Patient for Pumpkins

Patient for Pumpkins

I love to grow things. Anyone who knows me or follows me on any of my social networks (especially Instagram) knows this. I started growing flowers when I was about 20 and had my first vegetable gardening experience a few years later. For anyone counting, that's about 26 years of gardening for me. I've posted over the years here about my various gardens, as well.

I'm not a very patient gardener, though. I know things take time, but I get so excited about growing things that I check daily, sometimes twice a day, for any small signs of growth. When I first plant seeds indoors I walk by the flats of peat pellets several times a day just to peek.

I love to cook seasonally, as well and each year I find myself looking a little earlier than usual for my favorites to cook with ... fuzzy green almonds and fiddlehead ferns in the early spring, blueberries a little later and the freshest tomatoes nearing the end of the growing season in my zone.

My kids also love to check the garden with me and shop the farmer's markets for beautiful produce. They are even more impatient than I and it's not always easy to explain to them that although some produce is available year-round, it's best when it's in season.

If you have children who are impatient for their favorite veggies and fruits as well, Patient for Pumpkins by Linda L. Knoll  is just the book for them. It's the story of a little boy excited to get to the farmers' market to buy a pumpkin, but finds when he gets there that April is not exactly the right time. Each month, though, he finds other gems that are available and perfectly ripe for that time.

From Patient for Pumpkins by Linda L. Knoll, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2014 by Linda L. Knoll. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

The vibrant illustrations show each growing season from Spring through Fall and what wonderful produce is available in each month. The sidebars illustrate the different stages of pumpkin growth and at the end, the big beautiful pumpkin that results from so much patience.

From Patient for Pumpkins by Linda L. Knoll, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2014 by Linda L. Knoll. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

In fact, at this moment we're trying to be patient for our own pumpkins. They've started to vine out and grasp the grass with tiny tendrils and little baby pumpkins are starting to appear. Of course, we need to check each day to see how far they've grown and we can't wait to have our very own perfect pumpkin.

Our own tiny pumpkin.

Patient for Pumpkins is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Patient-Pumpkins-Linda-L-Knoll/dp/1583947086


Disclaimer: I received Patient for Pumpkins for free as a review item. All thoughts, feelings and opinions are my own and are in no way influenced by free product.

Substituting Ingredients

When it comes to essential kitchen reference books, there are several I wouldn't be without. Substituting Ingredients, 4th Edition by Becky Sue Epstein and published by Sourcebooks, is now in that stack of books.

I can't count the times I've gotten excited to make a dish only to find that I was missing a necessary ingredient. Frustrating! Even with all of my culinary experience I found I was still scratching my head in wonder and eventually throwing in the towel.

Enter Substituting Ingredients. From A to Z there are more than 1,000 substitutions for all types of ingredients. So, whether you need to substitute because of allergies, the need to find more affordable alternatives or just the lack of time to get to the market, this book provides viable and brilliant answers to your ingredient dilemmas.

This being the 4th edition means that there are more ingredients included and more substitutions available than ever before. There are also sections for measurement equivalents, solutions to your most common culinary disasters, green and nontoxic cleaning solutions and a handy herb and spice guide.

This is a book that will make its way to your kitchen counter and most likely never leave! Order a copy today at Amazon.com and never be without the ingredients you need to create perfect meals.

Minnie Rose Lovgreen's Recipe for Raising Chickens: The Main Thing is to Keep Them Happy

From the time I first read any one of the Little House on the Prairie books I've wanted to live on a small farm and raise chickens (and goats and bees). As fate would have it, I never left the city my family moved to when I was 4 and the only glimpses of farm life I had as a child were the summers I spent in Indiana and Michigan.

Recently when I picked up raw milk at a farm nearby I saw a very large fenced yard filled with chickens. They were scratching at the dirt and clucking at one another. Once in a while one would take off running and stop just as abruptly as she'd started. It reminded me of how much I wanted to raise my own birds.

