This cookbook I bought for a very good price... another Winners find! The Vegetable Cookbook: From Earth to the Table, 2011, Paragon Books; pp.[5] 224 is deliciously enjoyable. If you luv veggies than this is the cookbook for you and if you don't this may just be the book that will change your mind!
There are five chapters, and an extensive introduction and a handy conversion tables at the back. The introduction has some great information. It is broken down into seven areas... The Benefits of Eating Vegetables, Types of Vegetables, Buying Vegetables, Seasonal Eating... which comes with a four seasons vegetable guide list to easily find what is available during those times..., Storing Vegetables, Preparing Vegetables and Essential Cooking Techniques. The five chapters consist of Chapter 1: Heat-Loving Vegetables, Chapter 2: Shoots, Stems, Roots &Tubers, Chapter 3: Brassicas & Leafy Greens, Chapter 4: Mushrooms & the Onion Family and Chapter 5: Peas, Beans, Lentils & Corn.
Each recipe has a tiny typed ingredient list to the left of the page and a numbered step by step instructions to follow. Which makes it seem like the cookbook is focusing more on the prep work and cooking than ingredients. Reading the ingredients for most of the recipes you should already have them on hand. Nice full page matte photos are very tantalizing. I have tried a few recipes. The corn fritter recipe being one of them... which I post about tomorrow. I absolutely luv this book so much that it will be in my regular cookbook rotation. - JW
I know it sounds crazy to have a bowl of soup in the summertime but after running errands and doing a bit of shopping... in the rain I may add, soup can be very fitting! I took some low sodium chicken broth. Added a bit of water, a tablespoon of olive oil, a good measure of broken dried noodles, some chopped broccoli, bits of corn and some seasonings. Put it all together in a pot and let it simmer on the stove until the noodles were tender. The soup hit the spot as a burst from a sun shower appeared! Hope you are having a good weekend! - JW
For the past two nights we have had garlic pasta as a side dish. As usual I cooked too much pasta, however this time it was a good thing.. This dish is simple and brimming with loads of flavour. To make this dish you will need olive oil, garlic, parsley and pasta.
In a fry pan heat 1/2 cup of olive oil with 3 cloves of crushed or chopped garlic. I finely chopped mine. Stir constantly until golden brown. Making sure not to burn the garlic because it will upset the taste. When the garlic is golden brown remove the pan from the heat and set a side. Now you can go ahead a cook your pasta, about 450g. I used spaghettini or angel hair pasta. I didn't really measure out my pasta... I just estimated, as I always do and also seeing how there was a half cup of olive oil I knew I wanted the pasta coated well in the garlic oil but not swimming in the oil. Once the pasta is cooked. Drain and transfer to an appropriate sized serving dish. Pour the garlic olive oil over top. Toss to coat. Then add some chopped parsley... about 3 tablespoons. However I added more. It's parsley it's not going to harm you. You may also add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. I served this dish with shaved parmesan over top. Classic.
Despite everyone having seconds. There was plenty left over. The next night we heated the left over spaghettini in a pan. Cooked and seasoned chicken breasts and voila seasoned chicken with garlic pasta! You can do endless things with this simple recipe and have a variety of meals all stemming from this dish. You can have it as a base for a pasta salad with chopped veggies. You could also add chopped Italian sausages, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary... oh and thyme. My son didn't want me to forget about that herb. Enjoy your weekend! - JW
The other night for dinner I made chickpea patties. I found them quick and easy to make. They were served with a bit of organic salsa and a green leafy salad. Despite being delicious I thought that they could have used a bit more seasoning. Something I will note the next time I make them.
