Everydaycook by Alton Brown

This Time It's Personal

4 stars

From GoodReads:
My name is Alton Brown, and I wrote this book. It’s my first in a few years because I’ve been a little busy with TV stuff and interwebs stuff and live stage show stuff. Sure, I’ve been cooking, but it’s been mostly to feed myself and people in my immediate vicinity—which is really what a cook is supposed to do, right? Well, one day I was sitting around trying to organize my recipes, and I realized that I should put them into a personal collection. One thing led to another, and here’s EveryDayCook. There’s still plenty of science and hopefully some humor in here (my agent says that’s my “wheelhouse”), but unlike in my other books, a lot of attention went into the photos, which were all taken on my iPhone (take that, Instagram) and are suitable for framing. As for the recipes, which are arranged by time of day, they’re pretty darned tasty. 

I love Alton Brown's stuff.  

And while this isn't quite Good Eats in the same way his other books are, it's still seriously awesome.

There are several I'm definitely going to try.  Though admittedly a lot of them will probably have to wait until I'm not cooking with the 5-ring-circus that currently makes up my evenings.

(I seriously want to see a competition show where they have to cook with only what's on hand while a toddler is screaming at their feet, a young child is trying to "help", and an older child needs help with homework.  I would watch that.)

My one complaint is that the text-on-picture format of some of the pages made parts hard to read.

Overall, give this one a try.  Even if you don't cook, read it for the funny. :)

Bold: A Cookbook of Big Flavors by Susanna Hoffman and Victoria Wise

Copy received for review

Pros: Interesting flavor combinations, unique recipes, AWESOME sidebars with historical information about different foods.
Seriously, the sidebars are awesome.

Cons: Really weird flavor combinations (lol), expensive or hard-to-find ingredients, NO PICTURES, some layout/editing issues.
The no picture thing makes me kind of crazy... I want to see it, dang it!

Overall, very interesting.  Reminds me of the blog In Sock Monkey Slippers, where I've found many interesting recipes.  :)

Kitchenability 101 by Nisa Burns

The College Student's Guide to Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Food
Copy received for review

5 stars

While written specifically to college students, I think this would be great for any young adult moving out, going to college, getting married, whatever.

In fact, I'm giving a copy as a bridal shower gift.

It breaks down what you should have in your kitchen and why, how to set up your budget, nutritional points to keep in mind, etc, etc.

I love it.

And the recipes look dang freaking tasty.  Seriously.

All in all, if you're looking for a good cookbook to give to a young adult in your life, this is a great bet whether they're in college or not.

Being Dead Is No Excuse by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays

4 stars
The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral

This book is hilarious.  Like laugh-out-loud funny.

Part etiquette book, part cookbook, all humorous.

I would say "Southern Ladies" is a bit of a misnomer as it seems to be fairly specific to the Delta, but the closest I've gotten to the south is Baltimore/DC or San Antonio, whichever is closer.  So what do I know?

There are some editing/repetition issues.  For instance, the exact same recipe is in there twice, under two different names.

(Neither of which is what I've always called it.  Around here we just call 'em funeral potatoes.)

Overall though, definitely worth the read.  Funniest funeral guide you'll ever read.

Let's Eat by Denise Burroughs

Cookbook
Copy provided for review through Virtual Book Tours

I have this thing about cookbooks.  I like 'em.  A lot.  But I don't really cook.  (My husband does probably70% of the cooking around here.)

Unless I feel like cooking, then I really like to try random new recipes and experiment.

But usually I just don't do a lot of cooking.

This is a cookbook for people like that.  :)

The recipes, most of which have an Italian influence, are fairly simple, though some ingredients are, if not exotic, pricier things that not everyone will just have on hand.

I was considering passing this on to my sister, because of the simplicity of the recipes, but after a closer look, I think they're better suited to someone that isn't a starving student. :)  The homemade Mac and Cheese, which would be her favorite, calls for some things that I know she won't have on hand... pretty much no student would.

This is, though, a great cookbook for newlyweds!  The recipes are fairly simple to follow, but the ingredients would be easier for people getting settled.  Spices that they don't have they could get to build up their spice rack.  And several of the recipes are really unique, which would be a fun and creative exercise for people who, if not learning to cook, are maybe learning to cook for two.

Plus the first several pages are full of tips for substitutions, how to know something is done, etc.

I loved the recipe on page 18.  Stuffed Hot Dogs.  I grew up on these!  You take a hot dog and split it and top it with mashed potatoes and cheese!  YUM!  I so wish my kids weren't so anti-potato.  (Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it.)

One note, this definitely didn't get the editing it needed.  In addition to little editing details (that probably don't matter so much in a cookbook, they just bug me) there are recipes that have 2 ingredients to a line in the list, so you do need to read carefully.  And there's not really much rhyme or reason to the arrangement of the recipes, but it's a slim enough book that finding something isn't too hard.

