Weekend Cooking- Sometimes It's The Simple Things

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Sometimes I dread thinking about what to make for dinner, especially when I know I have to work and won't be home until after 6:30pm. I could get something at the grocery store the day before that's a 30 minute recipe, but then I have to rush home, have no down time, and get right down to cooking.

Or I could turn to my InstaPot, figuring that I will throw something in the slow cooker, turn it on and head out to work. That still requires a grcoery store run the day before, but at least when I get home from work I have the main entree part done. Then it's just figure out a side, vegetable and salad, and it's done.

A few weeks ago, I decided to go the slow cooker route and pulled out a cookbook I haven't yet used- Phyllis Good's Stock the Crock- 100 Must-Have Slow-Cooker Recipes, 200 Variations for Every Appetite. I picked it up at the Book Expo a few years ago, but never used a recipe from it.

Not being in any mood for something with mulitple steps, I found a Basic Chicken and Salsa recipe by Sara P. The book is filled with recipes from "a community of cooks". Well, OK, Sara P., let's see if this works.

You need 2- 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and a 16 jar of salsa. I happened to have jar of Frontera salsa sitting in my cupboard, so that was easy. Spray your slower cooker with nonstick cooking spray, put the thighs in and top with the salsa. Cook on low for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, then shred the chicken in the salsa and put over rice. That is it.

I had my doubts- it seemed too easy. I was fully prepared to order out that night if this didn't work.
Boy, was I surprised. I came home to a wonderful smell, and my son's girlfriend had kindly shredded the chicken before I got home, so I didn't even have to do that!

It. Was. Delicious. My husband and I loved it, the chicken was so tender and the salsa was flavorful. (Using thighs instead of boneless breast is key.) When my son and his girlfriend came home much later, they had some of the leftovers and asked for the recipe. My husband even took some for lunch the next day
.

They do suggest some variations to spice it up- add a drained can of black beans and one cup of fresh corn before pouring the salsa over the chicken in the slow cooker. You can also top the chicken with cheese, avocado slices, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion and bell peppers.

Sometimes it's the simple things.

Cookbooks from Book Expo

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Each year at Book Expo I look to see if there are any cookbooks that I would like to pick up. In years past I have been introduced to wonderful cookbooks like Marlene Koch's Eat What You Love series of healthier cookbooks. (I've made her Steak Diane and French Onion Chicken several times. Her website is here.)

I also found The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook by Eric Akis, which is perfect for when I pick up a $4.99 rotisserie chicken at Costco. You know that Open-faced Hot Chicken Sandwiches With Onion Gravy will be on the menu for dinner for dinner that night.

This year I only picked up two cookbooks- The Peach Truck Cookbook, which has "100 recipes for all things peach". I do like peaches, but I didn't know anything about Jessica and Stephen Rose or their Nashville peach truck, featuring Pearson Farm peaches from Georgia. Next time I'm in Nashville, I'll be sure to look them up.

Glancing through the book, I'd like to try The Grilled Cheeserie's Shaved Peach Melt from another food truck in Nashville, Proscuitto, Burrata and Pan-Roasted Peach Salad and Bourbon Peach Bread Pudding. It's a gorgeous book, with beautiful photos and lots of great information for anyone visiting Nashville. Their website is here.

The other book I found was Taste of Home 201 Recipes You'll Make Forever. Taste of Home usually has a presence at the Book Expo, and this year's book is perfect for someone who has limited space for cookbooks and likes to make simple, crowd-pleasing, traditional dishes. All of the recipes are submitted by readers, and they are time-tested winners.

I'm going to try Aunt Frances' Lemonade, a recipe from Debbie Reinhart who said that her aunt always had a pitcher of this in her refrigerator.  It consists of mixing the juice of four lemons, four limes, four oranges, three quarts of water and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar, and garnishing with lemon, lime and orange slices over ice. It sounds so refreshing.

