Monday, June 30, 2014

Review: Mediterranean Cookbook

Marie-Pierre Moine, Editor-in-Chief
DK Publishing


Are you interested in Mediterranean cooking? Would you like a comprehensive Mediterranean cookbook that covers food from every country in the region? If so, then this cookbook, Mediterranean Cookbook, is the one for you. This is a massive collection of recipes: over 300 pages of recipes from the Middle East, North Africa, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Sicily, Greece, and Turkey.

You'll find the book divided into the following chapters:
  • Mezze, Tapas, and Antipasti
  • Soups
  • Eggs
  • Pasta, Rice, and Beans
  • Fish and Shellfish
  • Meat and Poultry
  • Pizzas, Pies, and Tarts
  • Vegetables, Herbs, and Salads
  • Breads and Bread Dishes
  • All Things Sweet
Within each chapter is recipes from the featured country. The name of the country of origin is included under the title of the recipe. In addition to the recipes, each chapter features a detailed pictorial on an ingredient that is common to the recipes in that section of the book such as olives, peppers, herbs, garlic, yogurt, vegetables, cheese, fruits, and honey. You'll also be transported to each country and given a background on the food culture and a sample menu of that specific country.

While some of the recipes have exotic names such as Shakshouka, a Middle Eastern egg dish, and Zahlouk, a North African eggplant dip, the ingredients are fairly common and easy to acquire. This cookbook may introduce you to ingredients that are unfamiliar to you or it may inspire you to use ingredients in combinations that you could never imagine.

This cookbook is more of a textbook of Mediterranean cooking. It is filled with gorgeous photographs of the recipes, ingredients, and scenic views of the Mediterranean. Summer is the perfect time to indulge in a cookbook such as this while fruits and vegetables are in season and readily available. Bring a little of the Mediterranean into your home.


Kreidis Kabobs
from the Middle East

These kabobs get their exciting red color from a mixture of cumin and paprika. The marinade for these shrimp consisted of lemon juice, crushed garlic, cumin, and Spanish paprika (pimenton), and sea salt ~ all ingredients that I already had on hand.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided me with a review copy of the cookbook; however, the opinion expressed here is my own.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Review: Southern Living Heirloom Recipe Cookbook


 
SOUTHERN LIVING HEIRLOOM RECIPE COOKBOOK:
The Food We Love From the Times We Treasure
Oxmoor House

My mom wasn't one to have magazine subscriptions. So, when I was growing up, I had little access to Southern Living magazines. As a teenager, I started spending time with a great aunt who lived in Augusta, Georgia. She was a fan of Southern Living magazines and kept a basket of them by the recliner in her den. Whenever I would spend time at her house, I would settle down with one of the magazines and read it from cover to cover. I fell in love with everything about the magazine from the stories to the recipes to the photographs. As an adult, I have subscribed to the magazine throughout the years and have added numerous Southern Living cookbooks to my collection.


The Southern Living Heirloom Recipe Cookbook combines everything that I love about the magazines ~ stories, recipes, and photographs ~ into one cookbook. Reading through this cookbook filled me with nostalgia as I remembered my sweet aunt and the evenings I spent at her house reading through her magazine collection. In addition to recipes, the cookbook is filled with personal essays from well-known southern personalities, interesting food trivia, and vintage photographs from past Southern Living cookbooks and magazines. This cookbook has quickly become one of my favorites.

The recipes cover a broad spectrum of southern favorites with chapters on cocktails, breads, main dishes, side dishes, covered dishes, desserts, and preserved fruits and vegetables. Traditional recipes such as Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings, Best Waldorf Salad, Southern-Style Creamed Corn, Sweet Potato Casserole, Cola Cake, and Peach Ice Cream will help you create your own Southern Living traditions no matter where you live.

To get you started on your southern culinary journey, I have chosen to feature one of my favorite recipes from the cookbook, Southern-Style Creamed Corn. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of the sweet summer corn and prepare this simple dish which is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.

