Weekend Cooking: Books in My January Kitchen

Hi friends. Sorry I've been so absent lately, but we've been trying to set in place our 2021 goals and changes, and they have pretty much taken over most of my energy this month. Nothing bad going on at all, just shaking it up a bit. I'll try to write a catch-up post in February to clue you in, but for now, social media is not at the top of my mind.

Enough with the vague explanations . . . today I have a mishmash of thoughts on cookbooks and food-related reading that came my way in January. I'm going to start with my favorite.

Ina Garten's latest cookbook is Modern Comfort Food (it came out last October from Clarkson Potter). I love Ina Garten and this book doesn't disappoint. Our favorite recipe so far is the Crispy Chicken with Lemon Orzo (shown here), which was super quick to put together and really delicious. The recipe can be found over on Food 52. Also good was the Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Orange Butter. I went ahead and made the entire composed butter recipe, using a full stick of butter, and popped the leftovers in the freezer for the next time I roast sweet potatoes. If you're an Ina Garten fan, you'll want to pick up a copy of the cookbook or at least check it out of the library. Vegetarians and vegans will definitely want to borrow before buying.

Next up is a book I was curious about because, as you know, I jumped on the meal-planning bandwagon several years ago. I've found planning to be been especially important during COVID, when it's just not worth running to the store to pick up random ingredients whenever the mood hits. Instead, we've been very consciously ordering curbside pickup or delivery and limiting our in-store shopping. I thought I could pick up a few tips in 100 Days of Real Food Meal Planner by Lisa Leake (William Morrow, Dec. 2020). If you are completely new to meal planning or are having trouble getting in the groove, then this and other books by Leake will probably be a big help. Note that this planner is mostly a workbook. It contains some good tips (though not everyone is in a position to eat mostly locally produced foods) and a few one-pot recipes. The bulk of the book consists of 52 perforated pages with space to plan your dinners and create shopping lists for an entire year. Many people will find this a godsend and to be very useful. I, however, have already found my rhythm, so I plan to give my copy to a friend who asked me for some organizational help.

I don't generally review diet or fitness books in this space for many reasons, but I was curious about two books that came out this month. The first is Fast This Way by Dave Asprey (Harper Wave, Jan. 19). Dave Asprey, if you don't know, is the name behind the Bulletproof brand of diet and nutrition supplements, bulletproof coffee, and gadgets. Note that I don't really know much about Asprey, have never used his products, and have never tasted bulletproof coffee. Nevertheless, I downloaded a review copy of Fast This Way because I wanted to know more about intermittent fasting, which has, in fact, gotten some positive reactions from the medical community. Unfortunately, the first pages of the book included a description of a spiritual quest, which made me (don't hate me) immediately put the book down. Perhaps there is good, solid medical and scientific data in this book, but I was turned off from reading more. Your mileage may vary . . . if you give this book a try, let me know what you thought.

The final book I looked through (meaning I didn't read every single word) is Abby Langer's Good Food, Bad Diet (Simon & Schuster, Jan. 5). Langer, a registered dietitian working in Toronto, is not out to tell you to ban carbs, eat all the fats, go low fat, become a vegan, or do anything else. Her hope is to dispel the ideas that the only good woman is a thin woman and that only the ultra skinny are healthy and happy. Her goal is to change people's (sadly, mostly women) negative relationship with food and the scale. Thus she encourages readers to work toward good physical and mental health, even while enjoying a few chocolate cookies when the mood strikes. That said, she does encourage people to obtain a healthy weight. Is this contradictory? Perhaps. But her principal focus is to move her readers past the diet culture and change their relationship with food. Langer believes this is the only way people can reach their own individual set weight--balancing a full range of food choices with a good medical checkup. Although there are no earth-shattering revelations here, if you have issues around food and eating or have struggled with dieting, you might want to give this one a try.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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Weekend Cooking: 9 Books for Food & Drink Lovers

Hello friends! It’s been a hot minute since I connected with my very favorite blogging group—all of you at Weekend Cooking. Part my absence was just needing a break and part is my lack of desire to learn the new Blogger interface. (And at this point I’m not really interested in paying someone to move everything over to WordPress.)

