Even for those who may receive classic cookbooks that aren’t family heirlooms, they are still very valuable possessions. Not necessarily in a monetary sense, but valuable in the fact that they have recipes that are sometimes forgotten throughout the years. This very fact is what makes vintage cook books a frequently sought out item by cooking enthusiasts.

FORGOTTEN TREASURES

There are various vintage cook books that were created around specific time periods. For example: There are cook books that were written around World War II and they make mention of the fact that the recipes inside are recipes created during wartime when some household supplies were scarce. These are frequently referred to as “wartime editions.” The recipes may reflect this such as saying lines such as, “for delicious wartime meals.” It can make it sound like wartime was a celebration, when in reality the cookbooks were developed to help those with loved ones at war to care for their families with limited resources.

VINTAGE COOK BOOKS TODAY

Think about the fact that 65% of adults in America are overweight. This wasn’t the case when our loved ones were making meals from these cook books. Why is that? Well, that’s because a lot of the fattening ingredients used now were not used so much then. Furthermore, fast food was not available at every corner, so a home cooked meal was a necessity. Either way you look at it, you can get a taste of grandma’s favorite dish and eat healthier - the way your family ate decades or even centuries before.

If you simply like to collect vintage cook books, then you are in luck. The internet is full of them. You never know, you might come across one that belonged to your family in the past. It is utterly amazing the type of family heirlooms that are found, and what sorts of new treasures you can turn into heirlooms of your own. Before you know it, you’ll have vintage cook books that you can pass down to your own family members to continue the tradition of family homestyle cooking into the future.

Author – Dr. Connie Gutterson

The author, Dr. Connie Gutterson, is the founder of the Sonoma Diet. She is a leading nutritional and dietary expert, with a heavy focus on the exotic regions. Her career has been spent focusing and developing a combination of flavourful and nutritious approaches to eating as well as weight loss.

What is in the book?

The Sonoma Diet Cook Book is a complete cook book that offers over 150 flavor-based recipes. It covers all meals, from breakfast to dinner (as well as sauces/snacks and so on). The recipes are designed to fit in with the Sonoma Diet structure obviously, with each recipe being labelled to its suited Wave within the diet (if you don’t know the Sonoma Diet follows three distinct Waves as you progress through, each allowing different foods and portion sizes). There is also a pull-out guide that makes it easy for dieters to follow if you are out and about.

Review

The Sonoma Diet Cook Book is an extremely well designed cookbook for those who wish to enjoy a variety of alternative flavoured foods and also maintain a healthy lifestyle. The recipes cover all areas and there are enough there to last and be re-used over and over. There are a number of familiar favourites as well as original choices. The recipes include the typical details that you would expect, ingredients, expected time, detailed directions and nutritional information for each meal (great for those monitoring what they are eating). They are also structured to the Sonoma Diet’s portion control, which is critical for members of the diet program.

If you are not a member of the Sonoma Diet and wondering whether it is still useful then stop. The recipes are attractive for anyone, whether on the diet or not and the book is simply a standard recipe book that requires no pre-requisites at all. You should just consider whether or not the serving sizes are sufficient, as the key factor to the Sonoma Diet is reduced portions compared to those Western Cultures are generally used to.

For those who are on the Sonoma Diet already, or considering joining, I consider the Sonoma Diet Cook Book a must. The way it is aligned with the program helps dieters stuck for creativity when it comes to sticking to the diet. In addition the on-the-go pull up is exceptional for those who may have to travel for work.

There are some criticisms of the book, which I have found to have a semblance of truth. The Sonoma Diet Cook Book certainly maintains a relatively mainstream offering of recipes and at times lacks originality. If you are looking for a recipe book that contains unique and extremely exotic recipes then this certainly isn’t for you. In addition it seems that while the Sonoma Diet Cook Book keeps restriction on certain foods, lowers your fat intake and portion sizes, there seems to be ignorance towards processed foods that may be considered unhealthy.

In concluding the Sonoma Diet Cook Book is well developed. It fits well for those who are on the Sonoma Diet Program or considering it, and can be suitable for others who just wish to embark on a healthy eating and flavoured eating plan. That said there are some shortcomings and it depends on exactly what you are after as to whether or not this book is for you.

Tobius Whitman is an expert in the field of Health & Nutrition, particularly diet techniques and weight loss programs. He has an extensive knowledge and experience with the Sonoma Diet Program and the way it works. As a result has produced several detailed reviews covering each aspect of the program.