Photo courtesy of Oxmoor House

Southern-Style Creamed Corn
Hands-on Time: 15 min. Total Time: 28 min.

6 ears fresh corn, husks removed
1⁄4 cup butter
1⁄2 cup half-and-half or milk
2 tsp. cornstarch
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Cut tips of corn kernels into a large bowl; scrape milk and remaining pulp from cobs into bowl.
2. Combine corn, butter, and 1⁄4 cup water in a large skillet or saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
3. Combine half-and-half and next 3 ingredients, whisking until blended. Gradually add cream mixture to corn, stirring well. Cover and cook 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring often. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note: Puree half of the corn for even creamier results.

Disclosure: The publisher provided me with a review copy of the cookbook; however, the opinion expressed here is my own.

Review: Southern Living's "Scooped"


Southern Living's Scooped:
Ice Cream Treats, Cheats, and Frozen Eats
Oxmoor House

Summer after summer, I agonized over the question of whether or not I should purchase an ice cream maker. Did we eat enough ice cream to justify the cost? Would I use it often enough to justify the cost? Would I even be able to make decent ice cream with it? Each summer slipped past me as I deferred the purchase to future summers. Well, last summer, I broke down and purchased an electric ice cream maker and, while I haven't used it as much as I would like to, I have thoroughly enjoyed using it and am pleased that I splurged on it. I'm like a child with it - I love to watch the ice cream form around the frozen, spinning barrel. It's hypnotizing... 

I was so excited when Oxmoor House offered me the opportunity to work with one of their newest ice cream cookbooks, Southern Living Ice Cream Treats, Cheats and Frozen Eats. Let me ease the minds of all of you out there who do not own an ice cream maker. No, you do not have to own an ice cream maker to get good use out of this cookbook. In fact, the majority of recipes in this book call for store-bought ice cream. The theme of this book is how to easily turn ordinary ice cream into extraordinary desserts.

In Scooped, you'll learn how to set up your own ice cream bash. You'll also find dozens of fun and creative ways to make your own ice cream bonbons, sandwiches, bar desserts, pies, cupcakes, cake rolls, shakes and floats. These no-bake desserts can be quickly assembled and placed in the freezer to await their unveiling ~ so little work for such a big impact on your guests. The photographs that accompany these recipes will make your mouth water. The chapter on ice cream pies alone is worth the price of the book: Caramel Cone Ice Cream Pie, Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie and Key Lime Ice Cream Pie sound like the perfect desserts for a summer gathering.

Let's say you do have an ice cream maker and would like to try your hand at some of the homemade stuff. Yes, there is a chapter on homemade ice cream. I made the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream that is featured in the recipe below. It was absolutely incredible and tasted like my favorite store bought frozen delicacy, salted caramel gelato. I was so impressed with this ice cream and could barely believe that I had made it myself with just a few simple ingredients.

The chapter on homemade ice cream features the basic flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, but there are so many tempting and unique recipes that I am excited to try out this summer: Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is at the very top of my list followed closely by Birthday Cake Ice Cream. My family would also love to sample Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream and Chocolate Milk and Cookies Ice Cream.

The final chapter of this cookbook features extras such as sauces, toppings, cookies, and crusts. I wonder how Caramel Sauce would taste drizzled over the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream - possible caramel heaven! This is a such a fun cookbook to have in your collection. If you are an ice cream lover, you'll love this book!




Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
makes about 1½ quarts
hands-on time 14 min.
total time 8 hours, 52 min., not including freezing

2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄8 tsp. table salt
1 (14-oz.) can dulce de leche
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 14 minutes or until dulce de leche is melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool completely
(about 1 hour), stirring occasionally.
2. Place plastic wrap directly onto warm custard (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 8 to 24 hours.
3. Pour mixture into freezer container of a 1  1⁄2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Instructions and times may vary.) Freeze in an airtight container
at least 4 hours before serving.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided me with a copy of this cookbook; however, the opinion expressed here is my own.