I’ll get the hang of it and all will be fine again.

Today’s post is a round-up of 9 food and cooking books I’ve been exploring since the beginning of the summer. Hope you find something you like here. All these books should be available at your local independent bookstore or library; note that publishing dates are from Edelweiss+ and may not be accurate.

• Modern Cast Iron by Ashley L. Jones (Red Lighting Books; Aug. 18): This book lives up to its subtitle; it is indeed a “complete guide” to cast iron and includes good information on how to buy pans, season and clean them, and even how to turn that crusty flea market find into something you’ll be happy to use. Jones includes a handful of recipes that will take you from breakfast through to dinner (we made the chocolate chip cookie skillet cake--see my Instagram for a photo). The recipes are easy and doable, but the worth of this book is in the excellent advice for incorporating cast iron into your modern kitchen.
• Dirt by Bill Buford (Knopf; May 5): I’ve been a fan of Buford’s since I first listened to his book Heat in 2006. In his newest cooking memoir he shares his journey to learn all there is to know about French cooking; never mind that he didn't really speak the language. His self-directed humor and conversational tone mixed with a natural talent for storytelling, makes Dirt a don’t-miss read. A six-month stay in Lyon, with his wife and toddler twin boys, turned into a years-long learning opportunity. You’ll be craving all things wonderful on your plate, even as you discover the strict rules and techniques that are de rigueur for French chefs.
• The Truth about Baked Beans by Meg Muckenhoupt (NYU Press, Aug. 25): This well-researched look into the culinary world of New England dissects the myths and reveals the truths of the region’s signature dishes. From Native Americans to the Pilgrims and through every wave of immigrants thereafter, every group has made its mark on household New England cooking, and—spoiler alert—most of those dishes are different from those that have gained legendary status. Firsthand accounts reveal the cultural biases, fear of the unfamiliar, and more that shaped the region’s culinary reputation. Well worth your time.

• Beautiful Booze by Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson (Countryman Press; Aug. 25): I’m usually a wine (and sometimes beer) kind of woman, but other times I’m all about the cocktail. In these days of self-isolation, there’s something fun about coming up with the perfect afternoon, evening, or weekend drink to brighten your day and make you dream about a future when you can invite your friends and family into your house again. The “beautiful” part of the title of this cocktail recipe book isn’t a lie: the photos and the drinks themselves are simply gorgeous. I’m not kidding. The book includes all the expected information about stocking your bar, picking glassware, learning mixing techniques, and making homemade syrups. The drinks look heavenly.
• Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg (Artisan; May 2): This wonderful vegetable-forward cookbook is just what you want to guide you through your year of veggies. I can’t wait until I can go to the farmer’s market again and explore all the freshest produce of the season; when that day happens, this is the cookbook I want by my side. In the meantime, I can use the recipes to make the most of grocery store curbside pickup. Although the recipes are centered on seasonal vegetables, this is not a fully vegetarian cookbook, so if you don’t eat meat, you’ll want to look through this before you buy it. Wondering about the six seasons? Summer is divided up into early, mid, and late harvests.
• The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook by Lucy Vaserfirer (Harvard Common Press; Aug 4): I’m inspired by this down-to-earth, easy-to-follow guide to making homemade noodles. The techniques sections cover all kinds of pasta makers, from sheeters to cutters to extruders, including stand-alone electric machines, hand-cranked machines, and attachments to a mixer. The recipes look easy and fun, and Vaserfirer provides directions for gluten-free pasta too. I’m waiting for cooler weather to give these recipes a try, although now that I think about it, quarantine is the perfect time to perfect your pasta-making skills. Great photos and clear directions throughout.