When my copy of Minnie Rose Lovgreen's Recipe for Raising Chickens came in the mail, I promptly sat down and read it from cover to cover. It turned out to be one of the most entertaining how-to books I've ever read. I giggled many times at the thought of Minnie saying these things to Nancy Rekow, who wrote them down and created this book to share Minnie's invaluable advice with everyone.

Straight-forward and to the point, but with a very sweet and witty tone, Minnie teaches how to raise chickens from which are best for laying to what they should be fed and how to treat the chicks when they find their way out of their egg homes.

This book takes the reader back to a simpler time when antibiotics were not used and chickens were fed what they wanted and raised in a gentle and wholesome way. It renewed in me the desire to raise my own brood of hens!

Even if chicken raising isn't something you've thought about doing, you just might feel differently after reading this. Pick up a copy and share it with your children, too - the simple line drawings are quaint and dear and the entire book was written by hand - no fancy modern typeface here!

Minnie Rose Lovgreen's Recipe for Raising Chickens, Edited by Nancy Rekow & Chaya Siegelbaum, Illustrated by Elizabeth Hutchison Zwick and published by NW Trillium Press is available in bookstores nationwide and online.

Book provided by NW Trillium Press.

Cookbook Review: The Un-Constipated Gourmet

It's the thing nobody talks about but everyone suffers from at one time or another; constipation. You may think that topic has no business on a food blog and would be more appropriate for a health or medical blog, but try and remember, what goes in must come out, so starting with the source is one of those 'ounce of prevention' type deals. Yes, it's a funny subject, but fiber plays a very important role in our bodies, and not just for purposes of elimination. Fiber helps to keep cholesterol down, our hearts healthy and can reduce the risk of colon cancer, as well.

The Un-Constipated Gourmet by Danielle Svetcov deals with, in a very funny way, not just the subject of constipation, but the very best way to prevent it: what you're eating. Before you run away thinking this will be nothing short of a few recipes including bran muffins and prune whip, think again. Not only is there more to roughage than that, there's a lot more flavor involved, too.

Presented in a simple way, seven chapters and 125 recipes, each recipe is given a T.P. rating, the higher the score, the more likely you are to be hitting the potty in no time flat. I seem to be a number 8, having chosen recipes with that number more often than not. The recipe for Caldo Verde is shared at A Thousand Soups and the recipe for White Bean Dip with Cilantro is here. Danielle describes this as a Latino version of hummus, and my kids and I couldn't get enough of it. How did it, er ... work? Quite well - that's all I'll say here.

This isn't just a book for the colonically challenged, it's filled with just plain good recipes that you'll want to make anyway.

White Bean Dip with Cilantro

Serves 8 as an appetizer

3 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup olive oil (maybe more)

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves

3 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Process all ingredients in a blender except for 2 tablespoons of cilantro, which are saved for garnish. For added 'go', serve with thick tortilla chips or homemade whole-wheat croutons (essentially thinly sliced, heavily toasted bread, with olive oil and garlic rubbed in).

Get your own copy of The Un-Constipated Gourmet at Powell's Books or Amazon.com.

Book Review: Notes on Cooking

When I first started school for my culinary diploma I was a tad haughty in believing that I didn't have much to learn. I was a good cook at 24, had been married for 3 1/2 years and had 2 children. I was old and wise and the biggest hurdle I had at that time was how to get everything on the table at the same time and at the right temperature. That I would need an education beyond that never even crossed my mind.

I, of course, received quite a surprise once classes were under way. I learned things I didn't know were even possibilities and became equipped with a knowledge that I found afterward to be very vital in owning a food service business.

While in school we took notes on everything and I kept everything neat and in order and in color-coded binders. Once school was over and I went back to raising a family, my notes were misplaced, as old school notes tend to be, and I still have no idea exactly where they are.

