Stir, Laugh, Repeat Review by Mary Deal

“Stir, Laugh, Repeat” by Martha A. Cheves is not only a great cookbook, it is a fun read. The first day I received the book, I perused it to find a recipe to sample. In reading, I found these recipes, some for all meals and snacks, easy and quick. A recipe that takes only one paragraph to tell how to throw all the ingredients together for a scrumptious dish is my kind of book. Then Martha gives a little history for each recipe about how that food was used in her own cooking at home. But that’s not all. Following every recipe is a Tip for the cook. One of my favorites was:

“When my three kids were young, we would have a Mystery TV Dinner Night. Each night when I cooked dinner, before it went on the table, I would take a plastic sectioned plate and put a full serving of everything on the plate, wrap it in plastic wrap and then tightly wrap it in foil and put it into the freezer. On Mystery Night, everyone would go to the freezer and take out a dish. You couldn’t peek. Each plate would be microwaved and that was your meal for the night. You may have country fried steak, spaghetti, fish, even chili. It was fun watching the kids open their meals. They were never disappointed because I would make sure it was filled with food they liked.”

Martha Cheves knows how to feed her family and have fun too, and now shares her recipes with us. Oh yes, the recipe I chose to make first was the Strawberry Nut Crunch. I made it with Macadamia nuts. It was so delightful, I will make it again, and enough of it for about 50 people at a big celebratory potluck. I’ll also be taking this delightful book to share with others.

Cheers!
Mary
--

Mary Deal

Author, Painter, Photographer

2009 Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner

2009 Pushcart Prize Nominee

Writing site: http://www.WriteAnyGenre.com

Art Gallery: http://www.MaryDealFineArt.com

A Review for Stir, Laugh, Repeat all the way from Las Vegas!

This is a review that was just posted to Amazon for my book Stir, Laugh, Repeat

Stir, Laugh, Repeat (Perfect Paperback)
I highly enjoyed this book. The stories accompanying the recipes add a special flavor, making them even more delicious. It's a non-conventional cooking book, a little gem to be read and treasured.

By Liliana Badd (Las Vegas)

Review by Joyce White

Review by Joyce White
Stir, Laugh & Repeat

Like many noncooks, I have a distinct yearning for the taste of yester-year. Martha has compiled a cookery book of recipes that appeal to our palette as well as our memories. I hate recipes where I have to know what is what and where to find it and which wine to serve with it. All of Martha’s recipes are simple and the ingredients easy to find. I wish I had read this book when I was young. I got married at 18 and didn’t know how to boil eggs. Now I’m 63, I don’t boil eggs because I go to McDonald’s just to get out of the house. I do love deviled eggs but hate peeling them. I wasted so many eggs trying to get a pretty little container for my fillings. Thanks to Martha’s tips after each recipe, I now know, “While the egg is still hot, place a paper towel on the counter and with the palm of your hand roll the egg around until most of the shell is cracked. It peels in a snap.” Another fact I learned was “When a recipe calls for a baking dish, it’s referring to glass not metal. When it calls for a baking pan, it’s referring to metal.

Some of my favorite recipes brought back memories of my mom’s cooking. My favorites were:

Breakfast bars
Potato soup
No bake cookies
Monkey bread
Cracker bars

One recipe I am going to try soon is her Meatloaf Muffins. Many of us have cut down a lot on meat products but still crave the taste and energy we get from meat. I think the following recipe is a great way to sneak a little meat into our diet.

Meatloaf Muffins
1 lb. extra lean ground beef (90-905% lean)
1 6-oz. pkg. stuffing mix
1 C. water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing mix, and water blending well. Press into 12 muffin cups lined with cupcake liners. With a spoon make an indentation in the center of each. Spoon in flavors of your choice. Bake 30 minutes or until meatloaves are cooked thoroughly. Top with cheese and bake until cheese melts (optional).