• Unvarnished by Eric Alperin and Deborah Stoll (Harper Wave; June 23): This memoir has been billed as the Kitchen Confidential of the bartending world. That alone would get me to read this, but the book has also won tons of praise for its candid perspective of life on the other side of the bar. Alperin extolls the professional side of his chosen career, dispelling the notion that a good mixologist is somehow in limbo waiting for his or her "real" job opportunities to appear. I haven’t read this yet, but it’s currently at the top of my fall reading stack.
• Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table by Carole Bumpus (She Writes Press; Aug. 18): In this second travelogue, food adventure, memoir mashup, Bumpus takes us to Normandy, Brittany, Loire, and Auvergne, where she met local families, learning about their foods, recipes, and traditions while cooking and talking at the kitchen table. If you’re interested in authentic French foods and wines, have a love of travel, and understand the importance of family, you’ll love Bumpus’s books. I’m reading this slowly, savoring every (tasty) word.
• Women in the Kitchen by Anne Willan (Scribner; Aug. 11): Willan’s books have a permanent place in my personal cookbook collection. Her latest is a look at a dozen women who lived and cooked at some point during the last 300 years and who (as the subtitle suggests) had a major influence on the way we eat and cook. I just received my review copy of this book (as in yesterday!), and I can’t wait to dive in. The book consists of short biographies and then a sampling of each woman’s recipes. I might not make Hannah Woolley’s seventeenth-century recipes, but I’ve already cooked from books written by Edna Lewis, Irma Rombauer, and many of the others. I’m looking forward to learning more!

Thanks to the publishers for providing review copies of these titles. Fuller reviews will be available on Goodreads or Instagram sometime during the following weeks.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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Weekend Cooking: Reading, Eating, Organzing

Is it spring yet? It's still snowing around here, so despite what the calendar says, I'll be wearing sweaters for at least a month. On the other hand, I had my first asparagus of the season this week, and I'll soon break down and buy strawberries. Our local produce is 8-10 weeks away (unless you have a greenhouse).

Today's post is all about some food-related books I've been reading. Although I didn't cook anything new and exciting for dinner this week, we discovered a pretty yummy (and easy) cheese spread from Bon Appetit last month and made it again last weekend. I need to share that recipe with you. Finally, I'm doing some spring cleaning in my kitchen and have a cool resource to tell you about.

A few new cookbooks are winging (trucking?) their way to me as I type, so you can look for some reviews and new recipes coming up soon.

Food for Thought

• Do you know anyone who isn't on some kind of diet? Calorie restricting, vegan, paleo, keto, FODMAP . . . it seems as if no one just eats anymore. This is one of the issues Caroline Dooner addresses in her The Fuck It Diet: Eating Should Be Easy (Harper Wave, March 26). Granted, some people have serious medical reasons for avoiding some kinds of foods, and Dooner fully recognizes this fact. Still, she believes the $60-billion-a-year dieting industry is mostly harming us. Her book is about having a better relationship with food, your weight, and your body image. Citing many peer-reviewed research articles, she questions the idea that skinny is always healthier and encourages people to just eat what they want and when they want. The idea is that once food is only food, you'll find your own set point and many (all?) of your food cravings will disappear. I'm not going to argue one way or another, but it made for an interesting read. Find more information on Dooner's website.
• In a similar vein, Virginia Sole-Smith's The Eating Instinct (Abrams, Nov. 2018) asks why something so vital to life itself--food--has so much judgment associated with it. Why is it that some foods are good and other foods are bad? Her book begins and ends as memoir, particularly focusing on her elder daughter's medical issues that resulted in long bouts with a feeding tube before the girl was even a year old. For the bulk of the book, Sole-Smith, a professional journalist, reports on her investigation into other ways modern humans relate to food, often influenced by economics, food aversions, and body image. The title is a nod to the idea that we've seemed to have lost our natural eating instincts. I liked the personal stories and interviews and was happy to see Sole-Smith question why healthcare and diet experts think there is only one best body type. Find more information on Sole-Smith's website.
• I'm about halfway through Boris Fishman's interesting memoir Savage Feast (Harper, Feb.), which is part food memoir and part modern-day immigration story. From Eastern Europe at the end of World War II to Brooklyn, New York, four decades later, three generations of his family shared food through hardships and bounty in several countries. I've been reading this book slowly because it fits my current mood to do so. If you or anyone in your family was born elsewhere, you'll have a lot to relate to here. Of course, one of the huge draws for me are the many recipes scattered throughout the book, which reflect the family's movements across Europe until the finally made it through immigration inspections to settle in the United States. I may have to try a few of those dishes and see how they compare to my own family's recipes.
• I've been in the hold line for SkinnyTaste's One and Done (Clarkson Potter, Oct. 2018) for what feels like a thousand years. I know many of the recipes are available on the SkinnyTaste website, but I really  wanted to look through the book. My copy became available yesterday, and I plan to (digitally) flip through it over the weekend. I'm curious: do any of you have an air fryer? If so, do you use it? Is it worth the money? Right now, I'll concentrate on the recipes for the pressure cooker, slow cooker, and traditional stove/oven.
• Thanks to the publishers for the first three books, and thanks to the library for the last one.

