Cookbook Crush: Pull Up a Chair

I really don't need to pine over another cookbook.  But this one, Pull Up A Chair...it's just too delightful to resist.  Perhaps it was her lovable Kelly Capowski alter ego from the Saved by the Bell glory days, but Tiffani Thiessen seems like a much more relatable, dare I saw "normal" celebrity turned cookbook author.   She just doesn't seem to take herself too seriously in the vein that Gwyneth many others tend to do.  

Her recipes are reasonable, inventive but not too complicated, and at first glance, I felt like I'd make more than I wouldn't.   the sound of most.  A few that popped out at me; nectarine caprese salad, pickle and potato salad, and samosa hand pies with apple chutney (which I did make, and it was delicious).

Anyway, it's worth a perusal at the least. Bon appetit!

Salt Fat Acid Heat

Have you read the mega-cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat?  Truthfully, I checked this book out from the library and found it a bit daunting.  It's packed with useful tips, tricks, and information to understand and master the art of cooking, using the four essential elements of food; salt, fat, acid, and heat.  But...it is extremely text and science heavy, which was too much for me to digest.

However, the Netflix original TV show of the same name was much more my speed!  Samin Nosrat travels the globe in search of flavor, and her travels and culinary adventures are a joy to watch.  Plus, it's only four episodes, so a quick binge.  One episode for each element.  Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat.  Check out this preview below.

Cookbook Crush: The Lost Kitchen

Have you heard of The Lost Kitchen?  It's a farm to table restaurant in Freedom, Maine that's become so hugely popular they only take reservations by written note. How clever is that?  The chef, Erin French changed to this reservation policy after seeing her demand outpaced her restaurant size.  Low and behold, she received 20,000 reservation requests!  Intrigued by this concept and her restaurant itself, I did some digging, and discovered The Lost Kitchen also has a cookbook, also titled The Lost Kitchen.

The cookbook catalogues her arduous journey to from a secret supper club to establishing the restaurant, only to be literally locked out and lose everything in a messy divorce.  I found her story extremely compelling, a bonus narrative to the pages upon pages of delicious farm fresh recipes.  Notably the rhubarb spoon cake, chamomile creme brûlée, and apple cider and rosemary sorbet (she does have more recipes than purely desserts, I assure you).  

It's a cookbook I hadn't seen on any recent bestseller lists, or Amazon bookstore shelves, but one worthy of a read, or at least a timely flip through. 

Cookbook Crush: Cravings Hungry For More // Dinner Last Night: Chicken and Dumplings

Do you follow Chrissy Teigen?  Sports illustrated model turned cookbook author, her debut cookbook came out in 2016 to rave reviews, and her sophomore cookbook, Cravings Hungry for More is just as appetizing.  I've always loved reading cookbooks cover to cover, and this one is an enjoyable read.  Teigen's personality resonates throughout, each recipe is marked by wry, witty, often self deprecating, and hilarious commentary.  Her food captions and blurbs alone indicate she doesn't take herself or fame too seriously, and I appreciate the blend of down home, kick back and nosh kind of recipes.

I I made her recipe for Chicken and Dumplings last week for dinner, and while my kids were extremely skeptical of dumplings in soup, my husband and I thought it was delicious.  The cookbook is organized by sections; breakfast, soups, sandwiches, dinner, snacks, Thai mom, and my personal favorite, "potatoes and their friends," a girl after my own heart.    

Recipes that had me salivating were the crispy buffalo smashies (potatoes), grilled eggplant with crispy shallots, jerk lamb chops with sweet + salty banana rice, coconut short rib curry, and of course, the everything bagel cream cheese breakfast bake.  If any recipe is going to make me return to dairy - pretty sure it will be that one.  This cookbook should be read with a knife and fork, because you'll want to dig right in!

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Dinner Last Night: Beef & Eggplant Fatteh

While perusing Nigella Lawson's At My Table, I came across a recipe for Beef and Eggplant Fatteh,. I was unfamiliar with the word "fatteh, but intrigued by the picture looked quite delicious. The base is pita bread, layered with cumin-coriander ground beef and eggplant, garlicky tahini-yogurt sauce, red pepper flakes, pomegranate seeds, toasted pine nuts, and shredded mint.  Even my husband who is an eggplant skeptic, devoured it before he even recognized eggplant as a primary ingredient.  Now, we ate this for a date dinner - so kids didn't have an opportunity to weigh in with their particulars, but in the future, I fully intend to brand this as Middle Eastern nachos to win them over.  

