Guy Fieri Food Cookbook Review

Guy Fieri Food
Cookin' It Livin' It Lovin' It
By Guy Fieri with Ann Volkwein

I am proud owner of the first edition of Guy Fieri's new cookbook, Guy Fieri Food Cookin' It Livin' It Lovin' It. This beautiful tome is a must have for Fieri fans. I am captivated by the vibrant beauty and layout that compliments Guy’s rock star, chef personality. I would say Guy Fieri Food is 100% representative of how "off the hook" Guy is. The tattoo-filled illustrations, photography, and layout are gorgeous, and a whopping 408 pages. There are over 150 recipes, and each looks "dynamite." It also helps that I have watched a number of these recipes on Guy's Big Bite so I have a visual guide as well in my head. When you open the book, you will see a dedication page Guy wrote in honor of his sister Morgan who recently passed away. Guy discusses how his culinary life took off from his young years to today and there are plenty of Fieri family photos to enjoy.

Taking the reader through this culinary tome is "out of bounds." The introduction features 32 pages and kicks off with the opening of his first restaurant, Johnny Garlics. Guy's parents, Jim and Penny share a few words, and the photos of Guy as a kid are priceless. Guy talks about The Next Food Network Star and how that all went down. There are a bunch of photos with captions on the set of Guy's Big Bite. Guy also talks about his road show tour, and introduces Korina from Knuckle Sandwich whom he credits with some recipe inspiration. We get a detailed 12-page look into his awesome home kitchen, and equipment he uses, preferred pantry items, etc.

Recipes start out with no other than Guy's Appe-Tapas. Everything looks delicious especially the Bacon-Jalapeño Duck, Shrimp-n-Potato Spinach Tostados, Sangria-Glazed Shrimp, Ahi Won Tacos, Ginger Pork Pot Stickers and Cilantro-Wrapped Shrimp with Spicy Pickled Pineapple. The Soups chapter offers 8 soup recipes and I want to make Grilled Chicken Tortilla Soup with Tequila Crema and Ginger Soup. There are several Salad recipes I plan to make, such as Green Papaya Salad with Lemongrass Chicken and Queen Korinas Salad. Guy is a self-professed king of sandwiches and there are plenty of recipes to satisfy the sandwich fanatic. I think I will try the Sloppy Joes with Maui Onion Straws first followed by Morgan's Veggie Patties.

Guy Fieri says Pizza and Pasta "are probably two of the most important ace-in-the-hole comfort foods in my life." The recipes in this chapter show the love and I cannot wait to make his Pizza Dough and pizza recipes. Fieri Spaghetti and Meatballs look so yummy-licious and is very similar to my homemade recipe and I will try his recipe to see how it measures up to mine. I want to cook every recipe from this chapter especially Guy's Linguine and Clams, and Weird Spaghetti.

Like Mr. Fieri, I also love poultry especially chicken thighs. The recipes I want to make first are Yakitori Chicken, Oak Town Garlic Vinegar Chicken, and BBQ Duck Fried Rice, which Allen and I saw him demo live at the 2010 Food Network Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival. Guy is a POP (Pal of Pork) and so are we. Oink, oink! Two recipes that stand out are Guy's Pork-Oulet and Nor Cal Carnitas.

The chapter Beef and Lamb covers a diverse collection of recipes. It is hard to choose which recipes I want to cook first since they all look so divine. Two I am very excited to try are Lamb Chops with Marsala-Blackberry Sauce and Gaucho Steak with Four-Herb Chimichurri. There are many recipe options in the Seafood section. Standouts are Chorizo Clams, Tex Wasabis Koi Fish Tacos, and Nor Cal Cioppino.

One of my favorite parts of this cookbook is the chapter Vegetables and Sides. I love veggies and appreciate the care Guy took to create recipes utilizing vegetables in an exciting way showing how versatile they are. I will work my way to cooking all the veggie dishes, especially Kale with Roasted Beets and Bacon, Szechuan Green Beans, and Asian Fried Quinoa "C.R. Bipim Delight." Guy's sides are perfect pairings for many meat, poultry or seafood dishes.

Guy is a family oriented person who loves to work with his kids and it is no surprise to find a section called For Kids in this cookbook. Even his son Hunter shares some words. The photos of Guy cooking with his family are so great. There is a step by step how to guide on making Guy's Pepper Jack Pretzels. I plan to make Guy-talian Nachos, and Hot Weiners, Rhode Island Style. Like Guy's son Hunter, I love meatballs and Hunter's Hero looks amazing.

The chapter Guy's Sauces, Rubs and Marinades are all ones to try in your cooking such as making your own Chili Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, and Blackening Spice Rub. For the cocktail enthusiasts, there are plenty of drinks to satisfy. Guy delivers some very tasty looking desserts for your family to enjoy like his Guy's Irish Dream Cheesecake and Coffee Bananas Foster.

I treasure this cookbook and know we will enjoy the recipes for years to come.

-Sophia/Two Frys