Essentially you are taking a can of low sodium/no sodium chickpeas, drain and rinse. Let them dry out a bit. Take a blender and add the following:
the drained and rinsed chickpeas
finely chopped onion
grated lime rind
juice from 1 lime
a couple teaspoons of cumin
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
Blend everything into a coarse paste. Make them into patties. Coat the patties in flour on either side. Then add them to a fry pan that already has about 4 tablespoons of pre-heated olive oil. Cook until crisp on each side. Serve with salsa. Enjoy! -JW
I bought this paperback in hopes it would inspire my kidlets and give them some easy stable kid friendly, so to speak, recipes. Seeing how this paperback cookbook was published in 1971 it's nice to know that kids haven't strayed to far... well until they become older and acquire a more sophisticated palette. Now a days I think some kids are more open to trying new dishes. For example my son luvs curries, sushi and tofu. My daughter luvs pasta, stir-fry and tofu. I should note my son is the older one and my daughter is the younger one. I feel she has more room to explore the culinary gambit. My son being a boy will eat just about anything... he thinks he's Garfield!
Kids Cooking: A First Cookbook For Children by Aileen Paul and Arthur Hawkins, 1971; pp.[6]128 Archway publishing is a good basic starter cookbook for young kids who want to be inspired in the kitchen. It has the classic recipes that kids know and enjoy. It gives a brief introduction for Mothers and brief notes for kids. There are seven chapters which are: 1) Breakfast Dishes 2) Lunch Dishes 3) Dinner Dishes 4) Dessert Dishes 5) Party Foods 6) Snacks and 7) Regional Cooking. Each chapter has about seven recipes and breaks them down into two parts: Here's What You Need and Here's What You Do. Here's What You Do is a clear step by step instructions for kids. There are no actual photos of the finished dishes but then again who needs a photo of cereal surprise or a grilled cheese sandwich. Black and White illustrations are throughout which makes this paperback that much more charming. - JW
Last night we had ravioli and a leafy green salad for dinner. My son wanted garlic toast to make the meal complete. So he described to me how he would make it and soon after that we headed to the grocery store. Got the ingredients and made our way back home. I absolutely adored how he was so excited to share his recipe with me.
Finn's garlic toast is as follows:
1 French baguette or French loaf... we bought an organic sourdough loaf
2 cloves of organic garlic, finely chopped
butter
Thyme
and parsley (optional)
Parmesan cheese, grated
*note: I did help by doing the chopping
Slice the loaf in half lengthwise. Finely chop the two cloves of garlic. Place in a small bowl. Add some butter... about 2-3 tablespoons to the bowl, you may have to add more butter depends on what you think. Melt the butter with the garlic in the microwave for a few seconds. Stir together. Place the two halves of the loaf on a lined baking tray. Spoon the garlic butter over each half. Spread with a pastry brush. Add some fresh thyme and parsley. Then sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over top. Place the tray in a 350ยบ oven and bake until cheese is melted.
And here it is sliced into finger like pieces. Not a crumb was left. I thought you could have add some sliced mushrooms to the top. Just to give it something a little different. My son doesn't like mushrooms. - JW
I felt with this cookbook there was something I could relate too... in one way or another. I cook, I bake, I write and I paint! One can be creative inside the kitchen like one can be creative with a paint brush and canvas.
The Artful Cook: Secrets of a Shoestring Gourmet by Richard Cawley, pp.[5] 160; 1988 first printing, published by MacDonald & Co. has a very colourful palette if I must say.
