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Cookbooks

Cooking for Isaiah Has Recipes That’ll Astonish PLUS a Tailgating Recipe for Proof

by Joi on August 23, 2010

I was recently sent a new cookbook to review that I’m very excited about. Excited to tell you about and excited to cook each and every recipe in the 223 page book! You know how, sometimes, as you’re thumbing through a cookbook you’ll go, “I might make that… I’ll try that one… nah… nah… There’s one I might try…. nah…” With this cookbook, I thumbed through the entire book and each recipe was met with a, “I can’t wait to make that one!”

Not a single nah.

Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals was written by Silvana Nardone, founding editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. Rachael Ray, herself, wrote the foreword. Silvana is also a columnist for Every Day with Rachael Ray with the “No-Recipe Zone” and “Sweet Spot” columns.

However, in this particular interest, I’m certain she carries a much simpler name – one worn closer to the heart. When you get down to it, this cookbook was written by “Isaiah’s Mom.”

Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals is a labor of love. Silvana Nardone was challenged to create delicious meals for her young son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food intolerances to gluten and dairy.

Description:
“The cornbread was flavorful, moist and light with a deliciously tender crumb. My only hope with this recipe was that Isaiah would love it… And then Isaiah took a bite. The look on his face was pure heaven.”
Cooking for Isaiah is a love story of Silvana Nardone’s journey to develop great-tasting meals for her son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food intolerances to gluten and dairy. The results of her efforts are found in the pages of this book, through 135 recipes that are not only easy to make, but taste and look delicious.
From “S’mores Pancakes with Marshmallow Sauce” to “Double-Decker Toasted Cornbread and Spicy Greens Stack,” and “Chicken and Waffles with Maple Bacon Gravy” to “Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting,” all of the recipes in Cooking for Isaiah are entirely free of gluten and dairy. Crafted with a variety of cooks in mind, an ingredient substitution chart shows you what to swap if, for example, you need to cook without gluten, but dairy is okay. You’ll also find Silvana’s tried-and-tested all-purpose flour and pancake mix recipes, sure to make gluten-free cooking and baking accessible to all. Written by Silvana Nardone, Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, this charming, personal cookbook belongs on every cook’s shelf.

The cookbook is a labor of love.  Silvana Nardone was challenged to develop delicious (so delicious even a child would love them, without feeling like he was being robbed of a normal childhood filled with the kinds of foods kids love) meals for her son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food-intolerances to gluten and dairy.

Remarkably, symptoms that had been plaguing young Isaiah cleared up almost immediately after his mom removed gluten and dairy from his diet.

While this cookbook would seem like a gift straight from Heaven for people of all ages who avoid gluten and/or dairy, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals is an outstanding cookbook for anyone – even those of us who are bedfellows with gluten and dairy.

There are two groups of people who will want to RUSH over to Amazon and buy this cookbook the very minute they finish reading this cookbook review:

  1. Anyone who is gluten and/or dairy-intolerant – or loves someone who is.  These highly-original and creative recipes and meal ideas will knock your socks off.  The recipes will open up a whole new culinary world in which you’ll delight in exploring.  It’ll make eating fun and exciting again.
  2. Everyone else!  Even those of us who aren’t the least bit intolerant of gluten or dairy will fall instantly in love with this cookbook.  There is a wonderful chart on the inside back cover (as well as on page 17) that gives you substitutions to use if you want to… well… gluten-ize and dairy-ize the recipes.   Basically, it’s as simple as using your everyday flour, cow’s milk, pancake mix, and cornbread where the author has used her own gluten-free recipe for flour and pancake mix, or where she has substituted with Rice Milk (although I’m such a fanatic for Rice Milk, I wouldn’t dream of substituting for it… LOVE the stuff!).

The creativity the mom-author shows in these recipes boggles the mind while it leaves you drooling over the pictures (the ones in the book as well as the ones in your own mind).

About the Author, Silvana Nardone
Silvana Nardone is the founding Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray, where she has been honored with the magazine industry’s top awards since its launch in 2005. She is the magazine’s “No-Recipe Zone” and “Sweet Spot” columnist. A writer, editor, cooking instructor, and food consultant, she is the coauthor of Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian, has been featured in many publications including the New York Times, and has appeared on NBC Weekend Today, WCBS News This Morning, WABC Eyewitness News This Morning, E! Entertainment True Hollywood Story, Fox News Fox & Friends, and the Food Network’s Roker on the Road. She was profiled by Big Apple Parent and About.com for her focus on gluten-free and dairy- free cooking. Silvana owned an Italian bakery, Fanciulla, when Rachael Ray hired her to launch her magazine. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband Stephen and two children, Isaiah and Chiara. Visit her blog at DishTowelDiaries.com.