Lucky for me and anyone who loves to cook, Lauren Braun Costello kept notes, 217 to be exact, and is now sharing them with the rest of us along with the help of Russell Reich through Notes on Cooking, A Short Guide to an Essential Craft.

Whether you're a complete novice in the kitchen or a 5-Star chef, there is something to be gleaned from the pages of this small and unassuming book. There are things in here that I didn't know, many that I did, and many more that I had forgotten that I knew and I'll wager that even the most educated and talented of all chefs would have to agree. In fact, when I replied to the review query, my exact words were, "It's like culinary school in a book!" and I was right.

This book sits on a shelf in my kitchen ready to be snatched up at a moment's notice when needed, and there it will stay. The chapters are broken up into every imaginable area of cooking from ingredients to cookware to the most important tool- the cook - and cross-referenced where need be so that there is a fuller understanding of what is being conveyed. This is truly an indispensible book for the home cook or the trained chef and small enough to keep by your side.

Find copies of Notes on Cooking at:

The Notes on Cooking website or at Amazon.com.

Review: Perfect Salad Partners

Jennifer Chandler's Salad Niçoise

I was fortunate enough this month to have two products offered to me to review that just happened to be the perfect pairing: Simply Salads -a cookbook by Jennifer Chandler, and Tanimura and Antle Artisan Lettuces. What a great combo for this time of year!


I adore salads, so any cookbook that focuses solely on recipes for delicious salads is perfect for me. Add to it the fact that each of these salads is made using a base of any one of 26 bagged salad blends, and I jumped at the chance to read it. I love this book and it's going to be getting a lot of play in my kitchen this summer.

The book begins with Salad Blends 101, a chapter detailing each of the most common bagged salad blends available, with photos, so that you know just what you're looking for. It then goes on to the best-possible pantry for salad making and then offers up more than 100 different salad recipes listed by main ingredient. Jennifer Chandler has matched up ingredients with greens creating gourmet recipes that are simple enough to serve every day.

The Tanimura and Antle clamshell design protects these beauties and keeps them fresh.

I took these recipes and paired up one of them with the Tanimura and Antle lettuces that I received and the result was pure bliss. Tanimura and Antle have been selling the freshest of the fresh in produce since 1982. These new Artisan lettuces, Tango, Oak and Gem are petite and perfect. I received 8 lettuces total: 2 red Tango, 2 green Tango, 2 red Gem and 2 green Gem. The website and literature state that these have an extended shelf-life of 16 days, and they are 100% correct. I've never had lettuces hold up so well for so long and still taste good. Think about it, my samples were shipped from California, not purchased at the store, and they made their journey here in absolutely perfect condition and held up stored in the refrigerator until I had time to use them.

They were the perfect base for the salad recipes in Simply Salads and something I hope my own local stores begin carrying.

Copies of Simply Salads are available at Amazon.com.

Please see the Tanimura and Antle website for more information on Artisan lettuce and recipes for all of their wonderful produce.

Book Review: Table Talk

Every so often a cookbook comes along that captures my attention, keeps me reading until the very last page and leaves me feeling as though the author were a close friend. Table Talk by Carol McManus, owner of Espresso Love on Martha's Vineyard, is one such cookbook.

Once I picked this book up I was not able to put it down until I read it from cover to cover. I holed myself up in a comfortable spot and devoured it in a single hour. I was up and making Presidential Muffins before the book was fully closed and thinking about our next meal together as a family. I was inspired to do exactly what this book intends to inspire: sit us all down at table and enjoy one another without feeling like I needed a rest after making dinner.

The recipes in this book range from special to everyday and each one is something even a novice cook can pull off. The best part is that each recipe is tried and true and designed to make a parent's life in the kitchen easier so that more time can be spent with their family. Being a mother to 5 children and a grandmother to boot, Carol McManus knows what she's talking about. She urges us all to slow down and spend some time at the dinner table with our respective families. I can personally attest to the fact that eating together bonds people like no other activity. Children do better in every aspect of their lives and we as parents are afforded the chance to do something we feel rewarded in accomplishing. It really takes far less effort than you think and Table Talk is a most wonderful tool to help us

Broken down into six delicious chapters and eighty glorious recipes, this is a book you will turn to again and again. You can buy your copy of Table Talk at TableTalkCookbook.com and Amazon.

