Entertaining with the Sopranos by Allen Rucker

Sopranos fans will be choking on their pizzelles with laughter and delight at this latest contribution from their favorite crime family. Even non-Soprano fans will appreciate the excellent Italian recipes and commonsense entertaining tips found in this book.

Reading this book is like sitting down with your mother to receive her wisdom from years of entertaining, that is if your mother is Carmela Soprano. Carmela's voice clearly speaks from these pages as she reassures us that we too can entertain, and convinces us why it's worth the effort. But not only do we get her advice, but also tips from all of her friends and family from whom she has requested contributions to this book. There's Dr. Melfi's tips on dealing with party anxiety; Artie Bucco's advice on selecting the right wine; and even Silvio Dante's poker etiquette that consists of a list of 7 things not to do when playing.

The recipes were created by the talented Italian cookbook author Michele Scicolone. They include many of the dishes I grew up eating, and recipes for some that I hadn't been able to track down in the family archives. The instructions are simple and easy to follow, even for more difficult dishes such as the Easter Sweet Bread.

Carmela gives tips for every important family occasion starting with Baptisms right through funerals. There's even advice for women only and men only parties.

I don't know if I enjoy this book more for its genuine reference potential, or the amusing narrations of the various characters offering their two cents. I do know that even if you dislike the show, but like to cook, you'll enjoy this book. If you're a fan of the show but don't like cooking, there's still more than enough in this book to keep you entertained for many hours.