One delicious thing at a time!

Julia Turshen, author of Small Victories, feels like becoming a confident cook is mastering one delicious thing at a time, and taking pleasure in each small victory. In the cookbook pages she shares more than 95 recipes and hundreds of recipe variations. Julia shares basic lessons of cooking and the insparation that flows from mastering one recipe. The book is divided into simple and traditional categories, breakfast, soup and salad, vegetables, ect. Some of the delicious sounding recipes are, Sour Cream Pancakes with Roasted Blueberries, Snow-Day Udon Soup, and All Day Pork Shoulder with Cider. Most recipes have a picture which is helpful. Give it a try! ML

If you can't travel to Paris...

Is the thought of making French food too intimidating for you? Do you think it would be too fussy, to fancy, too...well, French! Dorie Greenspan is here to help you. She is the author of many cookbooks, and her blog, www.doriegreenspan.com , was named one of the top fifty food blogs in the world by the Times of London. Her newest lovely book, which is owned by OPL, is called Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere.
My own personal pet peeve is no photos in cookbooks, so this one is a treat, with many glossy close-ups. The range of baking is covered here, from cake and cookies to tarts, galettes, and so much more. The emphasis is on clear directions and while not ultra simple, the experienced home cook should have no trouble. Hmm, what shall I bake first? Should it be fancy like Gingerbread Buche de Noel, or a little simpler like Limoncello Cupcakes or Jam-Filled Sandwich Cookies? The book comes in at a hefty 460 pages, so there should be no problem finding something. mmmmm...ML

The Outdoor Season

We in Michigan are looking forward to all the good things summer brings...swimming, gardening, and of course, grilling! The new book, Better Homes and Gardens Fresh Grilling: 200 Seasonal Recipes reminds you how. We usually just grill the old favorites, steak, burgers, and hot dogs, with the adventurous doing maybe, pizza.
This book tells you the grilling basics, from using fire to grill types and how to do individual vegetables. There is a chapter on marinades, sauces, salsas and rubs.(savory strawberry salsa anyone?)
Finally, the recipes! There are chapters for vegetarians, pizza and burgers but also the unexpected like salads, quick smokes and desserts. Delicious! ML