Hot Weather Foods

            Here are some ideas for hot weather meals, bound up in some recently published cookbooks.

            Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue is written by Tuffy Stone, a World Record-breaking champion pit master who has traveled throughout the world on the competition circuit. He provides tips on how to handle smoke, fuel, and fire during the cooking process, and then continues with recipes for rubs, sauces, brines, mops and sprays and dishes made of pork, beef, poultry, and seafood. Recipes for some sides, salads, and desserts round up the collection. Colorful photos and clear text simplifies meal preparation.

            Great Vegan BBQ without a Grill: Amazing Plant-Based Ribs, Burgers, Steaks, Kabobs, and More Smoky Favorites is written by Linda and Alex Meyer, who are the authors of the food blog Veganosity. Using a grill pan or cast iron skillet instead of an outdoor grill or smoker you can prepare plant-based barbecue, burgers, kabobs and other entrees along with sides and salads, dips, sauces and rubs.

            A la Mode: 120 Recipes in 60 Pairings: Pies, Tarts, Cakes, Crisps, and More Topped with Ice Cream, Gelato, Frozen custard, and More is written by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough, popular cookbook writers and QVC favorites. Not just apple pie and vanilla ice cream, this book features more unusual recipes and combinations to please your palate.

Summer Cuisine

            During the hot days of summer, we all look for easy, quick ways to prepare our meals. Perhaps some of these books can help you.

            Endless Summer Cookbook, is written by Katie Lee, a cookbook and food magazine author and television personality. Influenced by her summer cooking experiences in the Hamptons, Lee presents one hundred recipes based on the season’s produce and other fresh ingredients to create mouth-watering dishes, drinks, and desserts. Beautiful color photos accompany the text.

            Master of the Grill: Foolproof Recipes, Top-Rated Gadgets, Gear and Ingredients Plus Clever Test Kitchen Tips and Fascinating Food Science is a publication from America’s Test Kitchen. The book includes step-by-step instructions for all of the grilling techniques you need to know, accompanied by many photos, as well as almost 700 recipes featuring beef, chicken, pork, poultry, vegetables, and more. Consumer advice on the purchase of grills and grilling tools also are provided.

            Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling is written by Meathead Goldwyn, the author of online barbecuing site amazingribs.com and also writes articles for a variety of magazines and newspapers. Learn about the concepts, methods, equipment, and accessories required for the best barbecuing and grilling, as well as 118 recipes to prepare meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, pizzas, marinades, and sauces.

            The Art of Making Gelato: 50 Flavors to Make at Home is written by Morgan Morano, a professional chef and gelato expert. She presents 50 recipes for gelato and sorbetto. Gelato differs from ice cream in that it is churned more slowly and at a warmer temperature than ice cream, giving it a denser texture. Sorbets are dairy-free and egg-free, made from whole fruit and a simple syrup. Flavors range from the traditional chocolate and strawberry to the unusual—Torta della Mimosa, Biscoff, avocado, and more.

New Cookbooks

Here are a few new books that we have added to our cookbook collection.

The Chew Approved: The Most Popular Recipes from the Chew Viewers, edited by Ashley Archer, is a collection of recipes endorsed by the hosts of this TV show. On the show, hosts Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, and Michael Symon work with audience members to prepare dishes. Of the recipes in this book, some are the most popular from the viewer audience and some are from the hosts themselves; all of them are available to viewers through computer download. There are five chapters entitled: 1. Breakfast Bonanza; 2. Amazing Appetizers; 3. Weeknight Wonders; 4. Fabulous Weekend Feasts; and 5. Sensational Sweets. All of the recipes include ingredients, cooking instructions, number of servings, prep time, and cook time. The names of recipe contributors, comments from hosts, and many color photos also are provided.   

The book Preserving Italy: Canning, Curing, Infusing, and Bottling Italian Flavors and Traditions is written by Domenica Marchetti. The recipes in this book go beyond the typical American jams and relishes. Through the author’s collection of family recipes and her travels through the different areas of Italy, we are given a variety of foods – those preserved in oil, or in vinegar, or in alcohol – those featuring tomatoes and sauce – confections – simple cured meats – and more; all preserved at the peak of their flavors and ready to enjoy year-round. 