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Cookbook Crush: At My Table

I have a lot of cookbook crushes these days - after months of lingering in my library queue, it seems that all the new cookbooks arrived ready for pickup all at once.  So gear up friends, this is likely to be the first of many new cookbook crush posts!

At My Table is the most recent cookbook by Nigella Lawson.  Truth be told, it's the first cookbook I've ever read by her, despite the fact that she's quite popular on the food scene and has a smattering of bestselling cookbooks over the past 15 years.  It might be high time I add her previous publications to my library queue, as every recipe in At My Table is pure gold!  It's packed with comforting, healthy-ish that dishes are hearty, flavorful, and relatively easy to concoct.  In addition to the fact that they don't require too many unusual ingredients, always a plus. Pretty much every page sound utterly  satisfying and delicious!

Thus far, I've made the beef and eggplant fatteh and bookmarked include turmeric rice with cardamom and cumin...  So many good recipes, so little time.  Christmas wish list cookbook perhaps?

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Cookbook Crush: Ready or Not! Nom Nom Paleo

The Ready or Not! Nom Nom Paleo cookbook has been in heavy rotation in our house lately as we've cut down on dairy and gluten consumption as a family.  The best part of this cookbook is it makes delicious healthy and flavorful paleo recipes quick and accessible.  I'm happy to report back the recipes we've tried thus far have been kid-approved while being delicious for the adults as well!  The format is also very user friendly, with step by step photographs of the food alongside the written instructions. Also appreciated are suggestions for how to modify or adapt a pressure cooker recipe to suit a slow cooker, that kind of thing.

Last week, I posted our success making bo la lot (betel leaf beef rolls).  We've also tried the Pressure Cooker Bo Ssam (a salty sweet caramelized Korean beef).  The recipe was inspired by David Chang's Momofuku version (I used the adapted instructions for a slow cooker since we don't have a pressure cooker) - it was divine!  I was sorely disappointed I didn't make enough for leftovers.  We've also made hobo stew, souvlaki, and XO pork with blistered green beans.  In addition to having about fifty more recipes bookmarked. 

If you've considered making some dietary changes but still like your familiar favorites - this cookbook is a great gateway into the land of Paleo/Whole 30.

Dinner Last Night: Bo La Lot

I've been trying to expand our dinner rotation to incorporate more meals that utilize the barbecue or stove rather than the oven with our warm temperatures.  While I've had the book, Nom Nom Paleo for a while now, I haven't made too many things from it.  However, these bo la lot (beef + bacon wrapped in leaves) were delish!  I attempted to get betel leaves to make this the traditional way.  The cookbook suggested most Asian grocery stores will carry them, but I had no luck at my local Uwajimaya.  I substituted with swiss chard leaves which did not roll as neatly as this picture above, but still tasted delicious.

And while I thought my kids would be skeptical consuming these rolls, they were all about it once I mentioned, "Oh yeah, there's bacon in there!"  Bacon for the win!

Bo La Lot adapted from Ready or Not! Nom Nom Paleo

Ingredients:

Rolls

1 lb ground beef

3 slices bacon, finely chopped

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp shallots, finely chopped

2 tsp. curry powder

2 tsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. arrowroot powder

10-15 fresh swiss chard leaves (betel leaves preferred if you can find them)

1 tbsp. avocado oil

Garnish

1/4 cup avocado oil

juice from 1 lime

Instructions:

1. In large bowl, combine beef, bacon, garlic, shallots, curry powder, fish sauce, pepper, salt, and arrowroot powder.

2. Mix well with hands.

3. Cut stems off of swiss chard leaves and pat dry.

4. Form a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture into a cylindrical shape.  Roll the top of the leaf over the meat filling, and continue rolling until you get to stem end.

5. Poke a hole in the roll with a toothpick and insert stem into hole to fasten. (Doesn't work as well with swiss chard leaves, but putting roll on skewer helped solve this problem).

6. Repeat steps 3-5 for each roll.  Skewer rolls on a metal skewer, leaving some space in between.

7. Brush 1 tablespoon of avocado oil over tops of rolls.

8. Cook on barbecue over medium heat for 10+ minutes.  Check rolls are done and serve.

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Cookbook Crush: The Minimalist Kitchen

I am going through a bit of a cookbook renaissance my friends.  I've noticed my cookbook shelf has a few stand out favorites and a sizable handful gathering dust.  I no longer turn to Giada DeLaurentiis with the same enthusiasm as I once did, namely since we've cut back considerably on our pasta consumption.  As for other favorites of years past, I've decided it's time to swap out those I've neglected and refresh my shelf with some new titles.

