Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family

Okay, I've only had this book for three weeks and I've only made five recipies so far but, wow, there is some really good stuff in here. If you can find the ingredients at your local gourmet food shop, the Pecan, Blue Cheese and Bibb Lettuce salad with Late-Harvest Riesling Vinegarette was out of this world. I also like the menu ideas at the back of the book (I wish more cookbooks had this feature)."Back to the Table" is not a low-fat cookbook. The recipies aren't difficult but they're not quick-and-easy and you'll probably have to make time for a trip to the store for some of the ingredients. That said, if you're willing to spend a little time preparing a meal and you're drawn to unique recipies with a Southern influence, don't pass this one up.

In an age of crumbling families and no time, Art Smith brings a nostagic message of hope and help. BACK TO THE TABLE is a cookbook that takes us back to a time when the dinner table actually meant something; before frozen dinners and fast food.BACK TO THE TABLE is not about the latest health craze or the newest way to cram a meal in between soccer practice and violin lessons. This book is about taking the time to sit down at the table and eat with your family.The recipes are delicious and simple (if a little time-consuming) and the focus on southern tastes seems to reflect the author's background. Some definite winners in BACK TO THE TABLE are the Grandma's chocolate cake and the incredible chicken tamales.Art Smith has created a cookbook that is both beautiful and useful, with an important message and tasty recipes. 5 stars all the way.

I disagree with some of the other reviews that said that this book does not contain "family friendly" and "easy" recipe. Art's recipes for Smothered Chicken and Red Beans & Rice have fast become my family's favorite foods, and they are very easy to make. I love this cookbook and would recommend it to others who are looking for some simple, homestyle recipes for their families.

Art Smith provides different fare from the standard soups, salads, and table settings, while appealing to our fondest recollections of family times centered around food. Mr. Smith looks beyond a recipe's basic ingredients to capture the essence of food as a tool for connection to our family and friends. This book provides a means to meet the need of our society at this time to shore up our sense of security and to distract us from our sense of loss, if only for a few hours -- the memory of preparing and sharing comfort foods deeply rooted in Southern culture, but surprisingly venturing into ethnic cuisines with Pakistani flatbread and Jewish Challah, provides a warm place we can all retreat to for strength. If you like to read cookbooks like a novel, this one provides delicious prose. The recipes that I have tried, particularly Adelaide's Peach Cobbler, Tomato Ginger Chutney, and French Chocolate Almond Pie, are easy to follow, work, and provide the elements for a bountiful table. This book is equally suited for the dinner table or the coffee table.