Foodie February Giveaway 2014!!!

So, this Foodie February was not as chock-full of reviews as I hoped (must plan better for next year!) but I am not skimping out on everyone’s favorite part of the event…the giveaway!!  This year I’m giving away the following foodie faves:

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

 

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher

The Love Goddess’ Cooking School by Melissa Senate

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

May the most fanatic foodie-fic lover win!

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Mini Reviews - Foodie Duds: Dolci di Love & Cinnamon and Gunpowder

Summary Blurb:
New from the author of House of Daughters- an irresistible confection of love, loss, and Italian sweets in the delectable tradition of Chocolat

Corporate star Lily Turner abandons the boardrooms of Manhattan for the steep streets of Montevedova when she discovers her "perfect" husband, Daniel, has another family tucked away in the hills of Tuscany. Once there, her plight attracts the attention of the Secret League of Widowed Darners, an all-but-invisible army pulling strings behind the scenes to create happy endings. Soon founding members, Violetta and Luciana, are scheming to mend Lily's broken heart-and to enlist her help for their struggling pasticceria.

With the lush landscape of a sumptuous Tuscan summer in the background, and the tantalizing scent of fresh-baked cantucci in the air, Dolci di Love is the joyful celebration of a modern recipe for life.

My Blabberings:
This was a typical light lit book that I thought was going to have much more foodie elements than it actually did.  Sure, the protagonist ends up staying in an apartment above a bakery and there is a small element of baking…but that’s it.  I liked the book just fine, but I didn’t love it. 

2.5/5 stars
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Summary Blurb:
A gripping adventure, a seaborne romance, and a twist on the tale of Scheherazade—with the best food ever served aboard a pirate’s ship

The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by the ruthless pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. He will be spared, she tells him, as long as he puts exquisite food in front of her every Sunday without fail.

To appease the red-haired captain, Wedgwood gets cracking with the meager supplies on board. His first triumph at sea is actual bread, made from a sourdough starter that he leavens in a tin under his shirt throughout a roaring battle, as men are cutlassed all around him. Soon he’s making tea-smoked eel and brewing pineapple-banana cider.

But Mabbot—who exerts a curious draw on the chef—is under siege. Hunted by a deadly privateer and plagued by a saboteur hidden on her ship, she pushes her crew past exhaustion in her search for the notorious Brass Fox. As Wedgwood begins to sense a method to Mabbot’s madness, he must rely on the bizarre crewmembers he once feared: Mr. Apples, the fearsome giant who loves to knit; Feng and Bai, martial arts masters sworn to defend their captain; and Joshua, the deaf cabin boy who becomes the son Wedgwood never had.
 
Cinnamon and Gunpowder is a swashbuckling epicure’s adventure simmered over a surprisingly touching love story—with a dash of the strangest, most delightful cookbook never written. Eli Brown has crafted a uniquely entertaining novel full of adventure: the Scheherazade story turned on its head, at sea, with food

My Blabberings:
***first ever foodie fiction DNF!!***

I really thought I was going to love this book - the premise sounds so unique and fun.  But alas, it just didn't grab me despite its foodie bits and swashbuckling bits.  I kind of want to blame the narrator (Wedgewood, the chef pictured on the cover) because he was so naive and whiny.  So yeah...I wasn't a big fan of Wedgewood but maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to read this tale.  I know a lot of folks on Goodreads seemed to like this book so maybe I'll give it another chance next year!
 

Latest Review: Keepers

Blurb:
Whether they’re parents, married without kids, or single, most people want to do better at mealtime—they want to put good, nutritious food on the table, they’re looking for a more diverse repertoire of dishes to prepare, and they’d like to enjoy the process more. The problem is they don’t believe they have the time or ability to do it night after night. But it can be done, and Keepers will show them how.

Drawing from two decades of trial-and-error in their own kitchens, as well as working alongside savvy chefs and talented home cooks, Campion and Brennan offer 120 appealing, satisfying recipes ideal for weeknight meals. There’s an array of master recipes for classic dishes with options for substitutions, updated old favorites, one-pot meals, “international” dishes, super-fast ones, and others that reheat well or can be cooked in individual portions. Along with timeless recipes, Keepers is filled with invaluable tips on meal planning and preparation, all presented in an entertaining, encouraging, and empathetic style.

