Book Review: Pinot, Pasta and Parties

Pinot, Pasta and Parties is an Italian cookbook by Dee Dee and Paul Sorvino The book is divided into ten sections, each featuring a themed menu (We Love NY, Music , etc.)

The menu can be served in it's entirety for a multi-course Italian feast or you can pick and choose a few recipes from the menu for a well--rounded everyday Italian dinner. I love that the book is so flexible.

The first section is a little different from the rest as it has only a few "meal" recipes but has a lot of recipes for traditional Italian sauces that are great building blocks for the rest of the book.

I love that each menu section is divided by conversations between DeeDee and Paul. It's a great way to let more of their unique personalities come through the book.

This cookbook really helps to make good Italian cooking accessible to the masses. I've marked some recipes I'm waiting to try including: Bite-Size Antipasto, Braciole, Eggplant and Zucchini Fries, Chocolate Chip Torta, Porchetta, Zabaglione, Biscotti and Chicken Scarpariello,

This book has excited me about hosting my first Italian themed dinner party! The recipes are simple and inspiring.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cookbook Review: Cuba! Recipes and Stories From the Cuban Kitchen by Dan Goldberg, Andrea Kuhn and Jody Eddy

With the warming of  the  relationship between Cuba and the USA I find this book especially timely and interesting. Goldberg, Kuhn and Eddy actually traveled to Cuba to explore it's cuisine and culture. The recipes range from staples of the Cuban diet to updated versions of classics. The book is divided into ten main chapters. It begins with cooking the basics-beans, rice, sofrito. and them moves on to different sin categories of Cuban food- including a section for Cuban Chinese, and my favorite-desserts!

I made the Cuban fried chicken recipe  and it was fantastic. It will most likely be my "go-to" recipe for fried chicken. The one thing I didn't like about the recipe was that it didn't give a time estimate. It just assumed you knew what to do. Other recipes that have made it onto my "must make" short list include Mojito Cake,  Spicy Black Bean Soup with Lime Crema and Shredded Beef with Fried Eggs, Mojo and Yuca.

While the recipes seem like winners, this book does have a few downsides. The (stunning) photography is clearly the focus of the book and because of this the recipe text is too small, I have average eyesight and have to bring the book close to my face to read it. Also, the book tries to explore the lives of the people behind the food but falls short. The writing about the people and culture is done in a "tell" vs. "show" style and it made me not want to continue reading. I would have loved to had more background on the people the culinary trio met and had it told in a more narrative style, rather than this is what we did, this is what he said. I much preferred the writing style found in Victuals than this one.

ATM Favorite Cookbook: Victuals by Ronni Lundy

I was thrilled the moment I unearthed this book from its packaging. The cover is beautiful. The recipes are delicious. The research is well done and the stories beautifully told. It wonderfully explains the food of the past and present NC mountains. Can we just say that I am in love with this book?

This is one beauty that will not be leaving my shelf. Victuals is what you get when a well written history books and a delightful cookbook come together as one.

I made a huge list of recipes that I wanted to try from this book but thus far I have made:

Remembrances of Jerry's Past Chili- This chili was fabulously meaty. I can see why it inspires memories. My husband would have preferred more heat but I think it can go either way.

Doorbell Pork with Hominy and Greens. I subbed spinach for this but it turned out just as I imagined. My pork chops looked pretty much like the picture. This recipe is a prime example of how well written the recipes are and how simple they are to follow.

Cornbread- My cornbread turned out gritty. This is most likely user error. It smelled heavenly, thanks to the bacon grease.

Cornbread Soup- I thought this soup was a brilliant idea but I didn't really care for it. I thought the combination of buttermilk, leeks and celery was just too tangy for my liking.

Chipped Ham with Bigger Isn't Better Buttermilk Biscuits- The gravy is delicious. The biscuits are superb and simple and I will definitely be adding them to my repertoire.

Chicken and Dumplings-These are all the way from scratch y'all. And they are banging. Good flavor and the chicken was so juicy. I didn't have a lemon so I used an orange. Perfection. I'd make the roasted chicken again as a standalone main. It was so easy! I still can't get over how tender and juicy the chicken was.


I think I loved this book so much because, I, too, am from the porch sitting people that Lundy shares stories about and I dream of being a porch sitter in the hills of North Carolina. Victuals has inspired me to check out Mr. Lundy's other books.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a review. Opinions are 100% mine and 100% honest.