For more details refer to his site at http://www.sonomadietreviewed.com

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One of my favorite things to do is to cook up one of my boyfriends favorite restaurant dishes from the comfort of my own home. He has no idea how I do it, and I will never tell him my secret that there is actually a cookbook with all of these recipes, I will just let him keep thinking that I am a great cook! It is also surprising how much cheaper it is to cook very pricy restaurant dishes from your own home. You would think that a lot of the $50-$60 dishes served at the restaurants would be at least $20 to get together, but most of them are no more than a couple of dollars. It made me realize just how much some of these restaurants are making.

Some of my favorite restaurant meals that I now often cook from my home kitchen contains foods from Red Lobster, Macaroni Grill, Cracker Barrel, Outback Steakhouse, and my favorite, Olive Garden. It is a very good idea to get the recipes for your favorite restaurants if you like to cook and you want to save money.

Some of the reasons I like the cookbook so much are that:

1) I love to cook for both myself and loved ones.
2) It saves me a lot of money.
3) People now think I am some great cook.
4) My dishes are usually the favorite at get togethers (but I keep my secret a secret).
5) I can eat my favorite foods with a larger budget, because they don’t cost me as much money anymore.

But of course with good news always comes some drawbacks.

Some of the obvious reasons that this is not for everyone is that:

1) There can be a lot of ingredients for a single meal which can be a hassle.
2) What you cook at home, you also have to clean up when you are finished.
3) You don’t get to have someone wait on you.

So as you can see, having a bunch of restaurant recipes may not be such a big deal to everyone. But because I love to cook, it is like my most prized possession, I use recipes from the book 3-4 times a week now.

My name is Katherine and cooking is definitely one of my passions. Ever since I found out that restaurant recipes are open to the public I have been cooking so much more than I use to, I just find it so fun to try to cook the same thing you will get at a restaurant and make it taste the same. I hope you enjoyed my review and you can get more information about this cookbook at my Copycat Recipes Cookbook Review. Enjoy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_Morrison

Many Americans and Europeans suffer from heart ailments, obesity, gallstones, diabetes and cancer caused by excessive intake of animal fat, faulty diet and low exercise regimes. The Mediterranean diet matches set diet guidelines, and was popularized through studies and research conducted on Mediterranean people.

With this came a series of cookbooks to lead a healthy diet. The Mediterranean diet cookbook is a compilation of information on the three continents of the Mediterranean region, their recipes and relished food. These books provide various methods of food preparation such as appetizers, salads, desserts and main course meals. These methods are practiced by the population in the Mediterranean region. Even though most of the cookbooks fail to explain the typical traditional Mediterranean diet, they contain modified or variations of the recipes.

The Mediterranean diet cookbook does not promote any kind of weight loss. Instead, it promotes a healthy diet through filling and tasty food that help reduce weight naturally. Most books come with an introduction to the island, relevant information on Mediterranean diet food and their nutritional value and lots of delicious recipes.

The recipes suggested in the cookbooks are a collection of food prepared in the different states that form the Mediterranean region. The common point in all promote olive oil as the best form of fat to lowers cholesterol and work as an anti-oxidant. The preparations include vegetables, fruit, nuts and cereals, preferably unprocessed food. It also makes use of low to moderate amounts of wine, yogurt, milk and cheese. The cookbook also recommends limited amounts of fish, chicken, eggs and meat. As such, the Mediterranean diet cookbook provides the necessary guidelines for a healthy diet low in fat, salt, sugar and starch.

Mediterranean Diets provides detailed information about Mediterranean diets, Mediterranean diet benefits, Mediterranean diet cook books and more. Mediterranean Diets is affiliated with Mangosteen Fruit.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith

I expected it would take quite awhile to get enough recipes together to make a difference. However, thanks to Dana Carpender’s newest low-carb cookbook my collection has grown overnight!

15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender (Fair Winds Press, 2003) gave my collection a huge boost. From the introduction, I found that the entire purpose of this book is to provide a cookbook filled with recipes that take a maximum of 15 minutes to make-and that includes prep time. Sound intriguing? I thought so, too.

This 253-page compendium offers more than just microwave or “tear open a protein bar” meals. These recipes were all timed and each was considered for health, feasibility and appropriateness to the book’s theme. Dana’s introduction explains her reasons, her processes, and offers detailed hints, tips and tricks to cut down prep time.

To give you an overview of the contents, there are thirteen chapters divided by food type, such as “15-Minute Eggs,” “15-Minute Tortilla Tricks,” “15-Minute Main Dish Salads,” “15-Minute Skillet Suppers,” and Chapter 12, “15-Minute Condiments, Sauces, Dressings, and Seasonings,” which has my favorite homemade sugar-free ketchup recipe. Of course, I cannot forget to mention the last chapter, “15-Minute Desserts.”

