On a Stick!: 80 Party-Perfect Recipes

I will say up front that I know Matt personally, and he is a friend of mine. I review cookbooks on his website. In a way that might make me biased, however, I believe it makes me qualified to comment on this book because I see hundreds of cookbooks a year, pulling out only the best for review.I never thought I'd be a food on a stick person, but this book has convinced me of exactly how versatile, easy, and valuable food on a stick is for entertaining. Matt has taken some classic food on a stick (corn dogs, a favorite of mine!!), and has made new recipes- bacon wrapped shrimp, mojito melons, fried mac n cheese, to name a few.What I like about this book:- It contains the perfect mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, suggestions on how to adapt some of the meat recipes.- There is a wide range of recipes, all of which are simple, ingredients are easy to find, sophisticated, and many of them unique (you won't find them elsewhere)- Each recipe has a photograph, so you know what you're preparing- The recipes work.I used to swear by my Martha Stewart Hors D'oeuvres Handbook, which is still a formidable book but which often requires quite a few steps and loads of prep. On A Stick! has taken over the number one go to book for me for its simplicity, range of recipes, and layout.This is a great book for someone who entertains a lot for children and adults alike, or even someone who has one important party to throw and wants to make a great impression. Many of the recipes can be prepared in stages ahead, so suited to catering.I've ordered several copies for friends who I know will wear the pages thin, especially going into the summer outdoor dining season!

Wowzers, this is first and foremost a *beautiful* book. Each recipe, each skewer type, each sauce, is absolutely picture-perfect. Fantastic ideas for fun foods for a family supper or a houseful. Great balance of sweet and savory, meat and vegetables, and my favorite, cheese. Large variety of ingredients, from pork belly to tofu and back again.Many of the recipes are rather complex and require time, skill, and luck. Quite a few recipes require frying, and I never have learned to fry food. Everything is from scratch, no shortcuts assembling pre-made foods.Listing the nutritional information, cooking technique -- grill, fry, or bake -- and the prep time would help users go from casual browsing to real menu planning. The fried spaghetti and meatballs makes a lovely picture, but time-consuming: first make spaghetti and meatballs, chill 12 hours, then assemble -- finally fry each of 8 portions separately for 6 to 8 minutes. The frying alone would require an hour.Specific recipes might intimidate me, but I'm still thrilled with the purchase. Balancing out the "oh, no, that's too hard" are simple great ideas for party foods, quick kabobs and simple desserts. Tastes from around the globe and the US. It's a beautiful inspiration to create new presentations of your favorite recipes -- leafing through it my housemate and I started talking about ways to use paneer and other foods we love and serve 'em up on-a-stick with fantastic dipping sauce. Well worth it for the pictures and ideas alone. Food should be fun!

This book contains recipes for a number of traditional foods on a stick. It was kind of like a walk down memory lane. I also came across loads of interesting ideas, although some were a little quirky - like wine, cheese cake, and potato chips on a stick. In this book, you’ll find loads of creative ideas that will definitely bring fun laughs and giggles for the adults and kids alike.

Is author primarily a photographer or chef? Its amazing...You can't spell amaze without Matt Armendariz. I found this quirky thing mentioned on a website. How cool is fresh mozzarella balls and tomatoe grapes on a stick? Or corn rolled in cheese? Or easy S'Mores? If you put anything on a stick, someone (read: kids) will eat it. It is smaller, a small portion, just one bite, neater and for whatever reason..tastier. The indulgence, the miniature, the nostalgia. Also he has a dozen dipping sauces, from soy honey, to cilatro cream, to chocolate of course. What's better then on a stick? Dipping on a stick. The fried mac and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs might not be on my hit list, and I was blown away by how much is deep fried. This is a healthier version of fair food. This is a cute little book worth it for just the ideas and photos, and you can spin it your own way. This was a great summer and party resource. Don't bring the veggie dip next time...bring the party.

Easy to understand and make the wonderful recipes! This is a good cookbook to enjoy cooking with a friend or with kids. Buy this fun cookbook and use it!

I bought this solely because I wanted a good corn dog recipe. The fact that I found a lot of interesting recipes to try is an unexpected, but very welcome, treat.I was expecting a lot of ridiculous novelty items, and there are some ridiculous things in this book (Fried spaghetti and meatballs on a stick, anyone?), but there are good quality recipes in this book.The recipes are easy to follow, and the introductory section about cooking with skewers/sticks would be helpful for someone without a lot of kitchen knowledge (soak wooden skewers first, sugarcane makes an excellent skewer for meat, etc).I did come across a couple of ingredients that I've never stumbled upon in my grocery store, but for the most part, these recipes don't require anything you can't easily procure.I took this with me to work prior to the Superbowl and everyone (different levels of cooking ability and varied tastes) found something they loved in the book.

Love corndogs and has a recipe from scratch! Also a good range of other recipes for things on sticks, but probably not for you if you do not like food on sticks.

Great ideas for party food.

Amazing cook book. FULL color picture for each itemTried a few already and wow great for making your own appetizers to impress guests ...

Great book, great pictures, great present for the cook in the family