The New American Herbal by Stephen Orr

price: $27.50

isbn: 978-0-449-81993-7

release: Sep 30th, 2014

format: Trade Paperback

category: Gardening - Herbs

From modern garden master Stephen Orr comes a new, definitive book on herbs to finally replace the dusty and outdated classics. Here are entries on hundreds of plants that are extraordinarily useful in cooking, homeopathy, and more; dozens of recipes and DIY projects; and beautifully styled photographs so you know just what you're growing.

My next review book, can't wait for it's arrival as I have been interested in herbs and their uses for awhile now. It will be wonderful to see Stephen Orr's work.

A Masterpiece

Relae: A Book of Ideas by Christian F. Puglisi

As soon as you pick this book up, your thoughts are "A Masterpiece". It is as a dictionary of old, the thumb indents per chapter and ideas, so simple but elegantly constructed. The book is divided into three chapters with an appendix.

Chapter 1: Groundwork (six essays)

Chapter 2: Ideas on a Plate
Liquids (four essays)
Animal (six essays)
Land (thirteen essays)
Sea (seven essays)
Manipulations (ten essays)
Textures (nine essays)
Flavor (six essays)
Theory (thirteen essays)
Inspirations (nine essays)

Chapter 3: Dishes
Snacks (seven entries)
Herbivorous Starters (six entries)
Omnivorous Starters (eleven entries)
Herbivorous Seconds (nine entries)
Herbivorous Mains (eight entries)
Omnivorous Mains (seven entries)
Cheese and Desserts (thirteen entries)

Appendix: Recipes

If you are a beginner cook you may be overwhelmed, this book is not for the light of heart in any culinary sense. Puglisi's essays are intriguing and educational from vinegars to olive oil and butter. He tells of his experiences, his life and shares his knowledge.
The recipes are far from American normal meals, they are more like an expensive restaurant meal with small servings of many plates making up the one meal, you can easily think of one of those restaurants you need to make reservations far in advance, we are talking months.

This is more a book of ideas and theories than a simple cookbook. Your normal home cook does not own a dehydrator to dehydrate vegetables to rehydrate to get a specific texture, so it is best to look at learning techniques from Puglisi's book than looking at it as a cookbook with recipes, though there are a few.

I highly recommend it for the 'experienced' cook and restaurant chef. My kitchen isn't the average with 4 convection ovens and 10 burners, (5 electric and 5 gas). My husband and I enjoy cooking tremendously and yes I own a dehydrator (really 2). I must admit if you are into learning more techniques and applications this is the book for you, and your bookshelf. If you are just starting out it may be to much, but well worth having on your shelf for reference and learning after you get the basics down.

My only concern is the light color of the book itself, sitting on my counter may get stained a bite with use.

 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Awaiting this wonderful book from Blogging for Books

price:

$50.00

isbn:

978-1-60774-649-2

release:

Nov 11th, 2014

format

Hardcover

category:

Cooking - Scandinavian

Chef Christian F. Puglisi opened restaurant Relæ in 2010 on a rough, run-down stretch of one of Copenhagen’s most crime-ridden streets. His goal was simple: to serve impeccable, intelligent, sustainable, and plant-centric food of the highest quality—in a setting that was devoid of the pretention and frills of conventional high-end restaurant dining. Relæ was an immediate hit, and Puglisi’s “to the bone” ethos—which emphasized innovative, substantive cooking over crisp white tablecloths or legions of water-pouring, napkin-folding waiters—became a rallying cry for chefs around the world.

Today the Jægersborggade—where Relæ and its more casual sister restaurant, Manfreds, are located—is one of Copenhagen’s most vibrant and exciting streets. And Puglisi continues to excite and surprise diners with his genre-defying, wildly inventive cooking.

