Party Planning Books: December 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bordeaux or Foraging New England

Bordeaux: A Consumer's Guide to the World's Finest Wines

Author: Robert M Parker

Wine drinkers around the world refer to Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s Bordeaux simply as "The Bible."

First published in 1985, this landmark consumer guide launched one of the most illustrious careers in wine criticism. Robert Parker's mission, in his newsletter The Wine Advocate and his many bestselling books, has always been to give wine drinkers honest, informed advice about which wines are worth their money, and which wines aren't.

The fourth edition of Bordeaux presents a complete guide to vintages between 1961 and 2001. This latest volume brings readers up-to-date on the abundance of new producers in France's most important wine region and for the first time includes more than 700 wine labels. Parker has retasted and reevaluated many of Bordeaux's finest wines -- and adjusted their ratings accordingly -- so readers of his previous editions will discover herein a wealth of new material.

Parker begins with an overview of each year, which includes insight into growing conditions and yields, notes on anticipated maturity, general price ranges, and lists of best wines. The heart of the book is the chapter "Evaluating the Wines of Bordeaux," in which he meticulously reviews wine producers of every appellation. Organized geographically, the chateaux are listed in alphabetical order, and entries include contact information, vineyard size, details about the wine-making style, and a general evaluation of the chateau's wines. Best of all, each entry includes extensive tasting notes on important vintages, all of them featuring Parker's celebrated rating system -- in which every wine is assessed on a scale ranging from 50 to 100. In later chapters,he also offers essential information about the elements of a great Bordeaux wine, practical travel information about the region, a glossary of wine terms, and more.

An invaluable guide for consumers, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s Bordeaux provides all the information amateurs and connoisseurs alike could possibly need in their search for that perfect bottle.

Library Journal

Bordeaux enthusiasts call the 1980s the decade of the century because of the abundance of great vintages. This completely revised edition of Parker's Bordeaux ( LJ 1/86) includes Parker's personal tasting notes for hundreds of additional wines and revised notes for many of the wines described in the first edition. Because wine, especially Bordeaux, changes as it matures, the new notes are a welcome aid to connoisseurs. Capsule summaries of vintages from 1945 to 1990 are provided but most of the book is filled with tasting notes and rankings of each producer's best vintages. Information on buying wine futures and visiting Bordeaux is also included. This is an important book for serious wine collections.--Peter C. Leonard, Mt. Lebanon P.L., Pa.

Foraging New England: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods and Medicinal Plants from Maine to Connecticut

Author: Tom Seymour

New England's diverse geography overflows with edible plant and animal species. Through the seasons, this forager's paradise offers a continually changing list of wild, harvestable treasures. From Beach Peas to Serviceberries, Lamb's-Quarters to Lady's Thumb, Hen of the Woods to Mugworts, Foraging New England guides you to the edible wild foods and healthful herbs of the Northeast.Organized by environmental zone, this valuable reference guide will help you identify and appreciate the wild bounty of New England. Inside you'll find: detailed descriptions of edible plants and animals; tips on finding, preparing, and using foraged foods; a glossary of botanical terms; eighty-seven color photos.Use Foraging New England as a field guide or as a delightful armchair read. No matter what you're looking for, be it the curative Heal-All or tasty Purslane, this guide will enhance your next backpacking trip or easy stroll around the garden, and may just provide some new favorites for your dinner table. (6 x 9, 208 pages, color photos)

Bakers of Paris and the Bread Question 1700 1775 or Best of Gourmet 2006

Bakers of Paris and the Bread Question, 1700-1775

Author: Steven Laurence Kaplan

In preindustrial Europe, dependence on grain shaped every phase of life from economic development to spiritual expression, and the problem of subsistence dominated the everyday order of things in a merciless and unremitting way. Steven Laurence Kaplan's The Bakers of Paris and the Bread Question, 1700-1775 focuses on the production and distribution of France's most important commodity in the sprawling urban center of eighteenth-century Paris where provisioning needs were most acutely felt and most difficult to satisfy. Kaplan shows how the relentless demand for bread constructed the pattern of daily life in Paris as decisively and subtly as elaborate protocol governed the social life at Versailles. In his exploration of bread's materiality and cultural meaning, Kaplan looks at bread's fashioning of identity and examines the conditions of supply and demand in the marketplace. He also sets forth a complete history of the bakers and their guild, and unmasks the methods used by the authorities in their efforts to regulate trade. Because the bakers and their bread were central to Parisian daily life, Kaplan's study is also a comprehensive meditation on an entire society, its government, and its capacity to endure.

Go to: Calculator Puzzles Tricks and Games or Planet Google

Best of Gourmet 2006

Author: Gourmet Magazin

Nowadays, everyone who entertains is looking for outstanding casual fare that will allow them to spend more time with their guests. Dishes must be quick and easy to prepare (or able to be made ahead) and filled with the purest ingredients for optimum flavor. The Best of Gourmet, Featuring the Flavors of Thailand is filled with twenty-eight such menus-most are very relaxed, all are absolutely delicious.

For example, after a chilly day on the slopes, you may want to treat your houseguests to A Ski House Dinner. Begin the evening around the fire with champagne and a large platter of ever-so-tender smoked salmon with cilantro cream. Later, roasted veal chops with shallots, tomatoes, and olive jus nestled on pillows of soft polenta make a rich, indulgent entrée. And before everyone retires, a heavenly warm chocolate raspberry pudding cake, made the day before and reheated, is served with a glass of cognac.

When the summer heats up, why not spend A Weekend at the Shore with friends? You'll have three clever menus in hand that take advantage of the season's abundant fresh produce, include plenty of make-ahead dishes, and satisfy hearty seaside appetites. On Saturday morning you can serve Breakfast on the Beach with buttery-rich baked blueberry-pecan French toast. Lunch Indoors includes a serve-yourself composed salad of classic favorites and a lovely rhubarb rice pudding. Then, after a long day in the sun, Dinner on the Deck promises a seafood meal to remember with curry-marinated mussels, followed by grilled lobster with Southeast Asian dipping sauce.

Or perhaps a last-minute Beyond Backyard Basics dinner is closer to what you had in mind? This little gemof a menu features ratatouille with penne-a heavenly jumble of roasted eggplants, onions, yellow squash, and red bell peppers, with plum tomatoes, garlic, thyme, parsley, and basil. For dessert, multicolored grapes perched atop pastry cream in puff pastry shells make a scrumptious and ever-so-pretty choice.

So which menu will you try first? You'll find more than eighty pages of exquisite full-color photographs to help you decide. Altogether, this volume holds more than 350 recipes-including the very best recipes that appeared in Gourmet's food columns during 1999. There are hundreds of dishes that can be made in forty-five minutes or less (look for the clock symbol ð); plenty of leaner and lighter selections (look for the feather symbol F); seasonal ideas for everything from apples to zucchini; and an impressive array of tempting sweets and snacks.

This year's Cuisines of the World section turns to the intriguing flavors of Thailand with a traditional dinner for eight and a collection of Thai snacks. Dishes such as steamed red snapper with ginger, grilled beef salad, fish cakes, and coconut ice cream demonstrate the sweet, sour, hot, and salty tastes of this fascinating country. Informative primers and exquisite full-color photos add further insight.

Twenty-four more brand-new recipes appear in a special section featuring Unusual Pastas and Grains. From fresh rice noodles to Israeli couscous to wheat berries, and much more, these unique pantry items will undoubtedly expand your palette of flavors.

Just when you thought you had tasted it all, along comes a cookbook that opens up a world of new possibilities-The Best of Gourmet

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Shag Party or Great Lakes Great Breakfasts

Shag Party: Cocktails and Appetizers to Seduce and Entertain

Author: Adam Rock

In Shag Party, Adam Rocke and Shag, tiki culture's most acclaimed artist, have devised eight soirees, accompanying each with drink recipes and simple 1950s-era appetizers guaranteed to transform any lounge or bachelor pad into retro heaven. Each Shag-illustrated party revives the sophistication of postwar pop culture. Themes include Tiki Luau, Halloween Party, Bongo Beat, New Year's Bash, South of the Border Samba, Las Vegas Night, Seduction for Two, and Night Club Night. Fans of the Mai Tai, Side Car, or Manhattan will find it hard to resist this pop art collector's item.

Book review: Prentice Hall Dictionary of Culinary Arts or College Cookbook

Great Lakes, Great Breakfasts: A Cookbook and Travel Guide

Author: Innkeepers of the Michigan Lake to Lak

Let us treat you to Great Lakes, Great Breakfasts in our third Cookbook and Travel Guide from the Innkeepers of Michigan Lake to Lake Bed and Breakfast Association. You'll find tried and tested recipes from inns all across our beautiful state featuring both locally grown produce and readily available ingredients from wherever you call home. And, while you are enjoying the recipes, don't forget to peruse the travel guide portion of the cookbook where you'll find a sketch and an innkeeper description of their individual Bed & Breakfast as well as all the information you'll need to make more than just an armchair visit. Whether your preference of tastes run more to the extravagant gourmet options or the down-home comfort food type, these recipes are sure to hit the spot. And, whether your destination is a popular lakeshore resort town, a quaint village or an exciting city, our Michigan Lake to Lake Bed & Breakfast Association innkeepers are ready to welcome you with gracious hospitality.

Prentice Hall Dictionary of Culinary Arts or College Cookbook

Prentice Hall Dictionary of Culinary Arts

Author: Gaye Ingram

This unique exceptionally comprehensive dictionary contains over 25,000 entries covering food identification, preparation and cooking methods, nutrition, sanitation, tools and equipment, wine, beer and spirits, cigars, international foods, food chemistry, historical and cultural terms, hospitality terms and prepared dishes.

Authoritative yet concise entries

Accurate use of capitalization and accent marks

Simple, alphabetical listing for all entries, including abbreviations

Extensive cross-references

285 line drawings

Easy to read typeface and format

Phonetic pronunciation guides

Additionally, there are 14 appendices covering areas such as: metric conversions, measurement equivalents, commonly used international terms, sugar cooking temperatures, oversized wine bottles and more!

