Review: Taste of Home Recipes Across America

Summary: Sink your teeth into 735 all-American dishes, from crispy Southern Fried Chicken and tasty Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches to sweet Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie. This ALL-NEW Recipes Across America cookbook is our BIGGEST-EVER collection of regional favorites and a must-have for home cooks coast to coast! Take a look at the dishes below for a taste of what's inside, then order your own copy of Recipes Across America today! -- Taste of Home Books

I am a HUGE fan of Taste of Home's recipes, so when I saw that they had a new cookbook out, I knew I wanted to get my hands on a copy. Their latest addition to their cookbook line is called TASTE OF HOME: RECIPES ACROSS AMERICA, and what a cookbook it is!

RECIPES ACROSS AMERICA is quite a thick cookbook (over 500 pages) and offers a huge variety of recipes. If you are familiar with Taste of Home's cookbooks, then you know that's not unusual. However, what makes RECIPES ACROSS AMERICA so special is that it features recipes from all five regions of the United States -- the Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest, and West.

RECIPES ACROSS AMERICA definitely appealed to me and I think all cookbook fans will enjoy the 700+ recipes. I've lived in both the Northeast and the South, so I appreciate seeing all of the foods that I have eaten all of my life. But, I also loved seeing recipes from the Southwest because I love Tex Mex food. I found it extremely interesting to see many of the foods I've come to think of as part of a particular area, and I also discovered a thing or two about some new-to-me variations of popular foods.

The cookbook is divided into five sections based on the regions of America. Then it is subdivided into Main Dishes, Sides & More, and Sweets. Needless to say, there is a little something for everyone. In addition to the recipes, this cookbook also has loads of color photographs. Not every recipes has a featured picture, but most of them do. I don't know about you, but that's pretty darn important (and impressive) to me!

Another special feature in RECIPES ACROSS AMERICA is that almost every page has a "Dishing about Food" section in the sidebar. I found this information to be particularly interesting because it gives little bits of trivia about the various region's food. For example, did you know that "fried chicken" in Maryland means pan-fried chicken that is browned and then steamed rather than a crunchy coating?

Any time I have a cookbook this large, I admit I feel a little overwhelmed when deciding what to try first. Since I was hosting book club this week, I decided to make a dessert to share with my friends. I was in the mood for a lemon pound cake so I made the Golden Pound Cake recipe from the South region -- Mechanicsville, Virginia to be exact. The recipe was really simple -- basically a doctored cake mix recipe, and it had one secret ingredient, Mountain Dew. We all agreed that the cake was tasty and extremely moist, although I wish it had risen just a tad bit more.

RECIPES ACROSS AMERICA has some amazing recipes but also some very interesting tidbits about food in America. Highly recommended.

Thanks to FSB Associates for providing a review copy of this book.

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