Books about Midwestern from Amazon.com

How does an ordinary person make a sophisticated, crowd-pleasing cake in a snap? With a bundt pan, of course! Foodie Susanna Short brings back the beautiful bundts of yesteryear with mouthwatering, kitchen-tested recipes for busy families, elegant entertainers, and confection connoisseurs everywhere in Bundt Cake Bliss.

“I chuckled all the way through this delightful book. I felt like I was spending a sunny afternoon visiting with the charming Sanvidge sisters as they tell their funny, warm, and wonderful stories about growing up in 1950s Wisconsin. Each recipe evokes family memories (which each sister remembers a little differently . . .) and conjures up a time and place that has become an American icon.”
--Judith Fertig, author of Prairie Home Cooking

“From the first page to the last, the mouthwatering recipes and the rich family reminisces drew me in and kept me there, giving me a wonderful serving of the tastes and textures of growing up in Wisconsin.”
--Patty Pinner, author of Sweets

Compiled by four sisters and based on their recollections of their childhood in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Apple Betty & Sloppy Joe captures the glow of memories formed while growing up in a midwestern kitchen. From Lemon Meringue Pie to Tomato Soup Cake, from Mom’s Chicken Pie to Grandma Noffke’s Sliced Cucumber Pickles, this charming book features hundreds of recipes (some classic, some quirky), plus dozens of food- and cooking-related anecdotes, memories, humorous asides, and period photos that transport readers back to Mom’s or Grandma’s kitchen, circa 1950. The Sanvidges share a legacy of beloved dishes and food memories that resonate not just for their family, but for readers everywhere who grew up in a small midwestern town--or wish they had. Nostalgic, funny, and warmhearted, Apple Betty & Sloppy Joecelebrates the ways food and food memories link us to our past, and to each other. A delightful gift for food lovers of any generation.

In more than fifty years of broadcasting from the Twin Cities WCCO, Joyce Lamont shared countless recipes, household tips, travel notes, and homey anecdotes with her audience In the process she became one of the best-loved cooks, household helpers, and radio personalities in the Midwest--and a virtual member of the family for millions of listeners.

This book collects 300 recipes from Joyce Lamonts kitchen--all of them well tested over time by her vast and devoted audience. Characteristically simple, well-seasoned, delicious, family-friendly, and reliable, these recipes are the essence of comfort food. Each week WCCOs "Best Buys" guided homemakers to the foods that were in season, at peak quality, and reasonably priced. Just so, this book follows the calendar, directing readers to the freshest ingredients available throughout the year and making the most of these in recipes that celebrate the seasons plenty.

Sweetened and spiced throughout with Ms. Lamonts reminiscences of radio personalities and on-air antics, these recipes invite us back into one of the warmest and most welcoming kitchens ever to serve such a close, extended family. And as a bonus the book includes a collection of Ms. Lamonts household hints--tips that range from drying gourds for decoration to the best way to open a stubborn jar--suggestions that are as trustworthy and timeless as the recipes they accompany.

What do you get when you mix Tater Tots, ground beef, and cream of mushroom soup? Tater Tot Hot Dish, of course! Retired Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste section editor—the delightful auntie every discerning foodie wants to call their own—Ann Burckhardt brings back the comfy casseroles of the fifties and sixties with modern updates for busy families, swingin’ singles, and twenty-first-century potluckers in Hot Dish Heaven.

A veritable geography of the best-of-the-best hot dishes, this handy cookbook features seventy kitchen-tested recipes collected from casserole connoisseurs across the Midwest. Emphasizing the use of fresh, nutritious ingredients without losing sight of the importance of a good can of soup in the right bake-and-share meal, Burckhardt balances delicious down-home selections like Texas Hash, Football Stew, and Reuben Bake with such wholesome one-dish wonders as Whole Grain Pilaf and Tian of Rice and Zucchini.

You too can dine like the stars with such dazzling feasts as Phoebe’s Peach Noodle Kugle from the childhood kitchen of comedian Al Franken and the Cedric Adams Hot Dish, named after the late Broadcasting Hall of Famer once known as the “voice of the Upper Midwest.” Burckhardt gives us the history of each dish, the classic variations, and ideas for cooking and sharing in today’s busy world.