Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Current Cookbook - The Italian Slow Cooker

THE ITALIAN SLOW COOKER - by Michele Scicolone

This cookbook has a copyright of 2010. I bought this cookbook from Amazon.com. I have never cooked from this before.

I admit, that most of the recipes I have for the slow cooker or "crockpot" don't involve a lot of prep. You take ingredients, toss them all in the slow cooker, set it for 8 to 10 hours and then you come home to dinner. When I first got this cookbook it threw me off a bit. Pretty much every dish has some sort of prep you have to do before you start. Searing meat. Sauteing onions. Adding wine to ingredients and then simmering for a bit on the stove before you add it to the crockpot. All a bit labor intensive and not the "quick" kind of slower cooker "set it and forget it" meals I expected.

There was also the cooking time of these dishes. As a working person, it's at least 9 hours from the time I leave for work until I get home. Rarely does a dish in this book take even eight hours. Timing ranges from 30 minutes on high, 3 hours on low, six hours on low...definitely not something I can toss together on a weekday.

Scicolone's reasoning on this is that dishes will taste better if you do some prep before you toss everything in the slow cooker. Browning the meat will get you a depth of flavor that tossing it in raw won't. Same thing for cooking the veggies or reducing some of the liquid before using, it's to bring out a flavor that traditionally adding raw items to the cooker won't get you. She also states that the slow cooker helps with the lengthy cooking time that a lot of Italian dishes normally take using traditional cooking methods. As for the reduced crockpot times, I've learned from experience that if a dish says six hours on low, keeping it on low for eight hours doesn't always work (ie the thought that the meat will be even more tender). Many of the new slow cooker cookbooks reiterate this thought. But I did keep thinking why use the slow cooker for three hours for a dish when I could just cook it on the stove or in the oven for three hours? The slow cooker concept for these will come in handy when it's too hot out to cook I guess.

The Italian Slow Cooker starts out with a page about slow cookers, specifically essential features...which mine has few of...I don't have a warm temp setting, nor does my cooker have a timer, a beeper, flexible programming or an after cooking warm period (though honestly I don't think not having these features will be a problem most of the time). There are a few pages on Techniques and Tips (following temperature instructions, what to do if the polenta gets too thick); a page on slow cooker safety (never heat an empty slow cooker); and several pages on The Italian Pantry (like what Burrata is).

Chapters are Soups; Sauces for Pasta; Risotto, Polenta, and Grains; Seafood; Eggs, Chicken and Turkey; Beef, Veal, Pork, and Lamb; Vegetables and Dried Legumes; Desserts. Recipes seem easy to read and understand. Most of the ingredients shouldn't be hard to find though some might have difficulty in some of the cuts of meat and fish (cleaned calamari with tentacles). Most of the recipes have full page color photos.

Recipes I'd like to try: Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup; Mushroom Soup with Marsala; Cauliflower, Pancetta, and Pasta Soup; Chickpea and Porcini Soup; Tomato and Red Wine Sauce; Meat and Mushroom Ragu; Spicy Tuscan Sausage Ragu; Chunky Pork Shoulder Ragu; Three Mushroom Risotto; Creamy Polenta with Gorgonzola and Marscarpone; Polenta with Pork Ragu; Pasta Frittata; Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic (using a whole chicken); Chicken with Vinegar and Garlic; Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Turkey, Prosciutto, and Cheese; Beef Goulash; Beef Shanks with Red Wine and Tomatoes; Balsamic-Glazed Short Ribs; Sausage and Beef Meat Loaf; Osso Buco with Red Wine; Milk Braised Pork Loin; Cauliflower with Prosciutto and Olives; Apricot Baked Apples; Pears in Masala; Dried Fruit Compote; Panettone Bread Pudding.

The book surprised me in some of the dishes cooked in the slow cooker. I'm not used to vegetable and fish dishes being cooked this way (though something like the Seafood Stew you cook the sauce for 3 hours and only add the seafood in the last 30 minutes so I guess that works). Same thing with risotto and polenta. I do like the fact that most of the ingredients used here are fresh...you make your own sauces, nothing is coming from a can. I guess I'm still questioning why some of this stuff couldn't just be cooked on the stove or in the oven for the same amount of time. The recipes do sound intriguing though.

 

 

 

 

 

Current Cookbook - The Cook's Country Cookbook

THE COOK'S COUNTRY COOKBOOK - Rediscovering American Home Cooking by America's Test Kitchen

This cookbook has a copyright of 2008. I got this cookbook at Costco. I have never cooked from this book before.

