Weekend Cooking: 4 Cookbooks for Gift Giving

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.

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Looking for a little something different to give to your foodie friends this holiday season? I have a few suggestions that might be a perfect match for someone on your list, whether an experienced cook or a child. Note: I have read but haven't tested any of these cookbooks; still, I feel confident recommending them.

Custom Confections by Jen Besel is a cute cookbook geared for middle grade kids, but I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't have a lot of fun with it. The equipment and recipes are basic, but the decorations are amazing. The secret is to use cake mixes and store-bought cookie dough, pie crusts, and puff pastry and then use them in creative ways to make mini tarts, ice cream cone cakes, and (my favorite) a pile of books cake. Some treats are no bake (stuffed strawberries) and some are frozen (ice pops). Besel provides detailed but easy-to-follow decorating instructions for the main recipes as well as the icings and fondants. Those dark chocolate truffles (at top right on the book cover) are calling to me. (Capstone Young Readers, 2014, 9781623701369)

Mug It! by Pam McElroy is a great little book for teens and college students, although you'll find plenty of grown-up recipes as well. The recipes are heavy on breakfast, snacks, and desserts, but you'll also find a handful of dinner recipes. And despite its title and cover, this cookbook also includes several mason jar recipes, such as salads, fruit parfaits, and pickles. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the mug-cooked breads, muffins, and cakes caught my immediate attention. I'm glad I looked a little deeper, however, because the pretty salads and creative dips look delicious too. Plus I know a few college students who would love to know how to make mug-size mac and cheese in their dorm-room microwave. (Pulp/Zest Books, 2015, 9781936976782)

The Cafe Spice Cookbook by Hari Nayak is perfect for cooks who want to expand their repertoire into the fragrant and delicious world of Indian cooking. Nayak starts with an introduction to spices, techniques, and suggested equipment for us novices. The recipes are geared (as the subtitle says) for everyday meals, meaning they're easy and generally quick to make. I love that almost every recipe is accompanied by a full-color photograph, which is especially welcome when cooking unfamiliar dishes. The directions are clear and informative, and most of the ingredients are easy to find. Vegetarians may want to look through the book before buying. (Tuttle Publishing, 2015, 9780804844307)

The Simple Art of Salt Block Cooking by Jessica Harlan and Kelley Sparwasser is for the adventurous cook, although the techniques involved are easy and mostly familiar. The book goes through the basics of grilling, baking, and serving using a special block of salt. Wait! I know your first question, and here's the answer: You can buy  Himalayan salt blocks in many stores, including Home Depot. I can also answer your second question: The authors assure us that the dishes will in fact not taste too salty. Besides appetizers, sides, and main meals, you'll find recipes for breads and even sweets. What's more, the flavors are global, from Mexican to Asian to classic French. I definitely hope to give this intriguing technique a try. (Ulysses Press, 2015, 9781612434834)

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8 Books for Holiday Gift Giving 2015

I'm betting you and I share a few things in common, and I'm probably right when I say that one of those is our love of giving books to family and friends. Of the new releases that crossed my desk this fall, here are eight I thought would be perfect for gift giving. Take a look and see if there isn't something just right for the people on your holiday list.

For six years, Tyler Knott Gregson (a professional photographer) has written a daily haiku celebrating love. That's more than two thousand poems! The pieces in All the Words Are Yours, Gregson's second haiku collection, run the range from romantic to evocative. Some are hand-lettered and some are typed, and almost all are accompanied by one of Gregson's beautiful photographs. Give this small tome to someone special and share the positive energy. (Perigee, 9780399176005) Here's an example:

I have simple needs, / Just you and my morning tea, / The moment I rise.

Pamela Paul's collection of writers and other notable people talking about their reading life is now out in paperback, just in time for the holidays. By the Book contains interviews that originally appeared in the New York Times Book Review; they offer fascinating reading for inquiring literary minds. What are Neil Gaiman's reading habits? What writer would Elizabeth Gilbert like to meet? What kinds of stories call to Jhumpa Lahiri? (Picador USA, 9781250074690) Here's where Francine Prose likes to read:

The passenger seat of a car on the New York State Thruway, on a sunny day without much traffic.

Caitlin Kuhwald's Hillary Rodham Clinton Presidential Playset is just too much fun not to be a part of this list. You get dolls and three-dimensional sets of Bill, Hill, the White House, the Clinton enemies, the ghosts, and more. You can change their clothes and their facial expressions to act out a variety of scenarios for the Oval Office, situation room, or White House lawn. Imagine life with Hillary as president. The dolls are printed on thick card stock in full color, and the sets open up within the pages of the book. There's even a pocket in the inside cover to store your dolls. (Quirk, 9781594748318) This one is appropriate for your friends on both sides of the aisle--as long as they have a good sense of humor.