So am I the only one that likes collecting cookbooks more than using them? ;)

Fall Fesitval Recipe Exchange

Okay, yeah, the 12th was yesterday, but I love this idea.

Even though I don't cook. Really.

This great idea comes from the fabulous Amy of My Friend Amy.

Go check out all the other great recipes. I had to start a word doc to keep them all. :D Seriously, go. I gave you the link there. ^

Anyway.

When I do cook, I tend to make things up as I go. Which makes sharing the "recipe" a little tricky, but here goes.

Curried Squash

Ingredients:

butternut squash (or whatever squash. I like butternut)

fresh garlic (I used like 5-6 cloves. I like me my garlic)

You could also totally use onion.... I just don't always have any around

butter/margarine

ummm.... what else did I use?

Oh yeah--

Chicken broth (or bullion or veggie broth... whatever.)

Oh yeah, how much... um. I used like 1 1/2 - 2 cups for half a squash. It was very saucy... verging on soupy. Which is fine if you're going to pour in over rice.

curry powder-- to taste. I don't measure spices

Cumin-- just a dash or so...

salt and pepper (freshly ground pepper is my preference) again, to taste

French vanilla yogurt. Like... half a container or so... give or take...

(I warned you about my recipe-writing skills)

Okay, so you want to put the butter and chopped garlic (and/or onions) in a sauce pan of appropriate size to saute briefly. I hate to saute them too much because I feel like you lose some flavor.

Add squash (which you should have cut into chunks.... after peeling of course) and add most of your seasonings so they start really flavoring the squash.

Toss all that together for a bit (not long, mostly just to coat everything) before adding your sauce.

Here's what the sauce should be-- your broth, additional spices (I'm seriously heavy-handed about my spices) and the yogurt all mixed up well. I use a whisk.

Pour into sauce pan with the squash et al. Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes and then simmer for a while. How long you simmer will depend on a)how done you want your squash and b)how thick you want your sauce. The sauce doesn't thicken as much as I thought I would, so I ended up adding some flour to thicken it up. It was still pretty runny, but over rice that's perfect.

I actually ended up serving mine over the Parmesan Risotto I made the same night. (Which ended up quite thick and sticky, since I used a different kind of rice, but was excellent. Especially with the curry... yum.)

Clear as mud, right?

Make Ahead Meals, A Recipe Guest Post

Huge thanks to Jane Doiron for this fabulous guest post! Don't these look yummy?

A Delicious Make-Ahead Dessert
~Mini Cheesecakes~
By Jane Doiron

If you’re a cheesecake fan like me, you’ll enjoy this yummy make-ahead recipe!

Mini Cheesecakes
1¼ cups Graham crackers, crushed
¼ cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup sugar
1 (21 oz.) can cherry or strawberry pie filling

~A Day Ahead~
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 18 regular muffin cups with paper baking cups. In a small bowl, mix the Graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, and butter. Place 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture in each muffin cup. Press down on the crumbs with something flat to form a good crust. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs, lemon juice, and sugar and beat until smooth. Fill each baking cup with about 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Bake the cheesecakes for 17 - 19 minutes or until they crack. Cool the cheesecakes in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool. Place the cooled cheesecakes (with the paper liners still on them) in a covered container and refrigerate overnight.

~Before Serving~
Remove the paper liners and top each cheesecake with 2 tablespoons of pie filling. Keep refrigerated. Makes 18 mini cheesecakes

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jane Doiron

Source: E-book for review for Virtual Book Tour.

So I have a confession... well two.

First, I was supposed to pos this Saturday. Oops.

Second, I don't cook.

I mean, I know how and all, but I don't really love to... if my husband is home it's totally his job. If we need to take something to a get-together, you can bet he's in charge of that too. (Unless we're taking jambalaya or curry, which I actually make.)

And frankly, half my problem is that I start thinking about dinner at oh... 5 pm. Since my kids go to bed at 7 and generally take their sweet time eating, that just doesn't cut it.

So really I was THRILLED about reviewing this book. Absolutely thrilled!

The book starts off with some awesome time-saving tips. Dice veggies the day before, double recipes you love and freeze half for another day, things like that.

And then you have recipes. Lots of them.

One that really caught my eye-- Shrimp Dip: easy, quick and tasty!

That's like 4 of my favorite things in one!

Rhubarb Struesel Bread-- I'd never had rhubarb until a few months ago and can I just tell you, that sounds dang good.

I LOVE how big the section on Breads and Breakfast is. It just makes me happy. We really never cook for breakfast, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE to make breakfast for dinner or have muffins or breads for snacks. The Zucchini Apple Bread may simple HAVE to be made this week.

There are so many amazing recipes in this book. I'm actually excited to cook, and let me tell you, that just doesn't happen around here a whole lot.

AND, in the back of the book she's included some great measurement charts! Always a good thing to have at hand!