Normally when I get a new cookbook, I sit down and read it cover to cover like a book. But when a cookbook has over 500 recipes spread out over almost 600 pages, that doesn't happen. Especially when there are few photos to go with the recipes. What usually happens is that I do a cursory run though the cookbook and set it aside to be used more as a reference book sometime in the future.

This cookbook is typical of the America's Test Kitchens cookbooks. This one is a comprehensive collection of "some of America's best loved recipes" which have been updated for todays modern lifestyles. Though it doesn't state it on the cookbook anywhere, I believe most if not all of the recipes here come from The Cooks Country Magazine. They take many of Americas standard dishes ("Blue Ribbon" type from home cooks) and update them to the "America's Test Kitchen" standards.

The Cook's Country Cookbook is divided into 17 chapters which pretty much cover everything: Starters and Snacks; Salads and Dressings; Soups, Stews, and Chili's; On the Side (Veggies); Lunch Counter Specials (Sandwiches/Pizzas); Hearty Breakfasts; Morning and Teatime Treats (Muffins/Donuts/Coffeecakes); Casseroles and Other Potluck Favorites; Chicken (and Turkey) Every Way; Beef and Pork; Seafood; Slow-Cooker Favorites; Cookies and Bars Galore; Blue Ribbon Cakes; Homespun Pies and Fruit Desserts; Spoon Desserts. Each chapter has a page listing all the recipes and variation of the recipes in that chapter. There is a pretty decent index along with two pages on conversions which is a great reference tool. There are 50 photos, split into 3 sections (some of the photos are four on a page). I'm not sure why they bothered to include these few photos, It’s almost like they shouldn’t have added any photos at all.

For each recipe you’ll find several paragraphs with the standard information that the Cooks Illustrated or Cooks Country Magazines gives, where they talk about how they came about to find the "perfect" recipe. This information works for me in the magazines, but in a book with over 500 recipes, it seems to get lost. It works if you are using the cookbook as a reference but a bit tough if you have the book sitting on your lap on the couch in front of the fire trying to decide what to make. There are few hard to find ingredients. The type is very small. A lot of the recipes give "variations" which is great if you want to expand on a recipe or try different ingredients.

Interspersed throughout are small black and white, step by step photos of a technique that might be used in the recipe like a four step secret to breading pork chops or a two step block on how to shape Angel Biscuits. You will find blocks of information called "The American Table" which gives a bit of folklore or information about a recipe. Under "Cowboy Beans" there is a bit about "Chuck Wagon Cuisine" which talks about chuck wagon cooks, what was cooked in a chuck wagon and a bit of the lore surrounding them. Under Jucy Lucy Burgers (something I want to try!) there is a bit about The Great Lucy Debate, talking about where the Jucy Lucy Burger may have originated (it's these little bits of information that  I like and wish they had more of in the book). There are also bits called "Shopping With the Test Kitchen" where they give out information on ingredients or equipment.

As an example, under the recipe for Beer Batter Cheese Bread, there are five big paragraphs on how they figured out how to make the best recipe of said dish, the recipe itself, two variations on the basic recipe (Beer Batter Cheese Bread with Smoked Gouda and Bacon and Beer Batter Cheese Bread with Cheddar and Jalapeno) and a Shopping with the Test Kitchen article on Box Graters (why you should use it over a food processor to grate the cheese, what is their favorite brand and the basic cost).

There is a redemption form on the back cover flap for a one year (six issue) subscription to Cooks Country Magazine. I don’t see any expiration date.

I have a fondness for the American Test Kitchen cookbooks and I subscribe to Cooks so I know that this will be a cookbook I use often when I'm looking for a basic recipe or searching for a recipe I might have a recollection of from my past. There are a ton of great sounding recipes (too many to list) but I do wish there were more photos. And since Cooks Country is pretty much one of the few cooking magazines I don't subscribe too, this cookbook fits well in my collection. I will admit though, that it won't be one of those cookbooks I curl up with before bedtime to dream of all the great things I'll be cooking!

 

 

Christmas Cookbook Bonanza

Since I collect cookbooks, I love getting them as Christmas presents. Every year I usually find one or two under the Christmas tree. This year though, was an absolute bonanza!

I received new cookbooks, old cookbooks, used cookbooks and pamphlets that I know must have had a special place in someones collection. Several had been on my want list for some time (I think my Amazon wish list of cookbooks is about fourteen pages long).

But my favorite this year, which came from my Aunt and Uncle in Oregon, wasn't a true cookbook...it was an envelope which had some Nut Tree recipes inside which brought back a ton of memories of my childhood.

Now unless you had to drive Hwy 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento years ago, or lived near Davis, California, you probably have no idea what Nut Tree is or actually was. Started in 1921 as a roadside fruit stand, the Nut Tree became a must stop on the way to and from my Grandmas. It had a restaurant, bakery, a gift shop, toy shop, giant wooden animals to play on and a little train that you could line up to take rides around the area.