I still check everything potential cookbook out from the library first.  If you don't do this, convert now, it's a huge money saver!  If you're anything like me, who can easily be swept up in the silken pages and delicious color photos of cookbooks when they're breezily displayed on bookstore shelves.  At any given time, I have about ten cookbooks in my library queue.  Typically there is a wait, so I just bide my time and enjoy my thirty days once they arrive in my name.  I typically read them post bedtime, bookmarking the recipes, before trying to discern if number of sticky notes justifies the price.

A recent favorite which will surely be dogeared once it arrives is The Minimalist Kitchen, the brainchild of Melissa Coleman, you may know her from the blog The Faux Martha.  This cookbook boasts all my favorite things, lovely full paged color photos of the food, easy step-by-step directions, easy tabs indicating make ahead, or ideas for quick substitutions should you not have an ingredient on hand.  I also want to eat every. damn. thing. 

I made her quinoa bimibap bowls for dinner, which was surprisingly well received by my kids, hooray!  Other pages currently sporting sticky notes include the blender dutch baby, soba bowls with peanut sauce, a quick 'n dirty fried rice, takeout cashew chicken, baked falafel pitas with tahini sauce, and while I'm not currently indulging in dairy, I couldn't help but salivate over the recipe for roasted banana cream pie.

Sound good?  Well then, put it on hold already!

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Dinner Last Night: Tater Tot Hotdish

Ever since Molly Yeh's cookbook, Molly on the Range came out last year, I've been eyeing this tater tot hot dish recipe for a while.  For those of you (like me) who were unfamiliar with the term "hot dish," it's basically a cream based casserole - ideal for making in the dead of winter in inspire hygge and all the feelings of cozy comfort.  I mean, a casserole topped with tater tots?!  Sign me up!  Also seemed like a good gateway meal to coax my kids into eating casseroles as well.  

Since we've been trying to eat dairy-free in meals (notwithstanding my kids' obsession with Greek yogurt and whole milk) I subbed in the recommended 1 cup of whole milk with a cup of almond milk, and I think it turned out just fine.  

Turns out, tater tots hotdish is a crowd pleaser!

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Dinner Last Night: Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup with Dry-Rub Sweet Potato Steaks & Green Bean Slaw

In light of a New Year's detox, I opted to make this easy slow cooker creamy lentil soup.  Pretty easy, just dump the ingredients, let them marinate for 7 hours and then puree 1 can of chickpeas, lemon, and water for the "creamy" factor.  Delicious!  

I paired with a recipe from Deb Perelman's newest Smitten Kitchen cookbook, dry-rub sweet potato steaks with green bean slaw.  Never had sweet potatoes this way, and man oh man, were they good!  The "slaw" is made up of blanched green beans mixed with a tangy vinaigrette.  Would post the recipe if I could find a link online, but alas, there was none...

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Homemade Hummus

I've been trying to make my favorite dips and dressings at home the past few months, and tried my hand at homemade hummus a few weeks ago.  However, in typical recipe making fashion, I neglected to read through the entire recipe, realizing that it would take a good 12+ hours to complete.  Whoops!  

Don't get me wrong, hummus itself is pretty simple, it's the soaking and simmering of chickpeas that is a huge time suck.  However, the fruits of my labor was ultimately worth the reward.  Fresh, homemade hummus stands apart from its counterparts for its freshness, tanginess, and sure packs a punch of tahini-y flavor, something no Sabra or Trader Joe's brand can achieve (sorry guys, I still like you too).  

In case you're interested in trying it out yourself, I used Molly Yeh's recipe from her new book, Molly on the Range (similar recipe here).  {Learn from my error, and keep in mind, you'll need to prepare ingredient a good half day in advance of when you plan to serve.}

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Cookbook Crush: Skinnytaste Fast and Slow

Of all of my cookbook crush posts, this one has to be the most "successful" in terms of recipes attempted, made, and flagged for future use.  I've had Skinnytaste Fast and Slow roughly a month (after checking out from the library to verify it's credibility), and as of today, I've made 7 of the recipes, several more than once.  The selling point of this cookbook is the abundance of slow cooker recipes, simplicity of directions, emphasis on quick prep, and overall flavor packed in every meal.  I mean it, every meal has been delicious!  In fact, I've discovered that two of my close friends also swear by this cookbook, and since our revelation, we've had an ongoing text thread sharing our latest meals, suggestions, and tips.  