The Chicken Gyros, Toasted Reubens and Hearty Pasta Fajioli will all get a tryout in my kitchen very soon. This cookbook is good for all skill levels, and most of the recipes are made with fresh ingredients. Taste of Home's website is here for more information on their multitude of cookbooks.

After reading through these books, I feel like I should get moving in the kitchen. Until next week!

Weekend Cooking- Book Expo Cookbooks

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Cookbooks are one of my downfalls. I have so many, from all of Barefoot Contessa's books to several Rachael Ray, and classics like The Silver Palate Cookbook. I had to pare them down to fit on one very long shelf on a cart in my kitchen, but when I went to Book Expo this year, I couldn't resist picking up a few more. (Don't tell my husband.)

Alison Cayne was signing copies of The Haven's Kitchen Cooking School book in the Algonguin booth. Cayne runs the Haven Kitchen Cooking School in Chelsea in New York City. This book is the perfect gift for someone who wants to be a better cook. She starts with the basics, from How To Read Recipes to How to Season With Salt, How To Dice An Onion and more.

From what tools and equipment you'll need, to what to stock your in your pantry and store in your frig, this book covers it all. The nine chapters of recipes such as Grains and Beans, Fritters, through Soups and Desserts, and everything in between. This book has it all. The cover is very New York City too, with a black striped apron over a white background. The one recipe I'd love to try first is Roasted Sweet Potato with Hazelnut Gremolata- yum.

A few years back at Book Expo, I got a copy of a few Fix-It and Forget-It recipes. I love my crockpot (now my Instapot) and when I saw that Phyllis Good was signing copies of her Stock the Crock book at the Time booth, I was there. She told me that this book has 100 of the best must-have slow-cooker recipes, with variations for gluten-free and vegetarian options for most recipes.

With so many people being more conscious of what they eat, this is a welcome addition. The recipes give the size of crockpot needed, options for making the recipe for two (very handy for me), simple swaps to make it gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo-friendly, and even how to make it picky eater-friendly. I'm going to make the Mexican Pot Roast for Sunday dinner.

While standing in line to get another book, I noticed that at the next table was a woman signing copies of her book Cooking With Nonna. Who can resist that one? The cover shot is author Rossella Rago and her adorable Nonna Romana.

Inside are over 100 recipes from 25 Italian nonnas, with your traditional chapters on Appetizers, Pasta and First Courses, Second Courses, Pizza, Breads and Savory Bakes to Desserts and Cookies (oh, those Italian cookies!)

Each Nonna gets an introduction page to share tips and stories, and each one is more fascinating than the last. If you have an Italian Nonna (or just wish you had one), this is a cookbook for you. I will be trying Four-Cheese Tortelli with Swiss Chard In A Butter and Sage Sauce.

Have you found any cookbooks recently that you like? Share in the Comments section. 

Weekend Cooking- Sugar Butter Flour- The Waitress Pie Book

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Sugar Butter Flour by Daniel Gercke, Sheri Castle and Evan Sung
Published by Pam Krauss Books/Avery ISBN 9780735216334
Hardcover, $25, 160 pages

A few months ago I had the great joy to see Jessie Mueller in the Broadway musical Waitress, based on the movie of the same name written by Adrienne Shelly. It tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, an unhappily married waitress in a small town with an amazing ability to create delicious pies based on what she is feeling at the moment.

It is a teriffic show, filled with wonderful songs by singer Sara Barielles, with a good book and a great ensemble. As I was watching the show, I was thinking, wow, these pies sound so great, I'd love to be able to make them myself. (They sell mini pies in a small jar at the theater.)

Cue the new cookbook from Pam Krauss Books/Avery- Sugar Butter Flour- The Waitress Pie Book. The book is credited to the character Jenna Hunterson, but the recipes are actually by Sheri Castle, with the text by Daniel Gercke and photographs by Evan Sung.

