Home Page

Autobiography / Biography   Travel / Places   Cooking / Food   Fashion / Health / Beauty   Other / General / Self-Help   Crafts / Home Improvement   Humor

Western National Parks' Lodges Cookbook
by Kathleen Bryant
Northland Publishing
ISBN 0-87358-900-9
Published April 2007 - Hardcover - 170 pages - $24.95

This beautiful book features ten National Parks (on the western side of the country) and recipes from fifteen of their lodges.  We start off with quite possibly the most famous National Park there is: Yellowstone.  Some of the other parks included are Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and the Grand Teton National Park.  We're given a brief history to each park to read, and there's also interesting accounts about the varied establishments in each of the parks, some with more than just a few!  Here are some of the recipes I found interesting (these are not chili joints or hamburger stopovers!): Smoked Salmon Spinach Salad; Navajo Eggplant (sounds delicious); White Turkey Chili; Keylime Ice-Box Cheesecake; Rattlesnake Empanadas (I kid you not); Bourbon Buffalo Meatloaf, and Moose Drool Buffalo Strip Loin (again, I kid you not).  All rather refined and very inviting, although personally, I'll pass on the rattlesnake.  Try and work out from which park the above recipes originate.  I'm sure you'll be surprised that there are so many sophisticated kitchens so far from everything else - a very pleasant surprise.  I've yet to truly visit a National Park properly (I was in Yosemite and at the Grand Canyon for a half-day look around) and this book has inspired me to get going.  I can't wait.  Most of these hotels are in keeping with the natural theme, with lots of woods and other local materials used.  See pages 22, 46, 51, and 140.
Recipes are partially illustrated.  No nutritional guides.
Conclusion - A stunning three-in-one book: Magnificent photographs for a coffee table book, historical facts, and superb recipes.  An absolute bargain at $24.95!