The Really Quite Good British Cookbook ~ William Sitwell (Ed.) [@nourishbooks @WilliamSitwell] #TRQGBC

The Really Quite Good British Cookbook: The Food We Love from 100 of Our Best Chefs, Cooks, Bakers and Local Heroes
Nourish
March 21, 2017
426 pages
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What do you cook for the people you love? Asked this question, 100 of Britain's food heroes have shared their most beloved recipes to make this extraordinary cookbook. Nigella Lawson divulges how to bake her Chocolate Guinness Cake and Rick Stein fries up Shrimp & Dill Fritters with Ouzo. Yotam Ottolenghi would serve Pea & Mint Croquettes and for Jamie Oliver, an unrivalled Fantastic Fish Pie. These are just a few of the incredible recipes provided by the best and brightest on the British food scene, including chefs such as Raymond Blanc, Gordon Ramsay, Delia Smith, James Martin, Nigel Slater, Thomasina Miers, Mark Hix, Jason Atherton, Marco Pierre White, Claudia Roden and more.

Compiled by award-winning food editor and author William Sitwell, The Really Quite Good British Cookbook is keenly anticipated and a stunning object in its own right. Ultimately it is a celebration of the breadth, creativity and richness of Britain's unique food culture.

The Really Quite Good British Cookbook is a collection of recipes from one hundred contributors (but more than one hundred recipes). Many of the contributors are chefs, food writers, but the cookbook also features recipes from a food historian, a home baker, a beekeeper and more.

The recipes are organized into six sections: Breakfast; Entrees & Snacks' Fish & Seafood; Poultry, Meat & Game; Pasta, Risotto & Sides; Baking & Desserts. Each recipe is laid out well, providing number of servings, prep time, cook time, skill level (either 1 [easy] or 2 [moderate]), a few sentences about the dish from its' creator and then 'Ingredients' on the left and 'Method' in the center/right. It's a very clean, easy to read and follow format.

I have not yet been able to actually try making any of these recipes but I have read through many of them and their directions seem well written. With such variety in the contributors, you really get a bit of everything in this cookbook. Some (like Shrimp & Dill Fritters with Ouzo or Grilled Skirt Steak with Anchovy Cauliflower Cheese) are appealing and I'm curious to try. A few, I probably won't (Okay, really just the Roast Woodcock on Toast one . . . it's a whole bird roasted, it's head split open, its intestines, heart, and liver cut into a paste and then put on toast and I have a thing about eating things with heads currently on them.) But even the recipes I don't want to try, are unique.

In his introduction, the editor mentions how much is available in British supermarkets, if all of the ingredients used in these recipes are readily available, then I'm quite jealous. (From quail's eggs to fresh curry or kaffir lime leaves to woodcock, guinea fowl or pheasant, there are some things I don't have easy access to.)

The book has a comprehensive index that not only sorts things, as might be expected, by title but by main ingredients as well. That 'Roast Woodcock on Toast with Wild Mushrooms' for example is listed under 'bread,' 'mushrooms,' 'woodcock,' and the title's under the R's. There are website or Twitter addresses for most of the contributors and information on where their recipes were previously published.

A portion of the book's proceeds will benefit The Trussell Trust which runs food banks in Britain (there's a page at the end of the book explaining what they do and why's it's so vitally important).

My advance copy did not feature any images but those I have seen through Amazon's book preview are very nice. They're simple but colorful and really seem to showcase the food.






digital review copy received thanks to publisher, via NetGalley

Damn Delicious ~ Chungah Rhee (earc) review [@damn_delicious @oxmoor_house]

Damn Delicious: 100 Super Easy, Super Fast Recipes
Oxmoor House
September 06, 2016
240 pages
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The debut cookbook by the creator of the wildly popular blog Damn Delicious proves that quick and easy doesn't have to mean boring.