College Cookbook: An Alternative to the Meal Plan

Author: Geri Harrington

Publishers Weekly

This well-intentioned book will embolden the novice in the kitchen, college student or not. With directions on everything from how to boil water to saving money at the supermarket, Harrington ( The Salad Book , etc.) cheerfully exhorts readers to learn basic principles of cooking and to ``improvise to suit your budget or what happens to be on hand,'' providing a specific glossary of cooking terms and a guide to the use of spices and herbs. Recipes collected from college students around the country make only modest demands on busy schedules and small budgets while yielding substantial dishes, such as beef stew or fried rice. Whole chapters are devoted to inexpensive foods like ground beef and eggs. Generally avoiding processed foods, Harrington promotes the use of leftovers with such items as ``The Whatever-You-Have-in-the-Fridge Quiche.'' Unfortunately, the pedestrian or inauthentic quality of many recipes (tuna-and-spaghetti casserole, ``chicken cacciatore'' made with commercial spaghetti sauce and stuffed olives, a dessert called ``Apples with Creme Fraiche'' that does not contain the latter ingredient) and some dubious kitchen lore (``almost any proportion of main ingredients tastes good as long as you have enough sauce for pasta'') will disappoint readers with any serious interest in food. (August)

McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss or River Road Recipes IV

McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss

Author: John A McDougall

Lose weight, eat as much as you want, feel healthy, and look great. This may sound like an impossible dream, but with McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss it is a dream come true for thousands of people. In this groundbreaking book Dr. John A. McDouggall draws on the latest scientific and medical evidence about nutrition, metabolism, and hunger to provide a simple weight-loss plan. Featuring more than 100 healthy and delicious recipes by Mary McDougall, it is packed with all the information and encouragement you need.

Library Journal

This Pulitzer Prize-winning professor of psychiatry at the Cambridge Hospital, Harvard Medical School, risks his reputation by arguing that individuals who claim to have been abducted by aliens are describing something real.

Book about: Ending Aging or Gastric Bypass Surgery

River Road Recipes IV: Warm Welcomes, Entertaining Menus from Our Homes to Yours

Author: Junior League of Baton Rouge Staff

The creators of the nation's number one best-selling community cookbook series welcome you to celebrate all of life's ordinary and extraordinary occasions. Enjoy 48 inspiring menus and over 300 new and innovative recipes from Baton Rouge, LA, where we celebrate life through our cooking, and our culinary history is legendary.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Jean Carpers Complete Healthy Cookbook or Baked Alaska

Jean Carper's Complete Healthy Cookbook: Featuring More than 250 Favorite Recipes from USA Weekend's ''''EatSmart'''' Column

Author: Jean Carper

New York Times best-selling author and USA Weekend's longtime "EATSMART" columnist, one of America's most trusted source of cutting edge nutrition information and healthy recipes, offers up here, for the first time all in one place, 200 delicious, easy-to-make, good for you recipes — plus all the nutrition information you can live without.

Publishers Weekly

This bountiful collection of nutritional facts and wellness-promoting recipes gives readers both the motivation and the know-how for getting their nine servings of fruits and vegetables in every day. Carper, USA Weekend's EatSmart columnist (Food: Your Miracle Medicine; Stop Aging Now!), boils down the basic nutritional concepts on which her diet advice is based. Among her 10 Rules for Smart Eating are to include plenty of fish, tea, whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables and avoid meat, trans fats and overeating. Though most of these ideas will not be new to health-conscious consumers, the following chapters contain scientific evidence backing them. Carper has also compiled her favorite low-calorie, high-in-good-fat, low-sodium and low-sugar creations for everyday cooking. Recipes like Moroccan Chicken with Prunes, and Yogurt Vegetable Salad are simple to make, with enough variety of flavor to liven up the ordinary dinner table. On the other hand, no one will mistake dishes like Low-Fat Creamed Spinach or Coconut Pecan Chicken Fingers for their richer counterparts. While Carper at times overloads her book with factoids, she makes a good case for the philosophy on which she's built her career-that what we eat can either heal or harm us. (June)

Judith Sutton - Library Journal

Carper writes the "EatSmart" column for USA Weekend, and an earlier edition of this book was published as EatSmart: The Nutrition Information You Can't Live Without. This revised and updated version, which includes 50 new recipes, is packed with information on nutrition, health, and eating well, and each recipe includes a sidebar on "Why It's Good for You" and another called "Science Says," citing relevant nutritional studies and the like. The recipes are easy and appealing, and the text is readable and clear. Highly recommended.

Go to: Introducing Human Resource Management or Management

Baked Alaska: Recipes For Sweet Comforts From The North Country

Author: Sarah Eppenbach

Recipes for yummy, home-baked goodies are served with delightful anecdotes, giving readers a tasty peek into Alaska's kitchens.

How to Cook Meat or Minnesota Eats out

How to Cook Meat

Author: Chris Schlesinger

Anyone who's ever visited a supermarket or butcher knows how intimidating choosing the right cut can be. Which cut to buy, and then how to cook it? Now experts Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby offer expert advice on picking the right cut—and matching it with the best cooking method. Suitable substitutions and hands-on advice appear throughout the book, side-by-side with detailed recipes for ribs, meat loaf, leg of lamb, stews, and the perfect steak for two.

For meat lovers this is sure to become the ultimate reference on the subject.

Mark Bittman

At last—a book that combines everything you need to know about the best ways to buy and cook meat today with the brilliantly innovative recipes for which Schlesinger and Willoughby are justifiably famed. A true tour de force.

Emeril Lagasse

The most comprehensive book on meat with great tips, techniques, and plenty of delicious recipes. Wow!

New York Times Book Review

Now the two men have brought their relaxed confidence to a discursive, friendly book that gives plenty of good and thorough information without being a technical manual.

New York Times Book Review

Schlesinger and Willoughby are cooks with seemingly inexhaustible imaginations, and they put the experience of their wide travels into dishes that seem Caribbean, Latin, or Asian as often as they do American.

Publishers Weekly

Here is a well-rounded and wonderfully thought out bible of beefsteak. Schlesinger and Willoughby (The Thrill of the Grill, License to Grill, etc.) begin with a single premise: that it is imperative to match the method of cooking to the cut of meat you have at hand. Dry heat, like grilling, is choice for the more tender cuts while moist heat, like stewing, is best for the tougher stuff. This holds true for beef, veal, lamb and pork, all of which are represented in their own in-depth sections. With this dictum, the authors go off on a fascinating tour of all things carnivorous. The lengthy and highly instructional introduction delves into such minutiae as how fat stimulates our salivary glands to produce the sensation of juiciness. Then come the more than 200 recipes. The beef chapters run the gamut from a joy-of-gnawing dish called Flintstone-Style BBQ Beef Ribs with Hot, Sweet, and Sour Bone Sauce to a Kuala Lumpur-inspired Gingered Beef Stew with Red Onion-Lime Sambal. And the lamb section includes not only the domesticated Double-Thick Lamb Rib Chops with Slicked-Up Store-Bought Mint Jelly Sauce but also North African-Style Braised Lamb Shanks. Nothing goes to waste since the authors employ a surprisingly large number of offal recipes. There are, of course, a basic sweetbread and calf brains, but these shy in comparison to Lamb Tongues on Toast and the virtually unmentionable Head Cheese Reuben. Most every recipe is accompanied by useful sidebars that detail the cut of meat to use, offer alternative cuts and even tell you how the dish holds up as a leftover. With humor, clarity and expertise, these two renowned food writers have created a requisite text for any serious meat lover. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Internet Book Watch

How to Cook Meat is written for the home cook who isn't sure how to buy and prepare cuts of meat: it provides over 250 recipes for meats and includes guidelines on how to use a variety of cuts from everyday meats to more unusual features. An excellent introductory section discusses the cuts, meat grading, and storage and preparation while the bulk of the book is packed with recipes. If only one meat cookbook were to be in a home collection, this should make the grade.

Christian Science Monitor - Jennifer Wolcott

In How to Cook Meat, the grilling gurus have put together some tantalizing, savory delights.

New interesting book: Smores or Wine Enthusiast Essential Buying Guide 2008

Minnesota Eats Out: An Illustrated History

Author: Kathryn Koutsky

Minnesota Eats Out is a virtual romp through the state's dining spots, from early health resorts to Prohibition-era speakeasies to A&W drive-ins, illustrated with over one thousand photographs, postcards, menus, matchbooks, and collectible dishes.

In eleven chapters divided by type of eatery, Kathryn Strand Koutsky and Linda Koutsky narrate the history of dining in the North Star State, highlighting innovative foods, cutting-edge graphic design, and inspired restaurant architecture, along with anecdotes about beloved restaurants remembered through the decades.

Accompanying this history is a collection of recipes for dishes made famous through the years, like the pioneers' Indian Pudding and old favorites from Eibner's Bakery in New Ulm or Ruttger's Resort in Brainerd. Eleanor Ostman revised these recipes for preparation in modern kitchens. Embellished with historic photographs, collectible tableware, and restaurant ephemera, the recipes invite today's readers to re-create cherished flavor memories.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Creative Chinese Oven Cooking or Cooking in America 1590 1840

Creative Chinese Oven Cooking: The New Trend

Author: Hsueh Hsia Chen

Creative Chinese Oven Cooking: The New Trend provides the reader with an exciting new method for cooking Chinese cuisine
without the usual "clean-up" headaches. Here's the ONLY guide to cooking for the family, or for a banquet, that will produce the
same delicious flavors and aromas associated with traditional Chinese cooking methods, without the oily messes. As always, Wei-Chuan's bilingual texts expand the market base, enhancing sales potential. This cookbook will be a "must have" for the kitchen gourmet and an exciting addition to the Wei-Chuan collection of authentic, exotic and popular cookbooks.

Wei-Chuan Cookbooks uniquely offer:

1. A beautiful, large, full color photo of each finished recipe.Readers always know what the dish should look like. Many additional
small step-by-step instructional photos are included.

2. Simple, clear and precise step-by-step instructions that help readers create any dish in their own kitchen.

3. All ingredient measurements are kitchen tested and re-tested.

4. Where appropriate, alternative suggestions for substituting ingredients and cooking techniques are provided. Permits purchase
of ingredients in almost any market!