A La Mode: 120 Recipes in 60 Pairings: Pies, Tarts, Cakes, Crisps, and More Topped with Ice Cream, Gelato, Frozen Custard, and More is written by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. The authors have been featured on various TV shows and QVC, host a cooking podcast Cooking with Bruce and Mark, and have written several cookbooks and magazine articles. The combinations of pastries and frozen treats are out-of-this-world. Calorie counts are not included (why would you want them?) Color photos accompany the text.

Best Salty Sweet Snacks: Gooey, Chewy, Crunchy Treats for Every Craving is written by food writer and editor Monica Sweeney. Five chapters are comprised of five different types of snacks: 1. Gooey Snacks – such as salted butterscotch fudge; 2. Savory Snacks – such as peanut butter bacon cookies; 3. Crunchy Snacks – such as chocolate marshmallow popcorn balls; 4. Chocolaty Snacks – such as chocolate-covered potato chips; and 5. Nutty Snacks – such as salted almond brittle. Ingredients, instructions, number of servings, and color photos are all provided.

Summer Heat: Barbecuing and Grilling

            Master of the Grill: Foolproof Recipes, Top-Rated Gadgets, Gear, and Ingredients plus Clever Test Kitchen Tips and Fascinating Food Science, is written by the editors at America's Test Kitchen. Get the tips and techniques for cooking with both gas and charcoal grills. Find the latest tools, and plenty of recipes for both classic and innovative dishes. Several step-by-step photos accompany the recipes. This is a compendium of information.

            Franklin Barbecue: a Meat-Smoking Manifesto is written by Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mackay. Franklin is an award-winning pitmaster and owner of the Austin restaurant Franklin Barbecue. He focuses mainly on smoking a brisket; but before he does this he sets the stage by demonstrating how to build or customize your own smoker, find and cure the wood, and create the best fire for smoking.

            America's Most Wanted Recipes at the Grill: Recreate Your Favorite Restaurant Meals in Your Own Backyard is written by Ron Douglas, a New York Times bestselling author of the series of cookbooks America’s Most Wanted Recipes. Preparing these main dishes and sides from such places as Applebees, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, and more range from the simple to more complex.

            Meathead: the Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, is written by Meathead (Craig) Goldwyn with Greg Blonder. Goldwyn is a pitmaster and barbecue contest judge, and the creator of the barbecue website amazingribs.com. He explains the concepts, methods and equipment of barbecuing and grilling. More than 100 recipes are given, accompanied by full-color photos and line drawings.

            The Essential New York Times Grilling Cookbook: More than 100 Years of Sizzling Food Writing and Recipes, is edited by Peter Kaminsky. This is a compilation of newspaper articles on barbecuing and grilling, accompanied by recipes and anecdotes. Authors include Mark Bittman, Craig Claiborne, Jacques Pepin, Mimi Sheraton, and others.  

Alternative Diets

            Here are some more diet and cookbooks featuring healthy foods, as selected by librarian Nicole. Two books are based on the Paleo diet, and the other three on juicing.

            Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans, written by Michelle Tam, offers a variety of family-friendly Paleo recipes as well as strategies for stocking the pantry, feeding kids, maximizing flavor, and saving time in the kitchen.

            The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat, written by Loren Cordain, presents a breakthrough nutrition program based on eating the foods we were genetically designed to eat – lean meats and fish and other foods that made up the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors.

            The Blender Girl: Super-Easy, Super-Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts and Drinks is written by Tess Masters. This debut cookbook from the powerhouse blogger behind theblendergirl.com, features 100 gluten-free, vegan recipes for smoothies, meals, and more made quickly and easily in a blender.

            The Joy of Juicing: 150 Imaginative, Healthful Juicing Recipes for Drinks, Soups, Salads, Sauces, Entrees, and Desserts is a creative collection of juicing recipes from award-winning broadcast journalist and bestselling author Gary Null.

            The Reboot with Joe Juice Diet: Lose Weight, Get Healthy and Feel Amazing is written by Joe Cross. He gives readers all the tools they need to embark on their own journey to health and wellness, including inspiration and encouragement, recipes, and diet plans.

 

Healthy Living: Cookbooks, Diets, and More

            Anytime is the right time to eat healthily. Librarian Nicole offers an assortment of books to help us along.

            100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes Your Family Will Love, is written by Lisa Leake. Lisa decided her family’s eating habits needed an overhaul. She, her husband, and their two small girls pledged to go 100 days without eating highly processed or refined foods.

