Stop and Smell the Rosemary: Recipes and Traditions to Remember

I have owned this cookbook for several years and I have given it as a hostess gift numerous times. The recipes in it have never failed me and I feel completely confident to do a first run for guests. The photos are amazing and I especially like the table setting pictures and the lineup of every piece of flatware imaginable. If you haven't tried the recipes for chicken salad with cranberries and pecans, the grilled pork tenderloin with dijon mustard and orange marmalade, the mushroom pate, or the field greens with spicy pecans and blue cheese (I substitute feta), get in the kitchen now and start cooking. I promise, you will love them all.

I hate having cookbooks where every recipe needs exotic ingredients and cost $... to make. This is a wonderful cookbook (and believe me- I have many). I found that most ingredients are easily accessible in the supermarket and the results are usually a lot for little effort. Some favorites are the lemon yogurt muffins, herbed beer bread, and ANY of the pasta dishes. I have a lot of vegetarian friends and some times struggle to find a happy medium for both...this book has a lot of great non-meat alternatives that aren't just side dishes. There's also a lot of lower fat/calorie dishes. The recipes are unique and tasty. I grab this book first when I know company is coming-- it's definitely worth the money.

I love this book, and am very impressed that it was put out by a "non-professional" publisher (the Houston Junior League). The recipes are easy to follow & clear, the graphics are crisp and fine, and the food that I have made from the book has been well-loved by the lucky eaters in my circle. I fancy myself a bit of a domestic goddess-- ask anyone who knows me if they would turn down a dinner invitation. I originally bought this book to give to a friend for a wedding gift, and eventually had to buy it for myself. I traded in a more "famous" trendy cookbook which was not well done for this one and have not looked back. It's both complex enough for experienced cooks and simple-to-follow enough for the beginner-- plus includes some "everyone ought to know this" tips and charts on things other than the nuts and bolts of recipes. Buy this book; you won't regret it, and you're supporting charity work, as well.

I LOVE this book. Whenever I give a dinner party, formal or casual, this is the first cookbook I reach for. The recipes are unique and imaginative, and not what you'd find in your typical cookbook. The book is well written with simple and precise recipes. My guests rave over the dishes and always ask for the recipes. This book was a gift in more ways than one.

I have been inundated with Jr. League cookbooks over the years, and most resemble nothing more than a cookbook of typical, unimaginative recipes compiled by housewives with nothing to do. I would rank them equal to the typical church group cookbooks that are published day and in and day out. Stop and Smell the Rosemary sets a new, refreshing standard for cookbooks of this nature. This book is truly a class act. Each recipe I have tried has been nothing short of amazing and wonderful.