The first recipe I made from this outstanding cookbook was the Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise.  I simply used my favorite Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe instead of the “Double Corn Cornbread” called for.  The Double Corn Cornbread recipe is found in the book on page 75 and sounds awesome.  In fact, I plan to give it a try – but I simply had the ingredients on hand for Buttermilk Cornbread, so I went with it.

Besides, I adore buttermilk cornbread and I knew there’d be enough left over for breakfast the next morning.  I love to split cornbread in half, butter it, and toast it lightly on the griddle, right beside eggs as they fry.  Then I top off the cornbread with a layer of Pepper Jelly and place the fried egg right up on top.  SO GOOD.  Then again, the cornbread with pepper jelly is a special experience, with or without the egg.

Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves (I used cilantro)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt
4 (4-inch) squares Double Corn Cornbread (page 75) or store-bought cornbread – split and toasted
shredded lettuce (about 2 cups) for topping
1 pound deli-sliced smoked ham
4 tomato slices, for topping

1. In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice, honey, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. (This jalapeno mayonnaise is so good you’ll want to eat it straight from the food processor bowl – trust me on this one. Your’s truly spread some on a Ritz cracker and had a fine time.)
2. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the jalapeno mayonnaise on each cornbread bottom; top each with shredded lettuce, ham, and a tomato slice. Spread the remaining jalapeno mayonnaise on each cornbread top and set in place. To serve, cut diagonally.

I actually cooked my cornbread in a large round pan, so my sandwiches were triangular. They were all kinds of cute and even more delicious than I can tell you – however, next time (and there will be many, many next times) I’ll go the square route because it’d be easier to maneuver the tomatoes and lettuce on a wider playing field.

The jalapeno mayonnaise would be incredible on…

  • BLTs
  • Homemade Vegetarian Subway Sandwiches
  • Turkey Paninis
  • Chicken Paninis,
  • Egg sandwiches
  • Ritz Crackers…

The Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise would be an excellent recipe for tailgating.  You’d surely rack up points for creativity AND taste.

Recipes such as this one keep your family on their toes.  The reason I love creative, original recipes is this:  They show your family that you love them enough to make their meals extra-special.  Who wants to come home to the same meal every night?  Keep things interesting and unexpected!

Other Recipes in Cooking for Isaiah:

  • Penne with Walnut Cream Sauce
  • Tomato Live Black Bean Soup with Avocado Cream
  • Chicken Potpie Soup
  • Hash Brown Belgian Waffles with Apple Sausage and Fried Eggs (You should see the picture!)
  • Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Doughnuts
  • Bacon-Apple Cornbread Stuffing
  • Creamed Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
  • Grilled BBQ Onion-Smothered Double Bacon Burgers (I don’t think a teenager would even breath between bites.)
  • Raspberry-Lemon Meringue Layer Cake
  • Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting
  • Super Fudge Brownies
  • Rocky Road Rice Crispy Treats
  • Grilled Vegetable Pesto Pizza
  • Chocolate Chip-Banana Split Belgian Waffles with Wet Walnuts and Hot Fudge Sauce
  • Grilled Corn Cakes with Strawberry Syrup
  • Isaiah’s Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble Topping
  • Asparagus Risotto Casserole
  • Creamy Corn Chowder
  • Isaiah’s Whipped Hot Cocoaccino (I’m enjoying one right this minute!!!  This is so delicious – it calls for rice milk, which I always have on hand.  Amazing – you’d know how amazing if you could see me licking my lips like crazy.)

Do yourself a huge favor and order a copy of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals right now. You will not find recipes like these anywhere else.

As for me, my oldest daughter will be home on her lunch break in a few minutes, and I plan on meeting her in the kitchen with a mug of Isaiah’s Whipped Hot Cocoaccino. She’s kind of under the weather and I KNOW this will set her world right again.

Recipes From the Root Cellar: Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

by Joi on July 15, 2010

I was recently sent a copy of a wonderful cookbook to preview: Recipes from the Root Cellar: 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables. I can’t even tell you how much a cookbook fanatic and collector like me loves getting her oven mitts on new cookbooks! Especially when they’re as packed with great recipes as this cookbook is.

Recipes from the Root Cellar: 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables is wonderfully written by Andrea Chesman. She is the author of several cookbooks, including, Mom’s Best Desserts and Mom’s Best One-Dish Suppers.

About Recipes From the Root Cellar
Nothing tastes better than the seasonal bounty of local farms. Everyone loves the spring-is-here excitement of peas and asparagus and the summer sweetness of tomatoes and corn. Now it’s time to give the hearty, long-lasting bounty of the autumn garden its due. Whether these vegetables are eaten straight from the garden, out of a well-tended root cellar, or straight from the market, their flavors reward the home cook, and their nutritional benefits pack a powerful punch.

Sweet winter squashes, robust hardy greens, jewel-toned root vegetables, and potatoes of every variety are the staples that make eating locally so delicious and satisfying during the cold months of late autumn and winter.

