Stirring up controversy with celebrity cookbooks

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On April 13, TheStir.com, a CafeMom blog, started up a stir with its list of odd celebrity cookbooks inspired by the launch of one authored by Theresa Guidice, an American reality show star,  called Skinny Italian, out May 4.

The Stir points out that the attention-craving star that is best known for flipping over a table during a dinner party would not be someone many would look to swap recipes with.

The list continues by pointing out other odd cookbooks by celebrities "who write cookbooks...but maybe shouldn't" including:

Country musician Dolly Parton's  Dolly's Dixie Fixin's: Love, Laughter and Lots of Good Food from My Tennesse Kitchen $25 (€18.57)

American rock musician Ted Nugent's  Kill It and Grill It: A Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish $15.80 (€11.14)

English celebrity writer  Robin Leach's Healthy Lifestyles Cookbook: Menus and Recipes from the Rich, Famous, and Fascinating $1.25 (€0.75)

In the Kitchen With Miss Piggy, a Muppet $7.39 (€5.20)

Actor Tony Danza's Don't Fill Up On the Antipasto: Tony Danza's Father-Son Cookbook, $18.70 (€13.37), $17.50 (€12.63) for Kindle edition

Foodies and celebrity cookbook fans took to twitter and blogs like Slashfood and The Huffington Post to share their comments. Most defended Miss Piggy and Dolly Parton but others recommended their favorite celebrity cookbooks and share their thoughts, here are some highlights:

- "[Country music singer] Trisha Yearwood's two cookbooks are amazing. Everything I make from them are potluck favories."

- "Try the Star Trek Cookbook by Ethan Phillips (Neelix from Voyager) It includes actors' favorites and 'how to' recipes for extra-terrestal food. Several different ways to make Klingon Bolld Pie or Vulcan Plomeek soup. I am almost suprised they haven't put out an update with Star Trek: Enterprise."

- "I have cookbooks by Patti LaBelle, Regis & Kathie Lee (which is actually quite good), & the late great Paul Newman (inspired by his Newman's Own line, long may it live)."

- "Miss Piggy is also the celebrity with my favorite diet tip: 'Never eat more than you can lift."

- "I'm glad you missed off Coolio - his show (and the book that goes along with it) is actually pretty good!"

- "I don't have any celeb cookbooks but I totally want Sophie Dahl's new one!"

- "Now, what's really needed is a list of celebrities who ought to write cookbooks and the cookbooks they should write... as in "Slash's Guide to Butchering in Your Home Kitchen" or "The Cast of the Full Monty Takes on Raw Food."

If a celebrity cookbook without the chef is not your thing, you may want to check out celebrity chef Mario Batali's latest cookbook released on April 6 Molto Gusto, $29.99 (€21.55).

Plus on May 3, the James Beard Foundation will honor the best in cookbooks, a list of the finalists can be found at http://www.jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=node/99

Sources: http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/101412/celebrities_who_write_cookbooks_but?ct=food_party_1

http://www.slashfood.com/2010/04/13/celebrities-who-write-cookbooks-but-maybe-shouldnt/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/celebrity-cookbooks-from-_n_538569.html