Now as a kid, it was always fun to stop at the Nut tree for cookies, riding the train and climbing on the animals. But it was the restaurant that always made me feel special. With my Grandma living in Davis, if we wanted a "grown up meal" (mostly lunch for us as kids but there were some dinners) you got dressed up and went to the Nut Tree Restaurant. Supposedly the restaurant was one of the first places to serve "California Cuisine" which to me back then meant lots of wonderful fresh fruit and vegetable plates. Standing in line on the ramp I was always full of anticipation at dining with the adults and it was always a special treat to be able to eat there.

Unfortunately Nut Tree as I knew it, closed down in 1996. There is currently a "Nut Tree Plaza" where the old place stood, which is nothing like the original...it's now full of chain retail shops and restaurants that have none of the charm of the old Nut Tree.

I love the fact that this simple envelope of recipes (16 all together) could bring back so many wonderful memories, not only of time spent with family and friends as a kid, but of wonderful meals  and food (anyone remember the pink chocolate covered strawberries they used to sell?).

I plan on getting out these little recipe cards this summer and making myself a giant Nut Tree meal. In the meantime, I think the plethora of cookbooks I received over the holidays will keep me knee deep in new recipes to try!

Current Cookbook - Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

RELAXED COOKING WITH CURTIS STONE - Recipes to Put You in My Favorite Mood - by Curtis Stone

This cookbook has a copyright of 2009. My friend Chef Barbie bought this book for me and had it autographed when Curtis was at Sur La Table. I have cooked from this before.

A year or so ago I made a recipe and never put it on the blog. In the meantime I just made a dish from this cookbook last week, so it's high time I posted it and counted it as a cookbook I've cooked from!

I do have a confession to make. I think Curtis Stone is hot. During his first cooking show I seriously considered parking myself at the grocery store looking a bit lost with some pathetic food in my cart just in case he happened to come by. Trust me it's more than just that Australian accent!

Okay, now that we are through with that.

The book starts with a nice introduction, telling us how he got started cooking and how he ended up where he is today. The introduction also tells you a bit about the philosophy of the cookbook and what he considers "relaxed cooking". Chapters are divided into First Thing in the Morning, Brunch That Will Blow Their Minds, Weekend Lunches, Something to Eat on the Sofa, Daily Dinners, Crowd-Pleasers, Sides to Share and Sweet Dreams.

Recipes seem pretty straightforward, easy to follow, no real out there ingredients. The recipes don't seem "fussy" at all which goes with the "relaxed" title. Almost every recipe has a nice full page, glossy colored photo (there are several photos of Curtis of course). The recipes are nicely laid out and are easy to read. The index is quite good listing things by recipe, ingredient, type and even event (Brunch, Casual Bites).

Tons of great recipes I'd like to try: Caramelized Nectarines with Yogurt and Honey; Watermelon with Fresh Mint and Lime; Cinnamon French Toast with Caramelized Peaches; Greek Doughnuts; Portobello Mushrooms with Ricotta, Tomatoes, and Basil; Crispy Tortilla with Ham, Chile, Spinach, and Fried Eggs; Lobster Cocktail; Wild Mushroom, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Tarts; Simple Salad with p[Parmesan Wafers and Organic Pached Egg; Baby Spinach Salad with Crispy Bacon and Cheese Croutons; Iozza's Corn and Bacon Muffins; Sticky Çhicken Drumsticks; Honey-Glazed Ham Panini; Fresh Crab and Avocado Dip with Crispy Tortilla Chips; Rigatoni with Spicy Italian Salami, Baby Tomatoes, Olives and Capers; Crumbed Chicken Breasts Filled with Swiss Cheese; T-Bone Steaks with Chipotle-Cilantro Butter; Pan-Fried Pork Wrapped in Prociutto with Sage and Capers; Cheese Fondue; Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni; Chili Crab; All-American Barbecued Baby Back Ribs; Slowly Cooked Brisket with a BBQ Bourbon Sauce; Lamb Shanks Slowly Braised in Red Wine, Rosemary, and Thyme; Sangria; Pomegranate Martini; Acorn Squash Roasted with Thyme; Crispy Roasted Potatoes; Coconut Rice; Creamy Mascarpone and Parsley Polenta; Espresso Creme Brulee; Brownie Cupcakes; Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks; Amaretto Hot Chocolate Floats with Vanilla Swiss Almond Ice Cream; Banoffee Pie.

So many great sounding recipes, none which seem to hard to make, I'm not sure how I'll chose what to try!

