Tag Archives: cookbooks

Best Cooking Websites and Blogs 2012

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barefoot If one of your new year’s resolutions is to cook at home and try new recipes check out these Saveur finalists and winners of 2012. Many of these sites also have apps that can be downloaded onto your phone or tablet.

Epicurious
An informational website with recipes from Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Self magazine, cookbooks, chefs and home cooks. Recipes and menus may be searched by categories such as quick and easy, dietary need or preparation method, cuisine, seasonal and ingredients. Recipes include a photo of the completed item, list of ingredients and preparation instructions. There is a conversion chart for English to metric measurements and technique videos including things like napkin folding, knife skills, grilling and wine pairings. Some recipes do include nutritional information. You can create a recipe box to store your favorite recipes.

There is an app for this site for Iphone or Ipad tablet.

Recipe Source
Recipe Source is a simple archive of recipes searchable by ethnic cuisine or type of dish (main dishes, soups, baked goods, desserts). When a recipe is selected you are taken to the recipe complete with ingredients and instructions. There are no photos and few have nutritional information.

Recipe Link

Offers a wide collection of recipes including sample recipes from cookbooks, daily menus and shopping links. There is also a place to swap recipes, and look up recipes by dish and daily meal planner. In the daily meal planner you are given several options for meals along with the recipe. One of the fun features of this site are the copycat recipes. If you are interested in making Magnolia Bakery cupcakes like the Magnolia Bakery in NYC you can find a recipe here. Or if you want to find a recipe from an old Betty Crocker cookbook you can search the cookbook here.

Recipes included ingredients and instructions but no nutritional information. Still it’s a fun site.

Butter Me up Brooklyn

This site won the award for the best baking and desserts blog in 2012. There are featured recipes on the homepage complete with clear, large photos with instructions underneath. The recipes are divided into seasonal, fruit, vegetable, sweet, savory, brunch, booze, gift idea, technique, travel and vegan. Recipes may be printed. You may also subscribe to the blog and receive new posts.

Joe Pastry
One of the 2012 finalist., this is a baking website and blog with recipes listed by category. Step by step instructions with easy to understand narrative and photos included every step of the way. Basic techniques and tutorials on a variety of baking topics are also available.

Willow Bird Baking

Recipes on this site are more involved so cooks who like a challenge may find some new ideas here. The photos are beautiful. I looked at the croissant recipe and fully expected that I could make something that looked that good. It has not happened yet! Many of the recipes come from other sources.

Joy the Baker
Recipes on this site are divided by booze, bread, chocolate, cookies, dinner, drinks, fruit, gluten free, savory, snack and vegan. Recipes may be printed and you can subscribe to the blog. Large, beautiful step by step pictures along with running commentary accompany the recipes. She has a cookbook out called Joy the Baker Cook Book: 100 simple and comforting recipes.

Peter Drinks
This site was rated as the best beer blog in 2012. Everything beer, coffee and wine are included here. Home brewing and reviews of beer and wine are included

Big Girls, Small Kitchen
Named the Best cooking blog and website by Saveur. The Recipe index is divided by type of food, course, season, occasion, holiday, dietary restrictions, cooking method, cuisine and main ingredients. The recipes include photos with instructions and narrative. Photos are appealing and clear. After the recipe there are suggestions for recipes containing the same ingredients. There is a newsletter that can be subscribed to, a recipe box and menu suggestions. The guide section covers topics such as getting started, how to serve a salad buffet, how to improve a stir fry.

Seven Spoons

One of the 2012 finalists this site includes recipes arranged by categories. There is a finished picture, ingredients and detailed instructions. Links to other blogs and websites are included on the left hand side of the page. You may subscribe to the blog to receive updates.