Book review: Licensed to Kill or Fire Breathing Liberal

Cooking in America, 1590-1840

Author: Trudy Eden

There are no recipes for what the Indians ate in Colonial times, but this cookbook uses period quotations to detail what and how the foodstuffs were prepared. The bulk of the cookbook is devoted to what the European immigrants cooked and what evolved into American cooking. The first colonists from England brought their foodways to America. The basic foods that Americans of European descent ate changed very little from 1600 to 1840. While the major basic foods remained the same, their part in the total diet changed. Americans at the end of the period ate far more beef and chicken than did the first colonists. They used more milk, butter and cream. They also ate more wheat in the form of breads, cakes, cookies, crackers and cereals. The same was true with fruits. Over time the more exotic vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, and numerous root vegetables including both sweet and white potatoes became common vegetables. By the end of this period, many Americans were even eating foods like tomatoes, okra, and sesame, which were unknown to their ancestors. In addition, Americans, like their relatives in Europe, incorporated coffee, tea, and chocolate into their diets as well as more sugar. Along with them came new customs, such as tea time, and, for men, socializing at coffeehouses. Also, distilled beverages, particularly rum, which was often made into a punch with citrus juices, were increasingly used.

Cook Now Eat Later or Movable Feast

Cook Now, Eat Later: Be One Step Ahead with Over 130 Delicious Recipes to Prepare in Advance

Author: Mary Berry

Cooking for family and friends should be a pleasure, but trying to find the time in our busy lives can make it seem like a chore. Mary Berry takes the heat out of the kitchen, by showing you how to prepare everything in advance. With each delicious dish, Mary proves that convenience doesn't have to mean compromising on flavor, quality, or style. Whether you are cooking for family, a few friends, or a Christmas crowd, Cook Now, Eat Later gets you one step ahead, giving you a hassle-free mealtime. Using clear instructions, the best ingredients, and practical shortcuts, Mary's easy-to-follow recipes and tips will give you the cooking confidence you need to make entertaining a breeze.

Movable Feast

Author: Kenneth F Kipl

In the last twenty-five years alone, the range of fruits and vegetables, even grains, that is available at most local markets has changed dramatically. Over the last 10,000 years, that change is almost unimaginable. This groundbreaking new work, from the editor of the highly regarded Cambridge World History of Food, examines the exploding global palate. It begins with the transition from foraging to farming that got underway some 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, then examines subsequent transitions in Egypt, Africa south of the Sahara, China, southeast Asia, the Indus Valley Oceanic, Europe, and the Americas. It ends with chapters on genetically modified foods, the fast food industry, the nutritional ailments people have suffered from, famine, the obesity epidemic, and a look at the future on the food front. Food, at its most basic, fuels the human body. At its most refined, food has been elevated to a position of fine art. The path food has taken through history is a fairly straightforward one; the space which it occupies today could not be more fraught. This sweeping narrative covers both ends of the spectrum, reminding us to be grateful for and delighted in a grain of wheat, as well as making us aware of the many questions that remain unanswered about what lies ahead. Did you know. . .
- That beans were likely an agricultural mistake?
- That cheese making was originated in Iran over 6000 years ago?
- That pepper was once worth its weight in gold?
- That sugar is the world's best-selling food, surpassing even wheat?
- That Winston Churchill asserted, in 1942, that tea was more important to his troops than ammunition?
- That chili concarne is one of the earliest examples of food globalization?
- That, by 1880, virtually every major city in America had a Chinese restaurant?
- That white bread was once considered too nutritious?
Kenneth Kiple reveals these facts and more within A Movable Feast.

Publishers Weekly

Recycling much historical material from the magisterial Cambridge World History of Food(which the author co-edited), this slender volume distills 10,000 years of food history into just 300 pages. While the first work was notable for its rich multiplicity of voices and deeply informed scholarship, this one is a bit of a hash, owing to its author's insistence on squeezing a far-ranging narrative into the narrow framework of globalism. Far from being a new economic concept, the globalization of food, asserts Kiple, is as old as agriculture itself (globalization being murkily defined as "a process of homogenization whereby the cuisines of the world have been increasingly untied from regional food production, and one that promises to make the foods of the world available to everyone in the world"). The strongest material examines the spread of agriculture and its ramifications: it's a paradox of civilization that increased food production encourages population growth, which invariably creates food shortages and disease. That said, gastronomes will find scraps to nibble on here and there—who knew, for example, that the Egyptians trained their monkeys to harvest grapes? (June)

1. Last hunters, first farmers;
2. Building the barnyard;
3. Promiscuous plants of the northern fertile crescent;
4. Peripatetic plants of Eastern Asia;
5. Fecund fringes of the northern fertile crescent;
6. Consequences of the Neolithic;
7. Enterprise and empires;
8. Faith and foodstuffs;
9. Empires in the rubble of Rome;
10. Medieval progress and poverty;
11. Spain's New World, the Northern Hemisphere;
12. New world, new foods;
13. New foods in the Southern New World;
14. The Columbian exchange and the Old Worlds;
15. The Columbian exchange and the New Worlds;
16. Sugar and new beverages;
17. Kitchen Hispanization;
18. Producing plenty in paradise;
19. The frontiers of foreign foods;
20. Capitalism, colonialism, and cuisine;
21. Homemade food homogeneity;
22. Notions of nutrients and nutriments;
23. The perils of plenty;
24. The globalization of plenty;
25. Fast food, a hymn to cellulite;
26. Parlous plenty into the twenty-first century;
27. People and plenty in the twenty-first century.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

1000 Low Fat Recipes or Lavender Cookbook

1,000 Low-Fat Recipes

Author: Terry Blonder Golson

1,000 Recipes series is off to a roaring start. Carol Gelles's 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes won two of the most prestigious awards, the Julia Child/IACP and the James Beard Awards, and has enjoyed brisk sales (15,000 copies sold in 12 months). The second book in the series, 1,000 Low-Fat Recipes, is poised for even greater success.

Low-fat eating remains the most popular and medically sound way to lose weight and maintain good health. 1,000 Low-Fat Recipes is the bible of low-fat cookbooks. Here are recipes for every taste and occasion. There are appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwiches. There are main courses (both with meat and without), accompaniments, breads, and desserts. Golson even includes breakfast fare and a condiments and staples section for simple, flavorful cooking. Each recipe is accompanied by nutritional information.

In addition to the tempting body recipes, Golson packs her book with crucial information. She offers nutrition guidelines for healthy eating, a glossary of ingredients, the best techniques for low-fat cooking, and helpful hints for efficiency, menu planning, and improvising. 1,000 Low-Fat Recipes combines practical tips with delicious, foolproof recipes in one inspiring, indispensable book.

Lavender Cookbook

Author: Sharon Shipley

The appeal of lavender extends beyond its fragrance to the rich yet delicate flavor it adds to a variety of foods. Here's the first cookbook to focus on ways the aromatic herb can be used to enhance ordinary ingredients. More than 90 recipes, such as Grilled Lavender-Honey Chicken, Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Lavender Goat Cheese, and Double Chocolate and Lavender Gelato, highlight appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, baked goods, and desserts, with tips on growing and preserving lavender.

Lunchbox Book or Best Tea Places in England

Lunchbox Book

Author: Sandy Harper

All good parents are concerned about sending their children to school with nutritious meals that kids will actually eat—not trade, give, or throw away. But they’re also concerned about eating well themselves during often-rushed mornings, lunch hours, and busy days. And that’s what these on the go ideas provide: non-fussy, healthy suggestions with visual appeal that really whet the appetite and taste great. Over 30 delicious lunchbox possibilities—like mini-meatballs and mango and yogurt are featured, including solutions for those who have particular dietary requirements, such as vegans and the allergy-prone. Those with high cholesterol, the wheat or lactose intolerant, the sportsperson, the overweight are also all catered for: special symbols identify foods, denoting their suitability for all these and other special needs

Books about: Body Signs or The Emotional Eaters Book of Inspiration

Best Tea Places in England

Author: Tea Council

Wherever you go in England, be sure to have this delightful little guidebook at hand every afternoon. It contains listings of more than 100 establishments that have been identified by incognito tea tasters as worthy of membership in the prestigious Tea Guild. Each offers a range of high-quality teas, accompanied by a wide variety of homemade savories and pastries that reflect regional traditions and use local ingredients. The beautiful settings range from a crooked little house built in 1687, a restored mill on the edge of Sherwood Forest, a Tudor beamed cottage, and a terrace garden overlooking the sea, to quintessential Victorian tea shops and deluxe London tea lounges. Organized by region, each chapter includes a map, descriptions of local teatime traditions, specialties that will be found on the menus, as well as things to do and see in each region. With directions, hours, lists of food and teas served, and listings for areas of Scotland and Wales, this tea-lover's dream is the only guidebook that comprehensively describes the creme de la creme of tearooms throughout the UK.

Saved By Soup or The Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook

Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day

Author: Judith Barrett

As food writer Judith Barrett says in her new book, Saved by Soup, "soup is one of the easiest of all foods to create in a low-fat form without compromising either the taste or the texture." The more than 100 appealing recipes she has included in the book bear out her claim -- from elegant clear broths to satisfying bean soups, cooling summer medleys to spicy Asian noodle soups, each of Barrett's creations are high in flavor, full of healthy nutrients, and low in fat. Barrett has arranged her soups in chapters covering the seasons -- "Hearty Fall and Winter Soups," for example, contains such dishes as Creamy Carrot Soup and Parsnip and Potato Soup; "Summer's Bounty" includes Chilled Corn Vichyssoise and Cool Cucumber and Yogurt Soup -- or particular flavors or ingredients. A chapter on bean soups features Miami Black Bean Soup and Garlicky White Bean and Spinach Soup; "Far Eastern Flavors" includes Miso and Vegetable Soup as well as Shiitake Mushroom Bouillon with Thai Rice Noodles; other sections cover spicy soups, chicken soups, seafood soups, soups with Italian flavors, and even soups made with fruit. Barrett writes that when she decided to change her eating habits to lose weight, a serving of low-fat soup at lunch and dinner was an essential part of her plan, since it left her feeling satisfied without taking in too many calories. But even if you're not watching your weight, these soups will be a welcome addition to your table -- they're healthy as well as delicious.

