a little something on the side

COOKING

Ed Smith's new cookbook, On the Side, addresses the perennial question, what do I serve for sides?
The author has a online website, Rocket and Squash, which is a food journal regularly updated with restaurant reviews and recipes. Sadly, it mostly refers to restaurants in London!
The book is organized into chapters of types of sides, for example greens, leaves and herbs, or roots, squash and potatoes, ect. A nice directory included for the cook is a list of main dishes, such as steak, and what goes with them. In the case of steak he lists 20 sides that would go with, including carrots with brown butter and hazelnuts, dijon-dressed green beans, and sherry cherry tomatoes. MMMM

DESIGN

Design by Nature by Erica Tanov is a beautiful book! The nature references abound, such as the chapters being divided into wood, water, weeds, ect. There are beautiful pictures of rooms and the scenes of nature that inspired them. Artists are also spotlighted throughout the book. Fabric designers, weavers and print makers are featured. This book is more inspirational than a straight ahead how-to book. The photographs are spectacular and well worth spending an hour "leafing" through this book.

In the days before cheap air travel, families didn't so much take vacations as survive them. Between home and destination lay thousands of miles and dozens of annoyances, and with his family Richard Ratay experienced all of them--from being crowded into the backseat with noogie-happy older brothers, to picking out a souvenir only to find that a better one might have been had at the next attraction, to dealing with a dad who didn't believe in bathroom breaks.
 Now, decades later, Ratay shows how family togetherness was eventually sacrificed to electronic distractions. In hundreds of amusing ways, he reminds us of what once made the Great American Family Road Trip so great, including twenty-foot "land yachts," oasis-like Holiday Inn "Holidomes," "Smokey"-spotting Fuzzbusters, 28 glorious flavors of Howard Johnson's ice cream, and the thrill of finding a "good buddy" on the CB radio. A rousing Ratay family ride-along, Don't Make Me Pull Over reveals how the family road trip came to be.

Old Favorites, New Taste

Would you like to put a new twist to some of your favorite recipes? Check out Easy Gourmet:Awesome Recipes anyone Can Cook by Stephanie Le. Stephanie is the creator of a top cooking food blog. She describes her collection as " a little bit Asian, a little bit classic and a lot delicious". She keeps the recipes simple but really goes all out on  taste. Her book includes recipes for all three daily meals and snacks too! I’m looking forward to the Seafood Stew and Lemon S’mores!DB

Getting Wild About Food!

Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health by Jo Robinson is all about how to “select and prepare food to reclaim the nutrients and flavor we’ve lost.”   There is a big difference in food we eat today versus the less selected and processed food of our past.   This book covers the history of food items and how to get the most from them for optimal health.  Did you know beets have more antioxidant properties than almost any other common vegetable?  They were used in Roman times as a healing food and were also used as an aphrodisiac! Buy beets with their greens on since those will be the freshest. Try steaming your beets to keep the nutrition content optimal and always cook them with their skin on (peel them after they are cooked and have cooled).  Try eating them with a sauce made from oil, onion, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest and blue cheese.  This book is chock full of information and great recipes.  You will never look at a carrot the same way again (they should really be purple). SG

A Great & Powerful Book!

Who hasn’t enjoyed The Wizard of Oz movie starring Judy Garland, based on the book by L. Frank Baum?  With the movie release of Oz the Great and Powerful there has been a resurgence in popularity of all things Oz and we have just the book for you at the library.  Everything Oz by Christine Leech and Hannah Read-Baldrey is a book with over 50 Oz themed projects including Over the Rainbow Cake, Tin Can Lanterns and Cowardly Lion Hand Puppets.  You can even find a recipe for treats for Toto!  This book is visually appealing with quotes from Baum’s book interspersed throughout, ideas for decorating, and pages you can photocopy for making gift tags, puppets and more.  It's the type of book you don't need but can't do without.  Personally, I'm thinking of trying an Emerald City themed party featuring glow in the dark green jello. (Wondering what makes the jello glow?  You'll have to read the book!)  I'll send the Winged Monkey invites to get guests in the mood.  SG

Reading About Cooking

One would think reading and cooking are two different things, one doing, the other thinking. Lots of people read cookbooks however, without cooking.This writer is one such person! We come to the other path, reading a memoir about cooking. These are three such books.

Kathleen Flinn's memoir, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks is fascinating. After the author had gotten her culinary degree in Paris, she was unsure what to do. When she noticed a woman in the supermarket, cart stacked with processed and packaged food her "chefternal" side took over, and she helped the woman buy ingredients for dinners and told her how to cook them. When the woman earnestly thanked her, an idea was born. She publicized her cooking school with an ad in the paper, then visited the the people who replied. All were inexperienced home cooks, some never learned, some felt intimidated. All benefited! We get to know the students as they work their way through knife skills, cutting up chickens and bread. Recipes too! A fun and interesting read. ML

Ellie Mathews wrote The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir about her experience winning the Pillsbury Bake Off. When she entered her Salsa CousCous Chicken recipe she had no idea she would win a million dollars. The book is funny in a mildly satirical way as Ellie is drawn deeper
into the cooking contest subculture. She gives you the million dollar recipe too! ML

Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton is not a strictly chronological memoir, but a passionate discussion of a difficult life. Gabrielle's father was an artist, her mother a Frenchwoman who stayed home and cooked for her large family. To Gabrielle it was idyllic, until the divorce. Mom and the older kids took off and Gabrielle was left to her own devices. At 13 she started working, at 16 moving to New York City. What followed was 20 hard years in the food industry, opening a restaurant, and getting a MFA from University of Michigan. She eventually opened a celebrated restaurant and married an Italian man in spite of being a professed lesbian! This memoir features wonderful, sensual writing about food, rage, and a longing to find home. One of the best I've read! ML

Calling all carnivores!

