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Average Customer Rating:

Gotta love cornbread	Customer Rating:
Who doesn't love cornbread? I never knew it had such a history until I read this book. There are recipes from around the country from Johnny Cake to Cornbread Salad. Mark Twain once said, "Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as good as Southern corn bread." Does everyone know what a pone is? You'll find out in this book.

cornbread gospels	Customer Rating:
I purchased this as a gift for my daughter. She loves it and others have seen it and they want it also. I ordered a 2nd copy for a friend also. Great and easy recipes for a favorite dish.

The essential "cornbread" making cookbook. But so much more.

Customer Rating:

This book was given to me by my daughter because she has heard me talking about when my husband and I went on a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and met Crescent Dragonwagon (as a consumer, not personally). Her restaurant did indeed serve wonderful food and the entire trip was a fantastic experience. I must confess, when I found out that this recipe book concentrated solely on cornbread I was skeptical about it holding my interest. I was wrong. Let's get the negatives out of the way first: 1. There are no pictures of the finished dishes. I REALLY like pictures. 2. With the exception of the cover, the entire book is black, white, and a kind of pumpkin/orangie color. Not very exciting visually. 3. It is my opinion that much too much emphasis was given to the differences between cornbread as made in the South and cornbread as made in the North. Why go to so much trouble? Just put in the recipes and let me decide if I want to try them. 4. After a while (by about page 100) I really wasn't paying very much attention to the huge amount of information regarding cornmeal and history. Too, too much information. Now for the positives: 1. It is very obvious that this book was a labor of love for this author. She knows her cornmeal from top to bottom. She even states in the book that this project was six years in the making and I can certainly believe it. 2. Each recipe begins with an anecdote concerning where it came from, who gave it to her or how it evolved over the years. These were simply fascinating to read. 3. Each recipe has obviously been tried, used, and tried again by Ms Dragonwagon. Even within the instructions for the recipes she puts in little nuggets of information to help with preperation, cooking or presentation. I appreciated that and it made each recipe seem very warm and personal. 4. These recipes are GOOD! I have tried four so far and absolutely loved each one, my hubbie on the other hand only liked two. DAIRY HOLLOW HOUSE SKILLET SIZZLED CORNBREAD - The first words out of hubbie's mouth were, "Does this cornbread have sugar in it?" He didn't like it, I liked it but will not add the sugar next time. We are firmly entrenched in the no-sweetner-in-cornbread camp. On cornbread, now that's a whole other story. I must confess to liking this but I'm more lenient in food basics than my sweet darlin'. JANE'S TEXAS-via-VERMONT MEXICAN CORNBREAD - I invited two friends over to taste test this with me. (Thanks Bonnie and June for being willing to sacrafice in the name of research!) We LOVED this cornbread and so did hubbie when he got home. I paired it with..... UNCANNILY GOOD SANTA FE STYLE QUICK GREEN CHILE SOUP-STEW - The recipe says it serves 4 to 6 generously. No, make that 10 to 12 generously. It was a fabulous vegetarian bean soup which just took wings and flew when combined with the cornbread mentioned above. For non-vegetarian consumption I would add some shredded chicken or a nice grilled polska kielbasa sausage. PATSY'S CORNBREAD SALAD - I have this recipe in a pamphlet/recipe book from Lodge Manufacturing (makers of cast iron cookware) and it has always been a favorite of mine (hubbie doesn't like this no matter what I do to it!). The difference here is that Patsy developed the recipe over time and hers has a different dressing and believe you me, that dressing makes that salad completely scrumptious! I'll never use bottled dressing again. I am impressed with this cookbook. Yes it may seem to have a rather narrow focus but it isn't just about cornbread, it is about cornMEAL. That ingredient can be combined with others to make some pretty wonderful dishes. I can imagine myself using this book over and over and over for years to come. If you don't already have a well seasoned cast iron skillet, invest in one. They are relatively inexpensive and come from the factory pre-seasoned now so you get to skip that step. The cast iron skillet makes that indescribably delicious crunchy/crispy crust which makes cornbread a food of the gods. With this book you will have recipes to try out for months, and thats just counting the cornbreads.

Cornbread Fans Rejoice	Customer Rating:
I love this book. For a true cornbread lover this book is all you will ever need. There is every type imaginable with some background on the differences between regions. Worth every penny.

So much cornbread, so little time...	Customer Rating:
I've eaten and loved cornbread all my life. Who knew there are so many different ways to make it? The author exhibits great attention to detail and she notes the minute differences wrought by geography and history. All the recipes I've tried so far have been delicious. I want to try them all.