Don Strange of Texas: His Life and Recipes Cookbook #review

I am a cookbook lover. You could say I am a cookbook collector. There just might be several shelves {and cupboards} in my kitchen that are stuffed and crammed full lined with books of varying shapes, sizes and ages, all of them just bursting with recipes. It’s not only the recipes that I love, I love the story behind a recipe — the reason for the recipes or the sentimental attachment people have to them. Which is why I enjoy ‘reading’ my cookbooks.

One of the newest additions to my tasty library is the ‘Don Strange of Texas: His Life and Recipes ‘ cookbook. Written by the creator of the Don Strange Market Place, and the late Don Strange’s wife, Francis Strange shows the world a peek into the family business she and Don built together.

“Through engaging personal anecdotes spanning the caterer’s entire career, Francis reveals Don’s innovative genius for finding new ways to cook and serve party foods as well as his dogged persistence in meeting the logistical challenges of feeding huge crowds under adverse conditions. What emerges is a portrait of a down-to-earth family man who built a first-class catering operation through sheer hard work and relentless perfectionism, an unerring eye for detail, a steadfast dedication to customer satisfaction, and a showman’s sense of fun and surprise.“

This hefty book is so much more than just a cookbook, it is a beautiful tribute to a man who showed his love of life and family through his food. the stories and memories are fun to read and give the average reader a look into a culinary whirlwind. Recipes such as Don’s Shrimp & Crab Corn Cakes and the Christmas Bacon are simple dishes that highlight the true flavors of their main ingredients.

Francis Strange includes over one hundred mouth watering recipes in ‘Don Strange of Texas: His Life and Recipes‘, each one prefaced by a short informative paragraph that tells us the history of the recipe. I love this! I also love reading about some of the events Don Strange catered, along with the event menu and recipes — The Hill Country Wedding Brunch and Dinner menus look simply amazing! And, it was fun to read on the website that Fried venison with Jalapeno Cream Gravy and Venison Quesadillas were served at the Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert wedding.

The Don Strange Market Place offers a taste of what the business is all about with an assortment of baked goods, heat and eat Christmas bacon and Grilled White Wings, gift cards, sauces and more. We were lucky enough to receive some of Don Strange’s sauces to review along with our cookbook. Both the Original and Mild Bar-B-Que sauces were delicious! they have a sweetness that complimented all of the meat we tried it on from burgers to chicken drumsticks to steaks. Our only complaint was that the original box held three bottles of sauce, one did not make the trip. The other two bottles were intact with only a bit of damage to the labels. I’d like to think that this wouldn’t normally happen when items are ordered and shipped, our box was a surprise as we only thought we were going to be receiving the cookbook for review. I think they may not have been packed as well as they normally would.

The ‘Don Strange of Texas: His Life and Recipes‘ would be a wonderful gift for the cookbook lover in your life!