Keepers gives cooks all of the tools they need to become more efficient, confident, and creative in the kitchen. It will help them survive the Monday-to-Friday dinner rush with their sanity and kitchens intact, and also have some fun along the way.
 

My blabberings:
This is one of my favorite new cookbooks.  This book centers around easy but tasty family meals (my favorite kind of cooking). 

I really like the planning section at the start of Keepers.  Normally, I skim these parts of cookbooks but these ladies have some really great tips that I'm going to try and incorporate.  Like, categorizing your recipes into super-quick, one-dish, vegetarian, etc.  Then you can space out these categories so you're not overwhelmed by a week of prep-heavy recipes.  For instance, maybe Wednesdays you want a super-quick meal but Mondays a large one-pot meal would work so that you could eat leftovers throughout the week.  Smart thinkin'!

Now, let's get to the recipes.  Not only are they easy but they're delicious and unique.  Flavors that I would never think work together miraculously do in these recipes.  For example, the Japanese-Style Meat and Potatoes recipe combines ginger with ground beef and potatoes with seriously tasty results.  Then, I made the Expat Fried Rice and was in foodie heaven!  I've been making fried rice all wrong until now.  When I made this yummy meal I made it with salmon and spinach...what a tasty fried rice combo.  Also, I can't wait to try my hand at the Sausage and White Bean Gratin and the Shrimp Wonton Soup - they look sooo good!

This is a cookbook that needs to be on your shelves. Stat.

5/5 stars

Foodie February 2014!

It's that time of year again!  Tomorrow begins the month where at NPLB we tantalize our taste buds while reading!  In the Februaries of the past two years, I've read both cookbooks and foodie fiction and plan on continuing the tradition.  Here's some reviews for you to look forward to this month:

Cookbooks:
How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson

Keepers by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion

Foodie Fiction:
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (partially foodie)

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher

And other, yet to be determined foodie novels!  At the end of the month I will host a foodie book giveaway to win one of the books that I reviewed this month or in past Foodie Februaries.  Yum, I can't wait to start!

Foodie Book Giveaway!!!!!

Woot!  Here it is folks - the annual Foodie Book Giveaway!  This giveaway ends on March 11th so hurry up and add your entry to the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post!  The winner will receive their choice of one title from my foodie faves:

1. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
2. The Dinner Doctor by Anne Byrne
3. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
4. Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach
5. Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

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Towering TBR: Foodie Edition

I know many of us suffer from the problem of out-of-control TBRs...but when I saw that my Goodreads TBR list now tops 900 I had a slight freak-out moment. 

This time, since it's Foodie February, I want to go over the latest additions to my crazy-long foodie TBR list.

Here are the latest additions to my foodie-wanna-reads:

Cinnamon and Gunpowder: A Novel by Eli Brown...foodie/adventure/pirate story - I'm sold!

Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson - lots of hype surrounding this title.

Apron Anxiety: My Messy Affairs In and Out of the Kitchen by Alyssa Shelasky...a memoir of a clueless gal learning to cook (includes recipes)!

How Lucky You Are by Kristyn Kusek Lewis...recommended cozy/foodie chick-lit.

Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson...who doesn't like a good foodie history?

Top Ten Tuesday: Fave Characters in Foodie Fiction

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this week's topic: Top Ten Characters in Foodie Fiction (to go along with my Foodie February month)!

1.  Josh from Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler...*super swoon*!

2.  Josey Cirrini in The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen...such a loveable character!

3.  I liked all of the characters from The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister but especially restauranteur Lillian.

4.  Fiery Gertrudis from Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel was a great secondary charadcter.

5.  Young Mia in The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate

6.  Jessamine from The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman

7. Andy from Dinner, A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach...I'm cheating since Andy is a real person and not a character - but what can I say?  I love it when a man cooks!

8. Rose in The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender...this book wasn't without some issues, but it still stays with me due to the unique premise of tasting people's emotions in food.

9.  Bay from Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

10.  Finn from The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister...who could resist an orphaned gentle giant who collects stories??

Latest Review: The Homemade Pantry

Goodreads Summary:
In her debut cookbook, Alana Chernila inspires you to step inside your kitchen, take a look around, and change the way you relate to food. The Homemade Pantry was born of a tight budget, Alana’s love for sharing recipes with her farmers’ market customers, and a desire to enjoy a happy cooking and eating life with her young family. On a mission to kick their packaged-food habit, she learned that with a little determination, anything she could buy at the store could be made in her kitchen, and her homemade versions were more satisfying, easier to make than she expected, and tastier. 
           