Written in an easy to follow, relaxed style, this book feels like an old friend for those of us who have come to know Dana’s work from her 2002 cookbook, the very popular 500 Low-Carb Recipes. If you are not familiar with her previous book, I think you will be pleased with her comfortable, confidant style and helpful insights.

There seems to be recipes to suit most everyone, from low-carb soups to high-protein nuts. I especially appreciate that the recipes have short instructions, are very fast to read-and they are easy to make. A few I have tried and enjoyed include, “Houbyfest Eggs,” “Blintzlets,” “Parmesan Chicken Breasts,” “Sour Cream Ham Supper,” and “Cheater’s Chowder.” And, I am wrapping “Cinnamon Splenda® Nuts” in red plastic wrap tied with a thin velvet ribbon for Valentine’s Day mini gifts. (I will wait until next month to tell the recipients the gift was sugar-free!)

15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender is available through book retailers on and offline. Get more information on Dana Carpender, her books, projects and e-mail newsletter on her Web site at holdthetoast.com.

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Cherie’ Davidson has been working as a Web copywriter, content editor, press release writer, Web reviewer, article writer and site marketing consultant for many years. You can contact Cherie and read more about her at her Website CherieDavidson.com.

Read more of her book reviews at cdwritesbookreviews.blogspot.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cherie_Davidson

America is a country that loves to eat. Sure, most of us love eating out at restaurants, but there was once a time when most everybody ate at home. Today there are still a few people who love to cook and eat a home. This is why in many American homes you can still find a few cookbooks in the kitchen spanning from country cuisine to exotic Asian cooking. The problem is that people are busy and are constantly looking for something new and interesting to cook and eat. There is normally just one prerequisite, it must be fast.

Armed with this knowledge, this is your opportunity to start a home-based cookbook business. Your first step should be to acquire recipes. If you are not a chef yourself and do not own any recipes, you will have to ask friends and neighbors to begin contributing. So will they contribute or will there be something in it for them?

This is a great time to start what I call a cooperative cookbook. This is how it works; you attempt to assemble 100 original recipes for a particular genre, culture or taste. For each recipe that someone sends in, they get 1/100th of the proceeds net of expenses and your fifteen percent profit for being the idea generator and initiator of the cookbook business.

You can do this multiple times over the course of the year, changing your cookbook type and format. Some cookbooks may be the cooking in 30-minutes variety; some may be the entertaining and the extravagant dinner. I think the easiest and quickest seller may be the cookbook in a bag. This cookbook can fit neatly in a purse. I know it is really just a marketing gimmick, but that is probably what you will need to get some buzz around your new cookbook release. Cookbooks can be extended to sauces, snack foods and maybe even outdoor cooking.

To market your book, you will need to send copies to radio stations, restaurants, and local bookstores that will allow you to answer questions on a Saturday morning. A very nice trick is to have a taste test of some of the items in the cookbook along with selling the book.

Before you do start your business, be sure to research all that you will need to be successful. This article was written to generate an idea, whether you use this idea or not I wish you the best of luck.

For information on starting a home-based business or to get your own free website visit us at http://www.workathomepeople.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Engelbrecht

My cook book, Fit to Cook – Why ‘Waist’ Time in the Kitchen? sold over 250,000 copies (with, I might add, less than 10% of those sales coming from book stores). However, I wasted a great deal of time, back-tracking and scrambling in order to sell all those books because in the beginning I did not have a complete grasp of the publishing industry and the process of marketing a cook book.

Before you rack your brain figuring out how to write a cook book, and more importantly, how to publish a cook book, take some time to thoroughly research the why and what you are writing about, who you are writing for and when is the best time to launch your book.

Whether you want to get published or whether you want to self publish your cook book, the same basics apply – you need a good understanding of the publishing industry. Without the basics, will you know if your contracts are in order, that your book is the best it can be and that your cook book marketing plan is actually an effective strategy? No – but, knowledge is power. It is crucial that you take enough time to educate yourself about the entire publishing industry.

Understanding publishing, and the marketing of books, will clearly help you to identify why you are writing a cook book. Perhaps you are writing a cook book just to record secret family recipes or to have all of your own favorite recipes in a book format; maybe you are writing a cook book for a community or church fundraiser; or best of all, your goal is to create a bestseller. Cook books that are written for a very small group do not require business and marketing plans because you already know how many books will be purchased and who the buyers are. However, if you are planning to publish your own cook book for the mass markets, you need to understand that you have moved beyond author to publisher. That means that you are now a business person whose primary goal is the creation of a product to sell. There is no point in printing a book that no one will want to buy.