Suggested flavors:
Garlic
BBQ
Onions
Peppers
Worcestershire
A-1
Salsa

I’m going to leave you with one last tip I really liked. “Bury avocados in flour to hasten their ripening.” What a great tip! This is a five star book worth keeping handy in the kitchen. My thanks to Martha A. Cheves for sharing her wit, her knowledge, and her expertise in concocting recipes we can all enjoy for years to come.

This review was written by Joyce White, author and artist, at http://www.sculptingtheheart.com, where you can find her poetry, articles and meditation videos. Check out her books and ebooks, Sculpting the Heart: Surviving Depression with Art Therapy and Sculpting the Heart's Poetry while Conversing with the Masters (Picasso, Chagall, Van Gogh)

Short Note about Stir, Laugh, Repeat

This message was sent to me by a lady who has and says she loves my cookbook Stir, Laugh, Repeat.

All of us have shelves of cookbooks we never open--one really practical (and delicious) cookbook with no-fail recipes is what we need (and what you offer In Laugh, Stir, Repeat).
Mary Kennedy

Review by Rona Shively

Rona_Shively
Read Stir, Laugh, Repeat and then...Repeat!


Posted February 10, 2010, 6:26 PM EST: I pride myself in being a non-domestic type. Far be it from me to attempt cooking anything that requires the use of an actual stove. I was surprised at how inspired I was by Martha Cheves's cookbook, Stir, Laugh, Repeat. As I read through the recipes, so many of them jumped out at me as things I might actually be able to cook. I especially liked the one for Hash Brown Potatoes Au Gratin. Cheves has put together a reader-friendly cooking guide that gives you not only the information you need to attempt something new, but the inspiration. A wonderful read and a necessary addition to your cookbook collection. Nice work!

Review by Mary Kennedy

This is the cookbook you've been waiting for,
March 18, 2010
By Mary Kennedy (east coast)
Like many cookbook collectors, I'm always on the lookout for a new cookbook and I've found it in Stir, Laugh, Repeat. The range of recipes is enormous, and all of the selections are fun, easy and a joy to prepare. I can see that the Coconut Loaf Cake is going to be a family favorite, with Pina Colada cake also at the top of the list. This is a fun book and the recipes are terrific, I also love the comments that Martha includes. She offers little stories about her experiences making the recipes, the reactions of the taste testers,etc. Whether you're looking for something fabulous to take to a party (Coconut Ice Box Sheet Cake)or a quick recipe for Sunday breakfast (Monkey Bread) you are bound to find something here to delight you! I had tried several of Martha's recipes on her website and just had to have this book.

Review by Rebecca Benson

Stir, Laugh, Repeat...Repeat!, February 10, 2010
By Rebecca Benston "Fiesty, Fearless and Fabulous!" (Springfield, OH)

I pride myself in being a non-domestic type. Far be it from me to attempt cooking anything that requires the use of an actual stove. I was surprised at how inspired I was by Martha Cheves's cookbook, Stir, Laugh, Repeat. As I read through the recipes, so many of them jumped out at me as things I might actually be able to cook. I especially liked the one for Hash Brown Potatoes Au Gratin. Cheves has put together a reader-friendly cooking guide that gives you not only the information you need to attempt something new, but the inspiration. A wonderful read and a necessary addition to your cookbook collection. Nice work!