The Gathering of Friends

Entertaining for friends and family is one of my favorite things to do. There is nothing more satisfying to me than to be able to bring smiles to others' faces with the meals I make.

The Gathering of Friends focuses on just that; entertaining family and friends through food. This book is a real keepsake - beautifully bound and filled with gorgeous colorful photos. The recipes are not anything that the average home cook wouldn't be able to make. Each recipe is tried and true, many of them very familiar, but perfectly paired with others and presented in such a way that it makes each meal a memorable one.

There are fifteen gatherings presented in the book, from an Evening Gathering in chapter one to a Hero Shower in chapter fifteen. There is also a chapter devoted to ideas on creating the perfect gathering place - even when you think it's not possible.

Authored by Michelle Huxtable and Alyse Christensen with stunning photos by Matt Christensen, The Gathering of Friends, Volume One is a book you'll cherish for years to come.

You can purchase The Gathering of Friends, Volume One online at http://www.thegatheringoffriends.com/.

Veggie Wednesday: Two Books

I have two great books along green-living lines that I think you should check into. The first is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking by Beverly Lynn Bennett of Veganchef.com and Ray Sammartano.



This is one of those essential books for vegan living. With 240 delicious recipes and tips galore, you may not need another book about vegan cooking. I absolutely love the formatting of the book. There are 6 parts, each prefaced with a cute little cartoon (one of my daughters kept leaving the book open to Part 6 because she thought the cartoon was so funny) and 22 chapters in total. That's a lot of information and a lot of great recipes.

The 'extra information' boxes are so helpful; broken down into Thyme-ly Tips, Soy What?, def-i-ni-tion, and Sour Grapes, they're placed just where needed to add that little extra bit of info necessary to that particular recipe. I've learned quite a bit from those little boxes!

This is geared toward the beginner, but the recipes are so terrific that I would recommend this for even the seasoned vegan.

The second book is Eco-Friendly Families by Helen Coronato. I love this book! I've learned more about green-living and recycling than I ever thought possible. It's written in a very approachable way and full of family-friendly ideas for living as ecologically responsible as possible.

My favorite part are the Five-Minute Makeover boxes throughout the book. They are the small ideas that help you to make a big impact without taking much time at all. I also think the first chapter, "Taking Inventory: Getting Ready to Go Green" is brilliant. Helen helps you to figure out where you are, where you want to be and just how to get there in the most painless and simple way you can.

She causes you to think and re-think about your family's impact on our earth and how you can help to keep your footprint small. It really is for all ages. The crafts at the end of the book are wonderful and the resources listed are all you'll need to send you and your family on your way to greener living.

You can purchase both of these books at Amazon.com.

Veggie Wednesday: The Complete Book of Garlic

When I visit my local food market to purchase garlic I have one of two choices - the usual papery skinned white garlic or elephant garlic. Occasionally I'll come across a purple striped variety, but that would be as exotic as it gets. My choices were limited to those three, and I was OK with that.

Now, though, I'm on the lookout for different varieties. Wait! There are more? You bet your garlic breath there is. How about Spanish Roja, Shvelisi, French Red Asian or Transylvanian? What about garlic that doesn't come in the usual artichoke shaped bulb? Did you know there was such a thing? Did you know that, just like apples, not all garlic tastes the same? I surely didn't.

Ted Jordan Meredith likens the varieties of garlic available to the varieties of apples we have at our disposal. Would you be OK with only Red Delicious apples being sold at your market? I know I wouldn't, and likewise, I shouldn't be satisfied with the usual Artichoke variety of garlic as the only type available to me.