And don’t forget the many cookbooks that you can find on the library shelves. Check out what’s new:

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

Cooking Italian with the Cake Boss by Buddy Valastro

Tiny Food Party! Bite size recipes for miniature meals by Teri Lyn Fisher

Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites by Sara Wells

Wheat Belly Cookbook by William Davis

Forks Over Knives by Del Sroufe

Hungry Girl to the Max by Lisa Lillien

Our Best Bites

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best bites Our Best Bites by Sara Wells & Kate Jones is the first cookbook by this popular blogging duo.  Meeting my number one requirement for cookbooks, this one features great photos of every dish.  Recipes are clearly written and offer brief descriptions.  Chapters include: Appetizers and Drinks; Breads; Condiments, Spreads, and Garnishes; Breakfast and Brunch; Salads; Soups and Chilis; Meats; Pizza and Pasta; Side Dishes; and Desserts.  A nice feature of the book is its index of rollover ingredients, which will help keep you from wasting some of those less common ingredients such as blue cheese, buttermilk, and sour cream.  I’ve tried several recipes from this cookbook, but particularly enjoyed my dinner of Chili-Lime Steak and Stuffed Blue Cheese Potatoes.  Our Best Bites fans should check out Sara and Kate’s recently released sophomore effort, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites.

Chili-Lime Steak

  • 1-2 pounds boneless steak (The authors suggest flak steak; I used fillets.)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the rub, combine spices in a small bowl.  Add lime juice and olive oil and stir to combine.  Place the steak in a shallow dish.  Pour the spice mixture over the steak and then rub it in with your hands.  Allow the steak to stand for 15 minutes.  While the meat is standing, preheat your grill.  Place the steak on the grill over medium-high heat and cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until desired doneness is reached.  Remove from grill and allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Stuffed Blue Cheese Potatoes

  • 4 medium russet potatoes
  • 1-2 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup real butter, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 ounce (1/4 cup) crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • dash of pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
  • shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat over to 400F.  Wash and dry potatoes.  Rub them lightly with a bit of shortening or vegetable oil and place directly on oven rack.  Bake for one hour.  Remove potatoes and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Cut each potato in half to make 8 servings.  Scoop out the insides and place in a bowl.  Mash, and add butter, sour cream, blue cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy.  Carefully spoon mixture back into potato shells.  Place in a baking dish.  Return the potatoes to the hot oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Remove, sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese over each potato, and bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter

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When professional journalist Jennifer Reese lost her job, she felt inspired to begin economizing and turned her eye to food.  Which items are cheaper to buy and which are cheaper to make?  When is the homemade version of a food healthier and tastier than the store bought version?  Is a store bought product ever superior to a homemade one?  Soon Reese’s curiosity morphed into a series of large scale undertakings, attempting new recipes and making forays into animal husbandry.  After a few years of experimentation, Reese was able to write Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn’t Cook from Scratch – Over 120 Recipes for the Best Homemade Foods.

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter is a fun read, even if you have no desire to make your own peanut butter, marshmallows, pastrami, or ginger ale.  Reese’s humor shines through as she describes her efforts to raise chickens, keep bees, and make cheese.  When analyzing each “make it yourself” endeavor, Reese gives a recommendation on whether she thinks the item is better to make or buy, indicates how much hassle is involved in the production process, and does a cost comparison taking in both the outlay of supplies and time.

Not sure you’re up for any of these projects?  Don’t worry about feeling guilty!  Reese is never preachy and fully recognizes that making your own food staples is not going to solve anyone’s financial problems.  In her introduction, she states that these projects are best left to people who enjoy “messing around in the kitchen.”  If that’s you, or if you wish that was you, you’ll likely find Make the Bread, Buy the Butter to be an amusing, enlightening read.

Kids in the Kitchen

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Honestly, I have tried to teach my child how to cook many times over the years.  When he was young we included him in preparing meals.  When he was 12 or 13 I insisted that he help prepare a dinner meal once a week.  Of course none of this happened without a lot of grumbling and “why do I have to do this”.  Now at age 19 and on his way to college he has decided that he needs to know how to cook.

True to his generation’s comfort with electronics he searched the internet for recipes that looked good.  His choice of websites was allrecipes.com.  Allrecipes.com has over 40000 recipes, menus, meal ideas and tips submitted by home cooks.  You can search recipes by meal, ingredient or lifestyle.  If you want to watch someone make the recipe there are videos to watch.  What I like about this site is that you can change the number of servings needed and calculate the amount of ingredients needed.  You can print the recipe, save it to your previously  created recipe box or create a shopping list.