The book begins with Jenna's Rules for Baking (and Life), with helpful tips for those of us to whom pie crusts are a puzzle (guilty). Then we get right into the pies, starting with Fruit Pies like Sweet Victory Pie (a cherry pie), Banish the Glum Plum Galettes, and Big Guy Strawberry Pie, topped with a basil whipped cream.

The photos are gorgeous, and I like the layout. It begins with an explanation, then lists the ingredients in bold in the middle of the page, making it easy for you to write your grocery list from this. The instructions follow, along with tips and a color photo of each pie.

The Savory Pie section has some fabulous pies, like Betrayed by My Eggs Pie (chorizo, eggs and butter), My Husband's a Jerk Chicken Potpie (chicken with peppers and onions- my husband will love this one) and Old Joe's Horny Past Pie (a traditional Southern tomato pie).

The Chocolate and Nut Pies section has the most creative-named pies- I Wanna Play Doctor With My Gynocologist Chocolate Mousse Pie, and I Can't Have An Affair Because It's Wrong (and I Don't Want Earl To Kill Me) Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Pie- among them.

The last section is titled Lulus: Blue-Ribbon Winners. Lulus are are showstopper pies, and here you'll find Deep-Dish Blueberry-Bacon Pie (described as a "perfect diner breakfast all cozied up in a slice of pie"), Mermaid Mashmallow Pie (like an ambrosia salad in a pie) and Thanks For Taking Me To The Moon Peanut Butter MoonPie Pie (peanut butter cream topped with marshmallow whipped cream and MoonPies).

If you are a pie baker or you want to be, Sugar Butter Flour is a book you will want to have on your shelf. I'm pretty sure my brand spanking-new copy will soon be covered in sugar, flour and butter very soon as I attempt to make my husband these luscious dessert treats. And if you are a fan of the film or Broadway show Waitress or know someone who is, this is a must-have.

The website for Broadway's Waitress is here.

Weekend Cooking- Cravings by Chrissy Teigen

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Cravings by Chrissy Teigen
Published by Clarkson Potter ISBN 9781101903919
Hardcover, $29.99, 235 pages

Chrissy Teigen is a supermodel married to singer John Legend, co-host of the lifestyle television show FABLife and Instagram and Twitter superstar. She is also hilarious, down-to-earth and loves to eat. She doesn't just eat the supermodel salads either.

If you have ever seen her cook on any television show, you would know that she likes normal-people food. So it only makes sense that her first cookbook, Cravings, features recipes that most people would enjoy.

Teigen's mom is Thai, so she has a lot of recipes for Thai food and food that features Sriracha hot sauce, one of her favorites. In addition to recipes, Cravings has commentary from Teigen, told in her conversational tone (which includes a lot of swearing, so be warned). Reading Cravings makes you feel like you are in her kitchen with her, cooking up a storm and laughing all the way.

Her chapters aren't your usual ones either; she has Breakfast All Day, Thai Mom, Sh*T on Toast (pictures of things she likes to put on toast which all look delicious) and Things That Intimidate People But Shouldn't among them.

Here are some things I loved about this book:

• She doesn't like restaurants that don't know the difference between hash browns and home fries
• Her French Toast Casserole with Salted Frosted Flakes- oh yeah, I'm trying that one
• When she made chicken soup with her dad, she'd butter saltine crackers to accompany it
• She actually likes airport food- specifically LAX's Kogi Korean Truck inside the Delta terminal, Cat Cora's meatballs at SFO, Salt Lick ribs at Austin
• The cute photos of her and John

There are so many recipes that I want to try- an updated Cheesy JalapenoTuna Casserole with Potato Chip Topping, Sweet Potato Gnocci with Brown Butter Sage Sauce, and Steak Bites with Melty Blue Cheese Butter are just a few.

The book is beautiful, with thick stock paper and lots of full-page color photos. This is the kind of cookbook you'll want to read for pleasure as well as for the recipes, and if you're a fan of Chrissy Teigen, you'll be pleased. I recommend it.