New interesting textbook: Kids Party Games and Activities or Pillsbury Best of the Bake Off Desserts

The Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook: Barbeque... It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Author: Kansas City Barbeque Society

Barbeque is a passion to the 2,000-plus Kansas City Barbeque Society members. From the backyard outing to the heat of competition cooking, they practice until they achieve that perfect brisket, chicken, rib, or pork butt. Now they share their secrets for perfect Barbeque and accompaniments. Recipes for both barbequing and grilling enable the reader to cook better than the guy next door. In 'Que speak, it's who's who and what's hot in Barbeque.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Ghost Wineries of the Napa Valley or Anatomy of Dessert

Ghost Wineries of the Napa Valley: A Photographic Tour of the Last Century

Author: Irene Whitford Haynes

A fascinating photographic tour of historic Napa wineries, more than a dozen of which have come back to life. Extensively researched by a resident grape grower. The historical details and photographs of more than 65 wineries bring visions of the vibrant California wine industry of more than 100 years ago. The roots of many of today's great vintners are exposed in these photos and historical tidbits.

Go to: 7 Weeks to Safe Social Drinking or The Top 100 Zone Foods

Anatomy of Dessert: With a Few Notes on Wine

Author: Edward A Bunyard

"Filled with quirky surprises and things you would have never thought to ask, Bunyard's celebration of fruit is endlessly entertaining."
- Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt, Cod, and The Big Oyster

When we think of dessert, our mind's eye sees cakes, pies, and pastries. Yet the truly creative palate imagines things even more tempting, decadent, and, yes, sinful. So claims Edward Bunyard in this delectable paean to the wonderful fruits of the vine, from apples and apricots to gooseberries and strawberries, from pears to the grapes that give us wine.

Bunyard, a nurseryman at the turn of the last century, lovingly devotes a chapter to each fruit, sharing a heartfelt disquisition on the many types of strawberries, in which bigger is not always better; revealing how denizens of cooler and warmer climes differ in their perceptions about grapes; and asserting that "immoderate indulgence" in melon has toppled great dynasties and changed the course of history. Bunyard even offers advice on the most delightful wine and fruit pairings, and settles once and for all the debate that has raged for nearly three millennia: Which are tastier, hothouse figs or the outdoor variety.

Introduced by Michael Pollan, The Anatomy of Dessert is a cornucopia of wisdom that's never out of season. It is time again to savor this classic work, first published in 1929, that gives above-the-title billing to the myriad foodstuffs we often refer to as "afters." So come and partake in the fruits of Edward Bunyard's labor of love.

Library Journal

American audiences may be fooled by the title; "dessert" is here used in the British sense, referring exclusively to a course of fruit served after dinner and not to the pastry, pie, or cake that most of us have in mind. First published in 1929, this book is part of a series of reissued food classics. Bunyard, an English nurseryman and fruit connoisseur, devotes each chapter to a different variety of fruit-such as apples, cherries, peaches, pears, and grapes-and that fruit's significant cultivars. He praises varieties primarily of European origin and waxes lyrical about crunch, crispness, and seasonality. Written in an era when gardeners grew fruit for the wealthy on their estates, this work intersperses technical comments with opinionated remarks and witty social commentary. Even in the 1920s, Bunyard lamented the decline in growing one's own fruit and the practice of growing fruit first for looks and only second for taste. Those interested in the recent resurgence of heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables will especially appreciate these comments. Libraries with strong horticultural and culinary history collections should consider adding this book; for most others it is an optional purchase.-Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Chez Panisse Fruit or Frog Commissary Cookbook

Chez Panisse Fruit

Author: Alice Waters

In 2001 Chez Panisse was named the number one restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine -- quite a journey from 1971 when Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse as a place where she and her friends could cook country French food with local ingredients and talk politics.

As the restaurant's popularity grew, so did Alice's commitment to organic, locally grown foods and to a community of farmers and producers who provide the freshest ingredients, grown and harvested naturally with techniques that preserve and enrich the land for future generations. After thirty years, the innovative spirit and pure, intense flavors of Chez Panisse continue to delight and surprise all who visit, and even those who cant get there know that Alice started a quiet revolution, changing the culinary landscape forever. Inspired by Chez Panisse, more and more people across the country are discovering the sublime pleasures of local, organic vegetables and fruits.

Now join Alice Waters and the cooks at Chez Panisse in celebration of fruit. Chez Panisse Fruit draws on the exuberant flavors of fresh, ripe fruit to create memorable dishes. In this companion volume to Chez Panisse Vegetables, discover more than 200 recipes for both sweet and savory dishes featuring fruit. Glorify the late-summer peach harvest with Peach and Raspberry Gratin, and extend the season with Grilled Cured Duck Breast with Pickled Peaches. Enjoy the first plums in Pork Loin Stuffed with Wild Plums and Rosemary. Preserve the fresh flavors of winter citrus with Kumquat Marmalade or Candied Grapefruit Peel. Organized alphabetically by fruit -- from apples to strawberries -- and including helpful essayson selecting, storing, and preparing fruit, this book will help you make the very most of fresh fruits from season to season. Illustrated with beautiful color relief prints by Patricia Curtan, Chez Panisse Fruit is a book to savor and to treasure.

Gourmet

Chez Panisse is th single best restaurant in the United States.

The New Yorker - Nicholas Lemann

Chez Panisse...[is] the most influential American restaurant of the past generation...In the...Waters way of cooking, flavor comes to the fore and technique recedes.

Publishers Weekly

The eighth Chez Panisse cookbook, which features sweet and savory dishes that use fruit, follows what has become acclaimed chef Alice Waters's patented style: a mix of rustic dishes, many exhibiting Italian and French influence, that highlight the best possible produce. Recipes are organized by fruit, and each chapter begins with a mini-essay on varieties and growing conditions, and often sounds the biodiversity alarm, as when Waters opines, "How sad, then, that well over 90 percent of the apples sold in this country belong to one of only fifteen of those seven thousand varieties." Desserts showcase flavors that may be slightly unfamiliar, either because they use unusual varieties (Caramelized Red Banana Tartlets) or different versions of a common fruit, as with Fig Cookies that are a haute substitute for Fig Newtons and use fresh figs rather than dried. Savory dishes such as Middle Eastern-Style Lamb Stew with Dried Apricots and a tasty assembly of spices skew more traditional. Some of the most intriguing recipes are the simplest, such as Pickled Cherries and Tea-Poached Prunes. At times, Waters's specificity can be exasperating. Will Cr pes Suzette with Pixie Tangerine Sherbet be just as good if the sherbet is made with some other variety of tangerine? Still, it's hard to find fault with a book wide-ranging and inventive enough to comfortably encompass Judy's Deep-Fried Lemon and Artichokes, Spring Fruit Compote with Kiwifruit Sherbet and Coconut Meringue, and a tart Vin de Pamplemousse ap ritif. (May) Forecast: As always, Waters's combination of serious writing and creative recipes will have cooks heading to the kitchen, and cookbook buyers heading to the stores. This book sticks to the tried-and-true Chez Panisse formula, which shows no signs of wearing out. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

The companion toChez Panisse Vegetables, this is another wonderful book from Waters and crew (Alan Tangren, now the pastry chef, was the restaurant's "forager" for many years, responsible for buying produce and other ingredients from local purveyors and growers). It is invaluable both as a reference and a cookbook and features unsually lyrical writing. The fruits are organized alphabetically, and each entry provides information on seasons, buying, storing, preparing, and different varieties. There are savory recipes as well as desserts, from Spit-Roasted Pork with Apple Marmalade and Green Apple Sherbet to Grilled Duck Breast with Seville Orange Sauce and Blood Orange Tartlets to Grilled Quail with Pomegranates and Pomegranate Granita. The attractive, understated design and lovely full-color linocuts add to the book's appeal. Essential. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Book about:

Frog/Commissary Cookbook

Author: Steven Poses

Over 100,000 copies in print! "Frog Commissary's inventive, playful food is multiethnic but often shows a distinctive Thai influence. Bright ideas spill out everywhere." — Library Journal

Illustrated

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Open Hearth Cookbook or Simply Shellfish

Open-Hearth Cookbook: Recapturing the Flavor of Early America

Author: Suzanne Goldenson

"Food cooked in the fireplace tastes better than food cooked in most conventional methods today," say the authors and this book shows how twenty-first century folks can enjoy hearth-cooked meals today. Surprisingly few pieces of special equipment are needed, especially for camping families. The authors emphasize the appliances and techniques that make open-hearth cooking realistic in today's homes where the fireplace is not in the kitchen.
The authors explain the art of building a good cooking fire and maintaining the three basic temperatures - low, medium and high - needed to prepare almost all foods, and suggest ways to keep the hearth clean and the cook safe. Each chapter on technique tells how things were done in the old days, and then goes on to demonstrate techniques for today. The authors have added substantial new material since original publication in 1982, and completely updated the resources section of the book.
Suzanne Goldenson and her husband are serious cooks and collectors of early American cooking implements. Doris Simpson is co-owner of a restaurant and once helped cook a Thanksgiving dinner over an open hearth for Craig Claiborne.

Simply Shellfish: Quick and Easy Recipes for Shrimp, Crab, Scallops, Clams, Mussels, Oysters, Lobster, Squid, and Sides

Author: Leslie Glover Pendleton

In Simply Shellfish seafood expert and acclaimed cookbook author Leslie Pendleton offers up 125 recipes for shrimp, crab, scallops, clams, mussels, oysters, lobster, and squid. All the dishes are fresh, healthful, and a (sea)breeze to prepare.

Shellfish is a near perfect food: packed with good–for–you protein, low in fat and calories, and exceeding quick and easy to prepare. Not to mention flavor – it's doesn't get much better than creamy clam chowder, tender crab cakes, or succulent lobster rolls. In Simply Shellfish Leslie Pendleton shares her best recipes for these favorites. There's Roasted Shrimp on Asparagus Skewers with Brie, Curried Coconut Scallops, Mussels Steamed in Carrot Ginger Broth, and BLLTs (bacon, lobster, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches). Unlike fish fillets or whole fish, shellfish requires minimal prep time and can be on the table in minutes.