 

 

Current Cookbook - The Good Stuff Cookbook

THE GOOD STUFF COOKBOOK -Burgers, Fries, Shakes, Wedges, and More by Spike Mendelsohn

This cookbook has a copyright of 2010. I bought this cookbook for myself. I have never cooked from this before.

I don't review cookbooks. When I post a recipe from one of my gazillion, many, wonderful cookbooks, I usually will post a photo of which cookbook the recipe came from, tell you where I got said cookbook and give you a brief rundown of what you may find inside the cookbook (including a list of all the recipes I'd like to try). It usually isn't until then that I check online to see if people liked the cookbook or had problems with the recipes. I post cookbooks this way because I'm not a cookbook reviewer and I rarely cook more than one recipe from the book. I give a rundown of the cookbook only so that folks will know where the accompanying recipe came from and so that if someone might be interested in getting said cookbook, it gives them a feel for what they might find inside.

Most of the time, I ignore negative reviews of cookbooks..."I made this dish and it didn't turn out the way I wanted" or "I hate this chef so only one and a half stars" or "I'm a vegetarian and my mother bought me this book on steaks so I'm giving it only one thumbs up out of five", "it didn't have any photos and I can't make a recipe without a photo". Fer cryin out loud folks, don't review a cookbook that you haven't cooked from or are against before you even open the pages! I give latitude if a dish doesn't always come out the way I planned so comments like that don't bother me. And I always laugh when someone reviews the author, or contents of a cookbook without actually trying recipes. Other times though, reading a review of a cookbook online can give you some pretty interesting information. You'll find some of the things I came across regarding The Good Stuff Cookbook at the end of this post*. I felt they were important enough to include here.

I ordered this book for two reasons...this really is the summer of burgers and shakes for me so I wanted several cookbooks to choose from, and I was a fan of Spikes on Top Chef. I've always wanted to eat at his restaurant so I thought getting a book of recipes from the place would be fun.

The acknowledgements to this book (along with the preface and introduction) were a good read. Spike tells how he came to start his restaurant The Good Stuff, how people influenced and helped him and his overall philosophy of his dishes. The recipes are supposed to be dishes from his restaurant. There is also a brief section on how to use the book (pantry items to have on hand, party planning). The chapters are divided into Condiments and Complements (mayo's and sauces); Salads (which Spike calles Wedges); Sides; Burgers; Shakes, Malts and Floats; Desserts; and Party Dishes (a few alcoholic beverages and things like donuts).

The recipes seem pretty straight forward and easy to follow though some seem to have a lot of ingredients...eleven ingredients for the Mac and Cheese and that's not counting the five plus ingredients for the cheese sauce used. Then you have some really simple recipes like the Root Beer Float with two ingredients. Root beer and ice cream. Or the Black and White Shake which has, hot fudge sauce, ice cream, and milk (I admit, I did kind of raise an eyebrow on these two recipes in their simplicity).  Each recipe has a brief introduction explaining a bit about the recipe or what the recipe reminds Spike of. Sprinkled throughout the cookbook are notes from Spike like "Don't press down on the patties!". ˇThere are some nice photos, but there is not a photo of every recipe (he gets bonus points for having a hockey photo!).

Recipes I'd like to try: Good Stuff Sauce; Siriacha Mayo;, Mayolive;, Farm Fresh Ceasar Wedge; Arugula, Red Onion, and Parmesan Wedge; Poached Eggs and Frisee Wedge; Sunny's Hand Cut Fries; Cliffs Homegrown Vidalia Onion Petals; Nic's Mess with Sunny's Hand Cut Fries; Homemade Cornbread; Perfectly Roasted Wild Mushrooms; Farmhouse Bacon Cheeseburger; Good Stuff Melt; Prez Obama Burger; Pork and Pancetta Burger with Smoked Mozzarella, Peperonata, And Basil Pesto; Caprese Burger; Toasted Marshmallow Shake; Milky Way Malt; De-Lecheble Leche; Creamsicle Shake; Avocado Shake; Bananas Foster Shake; Cadbury Shake; Banana-Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches; Baklava Cookies.

*Now...we come to the reviews that I'm finding online...and they aren't pretty. Just take a look at Amazon reviews. Lots of "I've eaten at the restaurant and the food rocks" five star comments. But when you read the comments of folks who've actually made some of the recipes? People are asking for an errata sheet as some of the quantities on the ingredients are off (I would have made the Mac and Cheese without realizing there was too much flour called for). I also, had some questions about the directions for the recipe I made. I still want to try several of the recipes from this cookbook, but I'll probably check online to see if anyone has previously made the dish to make sure it turns out okay.

