The "Little" Cookbook Collection

 

My friend Portia Little, a foodie fellow freelancer and cookbook author is the author of 6 "little" cookbooks.   They are adorable, each follows a theme and they are all packed with wonderful little recipes and more.   All her cookbooks open flat on the counter or can be carried with you easily in your pocket or handbag when shopping for ingredients.  

At $6.95 each, they are a great value and besides make adorable and welcoming gifts!   Besides 2 of my recipes are in two of Portia's Little Cookbooks!

 

Recipes Roses & Rhyme- Romantic Sentiments, Easy Recipes, a Gift to Treasure  - (c) 1999 - Portia Little

Dedicated to Portia's own parents, a most romantic couple, this "little" cookbook is filled with wonderful recipes suitable for romantic dinners and each comes with a quirkily romantic verse by well-known poets and some funny ones from such as Ogden Nash.   As with all of Portia Little's cookbooks it is easy to use, recieps have been tested over and over to make sure they work and you will find some classic favorites that have been simplified.  The Blender Popovers on page 61 will not disappoint and neither will the Pumpkin Soup on page 73.  In fact, I made both for the same meal and we found it a most satisfying treat.

Panntree Press - ISBN 0-966306600 - $6.95

 

The Easy Vegetarian - Great Recipes, Inspiring Quotes, A Handy Resource - (c) 2000 - Portia Little

I can't remember now if The Easy Vegetarian was my first or the second of Portia's Little cookbooks I ordered, but it is one I use quite often. 
You can tell that Portia has experimented with these recipes often and perfects them before adding them to a book, since all of the recipes I have tried from this and any of her other books work.   We eat a lot of fruit and have tried many variations of her smoothie recipes on page 59!......and though Charles Lamb said in Grace Before Meat 'Asparagus inspires gentle thoughts....' and quoted before the recipe....your reaction to Sesame Asparagus on page 63 will be more than just gentle.....this is a great recipe!   I love the quotations found throughout the book .

Panntree Press - ISBN 0-966306619 - $6.95

 

New England Seashore Recipes & Rhyme - Poetry from Favorite Places, Easy Recipes, A Wonderful Souvenir - (c) 2001 -  Portia Little

The above subtitle is appropriate for this "little travelogue" of recipes and places....  from Maine to Rhode Island; Massachussets to New Hampshire; Connecticut and back to Maine....  
As is becoming a trend with Portia's little books and I wholeheartily endorse.....(after all...didn't someone say: 'Life is uncertain, eat dessert first'...?) this one also starts with desserts.
The book is divided into three sections and the first is Shore are Good Sweets; followed by Right-on-Course Main Courses and ending with Tide-you-Overs & Go-Alongs....
The recipes, as all recipes Portia includes in her books, are tested, easy and delicious! My first recipe to try from this book was Roasted Sweet Onions on page 55 and the Praline Pumkin Pie on page 25 was a hit Thanksgiving a few years ago! The poems make you wish you could visit every single shore along the New England Coast!

Panntree Press - ISBN 0-966306627  - $6.95

 

Lusty Limericks & Luscious Desserts - Succulent Sweets, Saucy Sentiments, A fun-Filled feast - (c) 2002 - Portia Little

Just reading the Table of Contents makes you go into spasms of ecstasy...! Some prefer CHOCOLATE as best....And others would choose a FRUIT fest....And there are so many more Cakes, pies, sweets galore; So we hope you enjoy ALL THE REST!   How can so many wonderful and luscious recipes be packed into such a small book? The limericks that accompany each recipe are all fun and the book makes a great little gift for everyone on your list, regardless of the ocassion.  As with all of Portia's little books, its easy to use, the recipes are all tested and I know for a fact that the Pineapple-Macadamia Charlotte on page 37 really works, since it was one of the recipes I shared with Portia ;-)

Panntree Press - ISBN o966306643 - $6.95

 

Finger Lakes food, Fact & Fancy - An Upstate New York Feast, Quick 'n Easy Recipes, A Souvenir to Treasure  - (c) 2003 - Portia Little

How can you not fall in love with a little cookbook that has only three sections...........and the first one is Sweets & Desserts..??? We then go to Main Dishes and the rest is Everything Else..
Portia Little's 'little cookbooks' are big on delicious recipes and the recipes on this one all come from the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Along with the wonderful recipes, there are little notes, anecdotes, trivia and facts about the region which add to the interest of the book.   As all of Portia's books, an enjoyable read, an easy book to cook from and makes a wonderful gift for any one on your list!
Try the Good 'n Easy Potato Bread on page 57 and serve it as suggested filled with the Smoky Waldorf Chicken Salad on page 39.  Makes you dream of fall in wine country!

Panntree Press - ISBN 0966306651 - $6.96

 

 Bread Pudding Bliss - A Comfort Food Feast, Tempting Recipes, A gift to Treasure - (c) 2007 -  Portia Little

A long time in the works and anxiously awaited by all of Portia's fans, her latest "little" cookbook is all about that most blissfull of all comfort foods.  For years all of Portia's foodie friends sent her every bread pudding recipe we ran across.  some are sweet and some are savory and ALL are wonderful!  All throughout the book there are amusing quotations and poems such as the one to that wonderful fruit the mango by one of our friends.  I have made the Mango Macadamia nut(natch!) Bread pudding on page 33 and the Monte Cristo Bread Pudding on page 63 is wonderful for brunch! I recommend you also try the Banana Bread Pudding on page 7.....that's one of my recipes and one I'm sure you will love!

Panntree Press - ISBN 0966306678 - $6.96

You can order them through Panntree Press,: panntree@msn.com , www.amazon.com   or through my blog site www.soniatasteshawaii.com

 

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