I know, I know, I'm a big pusher of cookbooks, but don't believe me?  Here's the recipes we've made thus far: egg roll bowls, slow cooker hamburger stroganoff, slow cooker Korean-style beef tacos, Greek sheet pan chicken, slow cooker buffalo chicken lettuce wraps, Santa Fe turkey egg rolls with avocado ranch sauce, and slow cooker goulash with sauerkraut.  Most (but not all) have been hits with kids, which is also a huge bonus.  Truth be told, I was even reluctant to pick up this cookbook as I didn't love her first cookbook (I was a little put off by the title 'Skinnytaste' if I'm being honest), but I'm so glad I opted to give Gina Homolka a second chance.  Worth every penny.

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My New Favorite Breakfast

I've never been one of those people that can eat the same thing every morning, day after day, week after week.  I get bored.  Occasionally I'll find myself in a groove for a few weeks, surfing a wave of yogurt and granola.  And once that get's old, I'll change course for a few weeks with scrambled eggs and sliced avocado.  Then perhaps leap on over to fried eggs with Trader Joe's harissa...you get the idea.  

However, it seems I've finally found a recipe with some staying power, since this has been my go-to breakfast for roughly 2+ months, and I'm still going strong!  I've rediscovered the beauty (and convenience) of overnight oats.  For those of you who might not know what overnights oats are - I did a post way back when...but the gist is - they're oats soaked and softened overnight in some type of milk.  It's an ideal breakfast for a late riser or someone who tends to have less time on their hands in the morning, as the prep work is already done by the time you awake!

My new favorite variation is Gwyneth Paltrow's almond orange overnight oats from her It's All Easy cookbook.  I had this page dog-eared for a while, and finally recognized that I had all of the ingredients on hand, so what was I waiting for?  

The result: great flavor, a nice blend of texture, and also - filling!  When I was teaching, I found it annoying when my breakfast couldn't tie me over until lunch and I'd be hungrily eying the clock at 10:00! What makes this recipe great, in my opinion, is the addition of orange juice, Greek yogurt, slivered almonds and shredded coconut.   And, I actually omitted the 2 tbsp maple syrup it calls for, because I didn't think it needed the extra sweetness.  I typically use a coconut or almond milk, though you could use cows milk or another type of nut milk as well.  

It's about time we get excited for breakfast!

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Cookbook Crush: Molly on the Range

When the world is full of uncertainty; and we're treading the waters of this new political chapter, I am trying to continue to push the positive, and keep this a safe, happy space, in spite of the ugly words and actions in the world right now.  Therefore, I am resuming my normal posting with a favorite series of mine, Cookbook Crush.  When the world seems daunting and scary, I often find myself burrowing into a good book, or five... and finding sanctuary and a safe quiet place to just "be" for a time.  

My latest cookbook crush is the first cookbook from a favorite food blogger of mine, Molly of My Name is Yeh.  I've been reading Molly's blog for probably five years now, following her adventures from studying percussion at Julliard in New York City, eating her way through the various burroughs to her move back to the Midwest to marry her college sweetheart and live on a sugar beet farm straddling the Minnesota/North Dakota border.  Everything that makes her blog memorable, warm, and endearing is lovingly wrapped up in this cookbook, Molly on the Range.  It's a blend of memoir, and anecdotal narratives, peppered with swear words, laugh out loud moments, and of course, recipes of the sweet, savory, holiday, and dessert variety.  The best kind of cookbook.

I checked it out from the library, but alas it was due before I got a chance to make any of her recipes.  Guess this one will have to go on my Christmas list.  Santa??

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Cookbook Crush: Cravings

You guys - I cannot tell you how much I love, love, LOVE this cookbook.  It's no surprise, I get a small thrill every time discover a new worthy cookbook.  Just like finding that latest and greatest I-couldn't-put-it-down book that everyone's been talking about, this discovery represented that for me.

  First, I had no idea who Chrissy Teigen was.  When I stopped ready Us Weekly years ago, I purged all my unnecessary knowledge of random celebrities, names of spouses, kids, names of their restaurants, etc. etc.  In case you also haven't heard of her, she's mildly famous for her modeling days and being John Legend's wife, but more importantly wildly funny.

