Some of the recipes were good (blue cheese dressing
925295
the posts about the book's horrendous binding are correct.  I did not try using the digital version, so cannot comment on that..  Some of the recipes were good (blue cheese dressing, banana bread, others like perfect pound cake were not - there are much better pound cake recipes elsewhere.  Ms. Reichl writes well and it is easy to identify with her use of cooking to restore a sense of competence after losing her job.  She does a great job evolving the feelings of seasons in the city and in the country and what foods the seasons inspire her to cook. An interesting read from the library.
4472998
I bought this after I got a Vitamix for Christmas.  It is a nicely made, pretty book, and it has some good recipes, but I haven't used it nearly as much as I thought is would.  There are many recipes with obscure ingredients that I just don't have on hand most of the time. It also uses terminology and directions specific for one model of Vitamix, which is not the same model that I have, so it makes it difficult to follow the instructions.
4658366
Had to adjust some recipes.. but many good ones to chose
3235846
Some good recipes, but I do not have the bank roll to keep stock on the shelves
3153458
I have to admit that I was hoping for the cheap fare that we usually get from the Jersey Shore and the stuff that would be fun for the kids. This isn't that type of cookbook. While it is an interesting cookbook with one famous recipe from each of several major restaurants, it doesn't meet my need for the food that I was craving. The best part was that it tells the story of how the owner or the chef came and got set up. The motivation behind things was interesting,  This is the table of contents:
Breakfast:
Eggs Oscar
The Jersey Guy Breakast CLub Sandwich
The Brunchwich, Pork Roll
Grilled Jersey Peachers with Greek Yogurt and Granola
Blueberry Scones
Jersey Cakes
Starters and Sides:
Allagash Steamers
Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Chili Remoulade and Jersey Tomatoes
Brie En Croute
Cajun Shrimp and Grits
Oysters Gratinee
Soups and Salads:
Creamy Crab Soup
New England Clam Chowder
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Spiced Corn Chowder
Chilled Roasted New Jersey Sweet Corn and Buttermilk Soup
Watermelon Gazpacho
Beach Plum Farm Salad
Teh Divine Horse Tomato Salad
Charred Jersey Tomato Salad with Sweet Corn, Asparagus Tips, and Herb Yogurt
Dungness Crab Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Grilled Tuna Nicoise Salad with Dijon-Thyme Vinagrette
Jersey Peach Heirloom Tomato and Lobster Salad with Peach Dressing
Watermelon, Spinach, and Brandied Pecan Salad
Main Courses:
Jersey Coast Grilled Bluefish
Trash Cakes and Fancy Slaw
Viking VIllage Swordfish with Purple Sticky Rice, Maitake Mushrooms, and Mushroom Kombu Dashi
Island Time Fish Tacos
Pan-Seared New Jersey Black Sea Bass with White Peach, Tomato, and Basil Salsa
Pecan-Crusted Salmon
Flounder Oves
New Jersey Skate with Summer Vegetable Ratatouille
Pan-Seared New Jersey Tilefish with bacon Corn Succotash and Basil Oil
Golden Tilefish Sandwich
XXL BLTA
The Blueberry Jack Bubba Dog with New Jersey Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Lobster Roll
Lobster Ceviche and Tostones
Lobster Mac and Cheese
Lobster Thermidor
Spaghetti and Crabs
Jersey Clams and Linguini
Seared Viking Village Scallops with Grilled Corn, Zucchini, and Roasted Tomatoes
Panko-Parmesan-Crusted New Jersey Scallops Over Arugula Pesto
Grilled Jersey Tomatoes with Day Boat Scallops, Asparagus, Corn, and Gorgonzola
Seared Scallops with Red Pepper Coulis
Desserts:
Blueberry Cobbler
Key Lime Pie
Creme Brulee
Peach Panna Cotta
4634363
This afternoon I made some lemon whoopie pies with the classic cream cheese filling.  I discovered that making whoopie pies is a time consuming project--a fun one.  But make sure to set aside at least 2 hours if you want to make the cakes and filling at the same time.  I did really like all the stuffing, so to speak, in this cookbook--the cake recipes, filling recipes, fun commentary and introduction.

So, those are the pros.

The cons are that the font size is really small and the ingredients are in a pastel font.  So, you need to read this cookbook in a good light.  The second con is that the recipe I chose--lemon cake was missing a direction.  It doesn't tell you when to add the flour in.  I added it after the buttermilk.  The cakes turned out fine, thankfully.

For me, the difference between a cookbook I love and one I don't has a lot to do with the formatting and how the directions are written.  I think the best cookbooks have directions that are clear, font with a size and color that are easy to read, and pictures to make me want to cook the recipes.

This cookbook has fun pictures.  The directions are a bit wordy and the font size and color and not very good.  Hence, my rating this cookbook at 3 stars.  It had lots of potential!  Better formatting and editing would have made it an awesome cookbook!
2547283
I eagerly tried 2 recipes, the cauliflower mac & cheese and the broccoli cauliflower soup. Unfortunately, they did not turn out so well (on the bland side). I don't think this book is for everyone
2250960
Some of the recipes I tried were very good.  Others were not.  I did manage to combine these recipes with some of my own to accomplish a delicious meal.
1395718
There are some good, original recipes in the cook book.
862750
I was initially quite pleased with this cookbook.  I was new to Indian cooking and this had a multitude of recipes with well done phototgraphs.  After trying a number of the recipes, however, I found the dishes a little lacking in depth.  I think that part of this comes from the fact that some of the recipes in this book call for pastes rather than the constituent spices.  In my opinion, using a paste is like using a jarred sauce - it is a shortcut that may be acceptable as a time-saver, but shouldn't be called for in a proper cookbook.  I am still using this as a reference book of sorts, but now look online at other recipes for the same dish in order to ensure that I prepare the dish properly with the individual spices rather than with a paste.  I like this book as a starting point, but have to question a bit the authenticity of the recipes.
4875947
Some fun recipes, but some unusual ingredients thatneedto be purchased.
953446
I bought this book because I had really enjoyed True Food, but some of the recipes are too simple to be useful,  such as guacamole,  roasted asparagus and steamed sugar snap peas. I know it's fast food, but those are not really recipes.  There are also errors that make it feel like it was thrown together to cash in on the True Food success.  On the other hand, it was only 13 bucks and some new and interesting things, hence the 3 stars.
3382991
While I was initially very excited about this book, I found that a lot of the recipes needed some help in the taste direction. It was one of my first vegan cookbooks, and after 7 years as a vegan, I know that we can do better than this. Some things in it I still use, like the veggie patties, but even those I had to add some salt, spices and garlic to get them to taste as delicious as I'd like (always my goal). Plenty of other books will give you recipes that need less tampering and more YUM. For die-hards only, as part of our collective veggie-dues.
317286
Some of the recipes are a little more involved than I prefer, but the concept got me thinking in a different way about portion sizes and menu selections.
1754782
Not much substance, but some good recipes to try.
824483
While some of the recipes look good, with the amount of cheese and other high fat items, it makes it impossible for those of us with high cholesterol. Disappointing.
1338332
Thought there would be more of the old favorite recipes.