Yummy Recipe

In the February issue of Bon Appetit, we discovered a tasty and easy Cheddar cheese spread which we first served on Super Bowl Sunday with good success. Last weekend, my husband went to a friend's for a guys' night and made this again. He said everyone really liked it and it was a good for both before dinner and later while they played cards, pool, and darts.

This dip works well with vegetables, pitas, pretzels, crackers, and corn chips (like Bugles or Frito's). You can thank me, and Bon Appetit now.

The recipe can also be found on the magazine's website.

Spicy Cheese Spread
8 ounces cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more

Blend cheddar, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne in a food processor until smooth, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; season with more cayenne.

Do Ahead: Cheese spread can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Free Printables

Don't be jealous, but one of my weekend goals is to clean out and organize my freezers. I have no idea what's lurking in the dark recesses of the shelves! I think it's been about a year since I emptied them and took inventory of what's on hand. Over on the Fun Cheap or Free blog, I found some useful and pretty inventory checklists for the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry. They're free to download, so check it out. While there, you might want to read through some of Jordan's advice for how to get organized.

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Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
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12 Nonfiction Recommendations for November

If you've been reading book blogs this week, then you are likely to have seen a least a couple of nonfiction reading lists because (as I mentioned on Monday) Nonfiction November is up and running. Here are just some of the true stories that are awaiting my attention.

About this list: I restricted myself to books published this fall and chose only a few titles in three broad categories. In addition I decided to feature books I own. The backlist is brimming over with fabulous nonficiton titles, and I hardly own even a small percentage of the frontlist. Consider this list a good jumping-off place, and be sure to visit the official Nonfiction November post to learn how you can participate and to discover more recommended nonfiction books.

Memoir

Memoirs come in many forms from inspirational to autobiography to humor. My picks today have a literary foundation and are written by three novelists and the daughter of a publisher.

• The Fortress by Danielle Trussoni (Dey Street Books): The author of Angelology writes about her ex-marriage to a Bulgarian writer and their isolated life in France that she eventually needed to leave.
• North of Crazy by Neltje (St. Martin's Press): The daughter of publishing great Nelson Doubleday takes us inside the life of privilege to reveal its less glamorous side and her decision to take a different, independent path.
• The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre (Viking Books): The best-selling author opens up about his work for British intelligence during the cold war, his travels around the world, and the people and events that influenced his work and his life.
• Marrow by Elizabeth Lesser (Harper Wave): The author of Broken Open talks about her love for her sister, her decision to donate bone marrow to her, and their life together.

Food Writing

Oh I bet you're really surprised that food writing would appear on my list of recommended nonfiction titles. I had a hard time narrowing down my choices, but here is a mix of science, history, and cultural perspectives.

