Joe Fitzpatrick

Strictly Sunday's by Joe Fitzpatrick is a gourmet cookbook for the cook that we all want to be. Joe Fitzpatrick is a real estate agent from the Puget Sound area of Washington State. He and his wife of 32 years have three children and two grandchildren. Joe has been called the Blue Collar Gourmet.

The recipes I found in Strictly Sunday's remind me of the type of recipes I've seen in gourmet cooking magazines like Bon Apetit with one exception. These recipes all use very familiar ingredients show more and are written so that your average cook can prepare them without running to a culinary dictionary.

Strictly Sunday's has 146 full color, glossy pages including the index. There are six chapters which include Appetizers, Main Dishes, Salads, Soups, Side Dishes and Salsas. The recipes in this cookbook are enticing and the gorgeous color photographs are inspirational.

Each delicious recipe includes a short description to explain the origins of the recipe or to offer a suggestion on serving the recipe. For example, the recipe for London Broil offers "This meal comes together very well with my olive-tomato topping." The recipe details each ingredient and offers easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for preparing and serving each dish.

There is literally something for everyone in this cookbook. Whether your tastes run to seafood, barbeque, Italian, Mexican or hearty American dishes, you will find a recipe to entice you in the pages of Strictly Sunday.

I love that there are no dessert recipes included in the cookbook. Too many cookbooks over focus on sweets and I think the focus of any meal should be the main course. Strictly Sunday's gets to the meat (and potatoes) of a Sunday dinner to remember.

A few of my favorite recipes included in Strictly Sunday's are Pasta Shrimp Salad, Garlic Parmesan Potatoes, French BLT and Crab Cakes with Dipping Sauce. Doesn't that just make your mouth water thinking about it? Now I just have to decide which one to make first! show less

Strictly Sundays is a unique and interesting new cookbook that presents the perfect blend of gourmet and everyday cooking. This is gourmet cooking that will not scare away the regular cook, and you will not need a dictionary to figure out the ingredients.

There are recipes for appetizers, main dishes, salads, soups, side dishes and salsas. No desserts, but you won’t miss them with the quality and variety of recipes presented. Because I live in a very small town, one of the most important show more things I look for in a new cookbook is availability of ingredients. These recipes contain easy to find ingredients that I would be able to pick up locally. The instructions for the recipes are clear and concise. Recipes for Portuguese Meatballs with Spicy Sauce, Crab Cakes with Dipping Sauce, Tenderloin Steaks with Brandy Cream Sauce, Cioppino, and Orange and Olive Salsa are just a few of the recipes that are on my list to try first.

The quality and look of the book is outstanding. The photography is beautiful and with the book printed on coated paper, it has a classy look and feel. It would make a thoughtful gift or a useful addition to the family cookbook collection. show less

Joe Fitzpatrick's mother Doris started teaching him about cooking at the age of ten, when she asked him to put some more rolls in the oven. He was more than happy to do this for her, but about 10 minutes later they smelled something horrible coming from the kitchen. Joe had put the rolls in a 350 degree oven, bag and all. Lucky for us, his mother didn't let that stop her from teaching him how to cook. And also lucky for us, he loves to cook and is very good at it. This is a great book for of show more yummy recipes. If you love to cook and/or eat, I highly recommend this cookbook.

There are six chapters:
Appetizer's
Main Dishes
Salads
Soups
Side Dishes
Salsas

There are photos scattered throughout the book and they are bright and clear. The only downside to this cookbook is that it is rather small so the print is tiny which makes it hard to read, but the recipes are so good that I can deal with it. I think this is a great addition to any one's cookbook collection and hope that this is not the last cookbook from this cook. show less

This is a very short, simple rhyming book about crazy creatures. Each page is only one sentence long and talk about the characteristics of crazy creatures. At the end of the story a little boy says that he makes them up when he lays in bed.