Review: A Little Bit Country; A Little Bit Big City
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 16, 2012
Do I think Nan is real?  No.  Did I think this had some interesting recipes? yes.When looking for a cookbook that I want to keep, I look for several things. Does the book describe the types of ingredients that are being used? Are the amounts and directions specific? Are there any personal anecdotes about the recipes being shown? Are there pictures to show me how it should look? Does the recipe give a preparation time? Is the layout of the recipe easy to follow and preferably on one page. For the kindle there is an additional thing I look for. Is there a clickable table of contents? None of these are deal breakers. However, the more of the above questions that are answered in yes , the better chance of me purchasing it.I come from country and while my grandma could use her cast-iron skillet like some use a whole pan set, I don't ever remember a frittata or fettuccine coming off her stove.  Maybe a breakfast casserole, but that is digressing.So while I don't believe there is a Nan, I liked the recipes.  Mostly homey food if not exactly country.  The kind that warms you up on a cold day and fills you up after a long day of physical labor.As for the technical issues, The recipes look easy to follow and tips are littered throughout.  Although I couldn't figure out why she would use milk+vinegar for pancakes instead of buttermilk.  Except that vinegar might be in more kitchens than buttermilk.  And trust me, for my grandma it was lard or bacon grease all the way, olive oil never got introduced.After digressing, it is kind of fun to read the recipe as the author uses a stereotypical country tone of voice.  Some people might get upset at that down home hokey wording, but I just shook my head and kept wondering, has this woman even met someone who lived and raised their own food?Now I prefer bulleted instructions on my recipes.  The author uses a paragraph form with some extra tips.  So it would be wise to read the instructions a couple of times before starting, so you know what is coming.It doesn't have any photos, but it does have a clickable Table of Contents.CONCLUSION:For 99 cents this is not a bad cookbook.  It has a wide variety of recipes told in a humorous yet informative manner.  Not to mention it has clickable table of contents.  I have no problem recommending it.