These cold-weather treasures work wonderfully well in soups (Celery Root Bisque, Creamy Leek and Root Vegetable Soup, Portuguese Kale Soup) and baked entrees (White Lasagna with Winter Squash, Chicken Pot Pie with Root Vegetables, Winter Vegetable Pot Roast), but they also shine in winter salads. Warm Goat Cheese and Beet Salad; Endive, Pear, and Walnut Salad; and Thai Cabbage Salad can be the centerpieces of light winter dinners or delicious preludes to the main event.

With this collection of more than 250 recipes, veteran cookbook author and gardening enthusiast Andrea Chesman deliciously demonstrates how locavores in all parts of North America can eat seasonal produce year-round. Whether they’re eaten in soups or salads, side dishes or entrees, root-cellar vegetables can be a delicious part of every cooks winter kitchen.

Recipes include:

  • Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Garden Cornbread
  • Deep-Fried Root Vegetable Chips with Garlic Aioli
  • Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries
  • Cashew Carrots
  • Applesauce
  • Braised Collards with Bacon
  • Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
  • Deep-Fried Onion Rings
  • Root Vegetable Bread Pudding
  • White Lasagna with Winter Squash
  • Ravioli with Smoky Greens
  • Baked Winter Squash
  • Mashed Potatoes with Greens
  • Chicken Stew with Root Vegetables
  • ….and hundreds more!

One of the most delicious soups in the world is Italian Wedding Soup.  Words can’t even describe this soup! Below is a perfect version of Italian Wedding Soup from Recipes From the Root Cellar.

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe


12 cups chicken broth or turkey broth
1 pound ground turkey, or 1/2 pound ground pork and 1/2 pound ground beef
2 eggs
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup acini de pepe, pastina, or orzo (or other small pasta shapes)
1-1/2 pounds Lacinato kale, cut into ribbons (about 18 cups lightly packed; remove and discard tough stems)

Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan.

To make the meatballs, combine the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic,1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a food processor.  Process until well mixed.  Alternatively, mix by hand in a large bowl.  With wet hands (to prevent the meat from sticking), form the meat mixture into 1/2-inch balls (the size of marbles) and add to the simmering soup.  Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Increase the heat slightly, add the pasta, and boil gently until cooked al dente, about 10 minutes.  Add the greens and continue to boil gently until tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Taste and adjust the seasoning, remove from the heat, and serve.

Kitchen Note: The greens can be altered with the season, using curly kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, escarole, chard, spinach, broccoli di rube, chicory, and cabbage, so feel free to substitute.  – Page 107, Recipes from the Root Cellar: 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables

Whenever I make Italian Wedding Soup, I always use orzo – but the other suggestions the author makes are pastas I’m going to have to try.  I’m especially intrigued by the use of kale.  I’ve always used spinach and have never even thought of anything else.  But Kale, mustard greens, or cabbage – fascinating!  I can’t even tell you how much I love curly kale – so I know what I’ll be adding to my next pot of Italian Wedding Soup!

Truth be told, I’m craving a big bowl of soup right about now – in spite of the fact that it’s over 100 degrees outside (at least that’s what one of my outside cats just reported).  Soup is always the perfect thing for a meal, isn’t it?

Here are a few of the other soup recipes in Recipes From the Root Cellar:

  • Cream of Garlic Soup (YUM!)
  • Cabbage and Tomato Soup
  • White Bean and Cabbage Soup (my husband will love this one)
  • Miso Noodle Bowl
  • Onion-Miso Soup
  • Chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth, turkey broth, mushroom broth (!!!)
  • … and many more

I LOVE that she included recipes for vegetable broth and mushroom broth. When cooking things like stuffing or dressing, I always need at least one that’s completely vegetarian for my daughter, Brittany.  This mushroom broth will be ideal.

The applesauce recipe will also be put to great use as we have a great number of apple trees in our yard.  The author also includes recipes for Applesauce Crumb Cake and Maple-Apple Tea Cake.

In addition to the many recipes that I’ll use again and again, I also love the tips and quotes sprinkled throughout the 365 page cookbook.  There’s also a great section called “An Introduction to Winter Vegetables” – very informative.  There are cooking, buying, and storage ideas for Collard Greens, Kale, mustard greens, cabbage, garlic, leeks, shallots, onions, artichokes, squashes, beets, and many more.

From pages 18 and 19:  Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes can be thinly sliced and added to salads, much like water chestnuts.  Their flavor is ore developed when cooked, and they are best roasted (see page 159).  They can be cooked alone or with potatoes and mashed.  They are also quite good pickled – just adapt your favorite dilly bean or bread-and-butter recipe.

If you love cooking and you love food – you’ll love this cookbook.  We all know we need to eat more vegetables for our health – it’s cookbooks like this one that help us feed ourselves, and our families, the kind of vegetable dishes we’ll all WANT to eat.  Again and again.