Blogger Chungah Rhee has attracted millions of devoted fans with recipes that are undeniable "keepers"-each one so simple, so easy, and so flavor-packed, that you reach for them busy night after busy night. In Damn Delicious, she shares exclusive new recipes as well as her most beloved dishes, all designed to bring fun and excitement into everyday cooking. From five-ingredient Mini Deep Dish Pizzas to no-fuss Sheet Pan Steak & Veggies and 20-minute Spaghetti Carbonara, the recipes will help even the most inexperienced cooks spend less time in the kitchen and more time around the table.

Packed with quickie breakfasts, 30-minute skillet sprints, and speedy takeout copycats, this cookbook is guaranteed to inspire readers to whip up fast, healthy, homemade meals that are truly "damn delicious!"

Chungah Rhee's blog Damn Delicious is all about 'Simple Ingredients, Elegant Dishes,' so that you don't have to take long to prepare our meal - and that's what her cookbook is about, too.

No, this is not the healthiest collection of recipes (there are a lot of fried things, using bacon grease, etc) but it also isn't claiming to be a 'health' food book. And there is a, 'Speedy, Simple, & Skinny' section with healthier recipes like Smoked Salmon Cobb Salad, Avocado Pasta and Zucchini Lo Mein.

One of my favorite things about the salads in this book is that several also include recipes for the dressings - like the Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Each recipe's direction fit on a single page and have four or five (or less) steps. Yes, some individual steps are several sentences and actual actions but the division between steps works well. As with all recipes, you just need to read through everything first.

The photography in this book is going to make you want to try just about every single dish - even the ones where the words don't entice you so much. The beginning of the book features some great tips on how to really speed up your prep time and make getting dinner on the table easier. My favorites recipes (so far) are the Zucchini Tots (pg 186) and Cajun Shrimp and Grits (pg 91).

Sections in the cookbook:

• Put the Fast Into Breakfast
• One Pot Comfort in 30 Minutes (One pot dishes)
• (Better Than) Takeout Express (mostly copycat takeout/restaurant recipe)
• Speedy, Simple & Skinny (healthier meals)
• Quick-Fix Slow Cooker
• 30-Minute Super Sprints
• Appetizers & Sides In A Snap
• Last-Minute Drinks & Desserts

You can read a bit more about the Damn Delicious cookbook, see some of the included recipes and some of the photos on the Damn Delicious blog here 

digital copy received for review from publisher, via NetGalley

Complete Children's Cookbook ~ review [@dkpublishing]

I can't give you (or take you to or make you) an actual Sunday Brunch, so, instead, here's the review version!

Complete Children's Cookbook
DK Children's
May 5, 2015
304 pages
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Delicious dishes kids will really want to make. More than 150 fabulous recipes, divided into nine themed chapters (Breakfast, Soups and Salads, Light Bites, and more) will have you and your child in the kitchen and cooking in no time. From French toast to rainbow salad, vegetable lasagna to tomato soup, and ice cream to mini muffins, Complete Children's Cookbook has a recipe for every occasion. And with beautiful full-color photography, simple instructions, and a focus on safety, each one makes an ideal cook-together project that will have children excited to try the new flavors in the dishes they helped make. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and feature a picture for every step, so children can see clearly just what to do as they build basic cooking skills, safe kitchen practices, and adventurous palates.

The Complete Children's Cookbook really is a complete cookbook aimed very well at children. From the very beginning with the contents page (Before You Begin, Breakfast, Soups and Salads, Light Bites, Main Meals, Cakes and Muffins, etc.), the cookbook is well organized, colorful and aesthetically pleasing.

Before we even get to the recipes, there is the 'Before You Begin' section with tons of useful information for children (and any kitchen novices, as well). From what makes up a good diet (and ideas on portion size) to food/cooking safety, measurements names and abbreviations, and what to do before beginning a recipe, it's all useful. The Equipment pages are full color photos of any equipment (spatula, whisk, colander, grill pan, etc) the cook is likely to need. There's a page on the different ways to cook with a photo and explanation for each (i.e. broil, grill, poach), one on preparation methods (i.e. chop, mash) and some on baking techniques (i.e. knead, fold, separate an egg).