The Time Chamber is Daria Song's newest adult coloring book. This volume introduces us to a red-haired fairy who lives in a cuckoo clock. We get to accompany her on her adventures into the world of humans and see our everyday items from the perspective of a very small magical being. The pages range from intricate to simple and just beg for colorful embellishment. Although Song provides the beginning of the story, it's up to readers and artists to interpret the illustrations in their own way. (Watson-Guptill, 9781607749615) Don't forget to pick up a box of colored pencils or artists' markers to go with. Hours and hours of calming creativity for the teens and adults on your list.

Also new in paperback this fall is The Whaling Season by Peter Lourie. I love the books in the Scientists in the Field series, which are geared to middle grade readers but are appropriate for science geeks of any age. This amazing nonfiction adventure is packed with photographs, facts, and stories of what it's like to be an Arctic whale biologist, both in the field and in the lab. In one chapter we learn just how difficult it is to study whale anatomy (see the quote); the animals' shear size can be daunting. (Harcourt Brace, 9780544582415) Pick this up for your young scientist.

A forty-five-foot bowhead whale has a 450-pound heart. The bowhead aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the other arteries, is at least a foot in diameter. The average adult human's aorta is one and a half inches.

Here's a cool book: Andrew DeGraff's Plotted: A Literary Atlas. The pages of this book are chock-full of colorful maps showing us the worlds and/or the journeys we've learned about in all kinds of classic books, from Kafka to LeGuin. For example, DeGraff creates New York City from the perspective of Ellison's Invisible Man, the fictional warrens of Adams's Watership Down, and the U.S. South of Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn We see ships and ocean voyages and even the five stages of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Each map or set of maps is introduced by a short essay (written by Daniel Harmon), identifying the original book or myth or poem or story. (Zest, 9781936976867). Engrossing browsing ahead for the literary set.

Baby boomers, Mad magazine fans, comics lovers, and cold war fanatics will all love Spy vs Spy, edited by John Ficarra. This volume collects 150 classic "Spy vs Spy" comic strips that were first published in the irreverent magazine. No matter your age, you'll find plenty to laugh at as the pointy-nosed spies attempt to thwart each other at every turn. They stop at nothing and will use every lowdown trick they can thing of. The cold war may be over, but East still fights West and spies are among us. Don't miss the short introduction by the comedian Lewis Black. (Liberty Street, 9781618931597) Children of boomers: here's the perfect gift for your liberal parents. This is also recommended to anyone you know who has a warped (in a good way) sense of humor.

The final suggestion on this list is Steve Turner's The Complete Beatles Songs. This large book contains stories, lyrics, history, and trivia about every song the Beatles ever recorded. (Note that the book doesn't include music or chords.) The text is accompanied by many photographs, some of which will be familiar and others that you may not have seen before. Turner describes the circumstances that inspired the songs, the meanings of the lyrics, and the interpersonal dynamics of the group as they went through the various stages of their career: the changing musical styles, the Eastern influences, and so on. (Dey Street, 9780062447340) This is a must-have addition to any music lover's library. Here's John looking back to 1963:

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" materialized when Paul came up with an opening line, then hit a chord on the piano. I turned to him and said, "That's it! Do that again!" In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that--both playing into each other's noses.

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8 Books to Satisfy the Nonfiction Reader in You

The other day I was chatting with friends on Twitter about reading nonfiction and was encouraged and inspired by them to write about true stories that I've read and/or that have caught my attention. Here then is roundup of eight nonfiction reads picked at random from my shelves. Look for more suggestions in the coming weeks.

Science and Medicine

Margaret Lazarus Dean's Leaving Orbit (Graywolf, 9781555977092, May 2015): This award-wining account of the end of the American Dream in space is both well researched and very personal. If you're too young to remember the first manned space program or weren't yet born when we first stepped foot on the moon, it's hard to convey the collective excitement and interest Americans had for NASA and space travel. Dean brings those feelings alive in Leaving Orbit, detailing a variety aspects of the U.S. space program, from the vehicles to the funding issues to the personalities. I agree with the Kirkus reviewer who predicts that you won't be able to stop reading.

Alexandra Robbins's The Nurses (Workman, 9780761171713, April 2015): This book-length piece of investigative journalism looks at the women and men who become our anchors when we're at our worst. Robbins followed four RNs for a year, shedding light on the truth of what it's like to be a nurse. These important healthcare providers are caught between patients and doctors and between policy and compassion, working long hours under enormous pressure. But The Nurses isn't just a song to the profession, it's an insiders' look at the way hospitals really work. Be prepared to be both shocked and awed.

Manners and Secrets

Henry Hitchings's Sorry! (Picador, 9781250056153, December 2014): One of the many things I learned when I lived (briefly) in the UK was that despite our historical connections, social norms in England are not necessarily the same as they are in the States. I haven't read this one yet, but the publisher's summary caught my attention: "Sorry! presents an amusing, illuminating, and quirky audit of English manners." Hitchings uses a "blend of history, anthropology, and personal journey [to help] us understand the bizarre and contested cultural baggage" of what passes as good manners. Looks good, eh?