When I began writing my own cook book, I naively thought that it would be a two or three month process, and that in no time I would have a book on every book store shelf in the country. Ha, ha, ha, chuckle chuckle… Experience is a great educator, but who says that you have to learn the hard way? Obviously I had no idea how to publish a cook book in the beginning! However, through this article and via the publishing course that I and my partners have created, I intend to help you avoid losing time and money.

How did I create such a successful cook book? The short answer is research, research, research, and then more research. Thankfully I had the wisdom to do the research before going to print. But research can, and did, take years.

In my experience, after I learned how to write a cook book I had to learn all about cook book publishing:

copyright

trademarks

ISBN numbers

cataloging in publication data

printing terms like cover stock, bindings, signatures and bluelines

learning how to obtain printing quotes, (crucial in knowing how many books you can afford to print)

barcodes

graphic design (makes the difference between great sales and no sales)

editing (cannot, and I mean cannot, be done by yourself, friends or family)

titles and subtitles (they can make or break a book)

title search (avoid duplicating someone else’s title)

distribution

Next, I had to learn about how to start a business:

business plan

incorporation

toll free numbers

corporate logos and identity

websites

shipping arrangements

accounting principles

Most importantly I had to become wise about marketing:

writing a plan

researching competition

understanding target markets

going through the difficult but crucial process of choosing a book title

discovering the importance of a book’s cover – both the front cover and the back cover – and how to design the cover

looking outside book stores for buyers

learning the importance of publicity

discovering the essential need for a stellar media kit and how to create one

approaching the media and the importance of a good publicist

I learned, and I will share with you, a key point to consider when you are discovering how to write a cook book. Before you even begin to write your cook book, you must identify your target market. Who will actually buy your cook book? It is amazing that so many authors think that “everyone” will want their book, but that is not so. Not “everyone” is a target for anything! – not even the Bible.

Know who will actually buy your book. Interviewing the owners of cook book stores and specialty cooking stores can help you to identify cook book trends so that you know what people are actually buying. It is also a good idea to think of corporations and organizations that might benefit by using your book as a promotional item. Approach them even before you go to print, offering them special discounts, opportunities to place their information in a special printing of the book, advertising chances to offer your cook book as a “freebie” with the purchase of their product – just to name a few cook book marketing ideas.

If your cook book is targeted to busy families, the recipes must be easy to prepare in a short time period; if it is targeted to gourmet cooks, the recipes must be of the quality that you would expect to find in a four or five star restaurant; if it is targeted to a specific ethnic group, the recipes must be authentic; but if it is targeted to the mass market, your cook book must have a very wide scope with recipes that make any mouth water, and the ingredients must be readily available in grocery stores.

Once you have identified who will buy your book, you can target your marketing plan and your book design with your customers in mind, such as:

· Where do they shop?

· Where do they play?

· What style of book appeals to them? - (research your competition closely).

· What price are they willing to pay?

· How many pictures do they want in a cook book? (a lack of photos can kill book sales)

· What colors attract them? (spend time in book stores and libraries, learning which books have the most appealing appearance)

· What size of book is currently popular?

· What type of book binding increases sales?

· Are they concerned about health or other issues?

· Do they appreciate little stories, jokes, cooking tips or other information in the book?

Sometimes I took two steps forward then had to take one step back, but at other times I took one step forward and two back. Don’t waste time the way that I did – use my experiences to your advantage. Once you have a grasp of the basics, you can actually begin to put your cook book publishing and marketing plans into action.

Of course, a cook book has special challenges that other books may not have. Your primary goal is to give people unique, delicious recipes that they can create successfully in their own homes. That means that you have to measure exactly and your instructions must be clear and simple. You will have to test each recipe over and over until it turns out perfectly every time, then you will have to enlist other people to prepare those recipes independently of you. No matter what their comments, you must take the critiques of your testers seriously because if they do not achieve great results the chances are very good that your customers will be unhappy with their “flops”. Finally, it is a good idea to have the recipes tested by a professional home economist or other food expert.

Depending on the focus of your cook book, you might want to include nutrition information such as calories and fat content. Fortunately, there is now computer software that will do the calculations for you. You must also provide an index at the back of the book, and thankfully, software is available for this chore also.

Food photography is a special challenge of its own, requiring many tricks to make good look appealing. A good food photographer is a vital part of your cook book publishing team. Great attention must be paid to every minute detail, down to the grains of pepper in a dish and to the bubbles on top of a cup of coffee. Each photograph can require four hours of shooting time, if not more, so plan adequate time for the photo shoot.