For the record, a good cookbook in my mind's eye includes the following:

 a). it speaks to me

b). colorful pictures of the food, I'm terribly visual, so pages with just recipes is a no-go

c). narratives to explain the nostalgia, passion, or thinking behind the food

d).  enough delicious sounding (easy) recipes to make my stomach rumble

Cravings is ALL of these and more, though this is far from your typical cookbook!  It is peppered with swear words, healthy-ish recipes but the title speaks to the content, as it is layered with cheesy, rich, and decadent "real life" recipes you actually crave too.  I appreciate this, as who really craves beets, or salad.  Maybe once in a blue moon?  

Trust me, it's worth it.

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Cookbook Crush: It's All Easy

Alright peeps, it's official, I'm on the band wagon.  I'm drinking the GP Kool-Aid because this cookbook is AMAZING!  I haven't been sold on GP's other cookbooks despite my enjoyment in reading them; flipping through the glossy pages and perusing the names of eclectic recipes.  While I've enjoyed the idea of them, they've all seemed a bit complicated, far fetched, or obscure for weeknight family dinners, but It's All Easy is a game changer.

In typical cookbook-reading fashion, my copy is already ridiculously bookmarked up with yellow post its, I've made three of said bookmarked dishes, and the verdict: all were easy-ish and most importantly, scrumptious!  Winner, winner, chicken dinner!  Or in GP's case, mostly vegetarian, organic, farm-to-table, cage-free goodness, etc. etc. etc.  

Tried and true from our kitchen - Moroccan chicken salad wraps even had my husband swooning, pan bagnat, and Indian creamed spinach - all of which have all been superb.  

While I won't go as far to claim this title is entirely accurate, I'm definitely enjoying eating the fruits of my investment. Keep it up GP!

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Cookbook Crush: Tasting Rome

My favorite country in Europe (of those I've been to) is easily Italy.  There is just something about it.  The air there feels...different, magical almost.  As if you can feel time slow down, just enough for to savor that last bite of pasta carbonara, that decadent mouthful of gelato.  In addition it's architectural charm, buzzing piazzas, stellar people watching, it is one of the only places where everything you order tastes amazing.  The last time I was there was 2009 and I dream of going back someday, mapping out imaginary itineraries in my head, perhaps taking in some of my favorites like Orvieto and Florence, and a few new gems, like San Gimingiano, Positano, and the Amalfi Coast.

In the meantime, we've been dabbling with bringing Rome into our kitchen, literally with this cookbook.  While many cookbooks boasting to speak of Italian flavors don't live up to their namesake, this one stands alone.  I read it several times and felt hungry after each successive read.

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Cookbook Crush: Date Night In

This episode of Cookbook Crush is especially special, as not only have I purchased this cookbook after my usual pre-reading via the local library, but I made three recipes from it within my first week of purchase.  Cha-Ching!  As such, it is definitely crush-worthy, and worth a look!

Date Night In is the brainchild of Seattle chef/baker Ashley Rodriguez, author of the popular food blog, Not Without Salt.  This cookbook reads as a smattering of heartfelt anecdotes, describing how amidst their hectic lives, both working full-time, and raising three kids, she and her husband Gabe felt the need to reconnect weekly in order to sustain their relationship.  However, not being able to afford pricy date nights out every week, they were forced to improvise. Hence, "date night in" was born.  They began having date nights every Thursday - meaning dinner for just the two of them - no kids allowed, enjoyed after their children were tucked away in bed.  

The cookbook is organized in a series of complete meals portioned for two people, in addition to timelines for prep in the days ahead, handy lists of ingredients needed to complete the meal, and notations relaying the significance of the recipes chosen.  Now often, I skip the little blurbs in cookbooks, after all I'm here for the recipes, right?  But no, not with this one.  Ashley's cookbook reads like a love letter to both her craft and her family, and it's emotion is palpable and inspiring.  

So far, I've made maple-coriander carrots, apple radicchio slaw, and strawberry shortcake trifle, with about a dozen other recipes bookmarked for future endeavors.  All were superb and I find myself actually excited to read and reread this cookbook again and again, it's truly that good!

Happy cooking!

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Cookbook Crush

Per my usual method of trying out cookbooks (checking them out from my local library) - I've found a new gem - Food 52's Genius Recipes!  This cookbook reads more like an anthology, handpicking recipes from dozens of chefs all famous in their area of expertise - so there is a lot of gustatory variety without being over-the-top fancy.  A few recipes that caught my hungry eye; roasted applesauce, salt-crusted potatoes with cilantro mojo, rosemary-brined buttermilk fried chicken, and dense chocolate loaf cake...just to name a few.

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