Julie Tibbott's Members Only (Zest Books, 9781936976522, February 2015): This is a fun and informative look at all things secret society. Ever want to better understand the Knights Templar, wish you knew what it really means to be a Freemason, curious about cults, or how about getting a peek inside the famous Magic Castle in L.A.? I loved learning the meaning behind various familiar symbols, the requirements to join exclusive clubs, and some of the associated stories and scandals. This was great fun to read.

Spies and the Mafia

Scott C. Johnson's The Wolf and the Watchman (Norton, 9780393349436, May 2014): I'm not at all sure why I haven't read this yet because it sounds amazing. Johnson writes about what it was like to be the son of a real-life CIA spy. Here's what I've learned about Johnson's book: Although being the son of a spy sounds kind of glamorous, the reality is that your father makes his living by hiding the truth and manipulating situations to gain knowledge and data. In reaction, Johnson grew up to be a foreign correspondent, making his living uncovering the truth about wars and other global situations. Johnson writes about the tensions and reconciliations that colored his relationship with his father, especially when their careers were at cross-purposes.

George Anastasia's Gotti's Rules (Dey Street, 9780062346872, January 2015): What is it about the American Mafia that fascinates us? We can't seem to get enough movies, books, and TV shows about the mob. Anastasia takes a look at the Gotti family and the code they lived by to run the infamous Gambino syndicate. Using firsthand accounts, insiders' information, interviews, and FBI files, Anastasia unveils the truth behind the legend. It's probably no surprise that the Mafia code is less about honor and more about power and greed, but the details of the crimes and violence and of the behavior of the bosses are fascinating and startling.

History and Mystery

Andrew Roberts's Napoleon (Viking, 9780670025329, November 2014): Biography is one of my all-time favorite genres, especially when as well-written as is this account of the famous general. Although other biographies exist, Roberts's is the first to have been based not only on historical accounts but also on the tens of thousands of surviving letters from Napoleon himself. This is an amazingly accessible and utterly fascinating story of a man who has often been misrepresented and misunderstood. He was smart and curious, loved art, and ran an army and empire while trying to stay true to his vision and hold off his detractors. From Napoleon's birth to his political rise and fall, you'll be glued to the pages.

Hannah Nordhaus's American Ghost (Harper, 9780062249210, March 2015): True confession: I'm never going to read this book! I'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to ghosts, and this true story is probably a little too creepy for me. My husband, however, is looking forward to American Ghost and will give me the scoop when he finishes reading about the author's great-great-grandmother and the reports of her haunting of a present-day Santa Fe hotel, which used to be her home in the 1800s. To determine the veracity of the stories, Nordhaus studied her family history and the pioneer life as well as twenty-first-century psychics and ghost hunters. Will Nordhaus's investigation prove the existence of the ghost? I'm waiting for somebody to tell me.

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Weekend Cooking: The Green Teen Cookbook edited by Laurane Marchive and Pam McElroy

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. 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. For more information, see the welcome post.

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Earlier this summer when I was at BookExpo America, I spent some time looking through the booths for cookbooks. Laurane Marchive and Pam McElroy's The Green Teen Cookbook caught my eye because I know so many high schoolers and college students who are interested in cooking but want recipes that suit their modern tastes and sometimes limited skills.

There is a lot to like about The Green Teen Cookbook, especially because the vast majority of the recipes were submitted by and tested by real-life teens. And even better, the focus is on grown-up food, not glorified PB&Js.

The first thing I wanted to know when I started reading this collection is what was meant by green. This is not a vegetable cookbook or even a strictly vegetarian cookbook; instead, it's all about eating ecologically responsibly. And that translates to eating locally, seasonally, and organically. In fact, each recipe is tagged with icons to let you know when the called-for ingredients are at their peak.

Although the recipes assume you have some familiarity with the kitchen, they are quite doable, and the range of flavors and techniques is impressive. Here are some examples:

• Easy: granola, Caesar salad
• Regional: chicken and waffles, Spanish tortilla
• More involved: risotto with arugula pesto, fish curry with spiced rice

The directions are clear and straightforward, and there is a full-color photo of each teen-submitted recipe. The beginning of the book includes basic information about ingredients, eating responsibly, and stocking the pantry. At the back of the book, cooks will find a useful index, resources for farmers markets, and the URLs for some popular food blogs.

If you click on the scan (from page 70), you'll get not only a very easy hummus recipe but a peek at the clean, green book design. I love that each recipe has a picture of the teen contributor plus a quote, quick tips, seasonal icons, and an appealing photo of the finished dish.

You don't need to be a kid to get some good use out of The Green Teen Cookbook. For example, this would be a great gift for a young adult moving into his or her first apartment. Experienced cooks who want to wean themselves from processed foods will also find many good dishes in this book.

Vegetarian alert: Although there are a number of vegetarian recipes in the book, vegans will want to look before buying.

Published by Zest Books, 2014 (US edition)
ISBN-13: 9781936976584
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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