The Introduction, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is an explanation on how this book came to be. I found it very entertaining. This book has six chapters and they are as follows: 1) Absolute Beginners 2) DIY Delights 3) Simple Pleasures 4) Mean and Lean 5) Cuisine Nouvelles Pauvres and 6) Loaves and Fishes. Within each chapter there are about five menu options. Some are three coarse menus while others are five coarse menus. This is very helpful for planning a dinner party. You can go right from start to finish. Never having to fuss with multiple books. Recipes have helpful hints or *notes* on the pages outside margin. This book is also illustrated with the authors own artwork. Watercolours and sketches are charmingly displayed throughout. Just like an artist the recipes are imaginative and inspirational. This cookbook makes a great book for inside and outside of the kitchen. - JW
Trying to stay as cool as a cucumber? What better way than with cucumber sandwiches. Take bread slices, white or brown, and smoother half of them in light cream cheese. Then take one lemon and grate over the slices with the cream cheese. Place slices of cucumber over the lemon rind and cream cheese. Add a top slice of bread. Now use a knife to cut into squares, triangles or fingers. Regardless of being Royal or not cut the crusts or ends off. It's your preference. Even more fun is to use cookie cutters to create delicate shapes. You can make these sandwiches and keep them refrigerated until you are ready to serve. Cucumber sandwiches are fresh and hit the spot when trying to keep things cool and light. - JW
Another scorcher yesterday!!! With a desperate need to cool down, one quick and easy way, is make ice pops. Take your blender and add some fruit juice (preferably one with less sugar or natural as possible), fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries and add some vanilla yoghurt, organic or not, it's your preference. Blend it all together on high until all ingredients are smooth and fluid. Adding more fruit juice if you must. Then pour the mixture into the ice pop mould. Put tops or handles on and straight to the freezer they go! Letting them freeze for several hours or overnight. To remove ice pops from their mould run under warm water and then gently shimmy to release. A delicious and healthy way to cool down. - JW
Plus 32 degrees Celsius today and I am trying to cool off with a pitcher of iced tea. I made this pitcher last night knowing it was going to be sweltering today. First, I brewed a pot of tea, Earl Grey is my preference. Letting it cool down some what. Then I poured the brewed tea into a pitcher and then refrigerate until cold. When cold serve as is over ice or not. Then add some fresh lemon juice and organic sugar. You may substitute the sugar with organic agave nectar. Not everyone wants lemon or sugar so I make the glasses up individually according to taste. It is simply refreshing and hits the spot. I certainly was glad that I had made a glass just before the power going out! - JW
Another Winner's find. This jam was nice with no overindulgent strawberry flavour . Not to sweet and not to fluid either. It was as stiff as they come. You could slice it with a knife. I like to use a spoon when serving up jams. Mornings dipping into this was met with a bit of a struggle. As far as the champagne flavour you could not taste it. So don't shy away from the whiskey and champagne preserve bottles. The gold cord bow is a nice touch however nothing really royal tasting here. - JW
While we are on the topic of culinary adventures and sailing the seas this cookbook, No.6 A River Captain's Table: Great Grub- River Tale- Tall Tales by Gus Karpes pp. 165; first printing; 1994; *signed copy*; published by Kugh Enterprises, sends us down the windy river to Canada's Yukon and sets up camp along the way. This is full on roughing it at it's finest. The author has claimed to have made hundreds of of wilderness river trips in and around the Yukon Territory. He has written many guide books for river travellers. Amusing stories to which you can picture the author, Gus sitting around the campfire telling... I should say, captivating the weary traveller. This book is broken down into eleven sections and they are as follows: 1) The Basics (things you need to know before you start) 2) Breakfasts 3) Lunches & Snacks 4) First Days Out 5) Cooking with Bacon and Ham 6) Cooking with Corned Beef 7) Cooking Breads 8) Cooking with Fish 9) Pastas 10) Desserts and 11) Essays and Editorials (river stories and tales).
It is a pretty basic no frills cookbook because let's face it when you are camping no one wants a lot of fuss or complicated meals. You don't have your immaculate kitchen in tow. He talks about utensils, stoves, pots and pans, food handling, hygiene, washing, drinking water and even beaver fever. This would also be a fun book to use on a rainy day when you are stuck in the house with the kidlets. You can pretend you are out in the wilderness, telling tales and cooking bannock and beans. Although I think I will steer clear of the Peanut Butter and Bacon Spread for pancakes. It is 1 cup peanut butter (smooth preferred), 1/2 lbs bacon and 1/4 cup hot dog green pickle relish! Just fry the bacon until crisp, crumble and mix of all ingredients together. All what I can say is please pass the syrup! -JW