The recipe of choice for this young cook was Simple Chicken Parmesan.  It received two thumbs up from his proud mom.

Servings

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

 Ingredients
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (quality varies dramatically; I prefer Redpack, Progresso and Muir Glen brands)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), halved crosswise
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for passing at the table
 Directions
  1. In a large saucepan, heat garlic and 2 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer; simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and keep warm. (Remember, this makes twice the amount of sauce you need, so put aside half for another meal.)
  2. Put chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound, using your fists or a heavy pan, until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick.
  3. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large soup kettle.
  4. In a pie pan, beat egg until well-blended. In another pie pan, mix bread crumbs and more black pepper. Preheat broiler.
  5. Working one cutlet at a time, dip both sides of each in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs. Put cutlets on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet (this step helps breading stay put).
  6. Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet. When oil starts to shimmer, add cutlets and saute until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes total. Wash and dry the wire rack and return to cookie sheet. As the cutlets saute, cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.
  7. Transfer cutlets to clean wire rack over cookie sheet. Top each with a portion of the cheeses. Broil cutlets, 4 to 5 inches from heat source, until cheese melts and is spotty brown.
  8. Drain pasta. Put a cutlet and a portion of pasta on each of 4 plates. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of sauce over part of each cutlet, then sauce the pasta as desired. Serve with extra Parmesan.
 Be sure to check out CCPL’s catalog for cookbooks for kids.

 

National Pickle Month

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art of picklingJuly is National Pickle Month

I can remember years ago helping my friend Jan make homemade pickles.  On this particular day we made bread and butter pickles, garlic dills, pickled beets and garden relish.  After everything was put up, we sat at her kitchen table and took a jar of each and did our sampling.  One sample led to another till the jars were almost empty.  That was a good pickle making year.

Jan’s Bread and Butter Pickles

Sterilize jars and lids and keep hot till ready.

Mix together:

1 gallon of medium cucumbers, thinly sliced

8 medium sided onions, thinly sliced

6 large sweet green peppers, thinly sliced

Add to top:

½ cup coarse pickling salt

1 quart of cracked ice

Drain thoroughly and put into a big pot.

Combine in a pan:

1 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

½ teaspoon of whole cloves

2 teaspoons white mustard

5 cups of sugar

5 cups of cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of celery seed

Bring to a boil.  Pour the spice mix over the drained vegetables and heat up to just boiling.  Pack vegetables into sterilized jars, pour excess juice over top and seal with lids.

 Additional cookbooks:

Complete Book of Home Preserving

The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich

Preserving Summer’s Bounty

Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone

The Everything Canning & Preserving Book by Patricia Telesco

Canning & Preserving for Dummies by Amelia Jeanroy

 Pickle Fun Facts

  • The mighty pickle is over 4,000 years old.
  • The pickle was brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus
  • Like pickles? So did George Washington, John Adams and Dolly Madison.  Cleopatra claimed pickles contributed to her beauty.
  • Americans eat about nine pounds of pickles a year.
  • Dill pickles are the most popular.
  • Pickles are mentioned at least twice in the Bible.
  • If all of the pickles consumed each year were placed end to end, they would reach the moon and back 8.25 times.

 

Attack of the Killer Zucchini

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classic zucchini cookbookOk, so you planted one too many zucchini plants and now you have an overabundant supply. Short of doing the drop and run, depositing baskets filled on neighbor’s doorsteps, what do you do with the excess?   There are only so many ways of fixing zucchini.  Well, that is what I thought until I read the book, The Classic Zucchini Cookbook: 225 Recipes for All kinds of Squash by Nancy C Ralston.  The author has creatively figured out how to incorporate zucchini and other squash into all your meals.   One of my favorite ways to use zucchini is to sneak it into spaghetti sauce.   Adding zucchini is a great way to add extra nutrients into your meal without affecting the taste.

