tips that are helpful and patiently explains what may be unfamiliar. I love her pride in her heritage, how much she loves cooking, and how genuine she is, and it's clear that she really loves to entertain. Definitely worth a look - I think most people would enjoy this book and come away with some new favorite dishes.
January 21, 2016
I thought it was very sweet the way Eva personalized this cookbook with her childhood memories of cooking with family and friends. Each recipe had an introduction about where she got the recipe and what it means to her. The tone was that of a friend sharing her favorite recipes with another friend. I also appreciated her respect for where our food comes from and the workers who pick it, raise it, and process it. A lot of the recipes are too complicated for me (I'm more of a 5-ingredient fast & easy cook), but I did find several that I'm planning to try. I already tried the "hungarian paprika chicken" on page 84 and it turned out very well.
October 14, 2014
I watched Eva Longoria on a TV show, she talked about this cookbook so I just had to buy it, I admire Eva as a person. When I retired 3 years ago I started taking cooking lessons (yes at my old age of 63) so when I bought this book I loved how easy the instructions were so decided to try & to my big surprise I could cook a good meal! I've given this book again to my sister, cousins, God daughter, 2 nieces and good friends. I would say this book got me interested in cooking and besides I missed my Mom's good home cooked meals, so glad I purchased this my 1st cookbook! Thank you Eva Longoria, you make us Mexican women very very proud!
December 13, 2011
I enjoyed this book, there were some recipes that sounded really good and that I would like to try. I didn't know too much about Eva Longoria, other than that she was an actress on Desperate Houswives. The book told about her family, how she grew up on a ranch in Texas, had several sisters, including a mentally challenged sister. Eva does a lot of baking with her nieces and nephews, and included no bake recipes that her sister can make too. Interesting.
July 9, 2011
I avoided this book for a long time. Happened to be in the library today, picked it up, and so far, the flavors look wonderful.
What a wonderful book! Definitely going on my Amazon wish list.
What a wonderful book! Definitely going on my Amazon wish list.
February 17, 2012
This cook book has a wide range of all over the map recipe's. Few things I want to make. Liked Aunt Elsa's notes. Liked nod to grass fed cattle and other Eco tips. A little too scattered and sometimes too much personal info.
May 29, 2012
Fun recipes, lots of color photos and clear. Gives good insight to Longoria's background, but I actually wanted to try her spin on these Latin fused recipes. All celebrity allure aside... I was pleasantly surprised :)
April 3, 2013
Eva's passion for her food and her Mexican roots inspires the concept behind the book. Her charming persona easily come to surface in the manner in which she describes each recipe, its story and the family bonding involved around it. Great read for Mexican cuisine lovers!
April 5, 2011
Beautiful book, filled with simple and flavourful family-style recipes. See my review here:
http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies....
http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies....
May 29, 2011
Fun cookbook to read. Haven't made anything from it yet but planning to soon. Lots of Mexican recipes that don't take too many ingredients. That's what I like!
May 15, 2011
The recipes are nothing new and the few that I've tried have not come out well.
July 23, 2011
Rather pedestrian, but overall pretty nice.
July 8, 2011
Need to buy this book,
September 13, 2011
Great Tex-Mex recipes.
August 22, 2011
The book had some great recipes with antidotes about where they came from. Eva includes recipes from family and friends. She also gives some backgroung on how she came to love cooking.
July 2, 2012
I wasn't thrilled. The recipes were okay, but nothing new. Two recipes I want to try: avocado stuffed with shrimp and dad's shrimp cocktail.
January 31, 2013
I have to say this is one of the best cookbooks i've ever got. Really delicious meals in there combined with great pictures and i could totally feel the flair while cooking.
February 14, 2013
Not bad and easy to read/ do, I just didn't find that much that I really wanted to make out of this, but I did find a few things that will probably become staples.
May 14, 2014
Really good recipes. Not exactly what I was expecting but I found a lot of recipes my family will eat.
October 3, 2014
Very colorful book with lots of anecdotes from her life (mostly childhood). I love her Mexican and Latin American recipes.
February 17, 2016
New slants to some recipes. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews