The Delight Gluten-Free Cookbook by Vanessa Weisbrod

Delight in eating again

Giving up gluten doesn't mean you have to give up the foods you love, and gluten-free eating is about to get easier—and more delicious—than you ever thought possible!

From the editor of Delight Gluten-Free magazine comes a compendium of delectable recipes for any and every occasion. Rediscover the favorites you've been missing and discover new ones, including:

• Sparkling Cider Apple Fritters

• Prosciutto and Pineapple Stuffed-Crust Pizza

• Honey BBQ Sloppy Joes with Apple Cabbage Slaw

• Apricot Pesto Turkey Melt Sandwich

• Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Cheesecake

Featuring allergen-free options, everyday basics and recipes fit for holiday celebrations, The Delight Gluten-Free Cookbook will make eating fun again, and proves that gluten-free can be full of flavor!

Paperback, 304 pages

Published September 30th 2014 by Harlequin

I really think that I could have fun reviewing cookbooks!  I have not been diagnosed with celiac or with wheat allergies but choose to go wheat free because I feel so much better.  This cookbook was perfect timing.

This book was easy to follow, there are charts of what's gluten free, what's safe and unsafe.  The benefits of being gluten free and so much more.  I found it very educational, I learned a lot with the main thing being that with a gluten free diet I don't have to give up taste.  Nor is it a lot of extra work, I can go to the local bulk store and purchase what I need.

I tried a number of recipes in this book.

Honeyoat Loaf was a favorite, even the family enjoyed it.  With a touch of coconut flour it had a little taste of the tropics.  The added bonus was no sugar, but made with honey, so if you have sugar issues this one works well.

Garden Fresh Minestrone Soup, a nice healthy recipe with brown rice pasta.  This reminded me that I could use some of my own recipes and use gluten free pasta instead.    

Quinoa, cucumber mango salad with sweet cilantro vinaigrette was a nice refreshing salad and healthy to boot.

I will continue to try different recipes as well as recommend this cookbook.

Year-Round Slow Cooker 100 Favorite Recipes for Every Season by Dina Cheney

Make more than stew in your slow cooker! Year-Round Slow Cooker gives you an eye-opening look at 100 amazing recipes you can make in this handy device. See how the crock pot you depend on for chilly-weather soups and stews is so much more versatile than you may think.

25 innovative recipes for each season. Author and cooking teacher Dina Cheney taps into the growing trend for eating fresh and uses her know-how to make it easy for the home cook. She has developed 25 slow-cooker recipes for each season that feature fresh, seasonal ingredients. Along with classics like corned beef and cabbage, you can also enjoy summer Greek-style brisket, peach and apricot bread pudding, Asian-style short ribs, and more.

Get the most from your slow cooker. With Year-Round Slow Cooker you can simplify meal prep, prepare make-ahead dishes, and eat fresh from January to December.

Paperback, 224 pages

Published January 22nd 2013 by Taunton Press

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(copy provided by publisher via netgalley for review) 

I've never reviewed a cook book before, this was fun.  I love my crockpot but don't use it nearly as much as I would like to.  It's usually hit and miss for me, I tend to throw everything in and hope for the best with a success rate that is rather low. 

There is a wealth of information in this book.  Divided nicely into seasons highlighting what fresh ingredients are readily available.  Then with step by step directions.  Now these recipes do NOT follow in my fashion, but involve prep work.  Browning meat, caramelizing veggies, making sauces etc., which can take a little time.  But in my books I found the results well worth it.  I tried a bunch of recipes and all turned out quite nicely and were met with rave reviews from my family (3 adult males).

Summer brisket with roasted red peppers and fresh herb sauce - yes out of season for today but it was still yummy and an easy recipe.  I can see myself making this one again.  I usually have a problem with a runny sauce but in this case it was nice.

Braised chicken with red peppers, olives and raisins - again very pleased with the results.

Corn-vanilla pudding with triple-berry sauce - this one I had to try because of the method, cooked in a loaf pan inside crock pot.  Sounded strange but was good. 

Hungarian beef goulash with yams and caramelized onions - this I think was my favorite, served over egg noodles was perfect for a fall night.

Combining this cookbook with a new slow cooker would make a wonderful gift.  Highly recommend!

