The Cookbook Critiquers met on April 18th and boy did we have a lot of food to taste.  Here's what we cooked.

Barbara did a cookbook called Weight Watchers All Time Favorites and the following recipes and critiques:
     1. Silky Butternut Squash Soup- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL.  I wouldn't do the recipe again.  For those who want to try it, buy the squash already peeled and chopped, they are a real pain to peel.
     2. Dried Apricot, Chickpea and Bulgar Pilaf- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL.  I might do this recipe again, however, it needs to have the bulgar either pre-soaked or more broth than is called for.
     3. Spicy Black Bean Cakes with Tomato Salsa-  easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL.  I wouldn't do this recipe again.  If I was forced to do it again, I would not use the red pepper, i would substitute chopped tomato and maybe a small can of creamed corn for one of the eggs.
     4. Dried Cranberry Stuffed Baked Apples- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD.  I would make this recipe again.
Overall, I would not make any more recipes in this cookbook.

Patti did a cookbook called The I Hate To Cook Book and the following recipes and critiques:
     1. Mrs. Vanderbilt's Cooks Wild Rice- easy to follow, this was expensive to make and the taste was GOOD.
     2. Spinach Surprise- easy to follow, cost was expensive and taste was nothing special.  I would add salt and pepper.
     3. Can Can Surprise- easy to follow, not very expensive and taste was UGH.
     4. Turkey Tetrazzini- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was GOOD.  I would add more spice, maybe pepper and garlic.
     5. Cockeyed Cake- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was in between nothing special and GOOD.
     6. Skid Row Stroganoff- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was GOOD.  My husband liked this recipe- it was tasty.
Overall, it was fun to read Peg Bracken's narration and the recipes may be good for beginners, but I personally would tweak a lot.

Roberta did a cookbook called The Barefoot Contessa Foolproof and the following recipes and critiques:
     1. Carrot Cake with  Mascarpone and Ginger Frosting- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was WOW.  I would not add a 1/3 cup of crystallized ginger to the frosting, the taste was quite strong.  I would suggest you keep tasting the frosting after adding small amounts of ginger.
Overall, I would definitely use this cookbook again.

Ruby did a cookbook called Food Everyday- Martha Stewart Living and the following recipes and critiques:
     1. Winter Vegetables-Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Lemon- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD.  Very simple recipe.
    2. Lemon Ricotta Tart- easy to make, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD.  Very simple and yummy recipe.
     3. Flank Steak with Parsley Garlic Sauce- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I would add more seasoning like garlic and onion powder to the steak and less vinegar to the sauce.
     4. Potatoes Anna- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD.  This recipe does not need to be baked in the iron skillet it calls for but i does need to be arranged as shown
     5. Barley Risotto with Corn and Basil- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD.
Overall, I would definitely use this cookbook again.  Recipes were very easy and the book had lots of pictures.

The next meeting of the Cookbook Recipe Critiquers will be on May 18th at 11:30AM.  New members are always welcome.