Review for Stir, Laugh, Repeat by Rita Freud

Caution! You Are About to Enter the Fun Zone!, February 9, 2010
By Rita Freud "book gal" (NJ)
(REAL NAME)
Step into your kitchen, cook "from scratch" and end up with a tasty dish to place before friends and family, that is assuming you have brought "Stir, Laugh, Repeat" with you. Tuck it under your apron. This way instead of Martha A. Cheves (the author), you get all the credit. Don't forget to dab your brow a bit to make it look like you have labored away to create this delicious meal. It's hard to say what I like the most about this book - the "dinner's ready" easy recipes, the anecdotes about each recipe or the tidbits of useful information. Each is served up with straightforward charm. All I know is that every time I open it to select something to make, I find myself reading page after page and smiling. The recipes are easy to follow. The anecdotes and tips make you feel like you have a friend in the kitchen with you, just chatting about cooking, offering some advice while you prepare a dish. My favorite kind of cookbook is a cookbook that tells how each recipe came to be and how it was enjoyed, or in some cases, adjusted. Martha's book is already a favorite of mine. I have a cautionary tale though. I have to accept that if I make Martha's scrumptious coconut loaf cake every week, there are consequences. In that case, I would have to stir, laugh, repeat, and do some extra sit ups.

Stir, Laugh, Repeat - Review by Robert Medak

Robert Medak's Review of:

Stir, Laugh, Repeat: Finding Joy While Playing in the Kitchen
Author Martha A. Cheves

This is not your ordinary cookbook. This cookbook, written for those that are not familiar with working in a kitchen; or did not have the luxury of being in the kitchen with their mother; grandmother, or even their father and learned the joy of cooking from them while spending time in the kitchen.

The recipes are simple comfort food and some that you may not have heard of. The point is to try them and learn to become comfortable in the kitchen and possibly pass on the joy of cooking to your children. There is no better way to spend time and have fun with your children then to work together in the kitchen as many children did years ago.

The anecdotes along with the recipes are fun to read on their own. What a treat to read while following the easy to prepare dishes in one pot. The recipes are easy to follow and create something special for one or a family.

This reviewer, thought back to the times he spent in the kitchen helping his mother by cutting up things, getting them ready for the pot. It does make for a special bond between child and parent.

For those that are single and avoid the kitchen due to lack of confidence around a stove, think of the sense of accomplishment when you create something yourself in the kitchen. We can’t live by take-out or the microwave all the time. We should strive to eat healthy most of the time.

This reviewer enjoyed Stir, Laugh, Repeat and awards it a five star rating.

Review by Vicki - Reading At the Beach

Reading At The Beach: Reviews, January 21, 2010
By Vicki (Florida)

I had a few reasons for wanting to read this book.

I get tired of the same things over and over.
I love trying new recipes.
I love laughing.

It has some of the strangest recipes I've ever seen.
Here are a few:
Mushroom Bread
Sausage Cookies
Meaty Mashed Potatoes
Rabbit Food Sandwich
Outside In Cake
Stuffed Cube Steak Rolls

Here are a few foods I love and can't wait to try:
Fried Pickles
Southern Chow Chow
Chinese Swiss Steak
Hash Brown Omelets
Key Lime Pie
No Bake Cookies
(My mom let me start making No Bake Cookies by myself when I was about 11 yrs. old and they are still my favorite to make...and eat!)

There is a tip at the end of each recipes which I thought was a great addition.

This book is a great addition to any cookbook library. I love love love it!!!

Review by W. S. Gager

Over the holidays I read Stir, Laugh, Repeat, Finding Joy While Playing in the Kitchen by Martha A. Cheves. I must admit I have never in my life read a cook book from cover to cover but this is much more than a cookbook, but a way of making people happy (and wanting to make them eat.) Not only is it filled with recipes that use ingredients that are staples in most kitchens or better yet leftovers, the recipes are in small quantities for couples or singles. That is where most cookbooks would stop. (Did I mention you will want to eat?)

Martha goes on to provide antidotes about her cooking, the trial and error that went into each recipe and information on her tasters. Those anecdotes kept me reading as did the marvelous tips after each recipe. Some I knew, some I didn’t, but they are all gems to help the newer cooks and well versed cooks on the menu.

Martha is a southern belle and it is clear in many of her recipes from Boiled Peanuts to Collards. She also loves cooking and experimenting which is why many of her recipes offer the key ingredient to any cooking – love.

Pick up Martha’s Stir, Laugh, Repeat and there is something in there for everyone who spends any time in a kitchen or family.

W. S. Gager