Spaghetti with Zucchini – Meat Sauce

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1½  pounds sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from its casing

2 green bell peppers, minced

1 cup minced onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 medium sized zucchini, grated

2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes

¼ – ½ cup jalapenos

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Salt

1 pound spaghetti

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

  1. Begin heating a large pot of salted water for the pasta.
  2. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium- high heat.  Add the sausage, bell peppers, onion, and garlic.  Saute until the meat is well browned, about 10 minutes.  Drain the mixture to remove the excess fat.
  3. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Taste and add the lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt.  Simmer 30 minutes.
  4. While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until just al dente.  Drain briefly.
  5. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl.  Add the sauce and toss.  Add the cheese and toss again.  Serve hot.

Serves 6

This is the recipe that got me started with adding zucchini to my spaghetti sauce.  I have personalized it for my family’s taste, adjusting the jalapenos and red peppers, and also adding mushrooms.   There are many possibilities.

What’s New, Cupcake?

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what's new cupcakeCupcake bakeries are popping up everywhere and charging a pretty penny for just one cupcake.  If you have an imagination you can create some pretty unique cupcakes to WOW your friends.  How about having Karaoke cupcakes at your next Karaoke party or a Formula one cupcake for the next NASCAR race?  What’s New, Cupcake? By Karen Tack provides ingeniously simple designs for every occasion that you may have.  If you are not into baking, the cookbook itself is pure fun for just browsing.

Additional Cupcake books

Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans

Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes by Martha Stewart

Wedding Cupcakes by Joanna Farrow

Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina CastellaCu

If cookbooks are not your thing, try some of the libraries cupcake themed fiction:

Sweet Stuff by Donna Kauffman

Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay

How to Eat a Cupcake : a novel by Meg Donohue

 

 

 

 

Wedding Foods

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practical weddingJune is the month of weddings and with weddings comes the planning.  One of the biggest expenses of weddings is the reception.  If you are on a budget, you might want to cater the wedding yourself.  Family members and friends are free labor; you just need to come up with the menu.  The first step is setting the budget; then deciding on what to eat.  If you have hit a brick wall and the creative juices are not flowing, the books listed below might help.

Everyonecancook appetizers : over 100 tasty bites  by  Eric Akis

Appetizers! : Good housekeeping favorite recipes

One potato, two potato : 300 recipes from simple to elegant – appetizers, main dishes, side dishes and more  by Roy Finamore

Small plates: appetizers as meals by Marguerite Marceau Henderson

A practical wedding: creative solutions for planning a beautiful, affordable, and meaningful celebration by Meg Keene

How to have a big wedding on a small budget: cut your wedding costs in half! by Diane Warner

 

Amazing Brownies

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pioneer woman cooksThese chocolate-caramel brownies come from Ree Drummond’s new book The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.  I’ve tried a couple of different, yet similar recipes, and so far this is my favorite.  Check out the book for set-by-step photographic instructions.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • One 18.5 oz box German chocolate cake mix
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 60 caramels
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a 9 x 9 inch baking pan.
  • Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • Add the chopped pecans.  (I skipped this step, though I do have visions of later stirring chopped peanuts into the caramel for a Snickers-like experience.)
  • Mix the ingredients together.
  • Divide the dough in half down the middle.
  • Press one half of the dough into the bottom of the pan to make the first brownie layer.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until set, then remove it from the oven and set aside.
  • While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler, combine the caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk.
  • Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted and the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading it so that it’s evenly distributed.
  • Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.
  • On a clean surface or sheet of wax paper, press the remaining brownie dough into a square shape slightly smaller than the baking pan.  (I thought this was the hardest step.)
  • Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. (OK, this was actually the hardest step!)
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature.  Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies for several hours to allow them to set.
  • When you’re ready to serve them, sprinkle them generously with the powdered sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing them from the pan.

 

Memorial Day

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 Memorial Day is the first holiday of the year where you can comfortably party outside.  It’s the party that signals the start of summer.  Every family seems to have one person who claims the title of Grill master.  There is an art to grilling and if you’d like to do more on your grill then just cook hamburgers, then check out some of these titles:

1,001 best grilling recipes: delicious, easy-to-make recipes from around the world by Rick Browne

The complete idiot’s guide to grilling by Don Mauer

Fearless guide to grilling by Reece Williams

Easy grilling: simple recipes for outdoor grills

Betty Crocker grilling made easy: 200 sure-fire recipes from America’s most-trusted kitchens

 

So fire up that grill, and enjoy the great outdoors!