           A Slice of Organic Life is written by Sheherazade Goldsmith. It features over 90 self-contained projects, from growing your own food organically, cooking home-grown produce, keeping selected livestock, and leading a more sustainable lifestyle. This down-to-earth, yet practical guide is the perfect start for someone looking to go “green”.

           The Naked Foods Cookbook is written by Margaret Floyd. This cookbook, organized by the amount of time it takes to prepare a recipe, collects tasty, gluten-free dishes made with whole foods and healthy fats.

           Gluten-Free Girl Every Day is written by Shauna James Ahern. The book features food you want to cook every day: fresh, satisfying and filled with great flavors. Vegetables in season are the key to these recipes, along with whole grains, beans, and a few key spices and homemade sauces.

          The How can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook: Revolutionary Techniques, Groundbreaking Recipes is written by the editors at America’s Test Kitchens. They tried thousands of recipes to figure out the secrets to making favorite foods without gluten. This landmark book tells what works, and why.

Do Celebrities Really Know How to Cook?

            Decide for yourself when you browse through these cookbooks, written by celebrities and selected by librarian Janine.

            It’s All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great is written by Gwyneth Paltrow, the Academy Award-winning actress and bestselling cookbook author. Here she returns with recipes for the foods she eats when she wants to lose weight, look good, and feel more energetic.

            Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood is written by the popular country singer. She has found another way to reach her audience – with this follow-up to her successful Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. In Home Cooking, Trisha serves up more homey, Southern-inflected fare from her country music kitchen.

            Eva’s Kitchen is authored by actress Eva Longoria. Although she may be most recognized for her role as Desperate Housewives saucy Gabrielle Solis, Eva’s favorite pastime is to be in the kitchen cooking the food she loves for her family and friends. Here are the recipes for her favorite dishes, accompanied by her life story.

            The Chew: What’s for Dinner? captures the show’s trademark wit and practical advice while highlighting ways to make dinner fun. Formatted like 2012’s standout bestseller, The Chew, this all-new book features more than 100 delectable recipes, perfect for each day of the week, from Manic Monday (fast and easy) to Friday Fun day (delicious treats), as well as the weekend.  

            The Tucci Cookbook, written by actor Stanley Tucci, features nearly 200 irresistible recipes, perfectly paired with delicious wines. The book is brimming with robust flavors, beloved Italian traditions, mouth-watering photographs, and engaging, previously untold stories from the family’s kitchen.

            Kate Gosselin’s Love is in the Mix is the work of Kate Gosselin, the well-known mom to eight growing – and hungry – kids. She knows her way around the kitchen, bestowing her passion for cooking onto her brood of budding chefs and sharing the family’s favorite recipes for both entertaining and everyday.

            Double Delicious! Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives is written by Jessica Seinfeld. Here are more of her easy, imaginative recipes that use the power of purees to make everything healthier, from a hearty turkey meatloaf to an irresistible tiramisu. Again, she’s raised the bar nutritionally and eliminated unnecessary sugar and fat, boosted fiber and nutrients, and cut way back on sodium to bring us more healthful food with fantastic flavor.

            Skinny Italian is written by Teresa Giudice, the star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Teresa shows how anyone can master the cornerstones of Italian cuisine. Learn how to make six different tomato sauces from scratch, how to choose and use the right olive oil, and how to prepare over sixty Giudice family recipes straight from Salerno. Discover how easy and economical wholesome, homemade cooking can be.

 

Culinary Capers: a Collection of Cooking Mysteries

What do the authors of these mysteries have in common? Each writer cooks up a quandary and has the hero resolve it, and then throws in some recipes or bits of food info for good measure. Bon appetit!

            Hark! The Herald Angel Screamed! an Augusta Goodnight Mystery, written by Mignon Franklin Ballard, presents a murder that occurs during pre-Christmas activities. One of the protagonists is a guardian angel; she investigates. Is the murderer a ghost? This is a typical Southern cozy mystery with recipes.

            The Grave Gourmet, written by Alexander Campion, is set in Paris and features police detective Capucine and her food critic husband. The body of an automobile executive is found in a food cooler of a famous French restaurant.

            The Chocolate Book Bandit: a Chocoholic Mystery, written by JoAnna Carl, features chocolate shop owner Lee McKinney Woodyard in an investigation of the murder of a retiring library board member. Chocolate trivia is included.