• Modified by Caitlin Shetterly (Putnam): When she learned that her son was allergic to genetically modified corn, this journalist set out to investigate the prevalence of GMOs from the cornfield to the food manufactures to the home kitchen.
• Butter by Elaine Khosrova (Algonquin): The fascinating history of butter from early herders to modern-day artisans, told by an award-winning food writer and pastry chef.
• Treyf by Elissa Altman (NAL): A memoir of food, family, cultural  traditions, and adapting to modern life from the 1940s to modern times. (Note: also good for Jewish Book Month.)
• Grape Olive Pig by Matt Goulding (Harper Wave): Part travelogue, part culinary guide, part love story to a country, a well-known food writer takes us on an unforgettable journey through Spain, his adoptive home.

Women in History

From a very young age, I've rated biography among my very favorite books. Today I feature books that introduce us to a variety of fascinating women: authors, mathematicians, trailblazers, and ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances.

• Not Just Jane by Shelley DeWees (Harper Perennial): Meet seven other women--besides Austen and the Bronte sisters--who were writing and publishing books in Brittan from the mid-eighteenth century on.
• Les Parisiennes by Anne Sebba (St. Martin's Press): A well-researched examination of how the Nazi occupation of Paris affected the lives of the city's women.
• Wonder Women by Sam Maggs (Quirk Books): The stories of twenty-five real-life women heroes, who were "innovators, inventors,  and trailblazers who changed history."
• Hidden Figures by Margo Lee Shetterly (William Morrow): A NASA historian tells the world about the five African American women mathematicians who helped lay the foundations of the U.S. space program. (Book to movie alert!)

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Reading on Topic: 3 Books for Dog Lovers

Although the Beth Fish Reads household is currently petless (sad face), we both grew up in families of dog lovers and have a soft spot in our hearts for four-legged companions.

All three books in today's Reading On Topic: Dogs are perfect for animal lovers. The first might turn you into an animal rights activist, and the others will make you smile and maybe even cry a little. In any case, you'll want to add all of them to your reading list.

A Matter of Breeding by Michael Brandow (Beacon Press, 2015, ISBN: 9780807033432). This is a well-crafted exposé on how kennel clubs, dog shows, and status-seeking humans have caused much pain and suffering for their dog companions--all in the name of purity of breed. Journalist turned dog-care professional, Brandow relies on a combination of research and personal experience to demonstrate how breeding for "desirable" traits has led to numerous medical problems for the dogs in question. For example, some breeds have chronic breathing problems, congenitally weak bones, and even digestive issues. Written in an easy-to-read style, A Matter of Breeding is an important book for every dog lover.

Good Dog edited by David Dibenedetto (HarperWave, 2014, ISBN: 9780062242358). Editor Dibenedetto put together a collection of beautifully written short pieces about man's best friend, all of which first appeared in the "Good Dog" column of Garden & Gun magazine. All kinds of authors--from novelist Jill McCorkle to humorist Roy Blount Jr and journalist T. Edward Nickens--contributed their recollections of working dogs, rescue dogs, and family companions. Humor, love, and respect radiate from these personal stories of people and their pets. Some of my favorites are the stories of the role dogs played in bringing couples together and the sweet recollections of favorite childhood pets. Put Good Dog on your bedside table and read these moving tales (tails?) one or two at a time.

Dog Crazy by Meg Donohue (William Morrow, 2015, ISBN: 9780062331038). Author Meg Donohue makes no secret of her love of furry friendship in her newest novel. This story is about Maggie Brennan, who works as a pet bereavement counselor and volunteers as a dog rescuer, and focuses on how important our pets are in our daily lives and how their love can heal the most troubled soul. The deep emotions surrounding the loss of a much-loved dog are lightened with humor, romance, and a mystery. I haven't yet read this novel, but the reviews of Dog Crazy assure me that despite the potential for tears, the story is ultimately uplifting. This sounds like the perfect read for a lazy Saturday afternoon, especially with a cup of tea and a beloved dog or two curled up at your side. (And I can't help but love the cover!)

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