My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Quilter's Kitchen (Elm Creek Quilts #13)
Anna Del Maso had known that she wanted to be a chef since she was in the seventh grade. "Somehow everything in my life ends up being about food," she realizes, as she begins the latest of her food-themed quilts. Her twin passions have converged in a brand-new position as head chef for Elm Creek Quilts, Waterford, Pennsylvania's popular quilting retreat.
A
...moreHardcover, 224 pages
Published
October 7th 2008
by Simon & Schuster
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,260)
A very quick read with lovely endpapers, this book doesn't qualify as a novella, let alone a novel. Richer in recipes than characters or plot, it looks more like a grade-school short story writing exercise with filler pages than a complete work of any kind. I find it unthinkable that this is part of a "series." The entire "story" fits on the endflaps, and I'm not kidding(The time frame is also roughly two days). Most of the recipes look enticing, but are simple enough they ca...more
This book is worth buying just for the wonderful recipes it contains. Because of these recipes though, I do have to warn that reading this book won't take very long. The recipes are numerous and included within the story itself so the book is actually only about half as long as it looks. I'm not going to take the time to recap the rest of the books as there are twelve that come before and it would take a whole review just for that, but even so, this book could be read as a stand alone.
...more
...more
This is a short book in the Elm Creek Quilt series and is the 13th novel. It is centered on the current day, with looks back in history. Rather than a full blown story, it is primarily a recipe book with the background of the preparation of the kitchen for remodeling as Sylvia and Anna clean out and pack. Sylvia remembers various short stories about certain items that they find and the recipes revolve around these particular stories. There are descriptions of holiday events, picnics, and more re...more
I enjoyed this book. I love the Elm Creek Quilters, and it was really neat seeing the recipes. The story itself wasn't very long, and the book was mainly recipes, but there were a few hints of...what? a relationship change, maybe? Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying Summer's Vegetarian Chili!
I picked up this book browsing in the library. This book had a cute idea of writing recipes in with the story, but as the other reviews say, it's a very empty story that could have been told in a few pages.
It was very repetitive and never went anywhere.
The first recipes seemed to be dumped into the middle--tripping it up instead of tying into the story. The later ones made more sense, but it seemed like they were trying too hard to string together a story when there never...more
It was very repetitive and never went anywhere.
The first recipes seemed to be dumped into the middle--tripping it up instead of tying into the story. The later ones made more sense, but it seemed like they were trying too hard to string together a story when there never...more
I liked this -- it was pretty much what I expected it to be, so I took a while to get around to reading it. The story is much shorter than the recipes given throughout, but I _did_ expect that. I think the author is setting things up for her next book as well as giving her readers the chance to try making some of the dishes she has talked about throughout the series of Elm Creek Quilt books. I will have to try the famous Bergstrom apple strudel sometime! Some of the recipes have been integr...more
Rayni
rated it
I wanted to get a Jennifer Chiaverini book at the library, but Runaway Quilt was checked out. I had looked at this book before, but since it's in a series, I wanted to save it. Then I decided maybe it was a "between the numbers" kind of book & would be safe to read. It was a quick read because I skipped all the recipes & read it for pleasure.
I did go back & look at the recipes. Most of them are labor intensive &, because of that, I wouldn't fix them. I didn't know all the ...more
I did go back & look at the recipes. Most of them are labor intensive &, because of that, I wouldn't fix them. I didn't know all the ...more
I was so excited when I saw this small little book at the library. I brought it home and started it right away and right away I was greatly disappointed! The story line surrounds Anna, the Elm Creek Quilts new chef and Sylvia the owner and founder of Elm Creek Quilts. Anna is a whiny insecure girl who is fearful of not finding a place in the group. She drove me batty throughout the short story. Sylvia continues to hang on to the past with her negativity and she too drove me crazy. There was not ...more
Not a story as much as it is a cookbook. I have tried several of the recipes which are delicious. Throughout the book series, stories are mentioned and history about german traditions in Sylvia's family especially a long description of her and her sister learning to make apple strudel from her mother and aunts. This book will only be a disappointment if you are expecting another novel. Instead, it gives a little background on the new chef to the manor, Anna, and her meals and recipes. If you...more
Kristen Hook
added it
This was really terrible! It took me no time at all to read it because more than 2/3 of the book was recipes. I think it's too bad because this could have been a really great concept. If only Jennifer Chiaverini had decided to actually transport us back to those memories in each chapter to re-live them instead of just telling them to Anna. She is a master of doing that in her other books. We could have spent time with the different characters in their time and in their voices and gotten the whol...more
In the tradition of every character needing their own book, comes The Quilter's Kitchen. Anna was introduced to Elm Creek in Circle of Quilters. In that book, she interviewed to become one of the new Elm Creek Quilters but was, instead, hired as the head chef for Elm Creek Manor. This book covers one day as Anna and Sylvia clean out the Elm Creek Manor kitchen in preparation for a major remodeling.