After a quick rules reminder and a how-to on reading and following the recipes, it's time for the recipes themselves.

Each is nicely set-up with a box listing the estimated time required, number of servings, ingredients and equipment. Most recipes included large, color photographs accompanying and demonstrating each step. In addition there are great photos of the finished food or drink and 'tips' for substitutions, storage, etc.

With recipes from the more everyday (pancakes, four ways to cook an egg, gingerbread, apple pie, tomato pasta) to the perhaps less so (vegetarian moussaka, chicken and ham pies, pea and mint soup, mini pumpkin pies), Complete Children's Cookbook will show kids how to cook their favorite dishes and introduce them to some new ones.

Whether you have (or are) a child wanting to learn to cook and bake, or an adult who never did learn, Complete Children's Cookbook seems like a great place to start!







review copy received, from the publisher, via Edelweiss

The Messy Baker ~ Charmian Christie (earc) review [@RodaleBooks @charmian_c]

The Messy Baker: More Than 75 Delicious Recipes from a Real Kitchen
Rodale Books
August 26, 2014
256 pages
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Since when did every cookie on the plate have to be just like the next? Or each layer of cake exactly the same height? Each piecrust an impeccable work of art and encircled by stunningly perfect pastry leaves? To the uninitiated, all that fastidious, spotless baking is intimidating, not to mention exhausting. The Messy Baker celebrates baking as it happens in the real world—sweet, messy, fun, not always gorgeous, but a way to show love. Which doesn’t make it any less delicious; to the contrary, Charmian Christie’s flavor combinations rise far above the ordinary. Why have a raspberry galette when you can enjoy a raspberry-rhubarb galette with drippy, unctuous walnut frangipane? Or how about a Brie and walnut whiskey tart? It’s all yours without the rigid perfectionism or complicated instructions of other gourmet cookbooks.

Christie’s warm, irreverent voice brings the fun back into baking at a time when home cooks—pulled from pillar to post by jobs and errands—need to have fun. The Messy Baker is a full-service book that not only guides the reader through simple, delicious recipes but is also there to help out when things go wrong. For anyone who gave in frustration when that cake collapsed or the frosting smeared, Christie’s practical advice is here to rescue even the worst disaster and inspire the baker to try the next recipe.

There are so many things to love about Charmian Christie's The Messy Baker.  A fantastic introduction full of everything one would need to get their kitchen - and themselves - ready for baking, a fun - and logical - recipe organization ('Pastry,' "Flaky,' 'Dippable,' etc), incredibly appetizing and appealing photographs, not to mention those recipes.

my Blueberry Lime Cornmeal Muffins -
not as pretty as in the book but not
'messy' either - & so good, too!

With everything from Double-Stuff Uber-Oreo Cookies to Mushroom, Leek and Gruyere Tart to Either Way Marinara Sauce to Blueberry Lime Cornmeal Muffins, the recipes are not only fantastically varied (sweet, savory, cookies, muffins, sauces, sugars) and unique, but delicious, as well. The recipes are laid out well, a blocked off introduction followed by a very clean presentation of the ingredients, on the left, next to the ordered directions, on the right. The ingredient list is well spaced, so you're sure not to miss things and having it right next to the directions is helpful.

What sets The Messy Baker apart from most cookbooks - even those with yummy food and good photography, is its 'The Basics' and appendix sections. It is chock full of helpful information for the novice baker (and likely all but the most expert, as well): From what you need in your kitchen, what you may like to have, and what to get once you're really cooking . . . or baking to how to adjust cake pan size, what works as a substitute - and what doesn't to how to know if your baking soda is good (think science fair volcano, only way scaled down) to how to measure honey.