Here are her very approachable recipes for 101 everyday staples, organized by supermarket aisle—from crackers to cheese, pesto to sauerkraut, and mayonnaise to toaster pastries. The Homemade Pantry is a celebration of food made by hand—warm mozzarella that is stretched, thick lasagna noodles rolled from flour and egg, fresh tomato sauce that bubbles on the stove. Whether you are trying a recipe for butter, potato chips, spice mixes, or ketchup, you will discover the magic and thrill that comes with the homemade pantry.
           
Alana captures the humor and messiness of everyday family life, too. A true friend to the home cook, she shares her “tense moments” to help you get through your own. With stories offering patient, humble advice, tips for storing the homemade foods, and rich four-color photography throughout, The Homemade Pantry will quickly become the go-to source for how to make delicious staples in your home kitchen. 

My Thoughts:
So, I have to say...this was a major disappointment.  I was SUPER-excited about this book but it just didn't live up to my expectations.  Usually, when I read a cookbook, the darn thing is just filled with paper scraps to mark all of the recipes I want to copy/use.  This time...three.  I marked three measly recipes (two of which are syrups for soda and the third was the adorable toaster pastries from the cover).  That's pretty pathetic.

My main complaint is that The Homemade Pantry is too basic and, welp, boring.  Making food from scratch isn't really a novel idea.  If the book is going to center around this premise then show some creativity with the recipes.  For example, there was a condiments section that I was really excited about.  I thought "Oooh!  Maybe there'll be some unique vinaigrettes or other different sauces and dressings."  The reality was homemade: ketchup, mustard, salsa (oh please!), hot sauce, Italian dressing, ranch dressing, and other basics.  Yawn!

I already know how to make lasagna, and soups from scratch - so those portions were completely skipped over.  Then there were some things that the time/results ratio was just way too low (but I'm sure there are some folks out there who would disagree with me).  Sorry, but putting in the time to make ricotta cheese from scratch...not gonna happen.

Overall, this just wasn't for me.  If you want to learn the fundamentals of making food from scratch...and are willing to put the time in to make basics by hand, then maybe this is your book.  However, I really don't think that this book will appeal to a large population of folks.  Too bad...because I thought The Homemade Pantry had real potential.

2/5 stars :(

Latest Review: The Lost Art of Mixing

Goodreads Summary:
National bestselling author Erica Bauermeister returns to the enchanting world of The School of Essential Ingredients in this luminous sequel.

Lillian and her restaurant have a way of drawing people together. There’s Al, the accountant who finds meaning in numbers and ritual; Chloe, a budding chef who hasn’t learned to trust after heartbreak; Finnegan, quiet and steady as a tree, who can disappear into the background despite his massive height; Louise, Al’s wife, whose anger simmers just below the boiling point; and Isabelle, whose memories are slowly slipping from her grasp. And there’s Lillian herself, whose life has taken a turn she didn’t expect. . . .

Their lives collide and mix with those around them, sometimes joining in effortless connections, at other times sifting together and separating again, creating a family that is chosen, not given. A beautifully imagined novel about the ties that bind—and links that break—The Lost Art of Mixing is a captivating meditation on the power of love, food, and companionship.

My Thoughts:
Never before have I felt like I could taste an author's descriptions of food.  Yummm...my mouth watered throughout this book!

The Lost Art of Mixing is a sequel to Bauermeister's delicious The School of Essential Ingredients and picks up right where last left the characters.  For those who haven't read the first novel, you will still find this book to be appealing; however, you will be more invested in the characters and their stories if you read The School of Essential Ingredients.  I love that we got to catch up with Chloe, Lillian and Isabelle and look at the next chapter of their lives.  This book also introduced some new and incredibly endearing characters who have engrossing lives. 

The Lost Art of Mixing focuses on the intertwining of food and memories.  The overarching theme in each of the character's stories is overcoming past memories that are obstacles to a more fulfilling future.  If you like cozy, character-driven foodie fiction, then this book is for you!

4/5 stars

Other Reviews:
Book Chatter
Life in the Thumb

Food and Book Pairings

Food and book combinations (especially fun for a themed book club get-together)!