Relæ is Puglisi’s much-anticipated debut: like his restaurants, the book is honest, unconventional, and challenges our expectations of what a cookbook should be. Rather than focusing on recipes, the core of the book is a series of interconnected “idea essays,” which reveal the ingredients, practical techniques, and philosophies that inform Puglisi’s cooking. Each essay is connected to one (or many) of the dishes he serves, and readers are invited to flip through the book in whatever sequence inspires them—from idea to dish and back to idea again. The result is a deeply personal, utterly unique reading experience: a rare glimpse into the mind of a top chef, and the opportunity to learn the language of one of the world’s most pioneering and acclaimed restaurants.

Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen:  By Francine Bryson, Foreword by Jeff Foxworthy

Francine Bryson has brought down home baking to a new level in her recent book Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen.
The book is divided up into 8 chapters.
The first chapter involves everything pies, from her nana's Lard Crust to her granny's Butter Crust recipes you feel as though you are in the kitchen cooking with them. The most decadent pies you can imagine, including Peaches and Cream and a White Chocolate Banana, 8 pie crusts along with 18 recipes for pies.

The second chapter brings you to Cookie and Bar baking, 17 recipes from Best Ever Chocolate chip cookies to Classic Southern Lemon Bars. Francine Bryson brings the ole south baking recipes to life here and adds her personal touches to add a little more magical touch to them.

In chapter 3 she brings us to the world of  Cakes like Granny Made, 15 recipes that seem to top each other. It takes you bake to the good ole cakes, the ones you wish you had your grandma's recipes that was lost over the years, and she had found it for you. Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Sauce, Old Fashioned Carrot Cake and Classic Pineapple Cake to name a few.

Chapter 4 brings you into the world of Cheesecakes, personally my downfall, can't resist a good cheesecake, but then who can. There are 12 recipes, Apple Caramel Cheesecake and key Lime Cheesecake I believe top the list here.

In chapter 5 called Sunday Go To Meeting you find a variety of recipes 15 in all, ranging from Apple Crisp to Rice Pudding, Peach Cobbler and something new Crock Pot Monkey Bread. she makes all her recipes so easy to use  with detailed explanations and hints.

OK, chapter 6 is Baked Goods to Show Off and I think it says it all in those words. Eleven wonderful recipes from Lemon Tiramisu and Upside Down Apple Pecan Pie are definitely guest impress desserts to die for.

Chapter 7 is Biscuits and Bread, really Mama's Corn Bread and Biscuits Like Nana Made bring you right into their kitchens, 15 recipes in all of comfort breads and biscuits.

Candy and Truffles are Chapter 8, containing 11 wonderful recipes from Southern Pralines to Liquored Up Fudge, you will just have to read the book to find out how that fudge got so liquored up.

All the recipes are down home good, if you are scared to cook with butter or lard, well you just never learned the flavors they impart, Francine Bryson makes you want to go out and buy pounds and pounds of each. My only regret in her cook book is that she did not include more pictures of her wonderful Baking. her stories and tips are delightful. I give this cookbook a top rating for decadence in a Down Home Redneck Way.


 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Peter Reinhart has done it again!! Bread Revolution

Peter Reinhart has done it again!! Bread Revolution World-Class Baking with Sprouted and Whole Grains, Heirloom Flours, and Fresh Techniques is a winner.

No matter a novice in bread making or a well seasoned baker, you will find this book filled with information, recipes, stories. Mr Reinhart has taken baking bread to a new level. The book encompasses helping novices learn ingredients and measuring to seasoned bakers learning how to work with old and new grains, not limiting one to wheat and oat flours alone.

The book is beautiful, full of wonderful photos, you know we all love photos of what our baking should look like.
I am most intrigued with the variety of starts he presents in the book, not just plain sour dough starter, from pineapple to raisin. He explains the function, the reason and use. When using his recipes it is always an education in itself.

I am excited to get into the kitchen and try my hand at one of his many recipes, I just can't decide which first, from Apricot Almond Quick Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, English Muffins to Focaccia to Onion Rye Bread, he covers it all, a little of this and a little of that. You will not be disappointed in any of the book, guaranteed you will find something you fall in love with.