Leslie's recipes are at once sophisticated and approachable, with supermarket–friendly ingredients, easy instructions, and outstanding results.

Publishers Weekly

Considered to be a delicacy and historically given distinctive regional and ethnic treatments, shellfish, according to Pendleton (Simply Shrimp, Salmon and (Fish) Steaks), can be quickly and easily prepared for a variety of satisfying, healthy meals. The former Gourmet editor offers recipes for main and side dishes, selection and preparation tips, and meal planning ideas. The more than 100 recipes feature the most common shellfish and can be made in less than an hour, with some preparation done ahead of time. For most of the recipes, shellfish type can vary, depending on taste and market availability. Soups, stews, appetizers, main courses and sides-Pendleton covers all of the bases for every taste: traditional (Clam Chowder, Gumbo, Crab Cakes); adventurous (Blackened Scallops with Grapefruit Sour Cream Sauce); international (Curried Coconut Scallops); and shellfish avoiders (Shrimp, Feta and Golden Onion Pizza). Readers familiar with Pendleton's many cookbooks will recognize her eclectic approach; drawing from her large repertoire, she offers less experienced chefs "simple" dishes that will garner enthusiastic reviews from satisfied diners. The much publicized health benefits of seafood are icing on the cake, but photographs of the dishes would've made the book even sweeter. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The subtitle basically says it all. In the follow-up to her Simply Shrimp, Salmon, and (Fish) Steaks, Pendleton offers uncomplicated recipes using our favorite shellfish (no cuttlefish here). A few are not so quick, and some of these dishes are found in many other fish cookbooks, but shellfish lovers will find some new recipes to tempt them. For larger collections. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Eat Smart Eat Raw or Italian American Cookbook

Eat Smart, Eat Raw: Creative Vegetarian Recipes for a Healthier Life

Author: Kate Wood

As the popularity of raw vegetarian cuisine continues to soar, so does the mounting scientific evidence that uncooked food is amazingly good for you. From healing diseases to detoxifying your body, from lowering cholesterol to eliminating excess weight, the many important health benefits derived from such a diet are too important to ignore. However, now there is another compelling reason to go raw--taste! In her new book Eat Smart, Eat Raw, cook and health writer Kate Wood not only explains how to get started, but also provides delicious kitchen-tested recipes guaranteed to surprise and delight even the fussiest of eaters. Eat Smart, Eat Raw begins by explaining the basics of cooking without heat, from choosing the best equipment to stocking your pantry. This is followed by twelve chapters of recipes for truly exceptional dishes, including hearty breakfasts, savory soups, satisfying entrees, and luscious desserts. There's even a recipe chapter on the "almost raw" for those who are a bit harder to please. Included is a list of groups, stores, and related websites that provide the information you need to begin enjoying raw vegetarian cuisine.

Whether you are an ardent vegetarian, a health-conscious consumer, or just someone in search of a wonderful meal, Eat Smart, Eat Raw offers over 150 delightful recipes that may forever change the way you look at an oven.

Publishers Weekly

Wood, who says she eats raw food 90% of the time, presents raw recipes in a less demanding, more welcoming manner than purist devotees of the diet might. Many of the recipes require special ingredients and equipment such as a juicer or dehydrator, but Wood often tries to provide alternative options, even if they're not raw. The recipes are categorized by chapter in a way that would be familiar to anyone, running from breakfasts through desserts with a predictable emphasis on salads and dips, but the recipes themselves are a different story. Even when they are supposed to evoke a classic nonraw recipe like Pizza or Pad Thai, the result will taste foreign to anyone used to cooked dishes. Vegans and raw dieters, however, will be thrilled by Wood's ingenious approximations of cooked favorites such as Apple Crumble and "Cheesy" Stuffed Peppers, as well as unique concoctions like Carrot Cake Salad and Avocado Pudding. An opening section on raw food basics discusses nutrition and how to buy and prepare ingredients. Buoyed by Wood's enthusiastic tone and instructions that are easy to follow given the right tools, this book will cheer the hearts and expand the culinary repertoire of vegans and raw dieters. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

With more than ten years of experience cooking and writing about raw foods, Wood helps people live healthy lives by teaching them how to integrate raw foods into their diets. Readers will feel healthier by simply reading these 150-plus recipes, which appear delicious and are surprisingly simple to make. Vegetarians will recognize many of the ingredients and preparation techniques, but Wood makes sure her text addresses a universal audience. She provides nutritional information for each dish and defines common raw foods terms, such as sprouting. She also gives tips for food selection and storage, which is essential information for raw foods novices. Most recipes use readily available ingredients. The most difficult aspect of the recipes is the necessary equipment; though Wood supplies variations on cooking methods, many recipes are impossible to complete without a dehydrator. Otherwise, Wood's instructions are clear and concise; her tone is friendly and encouraging. Recommended for public libraries with large and diverse cookery collections.-Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Books about:

Italian-American Cookbook: A Feast of Food from a Great American Cooking Tradition

Author: John F Mariani

All the classics in lighter versions made with the freshest of ingredients.

Publishers Weekly

If, as the authors emphasize, one uses only the freshest ingredients (they include a guide to the best sources for Italian foods by state), the result--whether a simple salad or an adventurous dessert--will be a culinary triumph to enjoy. In their overstuffed tribute to one of our country's favorite cuisines, the Marianis (Galina is a food columnist, John is the author of The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink) tackle both the familiar and the rare. Many of their spaghetti dishes are paired with vegetables, such as a Spaghetti with Cauliflower recipe, which also calls for currants, saffron and anchovies. Conversely, fruit is often used to brighten their meat dishes. Roasted Sausages and Grapes are hot and sweet at once, and there's an irresistible Mountain Lamb Scallopine with Figs and Honey made with ginger, fennel and orange juice. Additionally, the authors include a small collection of comforting, childhood favorites, like Johnny Marzetti, an Italian-style Sloppy Joe; Chicken Tetrazzini, with Parmigiano-Reggiano, heavy cream and butter; and even Baked Macaroni and Cheese, perked up with a touch of cayenne. Quite addictive and good for the soul, if not always for the waistline, these 250 recipes will prove handy on nights when there are no reservations to be found at the local ristorante. Agent, Heide Lange. (Dec.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Now that such essential ingredients as good olive oil and real Parmesan cheese have become readily available here, and Italian restaurants in this country are far more sophisticated than those old-fashioned neighborhood places that offered little more than spaghetti and meatballs, restaurant critic Mariani (The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink) and his wife decided to explore "the new Italian-American cuisine." They include more than 250 recipes for both well-prepared versions of familiar dishes that all too often had become little more than clich s, such as Clams Casino, as well as more contemporary dishes using Italian ingredients and cooking techniques, such as Tuna Carpaccio with Chives. Wine suggestions are included throughout, and headnotes and sidebars provide culinary history and lore, along with family anecdotes and reminiscences. For most collections. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Internet Book Watch

The Italian American Cookbook showcases 250 recipes celebrating an Italian-American culinary heritage. From Clams Casino, Polenta with Mushroom Sauce, and Shrimp Scampi, to Spaghetti with Potatoes and Garlic, Chicken Parmigiana, and Panini with Roast Beef, Peppers, and Onions, The Italian American Cookbook covers every aspect of fine dining and even includes a special section on sampling Italian wines.

	Preface	ix
	Acknowledgments	xii
	Introduction: Toward an Understanding of the New Italian-American Cuisine	1
	Ingredients	23
	A Sampling of Italian Wines	47
	Antipasti	57
	Soups	83
	Salads	105
	Pasta	121
	Risotto and Polenta	201
	Seafood	225
	Meats	253
	Poultry	299
	Vegetables	327
	Breads, Pizzas, Snacks, & Sandwiches	353
	Desserts and Confections	383
	Drinks	417
	Sources for Italian Foods	433
	Image Acknowledgements	437
	Index	439

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Mixer Bible or A Cafecito Story El cuento del cafecito

Mixer Bible: Over 300 Recipes for Your Stand Mixer

Author: Meredith Deeds

The essential companion guide for any stand mixer.

A stand mixer is an indispensable tool in the kitchen. Its attachments and accessories make a stand mixer the quintessential food preparation machine-for everything from grinding meat to making pasta to kneading dough.

The Mixer Bible has 300 recipes designed for the stand mixer and its attachments. These outstanding recipes range from appetizers to homemade sausages to divine baked desserts and treats. Here's a sampling:

• Appetizers: Mediterranean Tart with Goat Cheese and Roasted Vegetables, Cheese Straws, Hot Spinach Dip
• Soups: Sweet Potato Soup, Coconut and Ginger Soup, Old Fashioned Chicken and Noodle Soup
• Main Dishes: Turkey Pot Pie with an Herbed Crust, Herbed Cheese Ravioli, Scallops with Asian Noodle Salad
• Sides: Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Zucchini Pancakes, Butternut Squash Casserole
• Sausage: Country Pork Sausage, Chicken and Apple Sausage, Chinese Pork Sausage with Five-Spice Powder
• Pasta: Lemon and Black Pepper Pasta, Pumpkin Pasta, Gluten-Free Pasta
• Breads: Cinnamon Rolls, Walnut Potica, Chocolate Chip Macadamia Bread
• Cookies: Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, Deluxe Lemon Bars, Pumpkin Spice Cookies
• Desserts: Decadent Chocolate Mousse, Pear Frangipane Tart, Lemon Blueberry Trifle
• Ice Creams: Peach Sorbet, French Vanilla Ice Cream, Coconut Ice Cream
• Sauces, Condiments and Extras: Cinnamon Applesauce, Tomatillo Salsa, WhippedHorseradish Cream

The Mixer Bible will become a standard cookbook reference for home cooks.