Weekend Cooking- The Chef Next Door by Amanda Freitag with Carrie King

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

The Chef Next Door By Amanda Freitag with Carrie King
Published by William Morrow ISBN 9780062345837
Hardcover, $35, 299 pages

I had not heard of chef Amanda Freitag until I saw her one day on an episode of TV's The Chew.  Host Michael Symon made a visit to her tiny New York City kitchen, where she proceeded to whip up some delicious recipe.

I was amazed that she could create something so lovely looking in such a small kitchen. And then I hoped my husband never saw this, because my excuse is that my kitchen is too small to be truly creative.

Freitag, along with Carrie King, has written a fabulous cookbook, The Chef Next Door. The book is beautifully presented, with heavy stock pages, and gorgeous photos of finished dishes inside.

Flipping through it, I saw lots of recipes I wanted to try. The recipes are for basic dishes that every cook should know, and I was surprised to find that most of the ingredients are things that most cooks have on hand. It frustrates me when I find a recipe I want to try, only to discover there are ingredients I need that I don't have and probably won't use again.

Some of the ones I want to try include:

• Sweet Summer Corn Sauce- I may have to wait awhile for this one
• "Lusty" Lemon Chicken- she uses a rind of Parmesan cheese in it
• Pop's Beer-Braised Bold Beef Stew- made with red wine and 2 bottles of beer!
• Orzo Pasta Salad
• Impressive Dark Chocolate Mousse

I like the layout of the recipes. There is a paragraph describing the recipes, then an ingredient list. She includes a separate "prep" section, which lists everything you need to do to get ready. This is very helpful, and I haven't seen this very often. 

Finally, the step-by-step numbered directions. Sometimes there are handwritten notes with extra information, and at the end of the recipe you can frequently find suggestions to pair with the dish. 

The end of the book has a Menu section, which gives you ideas for celebrations such as Sunday Supper, Easter Dinner and Mother's Day Brunch, using recipes from the book. I find that very handy. 

The Chef Next Door is definitely a keeper for me, it feels like a book that I can refer to and use over and over again. You don't need to be a gourmet to use this book, anyone who likes to cook would find it useful. I recommend it.

Amanda Freitag's website is here.

Weekend Cooking- Fabio's American Home Kitchen

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Fabio's American Home Kitchen by Fabio Viviani
Published by Hachette ISBN 978-1-4013-1284-8
Hardcover, $30, 265 pages

One of my favorite contestants on the Food Network's Top Chef is Fabio Viviani. His Italian accent, good looks, charming way and bromance with fellow contestant Richard Blais made him a true fan favorite. Viviani owns several restaurants and his latest cookbook Fabio's American Home Kitchen  had me drooling as I was perusing all of the recipes.

As I read the introduction, I could hear Fabio's heavily accented voice in my head. He begins with a page of Kitchen Notes of "assumptions and some common sense", including "Mayonnaise is also always preferably homemade, though nothing will happen to you if you use store-bought." Whew, good to know!

Each chapter starts with a page, like the Appetizers section, which he calls the "first kiss of your meal". I love that description of appetizers.  Again, these one page introductions include Fabio's trademark sense of humor.

The recipes are generally one page each, and are geared towards people who have some familiarity in the kitchen. Reading it, I felt like I was in a good friend's kitchen and he was explaining what he was doing as he was cooking. The instructions felt conversational, which I liked.

The Soups and Sandwiches chapter was my favorite, and I've bookmarked many pages there. I'm not a big tomato soup fan, but his Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese, made with Dijon mustard, is one I will be making for lunch for my husband and me on a rainy, cold Sunday.

I also want to try:

• Chilled Corn Soup with Parmesan-Basil Corn Salad
• Fresh Tuna Salad Sandwiches (he says it's time we Americans learn how not to use canned tuna)
• Rare Beef Pasta Salad
• Pasta Salad with Walnuts, Gorgonzola and Mozzarella
• Penne with Creamy Mushroom Medley

Naturally, his Pasta chapter has lots of wonderful recipes, all made with fresh ingredients like his Italian grandma taught him. He has a Quick Chicken Parmigiana recipe where he tells us that we should never serve pasta on the side- no chicken with pasta! I've never heard that before.