High praise goes to the work Mr Reinhart has put into this book.
I highly recommend it.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

I decided to make a loaf of Pumpkin Yeast Bread, it took over 18 hours to rise and another 2 hours after folding it over. One thing I did find out was it taste a lot better warm. I think it needs a tad bit more yeast added to the recipe and some sugar, so when I perfect the recipe I will post.

Today is Apple Day!  I had a half bushel of Apples on my counter looking at me. Yesterday I made an overflowing Apple Crisp.

Well, today I have 9 quarts of Apple Pie Filling canned, and at present there is approximately 4 quarts of Apple Syrup cooking down on stove top.

I hate to waste anything, so after peeling all the apples I placed the peelings and cores into a pot on stove, just covering the peelings with the water.
I simmered the mixture for 30 minutes before straining in my sieve lined with cheesecloth.
I measured the mixture out and for every cup of liquid I added 1/2 cup of sugar. Brought it up to 218 degrees and cooking it till it has a syrupy consistency and will water bath can afterwards for 20 minutes. Can't say no to Apple Syrup on pancakes and French toast. Plus just think, it was all made with what you normally toss into compost or trash. The strained peelings can now go out to the compost pile, or chickens.

The other week a gentleman posted on FreeCycle that he had Black Walnuts to pick off his lawn. My son and I picked 3 bushels worth, he then took them home and he and his children drove over them a few times to break the husks off. After peeling the husks off he placed the walnuts on driveway and sprayed them down good to wash them off.

Now they are sitting on porch floor drying for the week before hammering them open and pulling the nut meat out for us to can.

Everyday seems to bring a new wonderful experience. I feel good knowing my Grandchildren are learning.

Just requested this wonderful bread book to review
Renowned baking author and instructor Peter Reinhart has always been on the forefront of the bread movement—from his seminal work, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, to today. In Bread Revolution, he explores the cutting-edge developments in bread baking, with fifty recipes and formulas that use sprouted flours, whole and ancient grains, nut and seed flours, alternative flours (such as teff and grape skin), and allergy-friendly and gluten-free approaches.

A new generation of bakers and millers are developing innovative flours and baking techniques that are designed to extract the grain’s full flavor potential—what Reinhart calls “the baker’s mission.” In this lushly photographed primer, Reinhart draws inspiration from these groundbreaking methods to create master recipes and formulas any home baker can follow, including Sprouted Sandwich Rye Bread, Gluten-Free Many-Seed Toasting Bread, and Sprouted Wheat Croissants.

In many instances, such as with sprouted flours, preferments aren’t necessary because so much of the flavor development occurs during the sprouting phase. For grains that benefit from soakers, bigas, and sourdough starters, Reinhart provides the precise guidance that has made him such a trusted expert in the field.

Advanced bakers will relish Reinhart’s inventive techniques and exacting scientific explanations, while beginning bakers will rejoice in his demystification of ingredients and methods—and all will come away thrilled by bread’s new frontier.

So we wait with anticipation.

An elevated guide to the craft of pasta-making by rising star chef Thomas McNaughton of San Francisco's hottest Italian restaurant, flour + water.

From San Francisco’s wildly popular Italian restaurant, flour + water, comes this complete primer on the craft of pasta making. Chef Thomas McNaughton shares his time-tested secrets to creating simple, delicious, and beautiful artisan pasta—from the best fresh doughs to shaping and cooking every type of pasta.  A true celebration of Italy’s pasta traditions, flour + water includes fifty seasonally influenced recipes for home cooks of every skill level. The recipes cover the flavor spectrum from well-loved classics to inventive combinations, such as Tagliatelle Bolognese; Pumpkin Tortelloni with Sage  and Pumpkin Seeds; Tomato Farfalle with Chicken Polpettine, Roasted Peppers, and Basil; and  Asparagus Caramelle with Brown Butter. With guidance from McNaughton and the secrets of flour + water’s dough room, anyone can learn to make amazing pasta at home.
On Sale: September 30, 2014
Pages: 288 | ISBN: 978-1-60774-470-2


I waiting with anticipation for Flour and Water by Thomas McNaughton.
I married into an Italian Family, my idea of pasta was homemade egg noodles and pierogi, till my marriage.