Korea Eats

I may have mentioned that the hubster and I spent a little  time in South Korea. One of the things we miss is the food...especially the Korean barbecue.

So, when I was offered the chance* to check out Koreatown by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard I jumped at the chance. The hubster was pretty excited too as he liked Korean food a lot more than me because a lot of it was spicy!

I tried quite a few recipes out of this book. One the first night I made bulgogi, bok choy kimchi, sigeumchi muchim (soy and seasame spinach) and Kongnamul muchim (crunchy seasame bean sprouts).

The bulgogi was the best part of the meal that night. Although it didn't taste quite like bulgogi it was still very flavorful and delicious.

 I asked my husband what he thought and he gave me his verdict with his thumb-o-meter:

The bulgogi:

The bok choy kimchi:

The kimchi looked so good and he was sooo excited for it but it tasted like a long dead fish. I used less fish sauce than the recipe called for because I knew we both aren't fans of it and it still came out too fishy. He said the spiciness was dead on but he couldn't get past the fish flavor. Neither could I, so the whole jar went straight into the trash!

The second night I made bibimbap:

I thought the bibimbap was a good way to use up the spinach and bean sprouts that weren't especially good on their own and the bibimbap sauce turned out really well too. Mike enjoyed his but didn't agree with my verdict that it was better than any bibimbap I ate in Korea. I said that mainly because there are a few "veggies" thrown in that I usually didn't like and a lot of times bibimbap is served lukewarm and I really hate eating lukewarm food. Give it to me hot. Give it to me cold. Or don't give it to me! :)

The bibimbap verdict:

The overall Koreatown experience?

I think that this cookbook makes Korean food accessible to the masses. It tells you were to find items that aren't traditionally found in a Western grocery store. There are a lot of pictures, which I liked. I also liked all of the stories and side notes. I feel like I will make more recipes out of this book as I found a good many that I want to try. 

There's also a "fusion" section with recipes like Korean sloppy joes or a shrimp and grits style pajeon.

*I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Homemade Kitchen by Alana Chernila

I discovered Alana Chernila after her first cookbook came out. I followed her blog and put her cookbook on my Amazon wishlist but I'd never actually published it so I was thrilled when I got a chance to own her second cookbook.

Alana's cookbook is a beautiful and inspiring cookbook. Thus far, I have made the following recipes out of The Homemade Kitchen. I've listed the recipe's title and my thoughts about the recipe:

• Chicken Potpie: This was absolutely delicious. In the past, I've tried potpie recipes that were good but not as flavorful as this one. This one was very flavorful. It is topped with biscuits which helped to balance out the herbs.  I want to try the winter variation featuring squash instead of the green peas.

• Apple Pecan Muffins: I loved these! I hate it when muffins are as sweet as cake and these were definitely not sweet. They made for the perfect breakfast. However, they only baked for about 27 minutes as opposed to the 40-50 minutes called for.

• Burritos: I tried the beef variation. I thought it was tasty but wished it has more flavor. I felt it was lacking in the seasoning for the beans, beef and rice.

• Pear Gingerbread: I crave gingerbread and this really hit the spot.

• Spicy Pumpkin Hot Chocolate: I really wanted to love this but I thought the pumpkin taste was overwhelming and I couldn't taste the chocolate at all.

My overall opinion is that I love how Alana teaches you her recipe and then tells you how to customize based on your preferences. I have  a list of other recipes I'd like to try including kimchi tata, pork tacos, honey wheat bread, her cheese recipes and garden pie. However, after the time issue with the muffins and the lack of seasoning I'm a little on the cautious side. If I could make any changes to the book, I would have each recipe list the prep and cook time at the top of the recipe. 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Stash Busting Monday: Taste of Home Cannoli Cake (2 for 1)

Yummy! I found this recipe in Taste of Home and had been waiting to try it. A coworker offered to bring in chicken scampi the other day, so I offered to bring in dessert.

I thought this would be the prefect combination.




The Taste of Home recipe calls for a french vanilla cake mix but since I shy away from cake mixes I baked up a buttermilk vanillabean cake that I found in Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life. (I highly recommed her book. Its full of lovely stories and recipes)

To turn the vanilla cake into a  cannoli cake, you need to make the filling and frostings and chill until spreadable:

Filling:
16oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Frosting:
16 oz marscapone
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Because I used Wizenberg's recipe, I had thinner cake layers and thus had extra icing which I think I will use to make hummingbird bread.