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Go for a New Orleans theme with these menu ideas: Jambalaya with Red Beans and Rice - paired with Cajun Cake for dessert!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

My book club just read this last month and the host had the following appetizer menu: "Murdered dogs" (pigs in a blanket with sword skewers for toothpicks...she also used red food dye as blood!), red punch, strawberry chocolate chip cookies, and red hershey kisses (since the MC has an affinity for red).

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

A menu using the recipes from the book - of course!: Northern Style Chorizo, Champandongo (pictured below), and Cream Fritters.

And lastly...for the foodie who avoids their kitchen:  Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

A menu consisting entirely of take-out (Indian and Thai to be specific): Samosas, Pad Thai, Gang Kiew Waan (Green Curry), and Mango Lassies.

Latest Review: Dinner a Love Story

Goodreads Summary:
Jenny Rosenstrach, and her husband, Andy, regularly, some might say pathologically, cook dinner for their family every night. Even when they work long days. Even when their kids' schedules pull them in eighteen different directions. They are not superhuman. They are not from another planet.

With simple strategies and common sense, Jenny figured out how to break down dinner—the food, the timing, the anxiety, from prep to cleanup—so that her family could enjoy good food, time to unwind, and simply be together.

Using the same straight-up, inspiring voice that readers of her award-winning blog, Dinner: A Love Story, have come to count on, Jenny never judges and never preaches. Every meal she dishes up is a real meal, one that has been cooked and eaten and enjoyed at least a half dozen times by someone in Jenny's house. With inspiration and game plans for any home cook at any level, Dinner: A Love Story is as much for the novice who doesn't know where to start as it is for the gourmand who doesn't know how to start over when she finds herself feeding an intractable toddler or for the person who never thought about home-cooked meals until he or she became a parent. This book is, in fact, for anyone interested in learning how to make a meal to be shared with someone they love, and about how so many good, happy things happen when we do.

My thoughts:
You guys, I LOVED this book!  It is unique in that it is part memoir, part cookbook.  I found this format amazing in that it really promotes each of the recipes by making you think things like "if she could do this as a cooking newbie, so can I!" or "if she could find the time to put this on the table with two young kids, surely I can make this with only a hubby to feed."  I really appreciated that she organized the book into three main sections: before kids, with young kids (AKA close to 0 cooking time), and eating as a family.

One thing that made me feel awesomely vindicated about my recent dinner organization craze (see my monthly dry-erase meal planner below) was that Rosenstrach does this exact same thing (excepting that hers is in journal form)!  Glad to know that I'm on the right track for making family dinners with ease.

I soooo want to do this once we own a house - behold, the painted cabinet recipe door of awesomeness:

After reading this I wanted to go out and buy several copies to give as gifts.  I can't think of one person who wouldn't benefit from all of the tips, stories, and recipes in this book.  Highly recommended!

5/5 stars

**UPDATE: I have made several recipes from this book now and holy cramoly...did I mention this book is awesome???  Because it is.  Seriously.  Go get it.  And then make the Pork Shoulder Ragu with Pappardelle!

Foodie February 2013

It's time again for my Foodie February event! Last year I decided to start a themed Foodie February month and I'm bringing it back around again.  Previously, I read and reviewed some greats like Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival, Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler, The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, and more.

 Here's my TBR for this delectable month (in no particular order):

•  The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister
• The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
• Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach
• The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood

• The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila
• Vanity Fare by Monica Caldwell
• Bread Alone by Judith Hendricks
• Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes by Jamie Oliver

If anyone would like to join in and read some mouth-watering books, please do!  At the end of the month I will host a foodie book giveaway to win one of the books that I reviewed this month.  Yum, I can't wait to start!

If you want to join in the foodie fun, please feel free to add foodie reviews and/or giveaways any time this month in the linky below (you get +5 entries in the giveaway for taking part too!).

Foodie February Fun

I am starting to get super amped about Foodie February!  Tom Haverford is my favorite TV foodie...here's his hilarious food soliloquy just for fun:

Foodie February Giveaway!

Hey folks!  Since "Foodie February" is now over it's time to have the foodie fiction giveaway!  This giveaway ends on March 8th so hurry up and add your entry to the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post!  The winner will receive their choice of one title from the foodie books I've reviewed this month:

• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival
• The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
• Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
• The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
• The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

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