Flour and Water is a masterpiece, I have always loved old cookbooks with a story for the recipe found within the book. Thomas McNaughton has written a novel on Pasta. With home experience of making pasta since childhood and graduating to more intricate pastas later on I was anticipating a first-time pasta maker book, to my astonishment I was totally wrong.
The cover of the book is impressive, you do feel like you are holding a masterpiece novel. The recipes have intricate descriptions, easy for anyone to follow, along with beautiful pictures.

The book starts out with Part One --- How to Make Pasta Dough and How to Cook the Pasta,
Part Two The Recipes which are broken down by season. If you like cooking with fresh ingredients, from scratch,  (Rustic Cooking) but think it is hard, this book makes it easy.

For those scared of diving into pasta making this is the book for them and also for the seasoned pasta maker. If I only could have one pasta book on my bookshelf, this would be the ONE!!
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

I requested
Tamales (Fast and Delicious Mexican Meals)
by Alice Guadalupe Tapp
ISBN # 978-1-60774-596-9

I have always been fascinated by Tamales, I learned years ago how to make them from a very nice neighbor, but being so labor intensive, they were rarely a part of my dinner table.

In Alice's book Tamales she has changed my view and my style of making tamales.
The book is a wonderful easy read, I love how she adds snippets of extra information regarding the recipes, where to find ingredients or little stories.

The pictures are vivid and the recipes so simple to follow. Where I was intimidated by making tamales for years she has brought the construction of them down to a simple science.  From meat or vegetable filling to wonderful dessert filling she covers it all in easy understandable simple directions.

I will say she has me out shopping at my local grocery for new items to blend into my tamales.
If you have ever been intimidated by even trying too make tamales I highly recommend you picking the book up, it will change your world of cooking.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

 

 

 

It's Saturday and I needed to revamp my shopping list from a previous visit to grocery store this week that my husband did for me. There were some deals, I just didn't want to miss out on.

We Purchased: $147.05
Saved: $96.23
Paid: $50.85
Earned in gas credits: $0.35 per gallon

My grocery store graciously accepts certain competitor coupons, that enabled me to save $21.94 of those savings.
We bought 3 packages of Pork Cube Steaks, after discounted coupons on packages and competitor coupons all 3 were free and we made $0.17

Just in Health and Beauty Aids it would have ran us $56.66, but minus all our coupons of $49.76, all ran $6.90
This was for 3 bottles of Robitussin Cough medicine, 2 boxes of Advil Cold & Allergy, 2 Suave Professional Shampoos, 2 Suave Professional Conditioner, 2 Suave for Men Body washes, 2 Suave for Kids Body Washes and one Axe Body Spray

5 boxes of Betty Crocker brownie mix for $2.00 and a box of Duncan Hines Cake Mix for 25 cents.
3 cans of Chef Boyardee Ravioli for the kids for $1.25

4 boxes of Kellogg's Cereal and a gallon of milk for $3.52 less than a gallon of milk by itself.
Many other items also, including a case of Octoberfest beer, plus a Jeter magazine for my husband, so all in all I think we did pretty well.

Now working on next weeks ad and hoping to be able to get a few things I can, can up or preserve.
Hope all are having a great day, raining here and we are happy, we are in need of rain.

I have been busy lately with pickling and canning since I acquired a new book (Asian Pickles by Karen Solomon), I was low on spices, so of course nothing is better than a visit to your local Chinese Grocery store, or two to stock up.

OK, I do have a tendency to save old jars from store bought products, well as long as they have the rubber seal on the lid and their lids are black or gold, no writing on them. I like thing to look orderly. Yes the little things matter to me, as my one girlfriend says, I put my "Martha" on.

Most people do not realize that their local Chinese grocer is a great place to pick up spices affordably, instead of those little bottles at the regular chain grocery store.

