Product Description

A good cook once said that a casserole is a blend of inspiration and what's on hand. Beatrice Ojakangas must have had inspiration by the gallon to come up with these 500 casseroles. From a breakfast of Eggs Florentine to a dinner of Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing soon even the most casserole-wary cook will be dishing about these delights. Yummy treats like Parmesan and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp are just right for parties. Even appetizers are reinvented in casserole form! The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever will inspire comforting dishes and innovative feasts for any meal of the day—no matter what's in the fridge.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3425 in Books
• Brand: Chronicle Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780811856249
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Beatrice Ojakangas has written over 20 cookbooks. She teaches cooking classes in her home near Duluth, Minnesota.

Susie Cushner is a Boston-based photographer.

Customer Reviews

Best Casserole Cookbook
Overwhelming amount of info, many interesting meals. The details are what make this worth buying. Chapter on no-knead casserole bread, including the much vaunted NY Times method, is worth the $16.xx price.

Excellent Casserole Cookbook!
This is a big book. The last recipie is on page 609, so there are lots to choose from. There is a wide range of choice, from appetizers to desserts, with more chapters on breads, side-dishes, "for crowds", "for two", and "for kids". Just browsing through, many sound delicious. The ones I have made were indeed very tasty. Ms. Ojakangas uses few prepared ingredients, and includes a recipie section of easy sauces to substitute for canned cream soups. One of the things I like best is that the author is health aware. The recipies are light on sodium, and many are light on fat. I plan to make a lot of these, and am looking forward to working my way through this book.

A treasure trove of great casserole recipes
Some people have claimed to be turned off by this book because it has a couple of recipes that use Hormel Spam as an ingredient. I think that's a joke by the author, Beatrice Ojakangas, that backfired: she lives in Minnesota, the state where Spam is manufactured. It is, not surprisingly, pretty popular in the state. But I guess not everyone gets the joke.

Aside from that, this book very well lives up to its title as "The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever".

Ojakangas opens with a history of the casserole and again incorporates her Minnesota background by explaining that the casserole in those parts is called a "hot dish". I have consumed many a "hot dish" at gatherings in Minnesota. And many a casserole at home, where such dishes are a favorite in a busy household.

This book already has lots of pages flagged - because it is loaded with great recipes. We had one this week, a chicken noodle casserole, that was absolutely scrumptious.

After an introduction to the basics of casseroles (e.g., sauces, etc.), she moves into the goodies: 16 chapters of yummies. (I admit to not liking fish and shellfish, but I include that chapter in the count anyway.)

Appetizers & First Courses
No-Knead Casserole Breads
Breakfasst & Brunch Casseroles
Poultry Casseroles
Beef Casseroles
Pork Casseroles
Lamb, Veal & Game Casseroles
Pasta Casseroles
Grain & Legume Casseroles
Fish & Shellfish Casseroles
Side-Dish Casseroles
Vegetarian Casseroles
Casseroles For Crowds
Casseroles For Kids
Dessert Casseroles.

More than 500 recipes, many of them that set my mouth watering at first reading.

Most of the recipes are reasonably simple and quick to prepare. Lots of fun new (to me) things to try like a No-Egg Breakfast Potato Hot Dish and a Curried Chicken Breast Casserole.

A couple of small negatives. The recipes are printed in a reddish ink and somewhat difficult to read. There aren't enough illustrations. Neither of these is a show stopper.

Overall, a great treasure for those who like "hot dishes" or, as the rest of the country calls them, casseroles. And having written this review and browsed the recipes once more, I'm hungry. Fortunately, I can look forward to the Ancho Chicken Breast With Corn for dinner tomorrow night.

Jerry