Introduction
• Understanding the Equipment
• Tips on Ingredients Appetizers
• 31 recipes Soups
• 24 recipes Main Dishes
• 40 recipes Side Dishes
• 24 recipes Sausages
• Sausage Basics
• 29 recipes Pasta
• Pasta Basics
• 13 recipes Breads
• Bread and Baking Basics
• 37 recipes Cookies, Bars and Squares
• 40 recipes Desserts
• 61 recipes Condiments, Sauces and Extras
• 20 recipes

Acknowledgements
Index

Go to: Econometric Methods with Applications in Business and Economics or Contemporary South Africa

A Cafecito Story/ El cuento del cafecito

Author: Julia Alvarez

"Throughout the Dominican Republic and Central America it is a household ritual to offer a "cafecito" (a small cup of dark, rich, potent coffee) to any visitor, especially a stranger. Now, in a story spanning Latin America and Nebraska, Julia Alvarez offers us A Cafecito Story." "In North America, coffee is the morning lifeline between waking and working. In Central and South America, coffee is an economic lifeline, after oil the most important export commodity. Especially when coffee is grown sustainably, it links the First and Third Worlds in ways that are surprising and often delightful. For instance, North American songbirds winter in southern habitats where their survival is directly dependent on coffee farming practices. With lyric simplicity, A Cafecito Story tells the complex tale of a social beverage that bridges nations and unites people in trade, in words, in birds, and in love." The story unfolds through the eyes of Joe, a man with farming in his blood but an increasing sense of displacement from the natural world. While on holiday in the Dominican Republic, Joe learns about how coffee is grown and traded from Miguel, a Dominican coffee farmer. It is from Miguel and the other campesinos that Joe comes to understand the role of coffee in global trade, environmental degradation, and endangered songbird habitat.

El nuevo libro de cocina diet tica del Dr Atkins or Field Dressing and Butchering Deer

El nuevo libro de cocina dietйtica del Dr. Atkins: complementario a la nueva revoluciуn dietйtica del Dr. Atkins

Author: Robert C Atkins

Usted puede tenerlo todo: ¡Sabrosísimas recetas bajas en carbohidratos, rápidas y fáciles de hacer!

Baje de peso -- y no vuelva a aumentar -- mientras disfruta de deliciosas comidas bajas en carbohidratos que puede servir en su mesa en diez minutos. He aquí sólo una muestra de los suculentos y super rápidos platos que puede saborear cuando hace la dieta Atkins:

Comience el día con desayunos que le satisfacen y le dan energía -- Frittata de queso ricota y puerro; Tostadas francesas con almendra; Waffles de naranja.
Disfrute de sopas reconfortantes como aperitivo o junto a nuestras refrescantes ensaladas -- Pimiento asado; Crema de berro; Espárragos y puerro; Aguacate; Verduras mediterráneas.
Ofrézcales a sus invitados -- y a usted mismo -- elegantes aperitivos -- Rollitos de salmón ahumado; Corazones de alcachofa envueltos en tocino; Natillas de queso de cabra horneado y queso ricota; Huevos rellenos al curry.
Pruebe un océano de platos de pescado y mariscos de rápida preparación -- Atún con jengibre y salsa de soya; Aguja con corteza de avellanas y pimienta; Tortas de salmón; Ensalada de camarones al estragón; Bacalao horneado con ajo y tomate.
Déle un nuevo aspecto a la carne de ave tradicional -- Pollo Satay con coco y cilantro; Pollo con especias de la India; Ensalada de pollo con hinojo y pesto; Pollo a la crema con champiñones; Pechuga de pato en salsa de vino tinto.
Sirva platos principales para toda la familia -- Chuletas de cerdo con naranja yromero; Albóndigas de ajo y eneldo; Cordero al curry; Saltimbocca de ternera; Chevapchichi; Bistec de costillar en salsa de vino tinto.
Prepare una variedad de platos principales y acompañantes hechos de vegetales -- Chícharos (guisantes) con avellanas; Pimientos asados en aceite de ajo; Espárragos a la vinagreta; Chiles rellenos; Calabacitas salteadas con nuez moscada.
Hornee panes al estilo casero -- Pan de queso cheddar; Muffins de mantequilla y ron; Pan de maíz Atkins.
Dése gusto con decadentes dulces y deliciosos postres -- Zabaglione; Crema de mantequilla de chocolate; Bizcocho de limón y ajonjolí; Pasteles Verónica con un beso de ron; Bayas con ganache de chocolate.
¡ADEMÁS, muchos, muchos otros platos principales y acompañantes, meriendas y delicias culinarias que darán un buen gusto!

Interesting book:

Field Dressing and Butchering Deer: Step-by-Step Instructions, from Field to Table

Author: Monte Burch

To a deer hunter, nothing surpasses the savory taste of properly dressed, butchered, and prepared venison. With the help of step-by-step instructions and illustrations, Monte Burch passes down the wisdom of his practical experience and explains how to field dress and butcher deer in order to prepare and preserve it for cooking or storage. (6 x 9, 164 pages, b&w photos, illustrations)

25 Years of Favorite Brand Name Recipes or Bernard Claytons New Complete Book of Breads

25 Years of Favorite Brand Name Recipes

Author: Lou Weber

Do a lot of your favorite recipes come from the back of a box or the label on a jar? If so, this cookbook is for you. You'll find a huge selection of the very best recipes developed over the last 25 years in test kitchens across the country. From cookies to casseroles, 25 Years of Favorite Brand Name Recipes is a celebration of America's unique way with food.

Go to: Southern Elegance or Great American Hot Dog Book

Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Author: Bernard Clayton

First published in 1973, Bernard Clayton's The Complete Book of Breads immediately became a modern classic; under his guidance, a generation of home bakers was introduced to the seductive pleasures of baking and produced their first loaves. But new products and equipment revolutionized the kitchen, and these changes inspired Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, which first appeared in 1987. With an electric mixer, a food processor, or a bread machine, and with faster-acting yeasts, anyone could produce home-baked loaves in a fraction of the time bread-baking once took. The availability of a wide variety of flours and specialty products, once found only in health-food and gourmet stores, opened up a world of possibilities. Clayton revised 200 of the original recipes and added 100 more with these new ingredients and equipment in mind.

Now America's best-loved bread-baking authority returns with the 30th anniversary edition of the New Complete Book of Breads, the definitive version of this baking classic. Clayton has written a new introduction, added a glossary, updated the sections on ingredients and equipment, and gone through every recipe, correcting and refining each one. The inviting new design keeps Clayton's explicit, easy-to-follow instructional format and makes the book easy to use.

In these pages, home bakers will find an extraordinary range of variety, nearly enough to supply a new bread a day for a year. There are wheat breads -- Honey-Lemon, Walnut, Buttermilk; sourdough breads; corn breads; breads flavored with herbs or spices or enriched with cheese or fruits and nuts; and little breads -- Kaiser Rolls, Grandmother's SouthernBiscuits, English Muffins, and Popovers, to name a few. For the baker who observes the holidays with a fresh loaf there are Challah and Italian Panettone.

Offering classic recipes while making use of modern kitchen technology, this comprehensive volume is an indispensable reference for the novice or experienced home baker looking to make the best bread with ease.

Library Journal

Clayton's now classic The Complete Book of Breads was originally published in 1973. For the first edition of his New Complete Book of Breads, which appeared in 1987, he updated 200 of the recipes to reflect changes in both bread-making equipment and the availability of ingredients; he also added 100 new recipes. This 30th-anniversary edition is a more modest revision of the 1987 title. The recipes and the ingredients/equipment sections have been revised or reworked as necessary, but this version is perhaps most notable for its clean new design, which retains the handy "step-by-step" subheads and layout of the earlier books while giving the text a more streamlined, approachable look. For most baking collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

New Food Fast or Bacchus and Me

New Food Fast

Author: Donna Hay

This book delivers what it promises -- New Food Fast. Whether you've got 10, 20 or 30 minutes to make a meal, Donna Hay gives you the ideas, recipes and inspiration to create great dishes using fresh and interesting ingredients in next to no time. With busy people like herself in mind, Donna has solved the daily what's-for-dinner dilemma with a book full of fast, simple, tempting and satisfying answers. Keep this copy of New Food Fast on the kitchen bench and, even in your busiest moments, you'll never be left wondering what's for dinner.

New York Times Book Review - Appl

The other night, when I had only a scant hour and a half to make dinner for myself; my wife, Betsey; and four guests, my eye fell upon New Food Fast by Donna Hay, an overachieving 30-year-old food writer with two best-sellers already to her credit. Something light, Betsey said. Mussels poached in a quick broth flavored with ginger and lemon grass, to which I added a chopped hot pepper and a bit of garlic, got us under way. Then came scallops of swordfish sautйed with sage leaves and a shower of grated lemon rind, with a side of very slowly roasted tomatoes with basil, served lukewarm, and kadota figs in vanilla and white port sauce.
My jury approved, and it gave the blue ribbon to the swordfish.

Bacchus and Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar

Author: Jay McInerney

Jay McInerney's wine column for Conde Nast House and Garden has become widely read for his acerbic wit, irreverent tone, and bountiful, hilarious anecdotes. But a half million readers also hark closely to each month's "Uncorked" for the breadth of knowledge every column shares. For the uninitiated or aspiring oenophile (wine lover) McInerney shares, in this collection, critical details and comprehensible descriptions not often found, or discernable, in the standard wine writers' tomes. It is actually possible for a reader to take what is learned to a wine shop or restaurant to indulge in the wine of his or her fantasy with the confidence of a sommelier.

In forty-five columns, McInerney holds forth (with agile humor, an astonishing amount of hard fact, and an ample dose of personal taste) on such topics as how to make your way around a German wine label; what to drink with Thanksgiving turkey; the truth about Zinfandels; why burgundy is so hard to predict; how California Chardonnay is improving; the pleasures of flinty Chablis, the deep satisfaction of port; the glorious potential of Oregon's pinot noir, the respectability of rosй, and profiles of the great winemakers.

Bacchus and Me is for everyone interested in learning more about the wines of the world. For those who are modest of purse there is intense vicarious pleasure to be found in McInerney's vinous adventures.