Current Cookbook - Plugged In

PLUGGED IN - The Definitive Guide to the 20 Best Kitchen Appliances by Lora Brody

This cookbook has a copyright of 1997. I don't know where I got this cookbook. I have never cooked from this before.

This book was written with the premise that you may have as many as "ten" appliances in your kitchen and that you may not know how to fully utilize them. It then lists 80 appliances you could possibly own (along with standard appliances like a blender, the list includes cotton candy makers, knife sharpeners, a raclette grill..and things I don't necessarily consider an appliance...like a teakettle or a sifter). Lora then picked 20 of these appliances to include in this book. Her intention is to help you find recipes that incorporate the use of said appliances.

The appliances she deals with in this book are: Blender; Handheld Blender; Bread Machine; Deep Fryer; Food Processor and Mini Food Processor (covered in one chapter); Electric Grill; Ice-Cream Maker; Microwave Oven; Hand Mixer; Stand Mixer; Rice Cooker, Skillet and Wok (these are combined into one chapter); Slow Cooker; Electric Steamer; Tortilla Press; Waffle Maker; Electric Water Smoker; and Computer.

The introduction to the book includes comments and suggestions from her "team" who list their favorite appliances and why they consider them favorites, and the preferred brands of these appliances (since this book is 13 years old I'm sure some of these might have changed). There are also several pages with general tips for using appliances (such as "use the plug, not the cord, to pull from the outlet").

Each chapter deals with a specific appliance (except a few which combine like machines such as the full and mini food processors). It tells you what the appliance does and doesn't do, why you might need the appliance, care and maintenance, which version might be right for you (say getting a deep fryer with a replaceable filter), and a list of tips for using the appliance. This information is followed by recipes.

A lot of the information on the chosen appliances is old and outdated. In the past thirteen years since this book was written, many of the appliances have become smaller and easier to use (think how big the microwaves of thirteen years ago were). The computer/internet section is completely out of date (it explains what a web browser is and lists Usenet groups! I did get a kick out of being pointed to "alt.food.grits".) But if you're like me, you still may have one of these older, bulkier appliances sitting on your kitchen counter. My Osterizer blender is at least twenty years old so all the tips and instructions in the blender section still hold true. But I would be careful and double check some of the recipes (like my crock pot is much hotter and cooks faster than the older versions, so I'd be careful of the time).

The recipes are pretty straightforward and though some of the ingredients might have been difficult to find when the book was written, I don't see a problem with that now. I'm not sure any of these recipes would be considered out of the box for each appliance (seriously, do I need to be given recipes that use my stand mixer since so many call for its use these days?). But I admit I might not have thought to use a tortilla press to make pizzas and crepes. The one big complaint I have with this book is the recipe count for some appliances. While the bread machine section lists 26 different recipes*, the deep fryer section only lists 9.

Recipes I'd like to try (even though I don't own all these appliances):

Blender: Fruit-Rum-Cream Frappes, Popovers, Blender Rocky Road Ice Cream, Homemade Fudgesicles. Handheld Blender: Puffed Pancake, Avocado Soup, Zabaglione. Bread Machine: Whole Wheat Sourdough Beer Bread, Herbed Onion Focaccia, Killer Sticky Buns, Soba Noodles. Deep Fryer: Radiators, Pesto Cheese Pillows. Food Processor: Smoked Tomato Ketchup, Trouble in Tahiti (think fruit salsa), Chili Cheesecake, The Dish Formally Known as Meatloaf, Parmesan Cheese Scones, Espresso Mocha Bars, Tropical Sorbet. Mini Food Processor: Indonesian Chicken Wings, Spicy Yogurt Marinade. Electric Grill: Grilled Sweet Corn, Asian Steak Salad. Ice Cream Maker: Key Lime Ice Cream, Tiramisu Biscotti Gelato, Burned Sugar Gelato. Microwave: Sugar Nuts, Polenta with Pesto and Parmesan, Sour Cream Chocolate Icing. Hand Mixer: Smoked Corn Bread, Brown Butter Pecan Frosting, Broiled Coconut Frosting. Stand Mixer: Savory Cheese Biscotti, Blueberry Buckle, Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Pound Cake. Rice Cooker: Rice Ole, Smoked Corn Chowder. Skillet: Soft Tacos with Scrambled Eggs and Green Chilies, Sloppy Joes, Shrimp Fried Rice, Reggibars. Wok: Cocktail Spiced Pecans, Pad Thai. Slow Cooker: Caramelized Onions, Caramelized Onion Soup, Chili Mole, Jerk Chicken, All American Barbecue Sauce, Soused Strawberry Sauce, Grape Nuts Pudding. Electric Steamer: Blue-Eyed Paul's Shrimp, Steamed Pears with Raspberry Sauce, Bananas Amaretto. Tortilla Press: Chili-Cheese Flour Tortillas, Devil's Food Crepes. Waffle Maker: Ham and Cheese Waffles. Electric Water Smoker: Smoked Butternut Squash, Smoked Flank Steak.