Whether you need to know what to do if you only have confectioner's (powdered sugar) when the recipe calls for granulated or what to do if you need room temperature eggs but not don't have the time, The Messy Baker has the answer.

One of my first surprises, is also one of the things I like best about this book. While the title contains the word, 'baker,' and the cover features brownies, this is not only a cookies, cakes, pies cookbook. Yes, there are cookies, muffins, and a chocolate torte, there are also recipes for pizza, waffles, the above mentioned marina sauce, for vanilla sugar, and even roasted cauliflower.

The recipes, on their own, would make a very desirable and worth owning cookbook, but with the information, substitutions, explanations, tips, etc also offered, The Messy Baker is a cookbook fro anyone who wants to start baking, who's looking for new recipes and/or anyone who wants a quick reference around the kitchen.





a big thank you to the publisher for my advance copy through NetGalley, for this honest review

Vibrant Food ~ Kimberly Hasselbrink (arc) review [@TenSpeedPress @theyearinfood]

Vibrant Food: Celebrating the Ingredients, Recipes, and Colors of Each Season
Ten Speed Press
June 17, 2014
224 pages
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The vivid colors of fresh produce inspire this artistic collection of whole foods recipes from the creator of the acclaimed blog The Year in Food.

Kimberly Hasselbrink, photographer and creator of the acclaimed blog The Year in Food, invites you to look at ingredients differently and let their colors inspire you: the shocking fluorescent pink of a chard stem, the deep reds and purples of baby kale leaves, the bright shades of green that emerge in the spring, and even the calm yellows and whites of so many winter vegetables. Thinking about produce in terms of color can reinvigorate your relationship with food, and in this collection of recipes, Hasselbrink employs aesthetics, flavor, and texture to build gorgeous yet unfussy dishes for every season.

Recipes take you on a journey through spring’s Pasta with Nettle Pesto and Blistered Snap Peas, summer’s Berry–Coconut Milk Ice Pops, fall’s Turkey Burgers with Balsamic Figs, and winter’s Sparkling Pomegranate Punch. Featuring photo pairings that celebrate not only the finished dishes but also the striking ingredients that create them—plus a photograph of each and every recipe—this book reveals an artistic picture of whole foods eating.

If Saturday morning for you means a stop at the farmer's market, then Vibrant Food is definitely the cookbook for you. From Kimberly Hasselbrink the creator and photographer of The Year in Food blog proposes we be inspired by the color of our food.

There's no doubt that the recipes featured in Vibrant Food look like something you want. It truly is a book of vibrant food, Hasselbrink's photographs are gorgeous. If you like looking at cookbooks, then do not miss Vibrant Food and its gorgeous photographs.

That's not all it has, though. The recipes are arranged by season - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter - each section then subdivided by feature ingredient (stone fruit, persimmons, tomatoes). It's a very logical and helpful organization. It also aids readers in one of the books goals: using in season produce and ingredients.

The paragraphs that provide an introduction and background to each recipe, let readers know what gave Hasselbrink the idea for the recipe or what makes it unique and special. Then come the recipes. While I tend to prefer those presented in list form (ie 1, 2, 3) I do like how these are done in paragraph form. It allows for more description of what to do (how to choose and prepare squash blossoms without damaging them, for example).

Vibrant Food is a gluten free cookbook. More common (for those not following a gluten free diet) substitutes are given in the introduction. Though, if you're unfamiliar with the gluten free options, it can be hard to know what would be the best substitute for a given recipe.

The ingredients that make Vibrant Food so appealing both visually gustatorily, can also make actually making them difficult. While the author mentions living in San Francisco and what is available there, some things - fresh sardines, millet, etc - can be hard for those in other areas to procure. At least those in areas less metropolitan or nowhere near a Whole Foods.

