Author:  Dennis Motts

ISBN:   0979027527

Recipes from Texas notables as President George W. Bush (Crab Cakes), Texas Governor Rick Perry (Chuck Wagon Chili and Aunt Gene’s Coconut Pie) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (Cousin Susie’s Perfect Fudge and Easy, Hearty Corn Chowder) fill this cookbook with 59 simple yet mouth-watering recipes. The spiral-bound book is also abundant with color photographs and descriptions of historic Texas county courthouses.

            County courthouse judges, sheriffs and other employees contributed additional recipes included in the book.  The recipes are easy to make and most include items that are readily found in your kitchen pantry. From conventional recipes with just a ‘twist’ on the ingredients as with Ted G. Walker’s (Jasper County) recipe for Hot Fried Cornbread to unusual dishes as Law Judge Al Gerson’s (Jefferson County) recipe for Italian Batter-Fried Shark Bites.

            Author Dennis Mott enjoys cooking and eating. This is his fifth cookbook and he was inspired to compile “Texas Judicial Cookbook” after he faithfully followed the restoration project of the Newton County Court House after a disastrous fire.

            In 1998, the county courthouses in the state of Texas had been added to the America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places list.  George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, passed an initiative for renovation of many of the courthouses dotted throughout the Lone Star State. Today, in 2007, the courthouses have been removed from the list and some county courthouses in Texas are still undergoing extensive repairs. Author Dennis Mott includes color photographs of 28 of these architectural enhancements in the cookbook. Courthouse photos include courthouses in McLennan Country, Hill County and Bexar County.

            “Texas has beautiful buildings and our courthouses are at the top of that list,” author Mott explains, “I created this book to honor those working in our judicial system and to share with everyone else how beautiful Texas courthouses are.” Mott and a professional photographer visited courthouses dotted throughout the Lone Star State while gathering recipes for publication in the book. 

The above review was contributed by: Shelley Bueché,  free lance reporter, author of The Ebola Virus and Bedbugs, published magazine writer specializing in health matters. Click Here to Read More of Shelley's Reviews