Desert Feast
by Members of the Tubac Center of the Arts
Published by Morris Press Cookbooks(purchase directly from nonprofit)
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
I love good cookbooks. Even though I don't like to cook, it is a necessity if I want to eat. So it stands to reason that any cookbook I like will have to be special. Desert Feast is filled with drop-dead, mouth-watering dishes that everyone will want to prepare.
Members of the Tubac Center of the Arts in Tubac, Arizona collected their favorite recipes and offered them to be included in a cookbook. Everyone involved wants the project to succeed so they donate their most prized recipes.
The recipes are concise and easy to follow and the majority of them require ingredients most kitchens have readily available or are easily attained.
The cookbook contains recipes from vegetables, side dishes, main dishes, breads and rolls, cookies/candy, miscellaneous, fix it and forget it section (my favorite) and an entire section from members of the area businesses.
If you live in the southwest, as I do for a good portion of the year, you know the food is unlike anywhere else in the United States. Some of my favorite recipes are: Mexican Chicken Casserole (great for a cool evening or after some invigorating exercise): the Chile Relleno Casserole will make your mouth water; and the Cowboy Cassoulet requires some effort but is worth it.
Desert Feast is not just a southwestern cookbook. The recipes reflect the member's individual tastes. I love the Chocolate Nut Pie. It is a rich dessert that freezes well. But the Brownie Carrot Cake is my favorite dessert. It is scrumptious!
Some other of my favorites are the Green Beans Caesar (so easy and good), Hungarian Pork Chops (let's just say I bought pork chops), Lemon Thyme Bread (all bread is good as far as I'm concerned) and the Basic Marinade for Everything is great. And it can be refrigerated for future use.
Armchair Interviews says: Desert Feast proceeds benefit Tubac Center of the Arts, a nonprofit, member supported arts organization in Tubac, Arizona. The cost is $23.84 (includes shipping and handling). If you'd like to order Desert Feast, email karin@tubacarts.org or call 520-398-2371.