The 2012 Holiday Recipe Book Gift Guide
December 20, 2012 - Written by DianaThis a quick listing of books that I have received for review and suggest to my readers. This is not a complete guide to every new book; I can’t afford all that’s available but I can give suggestions among those I have received. The one book I bought for myself in the beginning of the year is The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook: 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America’s Most Trusted Cooking Magazine
When available, I’m adding links to amazon. I do get a tiny bit from it, but feel free to find it on your own, buy it used from another bookseller or borrow from the library. I’m attaching links for your convenience and so you can find the correct book but you don’t need to go through these links. This will be a long post but there are a lot of …
Healthy Home Cooking for Kids & Tuna Wrap Roll Recipe
July 10, 2012 - Written by Diana
Healthy Cooking for Kids by Emily Rose, is a cookbook that caters to the young palate, but also has no butter, no white flour and no added sugar. It does use rice bran oil, honey, whole wheat pasta, plenty of vegetables and whole grains. Emily’s book contains about 100 pages – with 50 recipes, and nice photos to match. The kids can join in to help with cooking and baking and putting the food on the table because they are simple in preparation and in taste. Kids seem to enjoy foods that are uncomplicated – and I think this book fits the bill, and also manages to get in lots of good for you ingredients.
I made the Tuna Wrap Roll in about 2 minutes – I like the idea of adding avocado and cucumber into the wrap with the tuna. Give it a try, I think your kid will like it also.
Tuna Wrap Roll Recipe 
Baking Basics and Beyond by Pat Sinclair
May 9, 2012 - Written by Diana
When I saw the title – Baking Basics – I thought it was a tutorial type book teaching baking from the ground up – like a textbook. I was wrong, this is more about simple and basic baking, that anyone can do. Mostly desserts, these dishes are easy but delicious. Most of the recipes are one or two pages, but there are a couple of longer ones. The ingredients can be found in most pantries and are used in more than one recipe with a few surprises here and there. I received a copy of Baking Basics and Beyond by Pat Sinclair to use for a review.
As a food consultant and recipe editor, Pat Sinclair knows how to put together great recipes. The book starts out with basic baking instruction, that is used throughout. Sprinkled here and there all through the book are tips and tricks. This is all in addition to great recipes. The recipes include biscuits and breads, coffee cakes, brownies, crisps , custards, cheesecakes, cakes, pies and yeast breads.
There are nice photos, though not a photo for every single …
Cook Wild by Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
March 20, 2012 - Written by Diana
My first glance at Cook Wild: Year-Round Cooking on an Open Fire
There are so many different ways to cook in the outside, some I’ve never seen before. I want to try wrapping a chicken in dough and placing in a fire. I also was impressed by the bread wrapped around branches of a tree and hung above the fire. Digging a pit and wrapping with leaves looks interesting too. Many of these are time intensive and all that are cooked over an open flame or coals will need constant attention.
Ms Fischer-Rizzi identifies and uses several wild plants …
The Healthy Way to Get Through That Superbowl Party
January 27, 2012 - Written by DianaSuperbowl and healthy eating don’t seem to go hand in hand. We associate this testosterone infected party with fried finger foods covered in cheese, things you can toss back and swallow with beer – though in my case it would be wine or a cooler. The truth is, though I bring healthier foods, there will be other things there that I should stay away from. I’m going to try and give us some great ideas to help us get through this fat laden party in the next week. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll eat some of the bad stuff, but if I fill my plate with the good stuff, and just leave a little spot here and there for the other stuff that will be okay.
Tosca Reno the queen of the Clean Eating recipe books has produced a small guide book. It’s small in size, and you can stick it in your laptop case or your briefcase to reference whenever you need a little help. Tosca calls it “JUST THE RULES: TOSCA’S GUIDE TO EATING RIGHT
Gooseberry Patch – Quick and Easy Autumn
September 15, 2011 - Written by Diana
Gooseberry Patch is more of a community foodie publishing company than a cookbook publishing company. Anyone can send in a recipe for their books, and if you do, you receive a copy of the book your recipe is in. One of their latest is Quick and Easy Autumn Recipes, which I have the privilege of reviewing. Lots of recipes sent in by the Gooseberry Patch Foodie Community that are quick and easy just like the title says. I like how each recipe is credited to the foodie contributor and all of the personal notes attached also. The Autumn Acorn Squash by Jenny Sarbacker looks very tempting, and I plan to try it out.