Cookbook Sunday: the Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

The Best Little From-Scratch Bakery in Texas

The pastry case in Rebecca Rather's bakery in Fredericksburg is packed with ultra-buttery scones, luscious cakes, cookies the size of saucers, brownies as big as bricks, and fruit pies that look as though they came straight out of Grandma's oven. Since the day Rebecca and her Rather Sweet Bakery and Café came to town, life in this Hill Country hamlet has been even sweeter and the townsfolk now know why she is the Pastry Queen. Everything she makes is a lot like her: down-home yet grand, and familiar yet one-of-a-kind.

A native Texan, Rather makes the most of her Lone Star state's varied traditions, whether looking to the kitchens of Texas's Mexican and German immigrants or to the cowboy culture of her own forebears. Best of all, her recipes aren't fussy—one of her best-selling cakes stirs together in a single saucepan. Add in a cupful of Texas attitude and her made-from-scratch-with-love philosophy, and you've got an irresistible taste of American baking.

What's best at Rather Sweet? Rebecca's customers all have their favorites (and she is happy to cater to their cravings), but here's just a taste of the perennial best sellers:

•  Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones
•  Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Tarts (the only big hair Rebecca has ever had!)
•  Fourth of July Fried Pies
•  Peach Queen Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting
•  Turbo-Charged Brownies with Praline Topping
•  All-Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pies
•  Kolaches (pillowy yeasted buns with sweet or savory fillings)
•  PB&J Cookies

With over 125 surefire tested recipes and 100 photographs that richly capture small-town life in the Hill Country, The Pastry Queen offers a Texas-size serving of the royal splendor of Rebecca's baked goods—courtesy of the rather sweet gal behind the case.

 

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published October 1st 2004 by Ten Speed Press

 

I discovered this gem when it was released back in 2004 while on a vacation with my husband celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.  It was advertised in a magazine and I knew that it had to be part of my collection, it is rare that I will pay full pop for a new release but the cover just grabbed me, I mean look at that lemon-lime meringue tart!  (And yes that was the first thing I made when I finally got my hands on this book)

I have made many things from this book, Chock-Full-of-Nuts Cookies that disappear as fast as they are made.  The Chicken Pot Pies are a family favorite, though I usually turn them into turkey pot pie after the holidays. Texas Pecan Pie Bars, just like the state are huge.

The recipes themselves are easy to follow, though some have many parts to them that make them look looking then they are, but well worth the effort.  It you are watching your caloric intact well them maybe you might want to pass on this cookbook, it is too much of a temptation having the baked goods in the house and not nibbling (and I speak from personal experience).

I can't share any recipes from this cookbook but here is a link to her Red Velvet Cupcake recipe from The Pastry Queen Christmas (which I have yet to explore)

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Cookbook Review: Company's Coming - Squares by Jean Pare

I have a cookbook collection that is rather scary, I have been known to sit and read a cookbook (and I know the only other people to understand that statement is someone who does the same thing).  Raising 4 boys (plus a husband) I needed to make meal time anything but boring.  Some days there were hits and other days major flops.

I've decided to devote Sunday's to Cookbook Sunday and to start it off with here is a book that I have had since it was first published in 1981 and I use it faithfully every Christmas season. In fact it got so used and abused that I actually had to go buy another copy of it. It was hard to find, I am not sure if the Company's Coming people are still in business or not (which is sad, this is a really good series). This is a big series of cookbooks, but it's the original series that I think is better than the revised versions and sadly they can be picked up at goodwill, value village and other thrift stores (oh if people only knew what treasures they are!)

Call your friends. Brew some coffee. Make some squares . . . company's coming! Each completed square can be frozen. Full-color photos (of all recipes).

The recipes are easy to follow, no fancy, hard to find ingredients and tastes wonderful, can't think of a flop in the whole bunch.

Since this recipe from the book is all over the internet I figured that it would be safe to post one of my favorites.

Nanaimo Bars

BOTTOM LAYER
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup fine coconut

MIDDLE LAYER
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

TOPPING
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or 4 ounces chocolate
4 tablespoons butter or 4 tablespoons margarine

BOTTOM LAYER: Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler or heavy saucepan.
  Add egg & stir to cook & thicken.
  Remove from heat.
  Stir in remaining ingredients& press firmly into an ungreased 9 x 9-inch pan.

MIDDLE LAYER: Cream all ingredients together; beat until light.
  Spread over bottom layer.

TOPPING: Melt chips & butter over low heat; cool.
  When cooled but still runny, spread over middle layer.
  Chill in refrigerator.
  Use a very sharp knife to cut into squares.