The Complete Book of Garlic walks you through garlic from start to delicious finish. With chapters on Natural History, Cuisine, Therapeutic Benefits, Cultivation and Taxonomy and Diversity - you'll come away from this book a virtual expert in garlic.

If you'd like to grow garlic, simply at home or commercially, everything you need to know - the best type of soil, which variety is your best bet, how to water, when to plant and how to harvest - is included here.

I honestly never knew there were so many cultivars of garlic and I am now wiser and ready to branch out and explore my newly found options.

You can pick up a copy of The Complete Book of Garlic, A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks by Ted Jordan Meredith at the Timber Press website, or at Amazon.com.

Book Review: Eat, Shrink and Be Merry!

Yes, you read that title correctly - it's Shrink, not drink - and that's only the beginning of the fun word-puns that fill this very funny, very informative and truly delectable cookbook written by the already-successful Podleski sisters.

Eat, Shrink and Be Merry, Janet and Greta Podleski's third book, is absolutely wonderful. I love reading cookbooks from front to back, and they have made it so easy to want to read this book. Not only is it laugh-out-loud funny, but it's so chock-full of interesting and essential tips that you won't find yourself picking it up simply to browse for a recipe. It's not possible to just look for a recipe with this book. I know; I've tried.

No matter how many times I looked up a recipe in the index, I found it was impossible not to read every little tidbit on the page and just get to cooking. I did get to cooking though, and each and every recipe is fabulous. They've taken healthy eating to a whole new delicious level.

Do you know what really causes a beer belly? Do you know why it's important to thoroughly chew your food? Do you know where all that cholesterol in your body is coming from? You might be surprised at some of the answers, and these girls give them and many more in this book.

Did you know that every recipe in this book (except one!) is good for you? That includes this Shocklate Cheesecake (really!):



Everybody now ... Ooooh, ahhhh!

How about a recipe? Let's go with Worth Every Penne - a better-for-you and ramped-up version of classic pesto. Yum!

Worth Every Penne

Whole wheat penne noodles with chicken, bacon, vegetables, and pesto sauce

To coin a phrase, “Pesto is the besto!” Okay, so it’s a dumb phrase.

We usually make perfect cents. Take this spectacular pasta recipe, for instance: It’s penne wise, but not pound foolish, since we use high-fiber, whole wheat pasta and load up on the veggies and lean chicken. Worth the effort!

Sauce

2 tbsp basil pesto
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp liquid honey
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne noodles (about 8 oz)
4 slices reduced-sodium bacon, chopped
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped red onions
3 big handfuls baby spinach leaves
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (see tip in margin)
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese, or
1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese (2 oz)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare sauce, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Cook penne noodles according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

While pasta is boiling, cook bacon in a large, non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Remove and discard 1 tbsp bacon drippings from skillet. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves and tomatoes. Cook until spinach is wilted. Stir in chicken and cook just until chicken is heated through. Add cooked penne noodles and mix well. Add reserved sauce and mix again. Remove skillet from heat. Sprinkle pasta with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 331 calories, 10.6g total fat (2.9 g saturated fat), 27 g of protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 5.7 g fiber, 50 mg cholesterol, 270 mg sodium


Not convinced that you should own this book? Here's a clip of these two extremely adorable (and smart, and funny) women doing their thing:



If you'd like a copy of Eat, Shrink and Be Merry, (I know you do!) please visit the website HERE and take a look around.

Veggie Wednesday: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Have you seen Mark Bittman's newest tome? This thing, like all his previous works, is huge. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is 996 pages of every little thing you would ever possibly need to know about vegetarian cooking - and then some.

In his usual casual and non-preachy style, Mark Bittman shares the basic, the not-so-basic and everything else in this fabulous all-you'll-ever-need-to-cook-vegetarian resource. It's not wordy, fluffy or filled up with extras; just straightforward and honest.

