Rating: 
Summary: Great recipes
Review: Now that I have gone through this cookbook, I need to go back and find the similar recipe books McCullough has done for the last four years. If this one is any indication, I predict that I will think I died and went to heaven.I cannot wait to try some of the recipes that I earmarked in this book--including some unusual soups, the Garlicky Sun-Dried Tomato Spread (looks good AND easy!), a salad made with prosciutto and sugar snap peas, an Italian beef stew, and more desserts than I have any right to want to taste! I especially liked the conversational tone of the book, the way the recipes are introduced and the tips that accompany them. It's kind of quirky, and I liked that!
Rating: 
Summary: Every recipe is a winner!
Review: The authors did their homework with these recipes! I have tried 30+ receipes from this cookbook and all were a hit with family and friends. I am so comfortable with the quality of the recipes that I even use first time recipes on guests! I can't wait for the the 2001-2002 cookbook!
Rating:
Summary: Great cookies
Review: The best of 1999 has given us a super selection of diverse, simple recipes. Thank you Fran and Suzanne for fishing these gems out of a sea of recipes. My favorite is the recipe for the cookies that can be made from one dough. I loved the results so much, I bought a copy of this must-have book ONE DOUGH FIFTY COOKIES, by Leslie Glover Pendleton. This beautiful little book is so simple it is baffling, and has forever changed the way I bake cookies!
Rating:
Summary: A great cookbook!
Review: The polenta recipe alone is worth the price of the book. It is a no-stir recipe, and very easy. There is also a great chili recipe with lamb and beans. It is a very eclectic collection with some unusual and delicious dishes. It is a cookbook well worth having.
Rating:
Summary: Yum!
Review: This collection is amazing. I now know the recipe for Green Olive and Lemon Risotto by heart. It is foolproof and totally fabulous!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Resource
Review: This is one FUN cookbook. I've made several items from it and haven't been let down once. I even made the amazing cinnamon buns on the cover, and I don't usually bake. My husband loves the Beer Can Chicken, as do I. The Salad with Figs, Walnuts, Gorgonzola and Warm Port Vinaigrette is a real keeper.
Rating:
Summary: Great Gift Idea!
Review: This recipe book is perfect as a gift for someone who does a lot of entertaining. All of the recipes are fairly simple to make and do not take a lot of time. Each recipe also comes with a great introduction.
Rating:
Summary: McCullough and Hamlin triumph in 1999 and 2000!
Review: This review refers to "Best American Recipes 2000." I noticed that Amazon hasn't always segregated these reviews by year, so I include this information. The review for the 1999 edition is at the bottom, due to Amazon's silliness with this.
I have trusted Fran McCullough ever since she co-authored "Great Food Without Fuss," another book full of easy-but-perfect and unusual recipes. I also loved McCullough and Hamlin's "Best American Recipes 1999," so I bought this for my birthday. WOW. I have had it for 2 weeks, and I cannot stop cooking from it. Just from browsing all the books in "Best American Recipes" series so far, I get the feeling that McCullough/Hamlin is the best co-author team in the series, but I haven't had the others as long, so I'll report back when I've cooked my way through the later ones.
So far, I have made:
Stuffed French Toast with Lemon-Cheese Filling and Blueberries: impressed even the most jaded of palates
Puffy Maine Pancakes: the classic Dutch baby pancake
Fresh Fig, Gorgonzola, and Walnut Salad with Warm Port Vinaigrette: worth the price of the book for the salad dressing alone (requires reducing 1 cup of nonvintage port)
Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce: so easy, creamy, and lovely, but without any cream
Watermelon Salsa: a salad, actually. My husband and I devoured the recipe that "serves 4," and not because the recipe was skimpy!
Wine Grapes, Walnuts, and Olives: a magical transformation of basic high-quality ingredients. Great as a side dish, or on pasta.
All have perfect directions, incredible flavor, and helpful notes. Main dishes come with a "serve with" menu, with all the recipes included in the book. I love that! Who can resist a foolproof, perfect dinner party menu?
Both this book and the 1999 book have a whole menu for Thanksgiving dinner, including the turkey. Most years, I scour my hundreds of cookbooks and cooking magazines for the perfect menu, never trusting that a particular side dish or dessert will come out as promised. This Thanksgiving, the only hard thing will be deciding between the 1999 and the 2000 menus from the "Best American Recipes" series. From me, this is strong praise, as I have never in my 30+ years of cooking made a whole menu as written from a book or magazine.
Enjoy!
1999:
This review refers to "Best American Recipes 1999." Amazon sometimes prints a copy of the review under a different edition.
McCullough and Hamlin are a great team. They went to great lengths emailing everyone in the food world asking for the best recipes published in the preceding year. They came up with some real winners.
Lately, I'm addicted to the Watermelon Milkshake (yes, where else would you get a recipe that sounds so bad and tastes so good?) I have been freezing the watermelon so I can use Greek (drained) nonfat yogurt and still get that thick and frosty, made-with-ice-cream mouth feel. Lest you think I only like the book for inspiration and doctor/change the recipes, this is not true. I'm sure the vanilla ice cream version would blow my mind (and my diet!).
The Blueberry Lemonade is wonderful, and again, I never would have thought of it. Why not make a lighter, fresher version of blueberry pie in a glass? It's hot today, so I made mine in the blender with ice cubes instead of water.
Obviously, I really appreciate that every year of this series includes some non-alcoholic beverages that delight the taste buds. Enough of sickly-sweet punches!
Actually, clear and consistent goals are things that make this series great. Clearly, there is a Thanksgiving menu. Clearly, there are the nonalcoholic drinks. Clearly, there are summer salads and winter sides. Consistently, there are lovely brunch/breakfast specialties, often with the comment that one is perfect for the morning after Christmas. McCullough and Hamlin know how real people cook, what recipes they need, and they deliver!
Butter and Egg Soup For Newlyweds was as good as any "amuse buche" at a fancy restaurant, and I made it at the last minute on my own birthday!
This book has enticing recipe after recipe, with clear descriptions, clear directions, and perfect results. The "cook's note" next to each recipe helps, as does the suggested "serve with" menu and wine selection.
The suggested menus and wines disappear starting in 2003. I DO hope they are back for 2005!
Rating:
Summary: Best Recipes
Review: This series is great.
Don't be put off by the boring format.
Not one recipe tried has been less than it promises.
I like them so much I've bought them all.
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