Stir, Laugh, Repeat - Review by Donna Bramblett, TX

BUTTER PECAN COOKIES - Donna's Favorite Cookie Recipe

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
1 cup margarine
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Cream sugars & margarine. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Drop by small teaspoons on cookie
sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. When cool, fill
with frosting (recipe below).

Cookies are better when not real large and are soft. In my oven, I only cook them seven minutes...so you may need to experiment a bit. When I take them off of the cookie sheet and remove them to a wire rack to cool, I "scrunch" them a little so they are crinkled.

FROSTING

1 8 ounce package cream cheese
1 box confectioners powdered sugar
1 tsp. margarine
1 cup chopped pecans

Let cream cheese soften to room temperature and mix well with sugar and margarine. Stir in pecans and put filling on one cookie and top with another (sandwich style).

These look pretty in a big crystal bowl and I have served them from a baby shower to a family reunion. My cousin gave me this recipe years ago and she said she has made the frosting adding melted chocolate and put it between peanut butter cookies. I haven't tried it, but if you like peanut butter (oh, but you don't like chocolate) it might be good.

Stir, Laugh, Repeat - Review by Donna Bramblett, TX

I recently ordered your cookbook “Stir, Laugh, Repeat” and it came in the mail yesterday. I sat down last night to glance at it and couldn’t put it down….I read it from cover to cover!

I loved the format and all of the stories you added on each page just put a special touch to the book. After reading it, I feel like I really know you and your family. I know your sons-in-law are Yankees, you are a lover of cheese, but you dislike chocolate…well not all chocolate..you have a weakness for white chocolate and I would venture to guess that you never take yourself too seriously. I also loved the fact that you use every day ingredients and don’t mind admitting that you and cakes do not have a love affair. It was such an easy and enjoyable read. I will be waiting for the second book which I understand is now in the works.

I have some pages marked for things that will be first on my list to try. One of them is the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Mini Pies on Page 144. This will be a great addition to a brunch and it is so simple. It made me wonder…”now why hadn’t I thought about that?” Another recipe I definitely have to try is the Cracker Bars on Page73 and I may do a “Martha trick” and use regular chocolate instead of white chocolate. I could mention several others, but I think you have the idea that I really am enjoying Stir, Laugh, Repeat.
Donna, TX

Stir, Laugh, Repeat - Review by Debra Purdy Kong

Debra Purdy Kong's Favorite Recipe
Scalloped Potatoes:

4 medium potatoes very thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped.
1 cup of shredded old cheddar cheese
1 can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup of milk
1 clove of garlic

In a greased casserole dish, arrange half of the potatoes and half of the onion. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layers. In a small bowl, combine soup, milk and garlic. Spoon over potato mixture. Cover, bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Unocver and bake 10 more minutes or until potatoes are tender. Makes 6 side-dish servings.



Stir, Laugh, Repeat - Review by Debra Purdy Kong

Easy Recipes and a Personal Touch, May 27, 2009
By Debra Purdy Kong "mystery writer" (Port Moody, BC) - See all my reviews

When it comes to creating recipes, I have little imagination so I turn to cookbooks for ideas. My problem with many of them, though, is that the recipes are either too complicated or the ingredients too hard to find. So it was with great pleasure that I discovered Stir, Laugh, Repeat by Martha A. Cheves. Her straightforward recipes reflect her southern U.S. background and use simple, affordable ingredients. Cheves provides a number of money-saving tips which is greatly appreciated.

If you love cheese and white chocolate (not together) you'll love this book because the author's a fan of both and features these items in several recipes. As a bonus, Cheves also offers personal stories and a practical tip with each recipe, which gives the book a personal touch.

My only quibble is that it'll be hard to keep the book open when I try some of the recipes, which is why I usually prefer coil bound cookbooks. Also, there are a couple of ingredients such as Parker House rolls that aren't available here in Canada so I'll have to find a substitute. Meanwhile, I really need to start on that banana pudding recipe!