Click the following link to read more about Recipes from the Root Cellar: 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables and order your own copy from Amazon.

Vegetarian Recipe: Baby Spinach, Grape, and Walnut Salad

by Joi on June 26, 2010

The following recipe is from an excellent cookbook and guide to eating a Vegetarian diet: The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Being Vegetarian – Second Edition. Try the recipe (outstanding), then grab a copy of the book. It’s filled with wonderful recipes you’ll use again and again, whether you’re vegetarian or not.

Baby Spinach, Grape, and Walnut Salad: A Vegetarian Recipe

2 TBS balsamic vinegar
3 TBS virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch dried oregano
2 cups baby spinach leaves, washed
2/3 cup red grapes, seedless and sliced in half
1/4 cup raw walnut pieces

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, pepper, and oregano with a blender, mixer, or fork until thoroughly mixed.

Add spinach, sliced grapes, and walnuts to the bowl, and toss with vinaigrette. Serve on a chilled plate.

And a great tip from The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Being Vegetarian – Second Edition: To maintain your frozen vegetables’ nutrients, do not cook or zap them in a microwave. Instead, to thaw frozen vegetables for a salad, simply put the vegetables in a strainer and run hot water over them for about 30 seconds until they’re thawed.

I use the technique above each time I make Spinach Artichoke dip – works brilliantly!

Put ‘em Up! A Guide to Drying, Freezing, Canning, and Pickling Food

by Joi on June 7, 2010

I was recently sent a copy of Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling by Sherri Brooks Vinton and, after devouring ever page, I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

For a lot of reasons, I’m drawn to the concept of preserving foods at home. Health, safety, and economic concerns are leading many cooks to explore the notions of freezing, canning, drying, and pickling their own foods.

Besides, it’s just crazy fun!

About Put ‘em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide

PRESERVING IS BACK, AND IT’S BETTER THAN EVER. Flavors are brighter, batch sizes are more flexible, and modern methods make the process safer and easier. Eating locally is on everybodys mind, and nothing is more local than Heirloom Salsa made from vine-fresh tomatoes or a quick batch of Ice-Box Berry Jam saved from the seasons last berries. Even beginners who never made peach jam or dill pickles in their grandmothers kitchens are eager to pick up preserving skills as a way to save money, extend the local harvest, and control the quality of preserved ingredients.

The step-by-step instructions in Put ‘em Up will have the most timid beginners filling their pantries and freezers with the preserved goodness of summer in no time. An extensive Techniques section includes complete how-to for every kind of preserving: refrigerating and freezing, air- and oven-drying, cold- and hot-pack canning, and pickling. And with recipe yields as small as a few pints or as large as several gallons, readers can easily choose recipes that work for the amount of produce and time at hand.

Real food advocate Sherri Brooks Vinton offers recipes with exciting flavor combinations to please contemporary palates and put preserved fruits and vegetables on dinner-party menus everywhere. Pickled Asparagus and Wasabi Beans are delicious additions to holiday relish trays; Sweet Pepper Marmalade perks up cool-weather roasts; and Berry Bourbon is an unexpected base for a warming cocktail.

The best versions of tried-and-true favorites are all here too. Bushels of fresh-picked apples are easily turned into applesauce, dried fruit rings, jelly, butter, or even brandy. Falling-off-the-vine tomatoes can be frozen whole, oven dried, canned, or made into a tangy marinara. Options for pickling cucumbers range from Bread and Butter Chips and Dill Spears to Asian Ice-Box Pickles. Something delicious for every pantry!

Recipes in Put ‘em Up Include:

  • Pickled Asparagus
  • Wasabi Beans
  • Beet Relish
  • Grannys Chow-Chow
  • Cantaloupe Agua Fresca
  • Asian Carrot Slaw
  • Easy Bake Tomato Paste
  • Curried Cauliflower
  • Sweet and Sour Pickled Onions
  • Cherry and Black Pepper Preserves
  • Pickled Jalapenos
  • Three-Chili Hot Sauce
  • Preserved Lemons
  • Candied Citrus Rind
  • Heirloom Tomato Salsa
  • Oven-Dried Sweet Corn
  • Bread and Butter Chips
  • Roasted Garlic Butter
  • Dill Pesto with Feta
  • Dried Pear Chips
  • Watermelon Agua Fresca
  • Heirloom Watermelon Jelly
  • Sugar Plums
  • Classic Strawberry Jam
  • Sweet Pepper Marmalade
  • Salsa Verde
  • Oven-Dried Tomatoes
  • Pickled Watermelon Rind
  • Strawberry Vinegar
  • Pickled Beets with Dill
  • Frozen Carrots
  • Many More!

