Potluck at Midnight Farm : Celebrating Food, Family, and Friends on Martha's Vineyard

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Summary: A gorgeous presentation of eyecatching ideas
Review: A year of potlucks on Martha's Vineyard are reflected in Tamara Weiss's Potluck At Midnight Farm, a superbly presented cookbook which covers everything from brunches to grill fests, and a hundred recipes from the author and her guests. Add striking color photos of finished dishes and a seasonal arrangement and you have a gorgeous presentation of eyecatching ideas for potluck dinners and special occasions.

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Summary: fun to own but you dont need to have
Review: i bought the book because i have spent 25 years going to martha's vineyard--the book is inspiring because it makes you want to have a potluck party at your own home--but dont buy it simply for the recipes--they are fine--buy it because its a fun addition to your collection and inspires you to celebrate family and friends-- and martha's vineyard--
the author's friends (whom she touts as a very eclectic group) happen to include all of the island's celebs---which does make it fun to look at the pics and read their recipes--

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Summary: great food for and with good friends
Review: I love this book! I had pretty much given up on giving dinner parties -- who has time to shop, cook, and clean up after working all day? -- but this book opened my eyes to a new way to entertain. Everyone pitches in, everyone can relax and enjoy the meal and the company, and best of all, everyone helps clean up! Try it. You'll be very pleasantly surprised.

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Summary: A Winner!
Review: I Loved this cookbook! I first made the Lighthouse Lasagne and everyone raved, then onto the corn spoon pudding at another occasion, did I mention the Roasted Herb and Garlic Chicken, Tooo Good! This is a great cookbook for ANYONE that gets invited (To be so Lucky )a potluck with their children. How wonderful it is to spend an evening with friends and you're children and have great family food and fellowship. This is not a celebrity cookbook as some have mentioned, but rather a wAY TO get together book.

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Summary: Better than you think.
Review: Ignore the parochial carping and celebrity baiting found in the previous reviews. This is actually a handsome and useful book. Not all of recipes are keepers, but that's true of any cookbook. The good ones, though, are quite good (the fried chicken is sensational), and the entertaining tips are savvy and valuable. Well worth the [money].

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Summary: Save you $$$$
Review: Poorly put together. Made me wonder if they actually CAN cook? It has a few Martha's Vineyard pictures, toss in a few big names, and see if we can make a buck feel.....If I'd seen it first I would not have bought it....a nice coffee table book for those you don't cook.

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Summary: Pretentious Pot Luck
Review: Save your money and buy a Gourmet Magazine. Carly Simon, Diane Sawyer, Mary Steenburgen....big names, little talent in the cooking department. This cookbook should be entitled "this is how we Beautiful People eat. We just can't cook." For Heaven sake, the author even admitted she likes to entertain, but doesn't care too much for cooking, which is why she has potluck at every turn. Nice picture of pretty people having a good time. Lousy recipes. Buy it ONLY if you are interested in the lifestyles of the rich and famous, Martha's Vineyard style!

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Summary: Glossy, fun, but......
Review: Sure it's fun looking. Great pictures. But some of the recipes I tried were far from good and I AM a cook. In addition, once you look through it, you get a little tired of seeing all of these gorgeous faces in glamourous settings and long for something a bit more "real". I am not sure why I bought this- and I will get a little fun out of it, but I will be passing it on as it is not a keeper. Makes a decent GIFT, but for the serious cook- or even the not so serious cook- this will be like an afternoon with People Magazine. Not a lot worth remembering.

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Summary: This is not the Vineyard
Review: The New York Times was right: This book makes the Vineyard look like "a minimal-security prison for the criminally self-absorbed". There are so many better Vineyard-based cookbooks (like The Martha's Vineyard Cookbook--out now in its 3rd edition!)

The recipes are so-so but the text you have to wade through to get to them will ruin your appetite.

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Summary: potluck at midnight farm-fabulous
Review: This beautifully photographed book is more than a cookbook. Each guest who brought a dish contributed a paragraph explaining the value their recipe holds to them personally. It is nice to see a warm sense of friendship and community so fashionably displayed and organized. The fear factor is taken out of shying away from trying the recipes as these are favorites and specialties of the recipe contributors. You will find something new everytime you open the book, just as if you were to visit Midnight Farm itself.