There aren't any full-color photos, but rather simple and effective line drawings placed throughout the book to help demonstrate techniques. I know it's hard to believe such a large book could in any way be simple, but it is. It's not more than you need to know, and certainly not less. Oh, and the recipes? Delicious; as expected.

In summation, just two words: Get it.

Veggie Wednesday: Flavorful India Cookbook

I don't make Indian cuisine often, but once I started reading Flavorful India: Treasured Recipes from a Gujarati Family by Priti Chitnis Gress, however, I couldn't wait to get out to the grocery to search for ingredients and hurry back home to start cooking.

Gujarat (a western Indian state) is largely known for vegetarian dishes, and although we didn't make any of those (we made Tandoori Chicken, Cocktail-Size Meat Samosas and Sweet Dough Balls with Coconut) the dishes we did make were perfect. My very-hard-to-please husband loved the tandoori and the dough balls; something I thought he would turn his nose up at, and the kids ate the samosas as I was cooking them so there weren't many left once we sat down to dinner. I'm confident that the vegetarian dishes would elicit the same response, and we'll be making them to test that theory.

I love that each recipe has a story to it, and the sections on cookware and utensils, spices and Indian ingredients are priceless. This is Indian food at its most uncomplicated. It's homey, delicious and fitted for the Northern American kitchen. There isn't one recipe that is too difficult for a novice cook to handle.

While not a comprehensive compilation of Gujarati recipes, Flavorful India is at once personal, informative and basic, drawing from Priti's own family traditions; the perfect addition to any kitchen, but most especially the vegetarian home.

Find your copies:

Softcover at Hippocrene Books
Hardcover at Amazon

Also check out, Hippocrene Cooks, a blog with entries from the many Hippocrene cookbook authors, including Priti Chitnis Gress!

Charlie! Charlie! Charlie! Book Review and Giveaway

Way back in 1999,Google, in its infinite wisdom, decided they didn't want their employees falling asleep halfway through the day because of poor choices at lunchtime. They wanted fresh, energy producing foods to be prepared for their workers and they hired Charlie Ayers, former caterer for The Grateful Dead, to do it. He did that and more, and when he left in 2005, he was serving up meals to 1,500 people a day and overseeing 10 cafés and 150 employees.

Now on the verge of opening his own restaurant, Calafia Café and Market a Go Go, in Palo Alto, California, Charlie Ayers has also released a new cookbook, Food 2.0 - Secrets From the Chef Who Fed Google.

This book is perfect for a Deadhead, food lovin', organic eatin', Internet junkie like me. I totally relate to everything written and feel much more relaxed about my food choices. I always feel like there's a hard line there between vegetarian and omnivore, organic and non-organic, but Charlie has set down a brand new line somewhere in-between it all that just makes SENSE. He urges everyone to "go organic" without beating us over the head with dos and don'ts. There's just common sense and Charlie's own preference, followed up with the reminder that we all need to do what is right for ourselves.

Charlie has a real-life no-nonsense "parent" approach to many things, especially about frozen food - stuff I've been doing for years, but was afraid to share for fear that the hardcore "only from fresh" crowd would shun me. From his feelings on olive oil and his "4 best herbs to grow at home" (the very four I have growing right now) to the section on pasta and his thoughts on why we should eat organic, we are very like-minded. This was almost like reading about myself, except that the recipes are so superior to anything I've created thus far and there were several things I didn't know about food.

I can't think of one person who shouldn't own this book. It's 250 pages jam-packed with all you really need to know about feeding yourself and your family very well.



Now is your chance to own a copy of Food 2.0 for yourself, along with a great-looking insulated lunch-bag. Drop a comment for me here, (including your email so I can contact you if you've won) and let me know what organic foods you've tried and what you love or don't love about organics. Don't forget that last part - a simple, "Hey, how are ya?" won't cut it this time around! I'll give everyone until Friday, May 9th and post a winner on Saturday, May 10th.