The services of a food stylist are very helpful, but with research you can do a great deal of the food styling yourself. Find as many books as you can on the subject and practice in advance of the photo shoot. I learned simple tricks like:

sticking sandpaper to the plate to prevent food from slipping

using whipped icing or shaving cream in place of ice cream or whipped cream

placing a shot glass under a very thickly cut slice of lemon to prevent the lemon from absorbing the liquid underneath

using beef bouillon in place of “coffee”

using dish detergent to create bubbles in the “coffee”

using a blow torch to make meat appear cooked

and the list goes on…

Food styling is such fun, but it requires a great deal of time, even in advance of the photo shoot. You will need all of your “props” in place, such as dishes, cutlery, flowers, table linens, food items and backgrounds. Many companies will happily lend these items to you in exchange for a credit in the book – this can appear on the Cataloging in Publication data page at the beginning of your book.

When your book is ready to go to print, it is time to put your cook book marketing and publicity campaign into gear:

· Decide on the best time of year to launch your book. September is usually the best month for Christmas sales, but you also face steep competition. Try to think of a time that is appropriate for your book, such as January for a healthy eating book, late Spring for a barbecue book, Valentine’s Day for a romantic book, Heart and Stroke month for a heart-healthy book, etc.

· Produce galley copies.

· Send galleys to appropriate book clubs (look at their websites to learn their submission requirements).

· Research appropriate catalogs and send galleys to them.

· Have your publicist approach magazines that review cook books (magazines have long lead times).

· Stay in contact with any corporations and organizations that might use your book for promotions.

· Find a reputable distributor to have your book accepted by the book store trade, as well as other retailers.

· Contact non-book store book sellers.

When your book is ready to roll off the press, get your publicity campaign into high gear. You can have the best book in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it. The easy part is over – publicity and marketing now become your life. This part is the most fun, as you now reap the rewards of all of your efforts. Your goal now is to turn your cook book title into a household word. Go for it — publish your own cook book!

Ink Tree Ltd. helps authors publish, market and sell books. If you are considering publishing a cookbook, we will help you make it a success. http://www.inktreemarketing.com/PublishaCookbook.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Denise_Hamilton

As a low carber for many years I have found a great majority of terrific “low-carbed” recipes online through forums, e-mail groups, friends, and various low carb Websites. I can’t even begin to estimate the hours spent online gathering great recipes. I had always had an idea in the back of my mind that it would be great to have some way to organize online, some kind of online recipe book, and I am very pleased to tell you that someone has done exactly that…and in a fun, organized and very interactive way.

Low Carb Is Easy (www.lowcarbiseasy.com) is a clever meshing of an interactive cookbook and an information Website. The cookbook software contains a database of over 100 recipes tested and approved as low carb, low GI (Glycemic Index), and tasty – with most being only three carbohydrate grams or less. And these are recipes specifically meant for enjoyment and to offer instructions on foods that can be tricky to recreate in a low carb version. Chapters cover Biscuits, bread and cakes; Desserts and ices; Main courses - cheeses, eggs, fish and nuts; Main courses - meat and poultry; Salads, soups and vegetables; Sauces, snacks and sweets. All recipes come with complete nutritional information, including carb counts.

Once you subscribe to Low Carb is Easy, you receive full access to all the recipes and great customization tools for personalizing your cookbook:

• Existing recipes can be edited to suit your family’s needs, and the nutritional information will automatically update for you.
• New recipes can be imported and added directly to the cookbook.
• Carb calculator allows adjustments and updating for any ingredients or portion size changes you might want to make.
• Contents page can be personalized with your new recipes.
• You can print out individual recipes or the entire cookbook for real hands-on use.

The folks at Low Carb is Easy put a lot of thought into this online cookbook, making it easy to use online and offline in print form. They have also provided a wealth of information for serious cooks as well as those who want low carb and low GI information, articles, measurement and reference tables, and related resources.

I was delighted to find so much helpful information at my fingertips, but even more than that, I love the idea of this easy and fun way to organize, update and tailor all my recipes. If you have ever wished for a better way to control your individual recipes, or keep your collection of favorites conveniently on your computer, then I recommend taking a look at the Low Carb is Easy interactive cookbook. I have found it to be a great solution…and no matter how well loved, there’s no wear, tear, smudges or sticky spots to be found.

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Cherie’ Davidson has been working as a Web copywriter, content editor, press release writer, Web reviewer and site marketing consultant for several years. You can contact Cherie and read more about her at her Website CherieDavidson.com, book reviews blog cdwritesbookreviews.blogspot.com, and her humor blog cdwrites.blogspot.com.

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