ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Neal Bertrand was born and reared in Opelousas, Louisiana, in the heart of Cajun Country. He has more than a decade of experience in the publishing business. He is the founder and owner of Cypress Cove Publishing in Lafayette, Louisiana. His two previous publications are Down-Home Cajun Cooking Favorites and the bi-lingual (English & French) Cajun Country Fun Coloring and Activity Book. He has also published a collection of authentic Cajun art prints - beautiful South Louisiana landscapes, all painted by his father, Curtis. All of his books, art prints, rice cookers and other products can be seen and ordered from his websites, www.Cypress CovePublishing.com and www.RiceCookerMeals .com.

What qualifies me to write a rice cooker cookbook?
That’s a good question!

I am not a chef. I have no culinary training. I am not a “Foodie”… although I do like to eat. I have not cooked that much in my lifetime. It’s not something that I would choose to do. I figure, why cook, when I can open up a can of whatever, nuke it in my microwave, and carry on with my life?

The alternative has always been to be stuck in front of a stove, watching the food so it doesn’t burn, and so on. That just seemed to be a little harder than what I wanted to do.

I’ve been cooking rice in a rice cooker since the 1970s. That’s simple. Then a few years ago I saw a recipe for jambalaya in a rice cooker and I said to myself, “Whoa. I could do that.” So I did it, it came out great and I was so excited. I figured, this is a whole new mindset, now! I could even do this! Cooking a delicious one-pot meal in a rice cooker in about 30 minutes, now that’s more my speed. Press the cook button and then go watch TV or a video, then eat in a half hour.

So I decided to come up with my own recipes. Meals that, in my opinion, really taste good. Meals that people would actually want to eat. So I started on my cooking adventure. I spent a ton of money on ingredients and several months of experimenting, cooking and re-cooking, getting the recipes just right.

I picked ingredients and put them in certain combinations that I thought would taste good, which would work okay and would make a flavorful meal. So, what qualifies me to write a rice cooker cookbook? Just that I did it myself, experimenting one meal at a time, with the help and encouragement of others, and with feedback from many fine cooks in this State who tested my recipes and blessed me with their wonderful testimonials.

If you see a recipe that you are thinking about passing up because it has too much seasoning or a seasoning you should not have, use the type and amount you are comfortable with. You’ll notice throughout this book comments from folks who have tried these recipes. Sometimes they’ll give you an idea of how they’ve adjusted a recipe to suit their taste. You can do that, too.

As you will notice, I am partial to certain ingredients. I like a flavorful meal. I apparently have a higher tolerance for peppery items than some people. (I use Tabasco® as dipping sauce for my grilled chicken.) But feel free to use the spices you want.

Also, I don’t care for mushrooms or cream of mushroom soup. If you like them, feel free to add them. Thanks for trying my recipes.

Please send me comments or testimonials of how you like them.

RICE COOKER MEALS:
Fast Home Cooking for Busy People