He also recommends buying Parmesan cheese with the rind on it and grating the rind because it has very little moisture inside and works well in the oven. 

At the end of the book, Fabio has Menus for Special Occasions, like a Winter Holiday Meal, and Elegant Dinner Party and  Sunday Family Supper using recipes from the book. 

I can't wait to cook from Fabio's American Home Kitchen, I will post the results in a future Weekend Cooking post. 

Fabio Viviani's website, with lots of recipes, is here. 

Weekend Cooking- Twelve Recipes by Cal Peternell

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Twelve Recipes by Cal Peternell
Published by William Morrow ISBN 9780062270306
Hardcover, $26.99, 304 pages

When chef Cal Peternell was getting ready to send his son off to college, he decided to create a small cookbook of the twelve recipes that he felt were most important for his son to have. They were for food he had made for the family, his son's favorite dishes, things everyone should be able to make.

The book turned into Twelve Recipes, simple but standard dishes that everyone should be able to make and enjoy. Each chapter also has variations on those recipes, something that you can add to the repertoire to kick things up a notch.

Peternell is a chef at Alice Waters' famed Chez Panisse, so his food is clean, fresh and flavorful. He divides his twelve categories in this way:

• Toast
• Eggs
• Beans
• Salad Dressings and What To Dress
• Pasta With Tomato
• Pasta Otherwise
• Rice, Polenta, and Mashed Potatoes
• Only The Best Vegetables
• Roasted Chicken
• Braises
• Sauces
• Cakes

In addition to recipes, Peternell shares his best tips- when cooking in a skillet the pan should be dry until hot then add the oil, have two kinds of olive oil on hand, use sea salt, when cooking with garlic add something wet (wine, chopped tomatoes, stock) to prevent it from burning.

Twelve Recipes is a wonderful book not only for the new cook, but even as someone who cooks often, I found it very enlightening. I made many notes from the book, got great tips and recipes that seem simple and flavorful. 

His recipe for Shallot and Sherry Viniagrette is a terrific example:

1 small shallot

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

good pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

fresh ground pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

Peel and mince the shallot, like you would an onion. Mix with the salt, vinegars, mustard and pepper and let sit for 5 minutes to marinate and temper the shallots. Stir in the olive oil with a fork or whisk. If it thickens and emulsifies, fine. If not, also fine- just stir before using.

Peternell also sprinkles some family stories throughout, and you can feel the love he has for his family in this wonderful book. It makes a terrific gift for a new cook, and yet the experienced cook will also get some great recipes to add to their collection.

Cal Peternell's website is here.

The Tucci Table by Stanley Tucci

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

The Tucci Table by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt
Published by Simon & Schuster ISBN 978146738567
Hardcover, $30, 256 pages

 Stanley Tucci is an actor, known for his roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Julie & Julia. In 1996,  Tucci co-wrote and starred in a movie called Big Night, about two brothers who have one night to save their Italian restaurant. The movie has achieved cult status, earning many fans for Tucci and his costar Anthony Shaloub.

Tucci has always loved to cook, and follows his successful 2012  The Tucci Cookbook with a new cookbook, The Tucci Table, filled with recipes from himself, his family and even some famous friends, written with his wife Felicity Blunt, sister of actress Emily Blunt.

From his late friend actress Natasha Richardson, whom he said was "an extraordinary cook who threw some of the best dinner parties I have ever attended', he shares her Pissaladiere, topped with anchovies, onions and olives.

His son Nico's Pasta with Proscuitto, Onions, Peas and Pancetta looks like a winning dish to me, and I appreciated the detailed instructions on the carbonara finish to the dish.