Michael Symon, the engaging chef and Food Network star, has a new cookbook celebrating meat, in all its forms. Titled, appropriately enough, Michael Symon's Carnivore, the cookbook is organized in chapters titled by the type of meat, such as beef, pork, (the unexpected ) lamb and goat, poultry and game. Some of the recipes are unusual (head cheese! pig trotters!) and some with meat being just one component like moussaka. He expounds on what he thinks are the best pairings with meats and has a chapter on sides that are innovative without being weird. Michael Symon also owns restaurants, one in Detroit, Roast, at which  this writer had a fabulous meal. Sharpen your knives and lets get cooking. ML

Welcome to the Feast!

It's seventeenth-century England, and John's mother is accused of witchcraft. The two flee their village to seek refuge in the woods, where she imparts to him knowledge of an ancient ritual, a great feast celebrating the gifts of the earth. She dies from starvation shortly thereafter, and John is sent to work at Buckland Manor, where his innate culinary gift is discovered. He cooks for the lord of the manor, for visiting nobles, even for the king, and eventually rises to the position of head cook. When the lord's daughter, Lucretia, refuses to eat, John cooks to entice her out of her fast. The two fall in love, but the English Civil War ensues, and Lucretia is already promised in marriage. Pagan and Christian traditions collide in John Saturnall's Feast by Lawrence Norfolk, a sweeping tale of love and legend. Beautiful imagery and captivating details bring the story to life, while descriptions of culinary treats make one's mouth water. Norfolk's unique and sensuous blending of history and myth will appeal to those who love Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall (2009) as well as to his own devotees.

Cook without a book!

Pam Anderson's latest cookbook is packed with good ideas and information. It's title, Pam Anderson Cook Without a Book Meatless Meals:recipes and techniques for part-time and full-time vegetarians tells you what you need to know about this book. There are several innovative ways she organizes this book: for instance she will have a master recipe and then several variations. One fun chapter is the "supper soup bar" where one soup is fixed then many add-ins set out to compliment it. One example is the tortilla soup bar where some of the add-ins are corn,black beans and cooked vegetables. Anderson is the New York Times author of six cookbooks. A delicious read. ML

A funny dish!

I almost hesitate to call Alton Brown's (of the TV cooking show) new book a cookbook because it is stuffed with not only recipes, but drawings, food history and the chemistry behind the food. Oh, and not least, a heaping helping of the trademark Alton Brown humor. Food dishes as common as pumpkin pie and as exotic as whole fish (yes, with the head!) are given the in-depth treatment in the new Good Eats 3:the Later Years Love it! M.L.

Seasons Eatings

Entertaining for the holidays? Looking for some different and unique dishes? Check out bite by bite: 100 stylish little plates you can make for any party by Peter Callahan. The recipes and presentations in this book are fantastic! Callahan is known as the king of the mini menu. He has been catering for over twenty years and has created special dishes for many celebrities, including Martha Stewart. His small plate selections include comfort foods, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and party appetizers. He can really jazz up a PB & J. There are edibles for every meal and some very interesting beverage concoctions. The fabulous photos will really get you cooking. Add some spice to your holiday menu! 'Tis the season for some great eatin'.DB

It's All About the Recipes

Small town southern life (and small town southern cooking) is portrayed in Friendship Cake by Lynne Hinton. This story surrounds five women from Hope Springs, North Carolina, who are talked into putting together a church cookbook. Reluctant at first the women begin to share more than recipes as they learn each others stories and develop lasting friendships. The best part of the book is the recipe that is found at the start of each woman's story. Try the egg custard recipe which is easy and delicious, just like this book. An old favorite - this story is recommended for book group discussions. SG

Dinner's Ready

Perfect One-Dish Dinners might take the stress out of meals for you. Pam Anderson gives all sorts of ideas for stews, casseroles, salads, and grilled entrees. If you feel like doing a bit more, she's got accompanying recipes for appetizers and desserts, too. I can't wait to try out the spicy chicken enchiladas verde and the shrimp wonton crisps with Asian pesto. Yum!

That's eyetalian!

Yes, the real deal, The Dog Who Ate the Truffle is a memoir replete with Italian cooking and culture. Suzanne Carriero spent a year and a half in Umbria, and this is her intimate look at its ancient recipes, traditions, and the people who pass them on. Each of the book’s eight chapters features local cooks, as their personal stories are as much a part of the cuisine’s essence as are the crops they grow and the family dishes they prepare.Anecdotes, sidebars, and boxes are used throughout the book to further illustrate Umbrian life;from buying a rabbit in the country, to making torta di Pasqua for Easter, to reading the Italian wine label, and drinking cappuccino after lunch (a serious breach in tradition). With a food and wine glossary included as a reference for travelers, The Dog Who Ate the Truffle immerses the reader in the people, cuisine, and lifestyle that few are privileged to experience. Suzanne’s colorful stories and authentic classic recipes make for an intimate and illustrious travel cookbook.