Plenty of autumn farmer’s market ingredients found in this book – apples, squash, beans, sausage, stews, soups, everything you want on your dinner table when the weather starts to turn a little cooler. All the recipes take less than 30 minutes to make. These recipes do depend on shortcuts such as canned biscuits and crescent rolls, canned soup and beans, etc. However, you have to know that I am not against …
Man with a Pan edited by John Donohue
June 29, 2011 - Written by Diana
On Father’s Day I gave a tribute to the men in my life who cooked (or in my son’s case – didn’t cook). I got my inspiration from Man with a Pan, Culinary Adventures of Fathers Who Cook For Their Families. , a compilation of essays by different men, presented and edited by John Donohue, mostly it’s about how they were inspired to cook. I find it fun to read the male perspective, though I came from a family where men were for the most part, comfortable in the kitchen. I can identify with some of these men, whether directly or seeing a trait in someone else I know. Manny Howard turning dinners into events with much ado – that was my father. He believed dinner gatherings should center around the presentation of the food, even if it was delivered as everyone was leaving.
I get a kick out of reading what some of my favorite chefs like to say – like Mario Batali and how just a little bit of …
Everything Books To Help You Have a Healthy Summer
June 9, 2011 - Written by DianaI have been given the opportunity to review a few Everything Books. These are great intro books to different subjects – you can read them from cover to cover to learn all about the subject, or you can search for particular information, tips, recipes and use it as reference material. My biggest problem is there are no photos to go along with the recipes, and for something like the Everything Raw Foods Recipe Book, you might want to see what the finished product should look like. The Everything books are perfect for trying out something new and using it as a guideline to figure it all out, inexpensively. I’m going to quickly review three of these books : The Everything Juicing Book, The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book, The Everything Raw Food Recipe Books. Adams Media wants to help you start summer in a healthy way, so read all the way to the bottom to see what they have for us in June.
The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book – All You Need TO Lose Weight And Stay Healthy - This book is not just a recipe book. Written by Connie Diekman and Sam Sotiropoulos the first one third of the book leads you through the Mediterranean diet and healthy way of living. What you need to do to live the Mediterranean way. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a staple in almost every meal, but there are plenty of other mediterraen must haves like roasted red peppers, red wine, feta cheese, lemons, etc. There are suggestions throughout on how to lighten up a dish even more – like Chicken Galantine is suggested to be wrapped in Eggplant rather than back in it’s original Chicken skin. This is a decent guide to help you get through trying to eat healthier and lose weight.
The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book - by Mike Snyder and Nancy Faass with Lorena Novak Bull. Raw Food Diets have always been perplexing to me. I love my food warm and not so raw, so I don’t think I am willing to change. However, I always say I’m willing to try new things, and raw foods are intriguing as well. Did you know that dehydrating is a way to get the texture you need without baking or cooking? I didn’t. It almost seems like cheating. The blender is your friend on the raw food diet as it is used in so many of the recipes. Smoothies are a great way to start, though no one thinks about it being raw food. I like the recipes in this, and though I don’t think I’m ready to make the switch, this is a great intro to a Raw Food way of eating. This book also mentions that the Raw Food Diet is a great way to get healthy and lose weight.
New Orleans Classic Gumbos & Soups
March 9, 2011 - Written by Diana
Tonight is the end of Mardi Gras – or Fat Tuesday. The traditions of Mardi Gras originated in the New Orleans area, so I thought New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups (Classic Recipes Series)
Kit found recipes from her favorite chefs and restaurants all about New Orleans. This book has the basics to start you out – like what’s the trinity (Oh, oh, I know I know) – to seasonings, how to make a roux, ways to cook ceratin foods and the basic gumbo, and sausage, red beans and rice recipes. In addition to the ingredients that are normally found in your pantry, you’ll need to expand your freezer to include quail, alligator, turtle, duck and crawfish. A couple of really neat recipes include the Sweet Potato Soup given …
The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes On Earth
January 28, 2011 - Written by Diana
Here’s a nice twist – healthy and 15 minutes, something. The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about How to Make the Most Deliciously Nutritious Meals at Home in Just Minutes a Day
While these are healthy, they are 15 minute recipes because they use shortcuts. So canned tuna, canned beans, frozen spinach, etc are used to help cut the time. I don’t have a problem with that. However, some of the meals, use shortcuts that means you have to prepare ahead of time, so I don’t know that they should count as 15 minute recipes. For example – the Quick Quinoa Burgers uses cooked quinoa. Not everyone …