Anna is trying to find her place among the quilters and, predictably, the story is f...more
Anna is trying to find her place among the quilters and, predictably, the story is f...more
Chiaverini usually has engaging plots, characters whose problems interest the reader, and historical detail deftly tied into the story. This book lacks both story and cohesion, and is really more of an excuse for a cookbook. If you want to sample some recipes, go ahead; otherwise, all you need to know from this book is that Sylvia and Anna find a long-lost cornucopia during a kitchen clean-out which they decide to use for a new quilting tradition (see the Quilter's Holiday.)
This book is part of the Elm Creek Quilters series. It purports to be a novel, but the plot is extremely simple and thin, being only a short story about cleaning out an old kitchen and reliving the memories of meals made there. I’ve tried one recipe for mushroom soup which was pretty good and another for “Parmesan Puffs,” a kind of cheesy shortbread cooky that wasn’t a puff at all. (That one was a one-time experiment!) “Shoo-fly Pie” sounds interesting.
The cover states "An Elm Creek Quilts Novel with recipes." Hardly, more like an Elm Creek recipe book with 10 connected short stories. However, having said that, the short stories were ok but the recipes look great. I'd buy the book just to put it on my cookbook shelf. I'm feeling cheated that this was promoted as the #13 novel in a series I have enjoyed greatly to date. So it is on to the next in the series with the hope that Chiaverini returns to her usual good work.
Chiaverini has written 2 other small "in between the real novels books" full of recycled crap from the other books and deadly dull new content. The difference with this one is it's half recycled crap and half recipes. I didn't even end up checking it out at the library-it was so short that I read the whole thing while my daughter played with the puppets.
Instead of wasting time with filler books Chiaverini should stick to the full length Elm Creek Quilts novels-they're as am...more
Instead of wasting time with filler books Chiaverini should stick to the full length Elm Creek Quilts novels-they're as am...more
In the continuing story of Elm Creek Quilts, Sylvia and Anna, the new chef for Elm Creek Quilt camp, are cleaning out the kitchen to prepare for renovations. Filled with four generations of Bergstrom effluvia, Sylvia shares Bergstrom and Elm Creek history with Anna as they clean. Anna is delighted to hear the stories. At the end of the day, she feels as if she is a real Elm Creek quilter. Each chapter contains recipes from the various Elm Creek celebrations.
Memories are often found in the kitchen.... for me it is the smell of lamb cooking in the oven or cakes baking. I never wanted to learn how to cook when my mom tried to teach me yet, somehow... somewhere in my memories are the receipes for all of the wonderful Greek dishes we ate and the little tricks my mom used to use when frosting a cake. The kitchen is the heart of the home... filled with memories... filled with the same makings found in this book!
This was a very quick read with more recipes than storyline. I've read every book in this series and I've enjoyed each one.
This one, however, seemed a little cheap and easy to crank out onto the press.
There could have been much more storyline with the chef being incorporated into the family of quilters, with a making of another quilt to boot. Kind of a wasted opportunity.
Oh well, I'll be reading the next ones as they come out anyway.
This one, however, seemed a little cheap and easy to crank out onto the press.
There could have been much more storyline with the chef being incorporated into the family of quilters, with a making of another quilt to boot. Kind of a wasted opportunity.
Oh well, I'll be reading the next ones as they come out anyway.
The only reason I gave this book 3 stars is because I like the series overall so much. This book retells the same stories as what are in the previous books in the series and a much more condensed, rushed version at that. To make matters worse, the BULK of the book is recipes! Granted, it's recipes of meals that were talked about in the books, but if I had wanted a cookbook, I would have gotten a cookbook. Very disappointing, especially considering how much I like the rest of the books in the...more
This was an easy read but a little disappointing. I have grown to love the Elm Creek Quilters and get caught up when reading one of the novels to where I can't put it down. This book was mostly recipes that I probably will never use and could find in almost any cookbook. The story line was very simple - the new cook and the matriarch of the mansion were cleaning out the kitchen to get ready for some major remodeling. As they come across items that bring back memories, the matriarch would rem...more
Anna Del Maso is the new chef at Elm Creek Manor. She had interviewed for a position as a quilter; but, the quilters liked the idea of her as chef, as the previous chef had quit.
