This cookbook was reviewed by David and Karen of Twenty-Fingered Cooking.

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I opened up the package from the Daring Kitchen crew to find the stars-and-stripes-and-beer-studded cover of Entertain Like a Texas Gentleman by David Harap staring back at me. Full disclosure: I am not from Texas. I do not want to be from Texas. And, while I do try to generally be nice and respectful of people, being called a “gentleman” just makes me feel old. So, in short, I’m definitely not this book’s target audience.

That being said, however, I can’t argue with good food, and to use a bit of Texas slang I just found on the internet, the food in this cookbook is larrupin’! Harap’s recipes look and taste out of this world. He has a knack for taking ingredients that you can’t possibly picture being on the same plate together, and making the most scrumptiously delicious meal out of them that you can imagine.

First, a bit on the overall organization and design of the cookbook. Each chapter is designed as a full-course meal or spread of food for all occasions, from the “Scotch Tasting Affair” with the guys, to a long, detailed “Romantic Dinner” with the woman of your dreams. Each chapter includes a bit of advice for the meal at the beginning, and gives you lots of space at the end of the chapter to scribble down your own notes on the meal. The back of the book gives complete shopping lists for every chapter, so you can just cut them out and run to the store.

This review was prepared by Suzy of Serenely Full.
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Levi Roots -- creator of Reggae Reggae Sauce, chef, musician, television presenter and food writer -- returns with his third cookbook, Levi Roots’ Levi Roots Food for Friends: 100 Simple Dishes for Every Occasion, taking Caribbean cookery out for another spin with a wide array of tasty recipes.

The book is certainly comprehensive: it lists chapters on brunch, lunch, puddings, parties, barbecues, high tea (my own personal favourite) and many more, while winter warming stews snuggle up next to fruit kebabs for a summer afternoon. There’s also a section on Roots’ favourite ingredients, which all feature prominently in the recipes – thyme, coconut, Scotch bonnet chilli, mango, rum and lime to name a few. The flavours of the Caribbean are showcased in inventive ways, including some twists on the classics. You can try Caribbean spiced shepherd’s pie, a special Sunshine Sauce spaghetti Bolognese, or pecan and ginger shortbread for something familiar but a little different.

This review was prepared by Kelsey Banfield of TheNaptimeChef.
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Reading Florence Fabricant's Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York's Savviest Hostesses is my idea of the perfect guilty pleasure. I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, two miles from Park Avenue. Though this places me relatively close to the rarified atmosphere depicted here, my reality hardly resembles anything on these pages. With each chapter I am treated to a peak at the lavish lifestyles taking place just down the street, but in an entirely different universe then my own.

The magic of this book is in the pairing of well-appointed seasonal menus with polished portraits of exquisite entertaining. Images of flawless homes where gourmet food is served on hand-painted china may seem worlds away from reality, but that is exactly the point. Gleaming silver tea services and feathered Christmas trees lure you into an enchanted fantasy making you believe that you too can, at least partially, enjoy a slice of it yourself.

This review was prepared by Kim of Assaporando la Vita.

Elegant and classy, simple yet complex. The Bubbly Bar: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion by Maria C. Hunt is a perfect little cocktail book to keep around the house for turning an everyday meal into something a little more elegant, or making a laid back get-together seem like an occasion to celebrate.

I have to admit that, even though I love wine and enjoy a glass or two on occasion, I have never really explored the bubbly world of champagne and sparkling wine. This book does an excellent job of introducing the novice into a whole new world of bubbly cocktail entertainment.

This review was prepared by Lisa of Lisa is Bossy.

Simply Summer: Gourmet Meals Made Deliciously Easy with Tips for Elegant Living is the perfect name to give this cookbook which is all about simplicity in the kitchen. Angela Tunner wrote the book with the intent of keeping our kitchens cool during the summer months.

Angela Tunner was a Canadian restaurant cook who has since left the industry to create cookbooks, teach about food and act as a general culinary enthusiast. She is a self-proclaimed Kitchen Coach.

This review was prepared by Lori of Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness.

Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer's Acclaimed New York City Restaurants is the perfect book for me. I have been wanting to try different drinks instead of the usual Margarita or Gin 'n' Tonic. Not that I would ever give those drinks up.

I guess because I am a foodie who is always curious about new foods, then it would only follow that I would be curious about new cocktails. I'm not a big drinker but a tasty little treat of a drink is just the thing I want to help me relax on a Saturday night. Mix Shake Stir has just the types of drinks I want to try.

This review was submitted by Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies.

Curtis Stone is an Australian chef who has more recently come to great acclaim in the United States on TLC’s The Take Home Chef. He trained in Melbourne, then abroad in Europe, before taking the US by storm. People Magazine has even voted him one of the sexiest men alive.

His latest book, Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone, emphasises his love of entertaining with friends, family, and good healthy food. He stresses the importance of using the best quality ingredients and cooking seasonally, as well as getting to know the people who provide those ingredients. A good relationship with your fish monger or farmer’s market staff can go a long way.