            The Missing Dough, written by Chris Cavender, is about Eleanor Swift, the owner of the Slice of Delight pizzeria and her efforts to help her sister Maddy after she is implicated in her ex-husband’s death.

            Eggs in a Casket, written by Laura Childs, presents the owners of the Cackleberry Club, a breakfast café, who also are amateur sleuths. In this book, one in a series, they investigate the murder of the town’s prison warden.

            Steamed, written by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant, features Chloe Carter, food connoisseur and expert in failed romances who is known in local chatrooms as GourmetGirl. A blind date with another foodie is spoiled when he ends up stabbed to death.

            Holiday Grind, written by Cleo Coyle, is about amateur sleuth, coffeehouse manager and head barista Clare Cosi. Clare discovers one of her customers, a charity Santa Claus, murdered. Information on coffee syrups and holiday recipes are an extra perk.

            A Catered Christmas Cookie Exchange: a Mystery with Recipes, written by Isis Crawford, present sisters Bernie and Libby, owners of a catering and bakery business. They are asked to judge a televised Christmas cookie bakeoff. After a contestant is murdered, the remaining contestants do battle with one another. The sisters investigate. Try some of the Christmas cookie recipes given.

Cold Weather Cooking

Winter’s frigid temperatures inspire the chef in all of us to prepare meals of hearty soups and stews. Some books that can help are:

Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way is written by Oretta Zanini De Vita, an Italian pasta authority and Maureen B. Fant, an American who has lived in Rome for 30 years. The book contains 150 recipes for sauces, soups and homemade pastas; special attention is given to which shape pasta goes with which sauce or soup. Several illustrations and color photos add to the cooking experience.

Zuppe: Soups from the Kitchen of the American Academy in Rome, Rome Sustainable Food Project, is written by Mona Talbott, an executive chef at the Rome Sustainable Food Project and a Chez Panisse graduate. She has created recipes for 50 soups that use local, organic ingredients that are presented in seasonal order. Her soups for winter include Potato and Chickpea Soup, Chestnut and Pumpkin Soup, and Lentil and Carrot Soup.

Soup of the Day: (365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year) is written by Kate McMillan, who is a chef, owner of a catering company and cooking school instructor based in California. Her recipes also are geared toward season and feature those for special occasions, those made with leftovers, and more. Ideas for garnishes and serving are given. Accompanying color photos complete the presentation.

Weight Watchers One Pot Cookbook features a collection of 300 main dish recipes, including casseroles, pastas, soups and stews, and stir-fries. All require just one pot and easy-to-buy, healthy ingredients. More than 100 color photos, and nutritional information including PointsPlus values, are given.

Cooking for Thanksgiving Day

    Start planning now for your Thanksgiving Day menu! Here are some cookbooks to help you out.

    Autumn from the Heart of the Home, written by Susan Branch, is a combination of cookbook and gift book designated just for Thanksgiving and Halloween. The book is brightly decorated with watercolor illustrations and appropriate quotations, and includes easy recipes, tips on entertaining, decorating ideas, and other projects.

    How to Cook a Turkey: and all the other Trimmings is produced by the editors of Fine Cooking magazine. Sure to satisfy the needs of both novices and more experienced cooks, there are a hundred recipes covering everything from appetizers, to turkey, gravy, and stuffing, to desserts – especially pies. Color photos accompany it all.

    Thanksgiving: how to Cook it Well is written by Sam Sifton, a former New York Times restaurant critic; it was named one of the best books of the year by Eater.com. He presents the basics and more, with many variations; helpful hints abound. The reader also will enjoy his ideas for leftovers.

    Thanksgiving 101: Celebrate America’s Favorite Holiday with America’s Thanksgiving Expert, written by Rick Rodgers, presents recipes, menus, shortcuts, variations on classics and more. Rodgers is also the author of The Turkey Cookbook and teaches Thanksgiving 101 classes.

November is National Diabetes Month: Highlighting Cookbooks

One way to control diabetes is through appropriate diet. Here are a few current selections to help with that goal.

Just What the Doctor Ordered Diabetes Cookbook, is written by Joseph D’Amore, a medical doctor, and his sister Lisa D’Amore-Miller, a nutritionist. The book includes 125 recipes that are designed to be easy to prepare and taste delicious. The authors also include “Prescription for Success” tips that provide cooking, diet, lifestyle and diabetes self-management advice.

The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook, written by Amy Riolo, presents recipes for a diet of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. They are based upon the typically healthy recipes found in Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and other countries in the region.