Chapters in Put ‘em Up Include

  • Making Jams and Jellies
  • Making Salsas, Chutneys, and Relishes
  • Making Butters, Sauces, and Ketchups
  • Food Preservation Method: Refrigeration
  • Food Preservation Method: Freezing
  • Food Preservation Method: Infusion
  • Food Preservation Method: Drying
  • Food Preservation Method: Boiling Water-Method
  • Blanching
  • Resources
  • And countless recipes, tips, and techniques!
Recipe: Watermelon Agua Fresca (Page 286)

1 small melon or half of a large one, rind removed, fruit cut into large chunks
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1. Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with dampened cheesecloth over a bowl.  Puree the melon in a blender or food processor, working in batches as necessary.  Transfer the pureed melon to the sieve as you go.  Let drain fully; compost solids.
2.  Pour the melon juice into a pitcher.  Add the water, sugar, and lime juice and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Serve over ice, with a splash of seltzer, if you like.
Refrigerate without ice or seltzer for up to 3 days or freeze juice in 8 ounce servings for up to 3 months.

About the Author: Sherri Brooks Vinton

Sherri Brooks Vinton is the founder of FarmFriendly LLC, which helps chefs, restaurateurs, and food organizations support local agriculture.  She is a former governor of Slow Food USA, and a member of the Chef’s Collaborative, Women’s Chefs and Restaurateurs, Northeast Organic Farmers Association, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  She is the author of The Real Food Revival and lives in Connecticut.

Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling is a wonderful book for the cook who is new to home preserving as well as for the seasoned pro. Honestly, all the information you need is right in these pages.

The book is bright, beautiful, and very enjoyable to read. The recipes are clear, easy to follow, and can’t be found anywhere else. Shake a leg and order your copy from Amazon today. Your family will sing your praises all winter long – in between bites, that is.

Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook

The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook – Excellent!

by Joi on May 2, 2010

One of the things I love best about what I do is the fact that I’m frequently sent cookbooks, kitchen gadgets, coffee, candy, cheese, juice, and other wonderful goodies to review for Get Cooking. If I like or love them, I telly you (my cherished online friends) about them. If I wouldn’t even recommend them to Jesse James or Rielle Hunter, I keep them on the low. You know, “Shhhh, this never happened…”

Fortunately, if someone is confident enough in their product to send it out for testing, they know they’re onto something special. Most people simply don’t want to pay shipping and handling charges to show off crap.

I recently received an excellent cookbook, The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook and I’m working my way merrily through the recipes. The author, Mireille Guiliano, has the type of writing style that makes you feel as though she’s a close friend dropping by for a visit. She has the culinary skills that make you want to cook for you while she’s there.

I wanted to try at least 4 recipes before I wrote the post – so I could have quite a few of my favorites to tell you about – but, alas, I’m too excited with what I have tried to sit on the book any longer.

First, a little about Mireille Guiliano: Mireille Guiliano is the bestselling author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, French Women For All Seasons, and Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire. Born and raised in France, she is married to an American and lives most of the year in New York and Paris. With The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook, Mireille offers a long-awaited and much-anticipated collection of delicious, healthy recipes as well as advice on eating well without gaining weight.

The recipes are so special, that it’s hard to believe that this is her first-ever cookbook. She shares with her readers the recipes that are the cornerstone of her philosophy—mouthwatering, simply prepared dishes that favor fresh, seasonal ingredients and yield high satisfaction.

Organized around Mireille’s three favorite pastimes—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—these recipes emphasize pure flavors, balanced ingredients, and easy cooking methods. Eating pleasurably is just as important as eating healthfully, and Mireille does not neglect dessert and chocolate (essential components of any French woman’s diet) and incorporates advice on entertaining, menu planning, and wine selection. And once again, Mireille offers tips and tricks to reduce one’s waistline (including a secret family recipe from Mireille’s beloved Tante Berthe for a delicious breakfast that melts away pounds effortlessly).

Filled with stories from Mireille’s childhood in France, her life in Paris, Provence, and New York, and her extensive travels and meals for business and enjoyment, The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook is a beautiful, practical lifestyle guide to living well, eating wonderfully, and getting the most out of life with the least amount of stress. She is the former President and CEO of Clicquot, Inc.

The first recipe I tried from the book was an apple oatmeal recipe called Grandma Louise’s Oatmeal with Grated Apples (you can actually find the recipe on French Women Don’t Get Fat’s website!).  My husband’s feeling under the weather and I thought it would make him feel better.  This oatmeal is utterly delicious.  Eating healthy just makes you feel good all over – from your taste buds to your toes.  I served the oatmeal with a little bit of cinnamon on top.  You’d probably want to give your guests a few options to add to their oatmeal such as brown sugar, cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, and butter.  However, please try it before adding anything else – you might find, as I did, that the wholesome goodness of the oats and the apples is outrageously wonderful as is.