With my efforts I now have a well stocked spice cabinet, I will be able to do more pickling, make homemade chia and even a detox bath mix.

I am hoping the next time you drive by a Chinese grocery store, you may drop in, just to browse around, you never know what you may find there.

One little tidbit of info. If you buy Arrowroot, you can buy a 1 pound bag of either Tapioca Starch or Tapioca Flour for around a $1.00 at the Chinese store, they are all the same thing, just under different names.

Asian Pickles!!!

I applied to review a book

From authentic Korean kimchi, Indian chutney, and Japanese tsukemono to innovative combinations ranging from mild to delightfully spicy, the time-honored traditions of Asian pickling are made simple and accessible in this DIY guide.

Asian Pickles introduces the unique ingredients and techniques used in Asian pickle-making, including a vast array of quick pickles for the novice pickler, and numerous techniques that take more adventurous cooks beyond the basic brine. With fail-proof instructions, a selection of helpful resources, and more than seventy-five of the most sought-after pickle recipes from the East—Korean Whole Leaf Cabbage Kimchi, Japanese Umeboshi, Chinese Preserved Vegetable, Indian Coconut-Cilantro Chutney, Vietnamese Daikon and Carrot Pickle, and more—Asian Pickles is your passport to explore this region’s preserving possibilities.


The book was more than I had hoped for, or anticipated. If ever anyone is interested in Asian Pickles and Pickling this is a must have. Not only does it have spectacular pictures and commentary, the recipes are concise and above all easy. One of the best things I found was that the author even explains if the pickle can be processed (canned) or not, which if you are into canning is wonderful to know before you just wasted your efforts to preserve your work.
I cannot say enough good things regarding this book, I was expecting the usual traditional recipes, the author goes beyond, from lemons to eggs and explains how the item will respond to processing, so as not to think you made a mistake, it is wonderful, a great addition to anyone's kitchen bookshelf.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

My Daisies are coming into bloom and tomorrow I should have enough to cut and dry to make some Daisy Oil for later to become Daisy Salve. Only after picking clean blossoms, drying them and infusing them in olive oil on window sill for 4 to 6 weeks.
Afterwards straining the infused olive oil out squeezing all out of the blossoms.

Daisies are good for sprains, bruises, aches & pains. Daisies are anti-inflammatory, a wound-healer, and reduce pain. the salve I plan to make would be good for bruises, sports injuries, sore muscles, arthritis and of course dry skin! Just remember please don’t apply on broken skin. This salve is for closed wounds and bruises, etc.

I will post pictures during the process of making the oil and then salve.

I am starting this blog to spread some life knowledge and little lessons I have learned over the years.
To express and share thoughts and feeling on subjects.
I will be covering everything from canning to foraging to crocheting and sewing. A simple life and how to be thrifty throughout it.

I applied to review a book

From authentic Korean kimchi, Indian chutney, and Japanese tsukemono to innovative combinations ranging from mild to delightfully spicy, the time-honored traditions of Asian pickling are made simple and accessible in this DIY guide.

Asian Pickles introduces the unique ingredients and techniques used in Asian pickle-making, including a vast array of quick pickles for the novice pickler, and numerous techniques that take more adventurous cooks beyond the basic brine. With fail-proof instructions, a selection of helpful resources, and more than seventy-five of the most sought-after pickle recipes from the East—Korean Whole Leaf Cabbage Kimchi, Japanese Umeboshi, Chinese Preserved Vegetable, Indian Coconut-Cilantro Chutney, Vietnamese Daikon and Carrot Pickle, and more—Asian Pickles is your passport to explore this region’s preserving possibilities.

http://www.randomhouse.com/book/222963/asian-pickles-by-karen-solomon

I wait with anticipation upon it's arrival and report on my findings. I have roughly 25 preserving books in my tiny library now and love to can.

Last season I preserved Sweet and Tangy Carrots, Pickled Watermelon and many jams. Hoping this new books gives me a few more options to add to my larder,