He also tells some funny stories, like the time he asked Felicity what she wanted to cook for a dinner party the following weekend. She decided on a suckling pig, which was problematic since neither had ever cooked one before. They got a whole pig from the butcher, but it was too long to fit on their barbeque spit. So they got out the hacksaw and tried to cut off the pig's head, when their children came home from school to see the carnage.

The book is heavy on Italian food, naturally, and I am tempted to try his Polenta Fries, which Tucci calls a great alternative to French fries. They look delicious.

The first dish I want to try is a light and simple one:
Cannellini Bean and Tuna Salad With Red Onion
Serves 2-4
5 oz. can good tuna, packed in olive oil, drained
15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 red onion, finely sliced into half-moons
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
chopped fresh parsley

Gently mix the tuna, beans, and onions together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with a glug of olive oil, followed by a good pinch of fresh parsley.

Tucci formatted the book so that the directions come first, then the ingredients, which may confuse some people. This is a book for confident cooks, more casual cooks who like to go more by instinct than exact measurements. (See glug of olive oil, above)

Reading The Tucci Table is like sitting in Tucci's kitchen, and you can hear his voice as you read his stories about how his mother-in-law makes it this way, and he got this recipe on location in Atlanta for The Hunger Games. 

Here is a video from The Tucci Table :

Weekend Cooking- Cookbooks at BEA

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

This week was the annual Book Expo of America (BEA), a conference that brings together publishers, booksellers, librarians, and bloggers to discuss all things bookish. This was my seventh visit to the show and I saw some wonderful friends and made some new ones.

As usual, my first post about the BEA is a roundup of food books that I link to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme. This year, I got some terrific complete cookbooks, two of them giveaways at the Penguin Canada booth.

Foodie books from BEA

When I make my monthly trip to Costco, I always pick up at least one of their $4.99 rotisserie chickens, so I was excited to grab a copy of Eric Akis' The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook.  There's over 100 recipes for storebought and homecooked chicken and I know I will using this one frequently.

Michael Smith's Family Meals is the other book I got at Penguin Canada. I have one other of his cookbooks, and my family loves the Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe that I make from that one, so I'm looking forward to finding some more recipes from him here.

Katie Lee was signing her newest Endless Summer Cookbook at the Abrams booth. My husband and I enjoy her Logan County Hamburger recipes, and this book looks like a perfect one to break out for summer gatherings.

Reader's Digest was once again giving away the latest edition of The Taste of Home Cookbook, a favorite among home cooks because it is filled with the best recipes from people just like us.

For those who love their cocktails, Food & Wine Cocktails 2015 has 150 recipes for classic and new drinks from the best bartenders around the country. Cheers!

I also picked up three foodie books-a memoir titled The Raging Skillet by Rossi, an NYC chef who tells her story of growing up in a Jersey Shore Orthodox Jewish family and her climb to working in some of New York's grittiest kitchens before opening up her own restaurant.

I also got two fiction books about food- Jessica Tom's Food Whore, a novel about a woman who ghostwrites reviews for a New York food critic and J. Ryan Stradal's Kitchens of the Great Midwest, a much buzzed about debut novel that I cannot wait to read.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing other books I got, authors I met and panel discussions I attended from BEA. Did you find any good cookbooks at BEA this year?

Weekend Cooking- The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
Published by Alfred A. Knopf ISBN 978-0-307-59565-2
Hardcover, $35, 311 pages

It's been over a month since I've blogged. Between decorating, buying gifts, wrapping gifts, writing out 85 Christmas cards, attending all of the many Christmas work events for my husband's job, and volunteering four days a week at The Book Cellar, (the used bookstore at our local NYPL Webster Library run by all volunteers), blogging was the one thing that got put on hold.

Last week, I found a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman and I promptly purchased it. It's a gorgeous cookbook, written by a popular blogger who cooks in her tiny New York City apartment kitchen, which is no bigger than mine. (So there goes my excuse that the reason I can't cook anything in my kitchen because it's too small.)