The second recipe I tried was Yogurt with Creme Chocolat because, irregardless of the language it’s speaking, chocolate is always speaking MY language.  Oh my goodness, this was sensational.  I’ve saved the sauce recipe and (please, please don’t rat me out to Mireille, but I plan on topping homemade ice cream with it this summer… shhhhh, good people, shhhhhh).

This morning I made what proved to be the best pancakes I’ve had in ages: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.  You have, have, have, have, have to make these pancakes.  They’re lemony, rich, moist, and unspeakably delicious.  Again, mum’s the word, but I dusted the plates with powdered sugar before plating these little beauties.  I used a cookie dough scoop to produce smaller pancakes (I dunno, I just thought that’d be cute).  I tried them with and without butter and with warm syrup and straight from the bottle syrup – I couldn’t find a way they weren’t stupid good.  You do know that’s the ultimate, right?  Things are either “okay,” “pretty good,” “good,” or “stupid good.”

These pancakes are stupid good. You’ll notice that I chose to use the picture provided by The French Women Don’t Get Fat.   These are…. ahem… healthier looking than my pancakes sunning on their powdered sugar beach.  Raspberries and other fresh fruit, sure that’d work.  French women may not get fat, but we American women love our sweets.

When we all meet somewhere in the middle, eveyone’s licking their lips.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Yield: 4-6 Servings

1/4 cup sweet butter, melted
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta
1/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of two lemons
6 egg whites

Mix all the ingredients except the egg whites until just combined.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and gently fold into the mixture.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spoon the batter by tablespoonfuls (I prefer mini sizes…it feels like more when it is less) into the hot skillet, and when holes appear in the pancakes, flip them and cook another minute or two, until they are golden. Repeat until all the batter batter is used.

Serve immediately with a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.  Add a few fresh berries if in season.

All of the recipes I’ve tried have been STUPID GOOD.  This cookbook is STUPID GOOD. Like I said, I wanted to try a few more before sharing this amazing book with you, but I simply couldn’t wait.

I 100 percent recommend The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook. In fact, I’ll be visiting Amazon soon to purchase Mireille’s other books. I’ll also be first in line for the next…. Okay, maybe behind her husband.  Maybe.

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens? Why Not?!

by Joi on March 21, 2010

The recipe below is one of the many wonderful and fun recipes in Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Chef Jennifer Schaertl.  It’s just one of the many fun, delicious, and creative recipes in the chef’s first book.

My Big Fat Greek Salad Recipe

The colorful fresh veggies in this recipe make the presentation beautiful on its own, and its mixture of flavors and textures makes it impressive for the most discerning guests.

Serves 8

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced anchovy (1 or 2)
1/4 cup fresh oregano
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup diced English cucumber
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 cup thinly sliced romaine lettuce (use your bread knife to make thin slices from a head of romaine)
4 slices sourdough bread, toasted

1.  In your blender, pulse the mustard, anchovy, and oregano until mixed. Add the sherry vinegar and pulse until well combined. While blending at medium speed, drizzle in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2.  In a large bowl, toss the cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, feta cheese, and romaine with 1/2 cup of the dressing. Taste the salad to see if it needs more dressing, salt, or pepper.
3.   Mound the salad in a large serving bowl. Cut the toasted bread into wedges, tuck the wedges around, and garnish it with more crumbled feta. For individual portions, hold the toasted bread wedge in the center of each small plate, and pile the salad high around it. This makes each plate look like a sailboat. You could also serve individual salad portions in margarita or martini glasses with the toast jutting out like a sail.
4.  Store the leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can toss the leftover salad as well as the dressing with some pasta for a great Greek pasta salad.

This is Chef Jennifer Schaertl’s cookbook debut but I’m certain it won’t be her last.  Everything about the cookbook has a super cool vibe – from the title and the cover to the recipe names to the recipes.

As for the cookbook’s title, it’s because the concept behind the book is that you don’t have to have a huge, tech-licious, gadget-filled dream kitchen to turn out great food. Chef Jennifer Schaertl believes that “…..cooking in a crappy little kitchen builds character and personality – two attributes of downright delicious gourmet meals.” Learning from her own experiences cooking in a crappy little kitchen in her first tiny apartment in Brooklyn, Jennifer created Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

Jennifer begins the book with The Art of Cooking in Your Crappy Little Kitchen, covering topics such as:

  • CLK Basics
  • It’s Not What You Have, It’s How You Use It
  • The CLK Pantry
  • Preventing Crappy Little Casualties
  • Nine Gourmet Rules

Recipes cover everything needed to create a delicious meal, including “A”-Game Appetizers, Toss Everything but These Salads, Dignified One-Pot Creations, Artful Accompaniments, Saucy Sauces, and Desserts to Die For. The fun Jennifer had creating recipes in her own crappy little kitchen shows through in every page. She makes home-cooking an adventure with recipes such as:

  • When the Saints Come Marchin’ in Gumbo
  • Smokin’ Leftover Turkey Soup
  • Scallops Ceviche
  • Hot-and-Bothered Dragonfly Prawns
  • Wassup! Wasabi Chicken Salad
  • Caramelized Fennel and Goat Cheese with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette
  • Hunka Hunka Monkfish
  • The Perfect Pot Roast
  • Snake-Charmin’ Moroccan Lamb Chops
  • Barbequeless Barbequed Salmon
  • Rum-Infused, Caramelized Pork Chops
  • Leaning Tower of Tofu Lasagna Stacks
  • The-Morning-After Pasta Frittata
  • The Best Paella You’ll Ever Eat
  • Rock-‘n’-Roasted Vegetables
  • Butternutty Squash Bread Pudding
  • Under-the-Sea Timables
  • Fig and Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie
  • Coconut Poached Pears with Burgundy Sauce

Packed with color photos, line drawings, interactive sidebars, and chef tips and information, readers of GOURMET MEALS IN CRAPPY LITTLE KITCHENS will learn:

  • Why a Crappy Little Kitchen can actually be an asset, not a liability
  • The must-haves for every Crappy Little Kitchen pantry
  • Crappy Kitchen Saboteurs: Pointless items that eat up small spaces
  • How to enhance the functionality of your Crappy Little Kitchen space—emphasizing the surprising attributes of working in a small kitchen, plus space-saving ideas that help expand space and utility, allowing for the creation of the most complex dishes
  • How to double or triple the function of utensils to eliminate clutter
  • Swap It Skills: Replacing hard-to-find, gourmet ingredients with everyday items without sacrificing taste
  • How to cohabitate in Crappy Little Kitchens—Jennifer tells readers how to share the tight space and avoid Crappy Little Casualties with chef-proven techniques she learned working in busy and cramped restaurant kitchens
  • Ways to create beautiful plating presentations with secretly guarded tricks of the trade

“Don’t fall prey to the misconception that having a crappy little kitchen limits your possibilities or confines your pallet,” Jennifer explains. “In fact, the opposite is true. My own experiences shows fine food and cramped kitchen quarters are not mutually exclusive. Remember, what sets your Crappy Little Kitchen apart from all the others, is the gourmet chef – - you.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jennifer Schaertl met her first crappy little kitchen when she moved to New York and found the perfect brownstone apartment in Brooklyn. After all her worldly possessions arrived, she found out just how small 300 square feet truly was. Armed with determination, Jennifer learned a million little tricks in her crappy little kitchen. And so “Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens” was born. Deciding to become a chef, she moved back to Texas to study culinary arts at El Centro in Dallas, where she received a technical education about cooking, food style, and preparation, as well as Old World knowledge about recipes and techniques. Jennifer’s first job inside a professional crappy little kitchen was actually that of a dishwasher, where she eventually worked her way up to sous chef. Since that humble beginning Jennifer has worked as a chef in some of Dallas’ top restaurants, including Savory, Taste, and The Grape, and even as a pastry chef at Suze, all the while creating and documenting her own recipes both for her restaurant menus and her family gatherings. A native of Texas, Jennifer Schaertl now lives in Dallas working as an Executive Chef at the North Central Surgical Center. She has already completed the pilot episode of the television series Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens. To view this episode and join her monthly mailing list “The Crappy Little Newsletter,” visit www.crappylittlekitchens.com. From here you can also see her latest press, and get recipes and CLK tips.

Grab a copy of Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens on Amazon today!

Chipotle Corn Chowder Recipe from Dave Lieberman

by Joi on March 11, 2010

March is popular month for many reasons. As a sports fan, I associate it with March Madness (Go UK!) and pre-season baseball. Those of us who are nature lovers, associate it with the return of robins and other favorite birds and the blooming of beautiful flowers, plants, and trees. But March has more up her sleeve than all of this. Did you know that March is also National Nutrition Month?!

Who knew? Quite the over-achiever Miss March.

Your family will love this chock-full-o-veggies chowder recipe from Dave Lieberman, campaign spokesperson for Del Monte “Value without Sacrifice” and Chef and Author of  The 10 Things You Need to Eat: And More Than 100 Easy and Delicious Ways to Prepare Them.

Tip from Dave: Just because you’re cooking doesn’t mean you have to slave in the kitchen. There are simple things you can do to create delicious, memorable meals that don’t require a lot of time or money. My biggest tip this year is for budget-conscious consumers to stock up on pantry staples to supplement fresh or frozen items.

And with nutrients such as fiber and vitamin C, Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn is a staple item that everyone should have in their pantry!

