Is Goat Beef?

I bought this book because my son loves the military, my daughter loves to cook, and I love the Paws for Purple Hearts charity that the author donates to. What can I say, the second it hit my kitchen the two were fighting over it! My son ABSOLUTELY LOVED the military background stories that the author tells, and my daughter LOVED trying out the recipes with me. I gave up and bought another one... now peace has been restored :-)

Awesome, I laughed, I cried, the stories are humorous and touching...the recipes are amazing...anyone who is or has been in the service will certainly relate...paws for Purple Hearts, a noble cause, you rock Jeff Camp Lt.Col. retired....K Gray R N

I bought the book for the stories and kept it for the recipes! I know I wrote it but come on- give an Author a break!

This is quite an interesting, riveting read for one reason. Or make that two. The military tales are the usual stuff of a fresh, basic trainee during holidays spent in Honduras to seeing goats for the first time in Afghanistan, to a realization about the US government and gay porn, lol. Anyway, in its first few pages, there is an introduction from a celebrity friend of the author’s: the Wonder Years (remember that show?) actor Jason Hervey talking about Jeffery M. Camp and how he came to know him and his endearing involvement with the charity: Paws for Purple Hearts (where dogs and puppies are trained to provide therapy and assistance to wounded veterans of the US military.) And after that intro, I got to read in Jeff’s own words his reasons for writing this book: love for cooking, humor, and life and it just makes him likable and sweet. Just to let you know, buying this book will help Paws for Purple Hearts (PPH) out because a dollar from every copy sold will be donated to PPH. So think about that when you are making a decision in buying this baby or not. The recipes themselves call for ingredients that make me salivate just thinking about them. If you love bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, avocados, ground sausage, scallions, baby potatoes, veal, and the list goes on, then this book is for you. Simply put, if you are a foodie or the cook in your household, who supports anything having to do with the US military, this book will be your treasure I guarantee you. I am going to recommend it to my Aunty in Washington state whose husband, my Uncle Sefo is a veteran of the US army. She loves to cook and maybe she will appreciate these mouth-watering recipes… The final verdict? Love this book to the core. It’s a great item to own because I am a foodie. I urge you to save up to order it prior to the holidays of Thanksgiving and/or Christmas so you will have something “new” and “delicious” for your husbands and/or kids to savor. Have fun cooking and have a beautiful, and happy early holiday season of 2017!

What an odd mix this book is, but somehow it really does work. The mix of stories from author Camp’s military background are a blend of profound, touching experience, and real laugh-out-loud funny. Personally I couldn’t imagine the level of commitment required for military service, but I really enjoyed this (albeit light-hearted) insight into that way of life.The writing was capable and certainly well handled and well paced for a memoir-esque book like this. In fact I would be interested to read something else by Camp if her ever decided to turn his hand to fiction. A book like that written along these lines I think could work very well.

A cookery book with a difference? An army veteran’s diary extracts? I’m not sure exactly where this fits but it’s certainly novel. An informal look at the lighter side of Jeffery M. Camp’s army experiences, with recipes thrown into the mix too.Each recipe included here comes armed with information about why it was chosen as well as a bit of context, for instance the country the author was in at the time he learned it. There are photos too. Mostly of the final cooked products, but a few of his army life to boot.The content of Camp’s book does strike this reader as a pair of unlikely bedfellows, but then again why not write about and combine two things you are passionate about and have experience of? Maybe there should be more difficult-to-shelve books out there! This reader put aside their doubts and enjoyed this book anyway!

Jeffery M. Camp’s ‘Is Goat Beef?’ is a collection of the author’s favorite recipes along with his real life stories from when he was serving in the army. Not something you see side-by-side everyday, but it seems to work in this book. He wasn’t an army cook, he just shares his journeys and his enjoyment of food and drink, simply, in an upfront way that is both amusing and enlightening. The title hints that this isn’t a typically bland cookery book, but a publication offering a little bit more. This is for readers who like something different, slightly left of center and irreverent. I enjoyed this book despite not being a fan of cookery or even interested in the military. The sheer implausibility of such a book existing, along with the intriguing title drew me in and made me curious and I’m glad I took the time to read it!

In a very well-written fashion, the author masterfully combines insights to the daily lives of the brave men and women who serve and protect this great country through insightful and funny anecdotes for each recipe in the book. To top it off, the author provides mostly easy-to-make and quick recipes for some very tasty fare that will have your mouth watering. I have already tagged my favorites and am very much looking forward to working my way through each and every one. And I know I will be chuckling at the back story as I do.