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Title: The Smoothies Deck: 50 Recipes for High-Energy Refreshment by Mary Corpening Barber, Sara Corpening, Lori Lynn Narlock, Amy Neunsinger, Lori Lyn Narlock, Sam Corpening Whiteford ISBN: 0811823806 Publisher: Chronicle Books Pub. Date: August, 1999 Format: Misc. Supplies Volumes: 50 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.12
Rating: 4
Summary: Now *that's* a smooth move.
Comment: I have given this book as a gift four times. No kidding, and in my collection of some three hundred cookbooks, I don't think I've made over 1/2 the recipes in any book other than this one.
I first got this book in an attempt to get more produce into a picky child. It has worked extremely well to this end, but has also just been a boon for light summer time meals and snacks.
The most important technique to learn from this book is to prepare and freeze your fruit beforehand, making it unnecessary to add ice to your smoothie. One you get the hang of it, it is easy to always pick up some extra produce when shopping and freeze it in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and store it for later. You can keep a variety of fruits available this way. Out of fruits we had on hand this week we've made the 'Pea-Pine-Fu' (peaches, pineapple, tofu, white grape juice), and the 'Sweet Cherry-ot' (peaches, cherries, cherry juice, raspberry sorbet). I did have to buy two flavors of fruit juices to make these, however. Some careful and creative substituting could probably help keep you from having too many juices in the fridge. Regarding the fruit, the authors instruct you to peel most before freezing, but with fruit such as peaches, I leave the peel on for the added fiber. It does not seem to detract from the flavor or texture of the smoothie. Neither does using firm tofu instead of soft, but I would definitely stick with the silken type.
Probably the most frustrating thing about the book is that you may have made one recipe that calls for peach sorbet, and the next recipe calls for strawberry. The easy solution of course is to interchange sorbet flavors, which in some cases may impact the flavor of the smoothie. Sadly, I don't use the book much during the winter. Anybody planning to write a book about hot smoothies?
Rating: 4
Summary: Great recipes--nice presentation
Comment: While the combinations may become dated in time (read: somewhat trendy), right now they sing. And the recipes are well-tested, which is very important to me in a cookbook. You can tell that they are because every smoothie I've tried has been just super. Some of the ingredients are a bit difficult to find but I have had fun seeking out mango nectar and the like. It's been worth the trouble.
One reviewer didn't like that the background color is the same on every card and, after thinking about it, I have to agree, but that doesn't detract from the experience too much in my view. I really love that I can search for a smoothie I'd like to try and I can stick the card on the 'fridge with a magnet until I can get around to making it. The handiness is such a treat.
The graphics on the verso of the cards are so attractive, the cards are a nice heavy weight and they have smooth, rounded corners. The colors are bright and smart. They feel great in the hand. These cards are definitely a keeper.
Rating: 3
Summary: needs some formatting improvements for easier use
Comment: I am a cookbook collector and this new "card deck" style was very appealing to me. There are many delicious recipes and this card format is very easy to use when mixing up drinks (can't close itself in the middle of my mixing the drink, etc.). The recipes are easy to read and storing this deck of recipe cards in its' own little box holder doesn't take up much space in the kitchen. It is easy to store right next to your drinking glasses inside the cabinet. Most cards have beautiful photographs of the featured smoothie. The cards show the photo or a graphic on one side and then the recipe is on the other side.
My complaints have to do with some formatting and organization issues. First, if these recipes were in a book they'd be categorized and separated by chapters. When these recipes transitioned to a card deck format, the author did not use any kind of organization method to distinguish one type of smoothie from the other. With the subtitle of the deck being "50 recipes for high-energy refreshment" I was surprised to see things with alcohol and sweet dessert-only type smoothies. (That subtitle is a bit deceiving, and given that this deck is shrink-wrapped in plastic preventing browsing before buying, it is a little more bothersome to me.) But that is fine, I am interested in these smoothies, but would rather see some kind of categorization. For example: every single card has a teal background with the words in white font. Why not color-code the backgrounds by category such as "sweet dessert smoothies", "meal in a glass (very nutritive in nature)", "high energy", and "alcoholic"? All that would be needed is one background color for each type. Another idea would be to have small icons/symbols to note which type of smoothie it is, possibly near the top of the card so we can shuffle through quickly for the type of drink we want to make. As they are now, the only way to tell one smoothie type from another is to read through the ingredient list.
Fun, useful and delicious recipes!
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Title: Super Smoothies Deck: 50 Recipes for Health and Energy by Sara Corpening Whiteford, Mary Corpening Barber, Amy Neunsinger, Sam Corpening Whiteford ISBN: 0811832848 Publisher: Chronicle Books Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Sin-Free Chocolate Smoothies: A Chocolate Lover's Guide to 70 Nutritious Blended Drinks by Gabriel Constans ISBN: 1583331220 Publisher: Avery Penguin Putnam Pub. Date: 28 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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