*I believe Lora Brody has written several bread machine cookbooks.

 

 

Current Cookbook - Seduced by Bacon

SEDUCED BY BACON - Recipes and Lore About America's Favorite Indulgence by Joanna Pruess with Bob Lape.

This cookbook has a copyright of 2006. I don't know where I got this cookbook. I have never cooked from this before.

Well, first of all...it's a cookbook about bacon. BACON. I mean really, it should be enshrined. Please note that this cookbook was published five years ago, before the bacon "fad" came about and they considered bacon be America's "favorite indulgence" even back then. I just wanted to point this out to all those folks that say bacon was just a passing fancy. Yeah right. For what it's worth, this isn't the only bacon centric cookbook I own either!

Seduced By Bacon starts out with a nice ode to bacon and several pages of introduction which goes into the history of bacon. There is a section on buying, storing and basic cooking instructions (yes, we already oven fry our bacon). There is a "Baconology" section which gives definitions regarding the different kinds of bacon (this comes in very handy when recipes call for types of bacon like "Guanciale" or "Streaky Bacon"). There is a section on suppliers of fancy type bacon.

The chapters are: Breakfast and Baked Goods; Appetizers and Snacks; Salads & Soups; Sandwiches; Seafood; Poultry and Meat; Pasta, Beans & Grains; Vegetable Side Dishes and Desserts (yes, you will find Bacon Ice Cream here).

There are photos but they are not the best. While a few are of the actual dishes, there are far to many photos of ingredients. I would rather see an actual photo the Alsatian Onion & Bacon Tart, not a photo of one of the ingredients, thyme leaves, in a bottle.  A lot of the photos seem to be in extreme close up, with very grainy (i.e. not clear and sharp) photography.

 Most of the recipes have a "notes" or "idea" blurb which might let you know about adding additional ingredients (say avocado to the Deconstructed BLT Salad) or not to chop the bacon up too fine so there will be more of a pronounced bacon flavor.

There are also "Bacon Bits" throughout Seduced By Bacon, which seem to be personal stories either relayed to the authors of the book or their own personal bacon remembrances.

Most of the ingredients would be easy to find in a regular grocery store. Some of the different types of  bacon might be hard to track down but you can usually use a more easily found type. Some of the recipes seem to be a bit labor intensive.

Now, as far as I'm concerned, you can pretty much add bacon to any recipe. I can't tell you how many times I've made a dish and either I or Mr. L has said. "Great dish, tastes wonderful. Maybe add some bacon next time?". This cookbook is much more than "just add some bacon to an already made recipe" kind of cookbook.

Recipes that caught my eye to possibly make: Bacon-Cheddar Backing Powder Biscuits, Alpine Potato Torte, Alsatian Onion & Bacon Tart, Candied Bacon Bites, Bacon-Wrapped Breadsticks, Firecrackers (think stuffed jalapenos), Jumbo Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon with Curried Mayonnaise, Bacon-Popped Popcorn, Bocaditos Espanoles, Deconstructed BLT Salad, Broccoli Soup with Bacon & Cheddar Cheese Croutons, Lobster Bisque, Open-Faced Cheddar & Turkey Bacon Sandwich with Beer-Glazed Onions, Provolone, Avocado & Bacon Wrap, Chinese Glazed Salmon, Jamaican Jerked Shrimp, Mushrooms & Tomatoes, Old-Fashioned Shepperd's Pie, Devilish Short Ribs, Spicy Turkey Meatloaf, Don Vittorio's Rigatoni with Tomato-Vodka Sauce, Macattacaroni, Glazed Pearl Onions, Creamed Spinach, Three-Potato Bacon Salad, Pecan-Brown Sugar & Bacon ice Cream, French Apple Tart with Cheddar Cheese Crust & Sweet Brittle Topping.

But who am I kidding, I'd probably eat any recipe in this book because...well...it's bacon!

 

Current Cookbook - The Star Wars Cookbook

THE STAR WARS COOKBOOK - Wookie Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes - by Robin Davis

This cookbook has a copyright of 1998. I received this as a Christmas present from my husband back in 2008. I have never cooked from this before.

I thought it only appropriate that I post this cookbook on Star Wars Day. Though this cookbook is directed towards kids (specifically 9-12 year olds) I think any Star Wars fan should have this in their collection. Not for the recipes themselves, but for the names of the recipes and the photographs of the dishes (more on that later).