I love that for each recipe Perelman gives the reader a little story about how she came up with the recipe. The ingredients are listed to the side, along with directions, and sometimes a 'cooking note' or 'do ahead' suggestion.

The photos in the book are simply stunning. I drooled just looking at them (the potato frittata with feta and scallions, butternut squash and caramelized onion galette, and peach dumplings with bourbon hard sauce in particular caught my eye), and there are 452 full color illustrations in the book for those of you who like your cookbooks with photos. (Which I do)

The book is divided into the typical sections- Breakfast, Salad, Main Dishes- and close to one-third of the book is devoted to Sweets. At the end, she has a chapter, How To Throw a Dinner Party, that gives you a entire party's worth of appetizers and a few drink recipes that you could follow in its entirety to host a smashing get-together that will impress your friends.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is not for beginning cooks. I'd put this in the category for fans of Martha Stewart or maybe The Barefoot Contessa (if you know what grissini and gougeres are, this book is for you). It is a gorgeous book, and would make a lovely gift for someone you know who is an accomplished and enthusiastic cook.

rating 4 stars

The Smitten Kitchen website is here.

Weekend Cooking- Come Home to Supper by Christy Jordan

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food. 

Come Home to Supper by Christy Jordan
Published by Workman Publishing ISBN 978-0761174905
Paperback, $16.95, 320 pages

The premise behind Christy Jordan's newest cookbook, Come Home to Supper, is the importance of the family gathering together every night for supper. Her mother told her that you can learn the most interesting things from your children at the family supper table.

I firmly believe this; my husband and two sons and I tried to eat supper together as often as possible and it is also a great way to teach your children proper table manners. Even though my sons are in the twenties, we enjoy having Sunday dinner together when we can.

Jordan's book includes 200 recipes in the traditional categories of Beef, Chicken, Pork, Salads, Breads, Casseroles, Desserts, etc. She adds some interesting side bars about family trips, mealtime conversation starters and sweet remembrances of her grandparents. The family angle adds a lovely dimension to this book.

Come to Supper is geared towards people who probably have not been cooking much for their family, more advanced cooks will already have many of these dishes in their repertoire. Jordan covers many of the basics, with a Southern flair to her dishes.

She did have several recipes that I would like try, including:

• Beef Patties With Ketchup Gravy (my guys would love this!)
• House Autry Pork Chops
• Old Fashioned Sticky Chicken
• Italian Beef Sandwiches
• Chocolate Sundae Cake

I like that the recipes don't call for ingredients that most of us don't already have in our pantries. She uses saltine crackers, Italian dressing and makes lots of BBQ-flavored dishes. She includes a Mix and Match Casserole Chart, listing ingredients and the different ways to combine them to make several casseroles. 

Jordan uses her slow-cooker frequently, and this will be helpful for those people who don't have lots of time in the afternoon or evening to cook a meal. She also has two pages- one for Sunday Menus and one for Weeknight Menus- that will help pull the entire meal together.

At the end of the book, Jordan gives recipes for things like Cream of Mushroom Soup, BBQ Sauces, Simple Marinara Sauce, and Homemade Whipped Cream. This is perfect for those of us who don't like to use processed canned foods and wish to control salt and preservatives in our diets.

Workman always does a wonderful job with their cookbooks. This book is a bargain at only $16.95 list price, you get 200 recipes; you won't find that in many places.

Here is Christy Jordan's recipe for

Granny’s Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs*
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing
• 3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, stir together bread crumbs, cheese, parsley flakes, garlic salt, and pepper. Pour Italian dressing into a separate shallow bowl.
3. Dip each chicken breast into the salad dressing to coat both sides, then dredge it in the bread crumb mixture and transfer it to a plate.
4. Place chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish and bake until they are cooked through, 30-40 minutes.

Christy Jordan's website, Southern Plate, is here. 

 rating 4 of 5