What’s cookin’?

Editor’s Note: Judy Long is a copy editor at the Bangor Daily News. When she’s not working, she spends much time in the kitchen making everything from home-brewed India pale ale to corn chowder. From time to time, she also tests recipes from new cookbooks piling up at the Style desk. Here’s her take on some new titles.

BEST OF COUNTRY CASSEROLES, Reiman Media Group, Greendale, Wis., 2005, $15.99.

This collection is a glossy tribute to one-dish meals, featuring recipes published in Taste of Home and other magazines along with friendly comments from contributors.

Color pictures of decadent casseroles mingle with recipes that are straight out of a church supper. Many meals seem designed for large families or gatherings, but others seem a perfect fit for the busy home cook or anyone in need of a relatively quick and easy supper.

“Best of Country Casseroles” covers the well-used sausage-egg bakes and Chicken Noodle Casserole but doesn’t shy away from meatless meals and side dishes as intriguing as a Nutty Barley Bake.

Indeed, not everyone can cook freely with cheese and butter, and some recipes in “Country Casseroles” have red check marks to draw attention to the fact they use less fat, sugar or salt.

Every vegetable in the garden seems to be featured in this collection. Many of the recipes could be tried in harmony with summer harvests. Inventive uses for those extra tomatoes and squash always have some value.

A casserole is just as likely to travel well to the next cookout as to the dinner table.

FIX-IT AND ENJOY IT! COOKBOOK: ALL-PURPOSE, WELCOME-HOME RECIPES, by Phyllis Pellman, Good Books, Intercourse, Pa.; 2006, 284 pages, $15.95.

The latest installment in the “Fix-It” series moves away from the slow cooker and into other realms of the kitchen. As a result, this cookbook seems to lack the focus that made previous editions such as “Fix-It and Forget-It Recipes for Entertaining” and “Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly” so useful.

The novice cook may enjoy the range of recipes the new book includes, from the old-fashioned Hot Virginia Dip that kicks off the Appetizers and Snacks chapter to a simple Turkey or Chicken Curry in the eclectic Main Dishes section.

The beginner also might appreciate the tips included throughout the book, such as “When you find a recipe that you love, make a notation in the cookbook that it is a great recipe.”

The format of the “Fix-It” books makes them fun to thumb through and the indexing of recipes is quite thorough. The experienced cook may enjoy this latest volume, but many similar recipes may already be found on the cookbook shelf.

CHAMPIONSHIP BBQ SECRETS FOR REAL SMOKED FOOD, by Karen Putman, Robert Rose Inc., Toronto, 2006, 368 pages, $21.95.

For those who grill burgers but dream of brisket and baby back ribs, Karen Putman provides the encouragement needed for a barbecue upgrade.

“Championship BBQ Secrets” is an inspiration with mouthwatering recipes featuring everything from wild game to goat cheese. Putman, a grand champion of the highly regarded American Royal Barbecue Contest, has tips that even seasoned smokers should appreciate.

Putman’s guide lays out smoking strategies for all types of equipment in “The Art of Smoking,” a concise, thoughtful section that gives specific preparation instructions without overwhelming the reader with complex details. For those who require visual aids, color photos of finished products such as Salmon with White Wine & Pesto and Pork Shoulder Blade with Peachy Barbecue Sauce will provide motivation.

Basic recipes are laid out in “Getting Started,” with other sections detailing bastes, rubs, vegetables, nuts, and all the usual meats and fish.

Putnam’s recipes call for ingredients from a world of tastes, relying heavily on fruit, honey and spices but also name-checking Frank’s RedHot sauce (for the Buffalo-Style Hot Wings, of course), cognac and hoisin sauce. And down-home regulars such as Aromatic Whole Chicken are just a few pages away from elegant Scallop Martinis.

Packing nearly 400 pages, “Championship BBQ Secrets” may be the only cookbook a barbecue enthusiast ever needs. And it probably will keep the smoker grill out of the garage for a while.