The Essential Diabetes Cookbook: Good Healthy Eating from around the World, written by Antony Worrall Thompson, includes two hundred recipes from all international cuisines that are modified to suit the diabetic diet.

The Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook: Foods to Fill You Up, Not Out, written by Robyn Webb, presents healthy versions of classic comfort foods for the diabetic. Selections include lasagna, meat loaf, macaroni and cheese, cake and more.

More Barbecue Books

Here are some more books to inspire you at the grill!

Emeril at the Grill: a Cookbook for all Seasons, written by Emeril Lagasse, is not only a compilation of more than 150 recipes but also an entertaining read. Not content to present only the standards, Emeril is inspired by a variety of cuisines and foods. Recipes consist of those for grilled entrees, sides, salads, and desserts. Instructions for party cocktails and punches are included too.

America’s Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America’s Best Smoke Houses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses and Restaurants, written by Ardie A. Davis and Paul Kirk, offers techniques, tips and recipes from across the United States. Here they present ideas culled from some of the country’s experts, and from their own combined knowledge, for starters, main dishes, sides and desserts. An added bonus is a chapter on starting a barbecue business.

Grilling for all Seasons, by Rick Browne, the host of PBS’s
Barbecue America, offers guidelines for the novice and the experienced along with recipes and menus for winter, spring, summer and fall. Included with the traditional meat dishes are ideas for preparing fruits, vegetables, desserts and breads on the grill.

Barbecue Season Begins

Although barbecuing and grilling are year-round activities, it’s most popular during the summer. Here are some recent books to help improve your skills.

Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking, written by Adam Perry Lang, takes you from the basics to beyond when you are cooking all varieties of meat. Lang, a Culinary Institute of America graduate and haute cuisine chef-in-training took a career detour towards barbecue cuisine. The book features more than 130 recipes and color photos.

Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary Barbecue Joint written by Chris Lilly, great grandson-in-law of the original Big Bob, is a celebration of barbecue done Alabama-style. Included are recipes for the dry rubs, glazes, sauces and slathers for a variety of meats; tips on using different woods and creating the right heat also are given. Complete your meal with a selection of recipes for sides and desserts.

Wood-Fired Cooking: Techniques and Recipes for the Grill, Backyard Oven, Fireplace, and Campfire, written by Mary Karlin, is a compilation of more than 100 recipes originating from regions around the world such as India, Italy, the Mediterranean, the United States and North Africa. Karlin, a cooking school instructor in California, reviews the basics and then steers the reader to more complex dishes.

Grillin’ With Gas: 150 Mouthwatering Recipes for Great Grilled Food, written by Fred Thompson, features more than 150 recipes for a variety of meats, fruits, vegetables, sides and desserts. Learn the basics and the more advanced techniques for gas grilling and selection of ingredients.

Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked her Marriage, her Job, and her Sanity to Master the Art of Living

Food memoirs seem to be proliferating nowadays. Julie Powell, the author of this book, claims her fifteen minutes of fame too. Julie is a woman approaching thirty, in a dead-end job, married to her high school sweetheart but not ready to start a family yet. Prone to emotional outbursts, Julie is feeling anxious and unfulfilled. She decides to embark upon a project that will encompass her dual interests of writing and cooking. Julie begins writing a blog about her quest to cook all 524 recipes from notable chef Julia Child’s first cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” within one year. Newfound recognition from her “bleaders” (blog readers) gives fresh meaning to her life. Julie’s descriptions of friends and family members provide a humorous touch to her book. Some fictional touches, such as Paul Child’s imagined thoughts about his wife Julia, add to the story’s ambiance too.

Recipes for a Tasty Christmas

Here are three cookbooks to help you prepare for the Christmas holiday season.

“Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season” is a collection of a variety of Christmas cookies, along with guidelines on the baking, storage, and mailing of them. There also is information on how to host a holiday cookie swap and a cookie-decorating party.

“Southern Living Christmas Cookbook: All-New Ultimate Holiday Entertaining Guide” presents more than 350 holiday recipes, from appetizers to desserts, as well as 32 menus for the holidays and for parties during the rest of the year. You can host dinners, brunches, buffets, cocktail parties and more.

“Woman’s Day Christmas Cookies, Candies and Cakes” includes an abundance of recipes, with accompanying color photos, of a variety of shaped, drop and bar cookies along with those for cakes and candies.