The recipes themselves are tantalizing enough, though, that I know if/when I am able to get the ingredients, I wan to try additional ones. If you want a cookbook where you can easily run to the nearest grocery store and have all of the ingredients available, Vibrant Food may not be for you. But if you like cookbooks that can inspire, are visually stimulating and may just push you to try something new, check out Vibrant Food. Even if you're not able - right now - to make everything, you'll love looking at it.





received from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

365 Skinny Smoothies ~ Daniella Chace (earc) review [@HarlequinBooks]

365 Skinny Smoothies: Delicious Recipes to Help You Get Slim and Stay Healthy Every Day of the Year
Harlequin
May 27, 2014
352 pages
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A smoothie a day keeps the fat away. So go on. Blend your way to skinny.

Forget those 700-calorie "healthy" smoothies you've been drinking. Daniella Chace, nutritionist and bestselling author of Smoothies for Life!, has whipped up 365 recipes that will kick-start your weight loss with daily doses of delicious, medicinally potent superfood smoothies.

Organized by season and month, each of these 365 smoothie recipes is a satisfying blend of whole foods that are rich in nutrients that help you shed body fat. Powerhouse ingredients—such as pomegranate juice, chia seeds, green tea and cocoa powder—will boost your metabolism, increase fat-fighting enzymes and even curb your appetite And with names like Tulsi Avocado Cream, Green Lushy, Svelte Synergy and The Violet TuTu, you'll be sipping your way to increased muscle and reduced fat while your taste buds—and waistline—rejoice.

Summer is approaching (or already here depending on where you live) and there's not much better than sitting pool- (or beach) side and reading a good book . . . except for doing so with a nice, tasty cold drink, too. Nutritionist Daniella Chace's new book 365 Skinny Smoothies is full of possibilities that not only taste good, but are good for you, too.

While 365 Skinny Smoothies is a 'weight loss' book, that is not, exactly, why I wanted to give it a try. Weight loss isn't my goal with the book, but drinks designed for that are going to be healthy, anyway.

In the book:
There are 365 smoothie recipes, one for every day of the year, but also information on why smoothies are - or can be - good for you and what, nutritionally to include. There's also an index of the ingredients used throughout the year (from bananas to almond milk to avocados to hemp seed and more), their nutritional benefits and possible substitutions, if needed.

The smoothies do call for quite a few ingredients that you're not likely to have on hand and/or that may be hard to find. The first chapters help with this some in separating the perishable from the nonperishable ingredients (so you can buy the coconut milk or oat milk, but wait on the fresh fruit until you need it). The smoothies are also designed to fit around what is in season (apricots, avocados currently)and use the same, fresh, ingredient for several in a row.

If planning to make several smoothies, the selection and choice of ingredients (along with alternatives listed) should help with your shopping - and not having to buy a ton of things.

What I thought:
I have only made about ten of the smoothies so far. Several of them were from the May, June dates but I also tried a few from earlier in the year. One, in particular, did not seem to fit the serving size (1 1/2 cups of liquid, ice and frozen fruit for 2 servings) and did not quite work (this was an advance copy, though, and things could have changed). Another two were okay and I drank them, but I'm not sure i would make them again. Of the rest, two in particular (Mango Mint with Citrus and The Purple Mermaid) are now on my list of favorite smoothies.

I appreciate that, in addition to each ingredients uses and benefits at the start of the book, there's a few sentences at the start of each recipe about what that smoothie's ingredients are good for, especially together.

The author does recommend using a blender such as BlendTec, VitaMix or Tribest, I used my (rather awesome) $40 Oster blender . I've used it with greens (like kale) before and it does a great job. Don't let the recommendation of the expensive blenders put you off this book.

While some of the smoothies do suggest things I may not be able to find and purchase and some may not be to my liking, the ones that I do like (or love), the ingredient combinations I wouldn't have thought of on my own, and the information provided, make this a book very worth exploring. I'm looking forward to trying more of the smoothies.



Rating: 8/10






thank you to the publisher for my ecopy to review via NetGalley