It's a spiral bound book which will make it easy for kids to use (or adults in, say a Stormtrooper costume). There is an introduction in keeping with the Star Wars theme that gives instructions to little Jedi's (wash hands, never run in the kitchen, put ingredients away when you finish with them etc). Standard chapters (breakfasts, beverages, snacks and sides, main courses, desserts). Most of the recipes have photos. There is even a sheet of Star Wars stickers in the back of the book.

The introduction tells young Jedi's that they may need help with grown-ups to make some of these recipes and I concur. Some just seem a little bit involved for the average 9 year old though the recipe instructions are pretty detailed.  Most of the ingredients should be readily available. There are several  recipes that require "pre-packaged" items such as canned pineapple rings or bottled hot fudge sauce but most of the dishes are made from scratch.

But again, the best part of The Star Wars Cookbook is going through it, reading the inventive names of the dishes and checking out the photos...which not only show the finished dish but are propped with Star Wars action figures. Now, the normal Star Wars fanatic fan probably has all these action figures in their Star Wars specific room garage, so replicating these scenes for say, a childs birthday party would be awesome. ( I want my own Tusken Raider to make Tusken Raider Taters by the way.) I can see problems cropping up when a child wants to make the Jabba Jiggle (think jello salad) and the parent has to spend hours and bucks getting a Jabba The Hut action figure off ebay!

But seriously, how can one not want to make Princess Leia Danish Dos (yes, that iconic hair shape!), Hoth Chocolate, Jawa Jive Milkshakes (the photo is so cute of the little action figures stealing away with the milkshake!), Dark Side Salsa, Jedi Juice Pops, Greedo's Burritos, Boba Fett-uccine, TIE Fighter Ties, Wookie Cookies, Bossk Brownies, Wampa Snow Cones, R2-D2 Treats (bananas and Kit Kats!).

This really is a cute book for anyone who is into all things Star Wars. And as the book says "Go forth, young Jedi! May your Hoth Chocolate be sweet, may your Dark Side Salsa by spicy, and may the Force always be with you!"

 UPDATE: Check it out, young Nathaniel Fields is cooking his way through the Star Wars Cookbook! You can follow along on his blog Cooking My Way Through the Star Wars Galaxy!

 

Current Cookbook - Simply Ming One-Pot Meals

SIMPLY MING ONE-POT MEALS - Quick, Healthy & Affordable Recipes by Ming Tsai & Arthur Boehm

This cookbook has a copyright of 2010. I got this cookbook at Costco. I have never cooked from this before.

I'm not a huge fan of Ming Tsai. I've watched his cooking shows only a handful of times. I actually did like him on The Next Iron Chef even if he was a bit full of himself.

I picked up this book because I've been so time crunched lately that the idea of casseroles or what I think of as "one pot meals" appealed to me. Throw a bunch of stuff in a pot, let it cook and you have dinner. I should have read more about the Simply Ming One-Pot Meals as it's not quite that simple.

The premise of this cookbook is "Taste, Healthfulness, Simplicity and Affordability" and is broken down into techniques: "Braising, Wokking, Sauteing, High-Temperature Cooking, Roasting, Tossing (salads) and Soups. Supposedly each recipe would cost around $20, have easy to find ingredients and you only have to use one pot to cook the dish.

Chapters are divided by technique (Braise, Wok, Saute, Roast, High Temp, Soup, Toss) so you'd have to go to the index if you are looking for say, shrimp recipes. There are several pages of a glossary with ingredients and techniques. A full page photo of each dish (nice so you know what things are supposed to look like). Each recipe has a "To Drink" tip which pairs wines, beers or champagne with the dish. Some of the recipes have Ming's Tip's which tell you things like how to test lamb racks for doneness or how to peel a maitake.

The recipes seem fairly straightforward. The ingredients may be a problem. Though he mentions easy to find ingredients, I'm not sure that some of the stuff listed could be found in a normal grocery store though you could probably find them at any upscale or oriental market ...Maitake mushrooms, rock sugar, Togarashi, duck legs, sambal, cabbage kimchee. He also says to use things like organic Worcestershire sauce...which I've never seen at my normal markets.

The main thing I found while checking out the recipes is that, well, there's more than one pot involved. I found the title of the cookbook to be a bit misleading. Sure, portions of the dish may only take one pot to cook, but there are other pots involved to get the finished dish on the table.  For example something like Warm Lemongrass Chicken with Olive and Cucumber-Couscous Salad takes marinating the chicken in a resealable bag, cooking the chicken in a skillet, taking chicken out of skillet to rest while you prepare the rest of the dish and making the couscous in a completely different pot. Lots more work than I would have thought from a one-pot cookbook.