After filling and frosting the cake (place filling on top layer of cake, to within 1 inch of edge and then use frosting on the edge and sides) press almonds around the sides of the cake and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the cake. Chill until serving.

PS: If you want to pick the next recipe I make, post a comment with a number from 1-329!

Cooking Through Christmas: Spiced Fruit Bowl

I made this for our Christmas celebration and it was super easy and tasty!

Ingredients:

2 cans (29 oz each) sliced peaches
1 can pear halves (29 oz)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
4- 3in cinnamin sticks
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1 pound red grapes, halved

Instructions:

Drain juice from peaches and pears into saucepan and set aside. Add vinegar, allspice, cloves and salt to juices. Add cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and cool 15 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine the peaches, pears and grapes. A dd juices and cinnamon sticks. over and refrigerate at least 12 hours. Sir occasionally. Remove cinnamon sticks prior to serving.

I found the leftovers made a great (and fairly healthy) breakfast.

I would definitely plan on making this again. To pick the next recipe I try, comment with  a number from 1-329

PS: This recipe is from TOH's Treasury of Chrismas recipes

Cooking Through Christmas

I bought this awesome Christmas themed cookbook from Taste of Home for $10.

They are a ton of great recipes...some new takes on old favorites and others new altogether to me. I've compiled a list of recipes I want to try. I've numbered them and plan on testing as many as I can. I've chosen the first one: Date Swirl Cookies! The recipe follows below. If you'd like to pick the next one I test be the first to comment with a number from 1-329. There are a few other recipes I will post but you can chose the next to be made.

I didn't get a picture because they flew off the table at work.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cupss all purpouse flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine dates, 1/4 cup sugar, water, nuts and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirr constantly until thick. Let cool.

Beat butter, brown sugar, egg , egg and remaining sugar. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Chil for half hour.

Roll dough on a floured surface into a 1/4 in thick rectangle. Spread with date mixture. Start at the long end and roll up like a jelly roll.

Wrap with waxed paper, chill for at least 4 hours.

Remove paper and slice (1/8-1/4 inch). Place on a greased baking sheet, around 2 inches apart.

Bake 375F for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack

Made 3-4 dozen.

Stasu Busting Monday #6: Gimme Some Gumbo!

I love gumbo. I used to eat two platesful when the cafeteria at my college would serve it! Since I graduated last December I haven't had my beloved gumbo, so I knew I had to make it soon.

This recipe is adapted from a Better Homes and Garden Cookbook that my mother gave me when I first left for college. In my opinion the only thing that would have made it better was the addition of shrimp.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup all purpouse flour
1/3 cup cooking oil
3 cups water
12 oz smoked sausage links, sliced
2 cups frozen okra
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chpped green pepper
1 stalk chopped celery
4 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
3 cups hot cooked jasmine rice

Steps:
1. Make a roux by stiring together flour and oil until smooth in a mde saucepan. Cook over med-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to med and cook 15 more minutes or until a darkred-brown. Cool
2. Placce water in a crockpot, stir in roux, sausage, vegetables and seasoning.
3. Cook in low heat for about 7 hours. Serve over hot rice

"Spicy" Meatloaf

We had this Thursday night and it was a hit. While it wasn't necessarily spicy, it did have a nice flavor. The recipe is adapted from the New Day Woman's Cookbook. It called for cooking four hours on high or eight to ten hours on low, but only took about three on high when I made it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ketchup and BBQ sauce, mixed together with 1tsp of your favorite hot sauce (I used one of the hot sauces I got Mike a few Valentine's Days ago, but I'm sure Tabasco would work fine)

1-1.5 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large egg
1.5 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (we call it "woozie" or "winchester")
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper

Put half 1/2 cup of Ketchup mixture with remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix with hands until well blended. Form into a load. Place in a slow cooker or crockpot and spread the remaining sauce over the loaf.

Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low or until thermometer reads 160F.

Cooking Advice

Has anyone tried any of these cookbooks?




I like the idea of being able to cook multiple servings, freeze and serve later. Especially since it'll be just the two of us. I really really like the idea of spending one Friday afternoon buying groceries and one Saturday cooking and be set for a month. But I'm not sure if its realistic/feasible. Any other cookbook suggestions or reviews of these books/methods would be greatly appreciated.