Monday, June 23, 2014

GoodCook Blogger Program: ProFreshionals Cut Fruit Bowl



As part of the GoodCook Blogger Outreach Program, I was afforded the opportunity to work with the ProFreshionals Cut Fruit Bowl. When the box arrived on my doorstep, I was pleasantly surprised by the size of this bowl. It's huge! I could use this bowl to make enough fruit salad to feed a small army.



What makes this bowl so special? As you know, when fruit is cut and refrigerated, it gives off a lot of juice that can make for a soggy fruit salad. The ProFreshionals Cut Fruit Bowl takes care of that situation. How does it do that?



The bowl has three parts: a lid, an inner bowl that acts as a colander, and an outer bowl with a spout that catches excess juices and allows you to easily discard the juice or save it in another container.


In addition to being a functional bowl, it's also cheerful looking. With the green outer bowl and the bright pink inner bowl with seed-shaped openings, the bowl reminds me of a watermelon. It just makes me happy to look at it. I think it's pretty enough to use as a serving bowl. With the upcoming 4th of July weekend, I was inspired to create this Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salad.



Red, White & Blue Fruit Salad

Blueberries
Strawberries, hulled and quartered
Red Delicious apples, unpeeled and diced
Seedless watermelon, cubed into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp. sugar, optional if berries aren't sweet

Combine equal amounts of the above fruits in a large bowl. Gently stir with a serving spoon. Refrigerate overnight to bring out natural sweetness of berries.




This bowl will not only work well with fresh fruit, but will also be great for canned fruit. I've read many recipes that call for draining canned fruit but reserving the liquid for later use in the recipe. The ProFreshionals Cut Fruit Bowl is perfect for those instances. This bowl is the perfect addition to any kitchen. The ProFreshionals Cut Fruit Bowl is sold exclusively at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Disclaimer: GoodCook provided me this product for review as part of the GoodCook Blogger Outreach Program. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Find more fresh fruit recipes from other GoodCook Bloggers through InLinz.com


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Tuesdays with Cookbooks: June 17, 2014

Are you as excited about new cookbooks as I am? Every Tuesday, publishers release new cookbooks. Of course, cookbooks are released on other days of the week, too; however, Tuesday is the big day, the exciting day if you're a cookbook author. In this new weekly post, I will feature a list of those cookbooks that are hot off the press and drawing my attention.

Terry Hope Romero
Da Capo Lifelong Books




by Alex Hoffler and Stacey O'Gorman
Chronicle Books




by Nan K. Chase & DeNeice C. Guest
Storey Publishing


What are you reading this week? Leave me a comment.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Tuesdays with Cookbooks: June 10, 2014

Are you as excited about new cookbooks as I am? Every Tuesday, publishers release new cookbooks. Of course, cookbooks are released on other days of the week, too; however, Tuesday is the big day, the exciting day if you're a cookbook author. In this new weekly post, I will feature a list of those cookbooks that are hot off the press and drawing my attention.

by Karen Solomon
Ten Speed Press


by Jenna Woginrich
Roost Books


by Christina Dymock
Cedar Fort


Monday, June 2, 2014

Tuesdays with Cookbooks: June 3, 2014

Are you as excited about new cookbooks as I am? Every Tuesday, publishers release new cookbooks. Of course, cookbooks are released on other days of the week, too; however, Tuesday is the big day, the exciting day if you're a cookbook author. In this new weekly post, I will feature a list of those cookbooks that are hot off the press and drawing my attention.

by Lara Ferroni
Running Press

by Marie W. Lawrence
Skyhorse Publishing


by Erin Alderson
Fair Winds Press


by Jennifer Steinhauer
Clarkson Potter

If you have one of these cookbooks and would like to share your thoughts, please stop by and leave a comment below.