That being said there are many dishes that I'd like to try: Oxtail and Shiitakes with Quinoa, Curry Beef with Potatoes and Onions,  Garlic Osso Buco with Celeriac, Pork Belly with Jalapeno-Pineapple Salsa, Kung Pao Chicken with House Rice, Gingered Pork with Leeks, Scallop and Bacon Fettuccine, Asian Spaghetti, Thai Basil Shrimp Risotto, Mom's Famous Vinegared Shrimp, Wild Mushroom Polenta with Thai Basil Salad, Jerk Chicken with Mango, Wine and Black-Bean Pot Roast with Smashed Potatoes, Chile Pork Fillets with Garlic Brussels Sprouts, Spicy Fried Chicken with Crispy Onion Rings, Sweet and Sour Mango Pork, Lion's Head and Snow Cabbage with House Rice, Lemongrass-Coconut Chicken Soup, Wonton Shrimp and Noodle Soup, Sesame Chicken Cucumber Noodle Salad, Coriander-Crusted Tuna Salad Nicoise.

I find some of the standard recipes in Simply Ming One-Pot Meals more interesting as they seem to have an Asian bent, like Asian Spaghetti or the Osso Buco where a bit of soy sauce is added, though some of the more traditional recipes look great too.

Current Cookbook - Glorious Italian Cooking

GLORIOUS ITALIAN COOKING - Romantic Meals, Menus and Music from Cucina Amore by Nick Stellino

This cookbook has a copyright of 1996. I do not know where I got this cookbook. I have never cooked from this before.

What ever happened to Nick Stellino? I know that he's put out many more cookbooks (I own this one and his Family Kitchen cookbook) and the internets show him showing up at one or two food festivals over the years, but other than that, I haven't really heard about him for awhile. Until now. A check online shows that there is a new PBS show starting this month titled “Nick Stellino Cooking with Friends II”. I used to love to listen to his voice as he talked and seduced you into cooking italian food. There will be an accompanying cookbook to the new show too. To find out more check out Nick's website here.

As for this cookbook, it's a companion to the Cucina Amore PBS series though I don't think it has any of the recipes cooked for that TV show. When you bought the book originally, you could send away for a CD of music which I don't have.

This is one of those cookbooks that you end up reading along with the recipes. Each recipe has a story in the margin be it information on where the recipe originated, Nick's family experience making or serving the dish or ruminations on the ingredients. I actually do remember when I first got this cookbook (I bought it when it first came out back in 1996) reading the side notes imagining the words being spoken in that wonderful accent that Stellino has. It made a lot of the recipes seem approachable and brought them to life on the page. He also gives a menu selection for most of the recipes (listing other dishes from the book) along with a wine suggestion. which definitely spurred my thoughts of making decadent Italian meals for friends (all in my mind of course).

Standard chapters. There is a chapter on basics which include recipes for variations of stuffings, pizza dough, tomato sauces and stocks. There are no photos in this cookbook. Each recipe is listed by it's Italian name, with it's English name underneath. You can look for dishes in the index under both thier English and Italian names which I think is pretty cool. There are cooks tips in some of the recipes (like how to make the sauce thicker if you want in the Apricot Chicken recipe). Recipes seem pretty easy to read and understand. Not too many out there ingredients though lots of the pasta is made from scratch. Some dishes look like than can get a bit labor intensive (parboiling celery, cleaning and cutting up your own artichoke hearts).

The dessert section of this book intrigues me because they mostly contain fruit, as opposed to a ton of chocolate recipes in most cookbooks. Tons of great sounding recipes to try: Stuffed Mushroom Caps, Pasta Soup Topped with Puff Pastry, Mixed Salad with Italian Cheese Dressing, Pasta with Eggs, Pancetta and Cheese, Pasta with Rosemary Chicken, Risotto with Four Cheeses, Chicken with Orange Cream Sauce, Apricot Chicken, Hunters Chicken, Braised Sausages with Polenta, Tuna Cakes with Spicy Mayonnaise, Onion Pizza, Cornmeal Pudding, Orange Zucchini, Polenta Spinach Pie, Country-Style Roasted Potatoes, Poached Apples, Bakes Pears with Sweetened Ricotta, Little Purses with  Pear and Ricotta, Apple Custard Tart, Upside-Down Apple Pie, Three Nut Tart, Raspberry Tiramisu, Coffee Ice, Strawbery Sauce.

I'm going to have to check out Nick Stellinos new television show and find out if it's worth getting his new cookbook. One of the "chef friends" happens to be local here...Lawrence Chu from Chef Chu's in Los Altos.