Anna and Sylvia are cleaning out cupboards and other places to prepare for the kitchen to be updated with new appliances and cookware. It seems the kitchen was due for an update as had not been done since the 1940's. A lot of reminiscing is done by Sylvia as they go through the things. Sylvia tells of all the...more
Anna and Sylvia are cleaning out cupboards and other places to prepare for the kitchen to be updated with new appliances and cookware. It seems the kitchen was due for an update as had not been done since the 1940's. A lot of reminiscing is done by Sylvia as they go through the things. Sylvia tells of all the...more
This book introduces a new character, Anna Del Maso to the Elm Creek quilers. Anna will be the new head chef at the Manor and as she and Sylvia dismantle the kitchen in preparation of remodeling, Sylvia shares some of the traditions of the Manor.
The book has some wonderful recipes related to the traditions of the Manor, which remind me of my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and I'll be trying them soon.
The book has some wonderful recipes related to the traditions of the Manor, which remind me of my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and I'll be trying them soon.
I was kind of disappointed with the lack of story in this book. I was so excited to see how the new characters fitted in and to see the new cook find her niche. I would have been much happier with just a cook book and maybe some comments from the characters. There was such a set up in the previous book that this seemed like a let down. They do look like very yummy recipes but the story is a cop out.
I have read all of Jennifer Chiaverini's Books - some that I loved and some that I liked a lot. This is not one of my favorites. It is interesting to see a new member of the Elm Creek Quilters try to fit in and to learn of how the old members are doing, but it had too many recipes and not enough story. I have all the books and most I would reread often but this is just one to add to the collection.
A very quick read. It is essentially a short story (a tale of one day), with lots of good recipes.
Anne, a chef is helping pack up a kitchen getting a reno, in an old quilters retreat centre. She and the owner
go through drawers and cupboards and discover treasures (old dishes, aprons...) from the past.
I liked it because it was light, and short ...and the book was small, i liked holding it (i'm a very tactile person).
Anne, a chef is helping pack up a kitchen getting a reno, in an old quilters retreat centre. She and the owner
go through drawers and cupboards and discover treasures (old dishes, aprons...) from the past.
I liked it because it was light, and short ...and the book was small, i liked holding it (i'm a very tactile person).
There isn't a whole lot to this book ... very short chapters that each end with various recipes. The story is about Anna, the new Elm Creek Quilters Chef and Sylvia, founder/owner of Elm Creek Quilts/Elm Creek Manor cleaning out the kitchen in preparation for the remodeling job it is about to undergo. As various items are found and packed away, Sylvia shares memories they bring back.
I love the Elm Creek Quilter's series so when I downloaded this new one to my Kindle I was expecting more of the same. The Manor is getting a new kitchen remodel for quilting camps. Sylvia and Anna are going through cupboards and Sylvia is telling stories--- which were good (and often recyled if you have read any of the series), but just not enough new story line. The recipes look good, but I wanted a new episode in the lives of the Elm Creek Quilters.
This is the first time I've been disappointed by anything by Chiaverini. What I thought was a novella with a few recipes, is actually a cookbook with a short story. Each "chapter" of this book includes more pages of recipes than it does of text and the entire "story" is nothing more than a conversation between two of the quilters. The recipes look good, but I didn't pick up this book to cook, I picked it up to read and enjoy.
This is one of a series based on a quilter's camp with stories revolving around the individuals there. This book focuses on the new chef and includes several recipes she uses as she cooks for the lady quilters--a clever twist in a book. This is an enjoyable book, quite interesting in its connection of quilt patterns with historical events.
Not much to this book or the story. LOTS of recipes. and there didn't seem to be much point to having the recipes there. I'm not really sure I understand the purpose of this book. It didn't add much to the storyline (and again, referenced many things in previous books) and the addition of the recipes did not add much. A disappointment.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Jennifer Chiaverini is the author of ten Elm Creek Quilts novels and An Elm Creek Quilts Sampler and An Elm Creek Quilts Album, as well as Elm Creek Quilts and Return to Elm Creek, two collections of quilt projects inspired by the series, and is the designer of the Elm Creek Quilts fabric lines from Red Rooster fabrics. She lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin.
...more
More about Jennifer Chiaverini...
...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