The Little Gumbo Book or How to Store Your Garden Produce

The Little Gumbo Book

Author: Gwen McKe

Here are twenty-seven carefully created recipes plus explanations, definitions, and directions that will enable everyone to enjoy the special experience of gumbo. This dandy of a book is entirely dedicated to the process of preparing great gumbo. In addition to the wonderful collection of recipes, the book provides guidance in preparing all the characteristic elements that make up this unique Cajun dish. For instance, there are six recipes for preparing roux-the browning of flour, so important to the richness of gumbo. The book contains a step-by-step gumbo recipe which provides detailed instructions that will enable anyone to create a great pot of gumbo! There are also suggestions for how to prepare rice, and a special Cajun seasoning recipe for adding just the right Creole touch. The Little Gumbo Book utilizes convenient microwaves, time-freeing crock pots, and dependable iron pots for preparing such delectable recipes as "Catfish Gumbo," low-calorie "Lean and Mean Chicken Gumbo," as well as "Crowd Pleasing Gumbo" for impressing a party of fifty people! It's all here. The mystery of gumbo preparation is revealed and explained in this one little book. Voila!

	Preface	7
	All About Roux	11
	Iron Skillet Roux	13
	Baked Roux	13
	Skillet Dry Roux	13
	Microwave Roux (with Vegetables)	14
	Oven-Baked Dry Roux	14
	Creole Roux	15
	A Word About Rice	17
	K's Cajun Seasoning	19
	Step-By-Step to Great Gumbo	21
	Mamaw's Shrimp Gumbo	30
	The Mariner's Gumbo	31
	Catfish Gumbo	32
	Snitcher's Seafood Gumbo	33
	Aunt Tiel's Fresh Crab and Shrimp Gumbo	34
	24-Karat Gumbo	36
	Creole Roux Seafood Gumbo	37
	Cup O' Crab Gumbo	38
	Spicy Hot Crock Pot Gumbo	39
	Hot Crawfish Gumbo	40
	Seafood Oven Okra Gumbo	42
	Turkey Oven Okra Gumbo	43
	Chicken 'N' Sausage File Gumbo	44
	Chicken Crock Pot Gumbo	45
	Gombo File Aux Poulet	46
	Henny-Penny File Gumbo	48
	Lean and Mean Chicken Gumbo	49
	Microwave Chicken 'N' Sausage Gumbo	50
	The Tail of the Turkey Gumbo	51
	Duck 'N' Andouille Gumbo	52
	Burgundy Beef Gumbo	55
	Pork Roast Gumbo	56
	Moulin-Rouge Gumbo	57
	Crowd Pleasing Gumbo	58
	Okra and Tomato Gumbo	59
	Z' Herbes Gumbo	60
	About the Author	63

How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency

Author: Piers Warren

How to Store Your Garden Produce: the key to self-sufficiency is the modern guide to storing and preserving your garden produce, enabling you to eat home-grown goodness all year round. The easy-to-use reference section provides storage and preservation techniques for the majority of plant produce commonly grown in gardens and allotments.

Why is storing your garden produce the key to self-sufficiency? Because with less than an acre of garden you can grow enough produce to feed a family of four for a year, but as much of the produce will ripen simultaneously in the summer, without proper storage most of it will go to waste and you'll be off to the supermarket again. Learn simple and enjoyable techniques for storing your produce and embrace the wonderful world of self-sufficiency.

In the A-Z list of produce, each entry includes recommended varieties, suggested methods of storage and a number of recipes: everything from how to make your own cider and pickled gherkins to how to string onions and dry your own apple rings. You'll know where your food has come from, you'll save money, there won't be any packaging, and you'll be eating tasty local food whilst feeling very, very good about it!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Home Cooking or Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles

Home Cooking

Author: Laurie Colwin

Authored by a famed novelist -- an elegantly written treasury of culinary memories, recipes, tips and stories that is as pleasurable to read as it is to cook from.

Interesting textbook: Mathematical Economics or Pennsylvania Real Estate Fundamentals and Practices

Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles

Author: Editors of Cooks Illustrated Magazin

How do you boil pasta? How much water and salt do you need? Should you add oil to the water? How well should you drain it? (Turn to page viii for the answers.)

One part cooking course, one part kitchen reference, and one part foolproof recipes, The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles tells the story of flour and water like no other book on the market. Extensively covering the basics of pasta and noodles, this thoroughly researched and taste-tested guide is dedicated to the home cook who needs practical advice on everything from penne to pad thai. The experts at Cook's Illustrated present their knowledge and techniques in a hands-on way so that each and every step of the cooking process can be understood and easily executed. The authors leave room for interpretation and taste, of course, but you will not walk away from this book without knowing which olive oil to buy, why egg pastas tend to complement cream sauces, or how to mince garlic.

The book is arranged in four sections, exploring first dried semolina pasta, then fresh Italian-style pasta, Mediterranean pasta and European dumplings, and finally, Asian noodles. There are thirteen chapters devoted to sauces alone, and recipes are included with the type of pasta with which they work best -- from the simplest to the complex, but all within reach of the home cook. As a bonus, the book includes excellent photographs of the various pasta and noodle shapes, and impeccable illustrations clearly depict each step of key techniques. Special sections are devoted to such specific topics as "Are Electric Pasta Machines Worth the Money?" and "A Guide to Popular Cheeses."

"Cook's has always been the definitive word onany subject it tackles," says The Post and Courier, and The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles will serve as the definitive reference volume for pasta lovers.

Food Combining and Digestion or Marijuana Chef Cookbook

Food Combining and Digestion: Easy to Follow Techniques to Increase Stomach Power and Maximiz Digestion

Author: Steve Meyerowitz

Our modern diet, with all its processing, cooking, canning, microwaving, and artificial ingredients, requires more dietary gusto than our sedentary lifestyles can muster. Flatulence is not the only fallout. We pay for our indigestion by sacrificing some of our mental acuity, immunity, energy, and longevity. Every stress on the digestion/elimination system is a drain on our daily energy level and a threat to our long range health. By adding some simple concepts and eliminating bad habits, we can optimize our digestive efficiency and reap the dividends of increased energy and robust health.

Marijuana Chef Cookbook

Author: S T Oner

High rollers looking for something more adventurous than The Joy of Cooking will find it in The Marijuana Chef Cookbook. This guide to cannabis cuisine takes satisfying the munchies to a new level. In addition to such scrumptious and imaginative recipes as Primo Poultry, Nutter Butter, Midnight Pizza, Primeval Pasta, and Chocca Mocha, the book covers potency issues, health information, legal tips, and a culinary history of the weed.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Wines of Spain or Firehouse Food

Wines of Spain

Author: Julian Jeffs

The most in-depth guide available to the exceptional wines of Spain.

Spain produces some of the finest wines in the world, yet twenty years ago it was known internationally only for sherry and rioja. Today, however, world-class wines are produced in Costers del Segre, Navarra, Peneds, Priorato, Ribera del Duero, and Somontano, to name just a few areas that are covered in this comprehensive book.

Julian Jeffs, one of Europe's foremost writers on wine, traveled all over Spain looking for fine vineyards in remote places. He sought out and evaluated the many varieties as he also researched modern Spain's impressive methods of vinification, which have helped Spanish wines progress in just a generation from being little known and poorly regarded to becoming recognized as among the world's best.

Ranging from the wines of Catalonia (such as Ampurdn- Costa Brava) to the varieties of southeastern Spain (such as Valencia and Jumilla) to the wines of the Canary Islands, this is the one book on Spanish wine for both the novice and the expert.

Firehouse Food: Cooking with San Francisco's Firefighters

Author: George Doles

Firefighters are famous for their food and it s no wonder since they cook their own meals seven days a week. All that practice, not to mention the peer pressure, makes for some of the best recipes in town, especially when that town is a culinary mecca like San Francisco. Firehouse Food introduces firehouse life, its brave denizens, and more than 100 of their best recipes. We meet greenhorns and veterans, retirees and local characters, all the while enjoying terrific meals designed to cook up easy and satisfy the whole crew. The recipes reflect the diversity of the San Francisco Fire Department personnel themselves-Latin-American, Asian, African, Italian, Irish, Eastern European-with a melting pot of delectable flavors. From barbecue by the experts to a Pineapple Upside Down Cake just like mom s, these dishes are forgiving enough for anyone to try, and generous enough for everyone to enjoy. With color photographs of meals, downtime, cookery in action, and of course the food itself, Firehouse Food illustrates the daily routine that turns a firehouse into a family.

Publishers Weekly

San Francisco firefighter and chef Chase Wilson wittily sums up her feelings about cooking for her fellow firefighters: "It's putting dinner on the table for 14 that gets my adrenaline going." And with that, authors Dolese (food writer and cookbook photos stylist) and Siegelman (cookbook writer) present meals that can be prepared for either army or family. These recipes, which often reflect the flavor of San Francisco, are as simple as Coleslaw with Pineapple and Dried Cherries (from Marty Verhaeg, Engine 13) or as time-consuming as Pork Mole, which can be prepared two days ahead of time (from Theresa Wolowic, Engine 32). The flavor-intense Villa Gumbo requires a roux and is served by Rich Gibson, whose Station 37, founded in 1915, ranks as one of the oldest. Desserts such as Warm Swiss Almond Apple Cake (from Lt. Richard Busalacchi, Truck 19) round out the recipes. From beginning to end, this accessible cookbook presents an enthusiastic, adrenaline-infused tone perfect for homecooks of any level. (July) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Napkins with A Twist or Alcoholica Esoterica

Napkins with A Twist

Author: David Stark

As sweet as a love note, as welcome as a holiday, as easy as pie.

Take simple squares of cloth, succinctly written directions, and clearly photographed steps and create fantastic napkin folds that transform your table into a showpiece.

Mixing whimsy and elegance, celebrity event designer David Stark fashions stylish setups for every occasion. In Napkins with a Twist, Stark turns his unerring eye to the art of the perfect table setting, focusing on the quick, inexpensive, and creative.

From everyday to evening, children's parties to black-tie affairs, a clever napkin fold turns any gathering into a memorable event. Classic folds such as the Tuexedo Fold, together with Stark's own innovative designs—including the wildly fun Fortune Cookie and Sushi Roll folds—make setting the table a no-brainer.