Chipotle Corn Chowder Recipe

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
Flesh from a 3-to-4 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart reduced-sodium College Inn® Chicken Broth
1 can Del Monte® 50% Less Salt Whole Kernel Corn, drained (Dave’s pick for a lot more quality and nutritional value, without sacrificing taste)
2 chipotle peppers, roughly chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 thyme sprigs
to taste salt
to taste black pepper, freshly ground
1 small bunch cilantro, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

Directions:

  1. Heat the butter or oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the pumpkin and/or squash and onion and cook 5 minutes.
  2. Add the flour and stir into the onion and pumpkin. Gradually add the chicken stock, stirring all the while. Add the corn, chipotle peppers, cream, and thyme and bring to a simmer.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin/squash is fork tender but not falling apart.
  4. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in most of the cilantro leaves, reserving some for garnish.
  5. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro leaves.

B. Smith Cooks Southern Style: On Shelves Now!

by Joi on November 4, 2009

B. Smith Cooks Southern Style Cookbook

Lifestyle guru, TV personality and restaurateur B. Smith debuts her first comprehensive cookbook filled with 200 recipes she has mastered throughout her amazing career this week. With her trademark casual yet elegant approach, B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style explores the cuisines of the American South (which includes Cajun, Creole, Soul Food, and at least one hundred and one ways to use smoked pig.)

From beginning to end, B. Smith takes the reader on a trip through a culturally rich and diverse history of ingredients, flavors and textures of Southern cuisine—all while lightening up traditional southern dishes and in true B. Smith style, giving tips on how to entertain like a pro.

Not your average “meat and potatoes” guide, with delicious recipes like BBQ Root Beer Pulled Pork, Spicy Tomato Shrimp Grits, Grilled Okra and Roasted Tomato Salad, Sweet Bourbon Corn Pudding, Oven Baked Buttermilk Chicken, Coconut Pecan Cake and even Country Style Alligator Sausage Patties & Gravy, Smith’s recipes are a perfect blend of tradition and innovation.

B’s book is available now at national retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders.

You can watch B. Smith demonstrate one of her new recipes on NBC’s “Today Show” on Thursday, November 5th!

Praise for B. Smith Cooks Southern Style:

“Really simple delicious recipes that will bring out the South in you.” – Emeril Lagasse

“I know a great recipe when I see it and this book is full of them. B. Smith has really captured the heart of delicious, yet healthy, Southern cooking.” – Patti LaBelle

“Southern Cooking both contemporary and traditional – may be having its moment. Throughout Smith remains an affordable host, keeping the proceedings accessible and fun.” – Publisher’s Weekly

To read my own review of this particular cookbook (I love it!), please click the following link: B. Smith Cooks Southern Style: A Cookbook Review!

Order B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style on Amazon – grab several for the cooking enthusiasts on your Christmas list…. just be sure you grab one for yourself as well!

The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook is a Delicious Winner

by Joi on October 6, 2008

Country Bob's Original Cookbook I love Country Bob’s Original All Purpose Sauce so much, I always keep at least one bottle on hand. We’re trying to eat a lot more Boca Burgers and Protein Patties and, suffice to say, Bob makes the transition a yummier one. It actually keeps us from ever realizing we aren’t eating beef. It’s that delicious.

I’ve been enjoying the Original Country Bob’s Cookbook as well. You can find your own copy for just $22 by clicking HERE. On the same page, you can find an option to purchase the same cookbook PLUS 1 Bottle of the Original All Purpose Sauce, 1 Bottle of the Spicy All Purpose Sauce, 1 Bottle of Barbecue Sauce, and 1 Container of Seasoning Salt – they’re all sent together as a set for just a little more money.

Below is one of my favorite recipes from The Original Country Bob’s Cookbookis for Sloppy Joes. They’re amazing and are perfect for tailgating, whether it’s in a parking lot or on you couch:

COUNTRY BOB’S SUPER SLOPPY JOES

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 slices bacon, crisp-fried and crumbled
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 TBS white vinegar
2 tsps brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
Hamburger buns, toasted

Cook the ground beef in a skillet until brown and crumbly, drain. Combine with the onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, and bacon in a slow cooker. Add the tomato paste, water, Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce, salt, pepper, paprika, vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours. Serve on toasted hamburger buns or as a main dish over hot cooked rice or noodles. Country Bob's Original Cookbook

My favorite way of serving this – besides the always perfect hamburger buns – is to bake a 9 inch pan of buttermilk cornbread, and place individual slices on plates. Then.. you guessed it… dump generous helpings of this delicious sloppy joe mixture onto the cornbread.

Other recipes include:

Southwestern Black Bean Stew
Down Home Chili
Slow-Cooker Orange Honey Chicken
Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings (!!!!)
Fruit Cocktail Cake
Toffee Bread Pudding
Polish Sausages WOW!
Coleslaw with Sour Cream Slaw Dressing
And many, many more….

Click HERE to take a closer look!