Folds from Buckingham Palace and the Kennedy White House, New York's Pierre and Napa Valley's French Laundry, reveal how royalty, the rich and famous, the world's legendary restaurants, all put just the right touches on their signature starched linens.

Along with its array of napkin folds, Napkins with a Twist spills over with useful tips, how-to lists, etiquette reminders, table settings, and surprising suggestions for how a napkin fold can become the starting point for designing an entire occasion.

Go to: Bringing Tuscany Home or Crescent City Collection

Alcoholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information As It Relates to the History and Consumption of All Manner of Booze

Author: Ian Lendler

Finally, there's a book that's almost as much fun as having a couple of drinks. Alcoholica Esoterica presents the history and culture of booze as told by a writer with a knack for distilling all the boring bits into the most interesting facts and hilarious tales. It's almost like pulling up a stool next to the smartest and funniest guy in the bar. Divided into chapters covering the basic booze groups-including beer, wine, Champagne, whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, and tequila-Alcoholica Esoterica charts the origin and rise of each alcohol's particular charms and influence. Other sections chronicle "Great Moments in Hic-story," "Great Country Drinking Songs," "10 Odd Laws," and "Mt. Lushmore, Parts I-V." Additionally, famous quotes on the joys and sorrows of liquor offer useful shots of advice and intoxicating whimsy.

Did you know...
• that the word bar is short for barrier? Yes, that's right-to keep the customers from getting at all the booze.
• that Winston Churchill's mother supposedly invented the Manhattan?
• that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because the sailors on the Mayflower were running low on beer and were tired of sharing?
• that you have a higher chance of being killed by a flying Champagne cork than by a poisonous spider?
• that the Code of Hammurabi mandated that brewers of low-quality beer be drowned in it?
• that beer was so popular with medieval priests and monks that in the thirteenth century they stopped baptizing babies with holy water and started using beer?

Library Journal

Lendler (An Undone Fairy Tale) has distilled his favorite facts about alcoholic libations into a breezy and entertaining book that covers the basic alcoholic groups as well as assorted historical drinking events and personages. Liberally salted with pertinent quotations, it offers fascinating details about everything from the art of toasting to the origins of different kinds of cocktails. As Lendler himself is the first to admit, however, he is in no way a "professional" historian, and this shows in the lack of a bibliography and an index, which diminishes the book's usefulness as a reference source. Ben Schott's Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany, which doesn't delve into alcoholic beverages in quite as much depth as Lendler's book but also covers food, might be a better choice for reference collections. Recommended for medium to large public libraries as an amusing selection for circulating collections.-John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Best Italian Classics or Desserts By the Yard

Best Italian Classics

Author: Cooks Illustrated

How do you keep pesto from turning brown? What kind of tomatoes make the best sauce? Should you add oil to pasta cooking water? In an exhaustive effort to answer these questions and hundreds more, the staff at America's Test Kitchen conducted thousands of kitchen tests. The result is a cookbook that gives you more than 300 recipes for reliable Italian classics that we've adapted for the American home cook without losing sight of their fundamental nature. All the essentials are here, from breaded chicken cutlets and Parmesan risotto to veal scaloppini and sausage calzones. Family favorites such as eggplant Parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs, lemon roast chicken, and tiramisu have been updated and streamlined.

In The Best Italian Classics you'll also find more than 225 illustrations that show you how to peel garlic cloves quickly, roll out pasta dough, and skin hazelnuts. Dozens of no-nonsense equipment ratings and taste tests of supermarket ingredients are also included. Find out why American pastas are every bit as good as Italian brands and which grater makes quick work of Parmesan cheese. Step into our kitchen and learn how to make real Italian food, quickly and easily.

Desserts By the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever

Author: Sherry Yard

Spago's pastry chef to the stars and author of the James Beard Award-winning Secrets of Baking shares the recipes that propelled her to the top of her profession

Night after night at Spago in Beverly Hills, Sherry Yard dazzles the powerful, rich, and famous with incredible desserts. Her marvelous confections have won over patrons from Madonna to Frank Sinatra. Now the country's premier pastry chef reveals the recipes that have made her a star in her own right and won her two coveted James Beard Awards.

Desserts by the Yard begins with inspirations from Yard's childhood, such as My Favorite White Birthday Cake with Chocolate and Butter Fudge Frosting, and culminates in the spectacular creations she makes every year for the Academy Awards. Included here are some of Yard's most famous recipes: the slinky crème brûlée she perfected when she worked at New York's Rainbow Room, the coffeecake that made Campton Place Hotel San Francisco's most popular breakfast spot, and the souffléed crème fraîche pancakes with strawberry sauce she learned in Vienna. Don't miss the chocolate caramel tart that Hugh Grant loves, former President Clinton's favorite oatmeal raisin cookies, or the treat that made actress Suzanne Pleshette exclaim, "Bitch! You're gonna make me fat!"

Desserts don't get easier than Yard's No-Bake Cheesecake, more decadent than Chocolate Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Gelato, or more holiday-perfect than Triple Silken Pumpkin Pie. In sidebars to each recipe, Yard shares tricks and techniques along with hilarious anecdotes that show her pluck, determination, andgenerosity.

Publishers Weekly

Brooklyn-born Yard worked her way up to reign as Hollywood and Beverly Hills queen of sweet. Executive pastry chef of Puck's Spago empire, she annually creates 1,700 or so perfect desserts for the Governors Ball following the Oscars, such as mousse-filled chocolate boxes on power-painted red carpets the year Julia Roberts won for Erin Brockovich. But Yard hasn't forgotten the rapturous tastes of her childhood; along with celeb-studded, look-at-me tales of her lofty successes, she offers tender memories and recipes for such favorites as Italian bakery Rainbow Cookies. Yard actually delivers what every cookbook promises: news for the professional and foolproof secrets for the avid amateur. From her finger-stirred sugar-water-corn syrup caramel to her assembly-line masterpieces, every ingredient is necessary and every direction makes sense. Fruit desserts, her special passion, transport the reader to Eden. Comprehensive, well-organized and meaningfully illustrated, Yard's book may be the new dessert bible. Color photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)

Pauline Baughman - Library Journal

Award-winning executive pastry chef Yard (The Secrets of Baking) chronicles her success and the recipes she developed as she worked her way from New York to Wolfgang Puck's celebrated restaurants in California, stopping in London and Vienna in between. Influenced by the sweets of her childhood (e.g., Girl Scout cookies), the desserts of Vienna (e.g., Sacher torte), and local farmers' market produce, Yard's 120 original and classic (with a twist) recipes cover an array of delectable cakes, pies, cookies, and frozen desserts. Among the standouts are Chocolate Macaroons with Black Currant Tea Ice Cream and Raspberries and Banana Crème Brûlée Pie. Instructions are easy to follow, and sidebars offer secrets for success. A decadent dessert book sure to inspire home cooks and professionals alike; highly recommended. (Color photos and index not seen.)

	Introduction	6
	In the kitchen	8
	10 minutes (or so)	18
	20 minutes	50
	30 minutes	82
	Short top + sides	114
	Basics	140
	Tomato sauce	142
	Stock	150
	Batter	158
	Pastry	166
	Dough	174
	Glossary	182
	Index	188

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bordeaux: A Consumer's Guide to the World's Finest Wines

Library Journal

Table of Contents:

Foraging New England: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods and Medicinal Plants from Maine to Connecticut

Bakers of Paris and the Bread Question, 1700-1775

Best of Gourmet 2006

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Shag Party: Cocktails and Appetizers to Seduce and Entertain

Great Lakes, Great Breakfasts: A Cookbook and Travel Guide

Prentice Hall Dictionary of Culinary Arts

College Cookbook: An Alternative to the Meal Plan

Publishers Weekly

Table of Contents:

McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss

Library Journal

River Road Recipes IV: Warm Welcomes, Entertaining Menus from Our Homes to Yours

Monday, December 29, 2008

Jean Carper's Complete Healthy Cookbook: Featuring More than 250 Favorite Recipes from USA Weekend's ''''EatSmart'''' Column

Publishers Weekly

Judith Sutton - Library Journal

Baked Alaska: Recipes For Sweet Comforts From The North Country

How to Cook Meat

Mark Bittman

Emeril Lagasse

New York Times Book Review

New York Times Book Review

Publishers Weekly

Internet Book Watch

Christian Science Monitor - Jennifer Wolcott

Minnesota Eats Out: An Illustrated History

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Creative Chinese Oven Cooking: The New Trend

Cooking in America, 1590-1840

Cook Now, Eat Later: Be One Step Ahead with Over 130 Delicious Recipes to Prepare in Advance

Movable Feast

Publishers Weekly

Table of Contents:

Saturday, December 27, 2008

1,000 Low-Fat Recipes

Table of Contents:

Lavender Cookbook

Lunchbox Book

Best Tea Places in England

Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day

The Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook: Barbeque... It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Friday, December 26, 2008

Ghost Wineries of the Napa Valley: A Photographic Tour of the Last Century

Anatomy of Dessert: With a Few Notes on Wine

Library Journal

Chez Panisse Fruit

Gourmet

The New Yorker - Nicholas Lemann

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

Frog/Commissary Cookbook

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Open-Hearth Cookbook: Recapturing the Flavor of Early America

Simply Shellfish: Quick and Easy Recipes for Shrimp, Crab, Scallops, Clams, Mussels, Oysters, Lobster, Squid, and Sides

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

Eat Smart, Eat Raw: Creative Vegetarian Recipes for a Healthier Life

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

Italian-American Cookbook: A Feast of Food from a Great American Cooking Tradition

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

Internet Book Watch

Table of Contents:

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Mixer Bible: Over 300 Recipes for Your Stand Mixer

Table of Contents:

A Cafecito Story/ El cuento del cafecito

El nuevo libro de cocina dietйtica del Dr. Atkins: complementario a la nueva revoluciуn dietйtica del Dr. Atkins

Field Dressing and Butchering Deer: Step-by-Step Instructions, from Field to Table

Table of Contents:

25 Years of Favorite Brand Name Recipes

Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Library Journal

Tuesday, December 23, 2008