Food & Gardening.

Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park

This is one of my favorite story time books. Kids and adults alike often leave the story time room singing: "Hungry, hungry, hungry for some Bee Bim Bop!" In this book, a little girl helps her family prepare her favorite meal. Bee Bim Bop is Korean stir fried vegetables and meat on top of rice. June, from Readers to Eaters is Korean-American. June tells me that Bee Bim Bop is a traditional meal made from leftovers. In the back is this delightful recipe. I just know you'll want to make this at home.

This is a Readers to Eaters pick!
Readers to Eaters is an organization who's mission it is to promote food literacy from the ground up. They use books and a strong connection to the publishing world to promote knowing about food and where it comes from. They are currently working with schools and libraries to promote good eating and good reading.

Bailey, who is usually so nice, Bailey, my neighbor, my friend, my buddy, my pal for my whole life, knowing me better than anybody, that Bailey, that Bailey I am so mad at right now, that Bailey, I hate him today. 

Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, have been best friends forever, even though Bailey is blind. He can't read the same way Rosie does, he can't go to the same school... but that doesn't stop him from doing anything and it doesn't stop him from being annoying sometimes, even if he is her best friend. Granny Torrelli seems to know just what to do when things go wrong between Rosie and Bailey. All it takes is a free afternoon and some old family recipes.


This is a Readers to Eaters pick!  Readers to Eaters is a nonprofit who's mission it is to promote food literacy from the ground up. They use books and a strong connection to the publishing world to promote knowing about food and where it comes from. They are currently working with schools and libraries to promote good eating and good reading.

Yum! MmMm! Que Rico! America's Sprouting by Pat Mora and Rafael Lopez is a culinary treat you won't want to miss.

Pat Mora is the author of many beautiful bilingual books. This book is all about foods that are native to the Americas including: chile, corn, peanut, potato and pumpkin. Each food is presented with a haiku-style poem along with a side bar of information about the food. The colorful illustrations by Rafael Lopez are really a treat.

 

This is a Readers to Eaters pick!

Readers to Eaters is a nonprofit who's mission it is to promote food literacy from the ground up. They use books and a strong connection to the publishing world to promote knowing about food and where it comes from. They are currently working with schools and libraries to promote good eating and good reading.

Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother And Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart

I wouldn't have thought there would be enough material to fill a small pamphlet about deadly plants, let alone an entire book, but this fascinating and readable book proved me wrong.  Plants are labeled with headings to help the uninitiated discover plants covering these categories:  Intoxicating, Destructive, Deadly, Painful and Dangerous.  Briony Morrow-Cribbs etchings of the plants are accurate and Jonathon Rosen's illustrations are fanciful and sometimes surprisingly humorous, in a macabre way.  There are small sections set aside for special subjects like what you could plant in a Forbidden Garden - tagged with the Dangerous heading.  History, lore and interesting facts are shared for many of the plants.  For example, did you know that a medicinal dose of hellebore (a Dangerous plant)  is believed to have caused the death of Alexander the Great?  Can you guess what plant is so toxic it has taken the lives of 90 million people worldwide and is the focus of a worldwide industry worth over $300 billion?  Give up?  It's tobacco.  Once you start reading this book you will be addicted to reading it all!  (And no plant is necessary to enjoy it!)

Like many people, I enjoy cooking, and I love to eat. I always thought I had a passion for good food and cooking, but after reading this book, what I call passion seems lukewarm.

La Cucina is the story of Rosa Fiore, a woman who used cooking as a kind of therapy throughout her life. And no one in could blame her for needing some therapy. After Rosa's first love was murdered by his own father (who happened to be involved with the mafia), she locked herself in la cucina and prepared all types of pastas: rigatoni, ravioli, spiralli, cannelloni, linguini. She baked ciabbata and focaccia. She brewed sauces of tomatoes, anchovies, saffron, and pine nuts. She bottled fruits and jams, cured meats, and made ricotta by the barrel. Then, when she had cooked everything on their estate, she packed up a few clothes and her parrot, and left to become a librarian in Palermo.

It wasn't until twenty five years later that another man entered her life, a foreigner. L'Inglese, an English chef, arrived at her library and awakened desires and passions didn't even realize she possessed. As they spent the summer cooking and discovering each other, anyone could see that it was too wonderful to last...and besides, disaster always seemed to follow Rosa.

Fans of Like Water for Chocolate and Joanne Harris may enjoyLa Cucina by Lily Prior.

Merry Hall By Beverly Nichols

In 1946 Mr. Nichols longed to escape post-war London, so he went looking for a small Georgian House, not too far from the city, with about 5 acres of land where he could create a garden.  He found Merry Hall.  It fit all his requirements, and he bought it, even though the Georgian lines of the building had been ruined by remodeling and additions, the interior was in shambles, the five acres were mostly weeds and nettles, and the gardener who came with the house was devoted to all the mistakes of the former owner.  With the help of his incredibly efficient factotum, Gaskin; the reluctant but expert aid of the gardener; the company of his cats, One and Four; and the occasional interference of neighbors, he turned Merry Hall into his dream house and garden.  He tells the story with classic deadpan British humor.

You don't have to be a gardener to enjoy this book.  (My favorite garden activity is to recline gracefully in the shade on a hot day with a cool drink and a good book.)  You do need to be prepared for strong prejudices, mostly about plants, but also about women and what Nichols considers the lower classes, and accept that he was a creature of different times.  He brings the best of those times alive most enchantingly.

Essentials of Asian Cooking edited by Chuck Williams, recipes by Farina Wong Kingsley

I'm not generally one who enjoys cooking from glossy cookbooks such as this title from Williams Sonoma but in this case I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of information and recipes.  When I first picked up the book I thought the focus was Chinese cooking, but I quickly found that the cuisine of no less than fifteen countries was represented including India, Burma, Japan and Vietnam.  Recipes for common meals such as noodles, breads and dumplings lead the home cook through simple everyday cooking up to more complicated dishes such as 5 Spice Duck.  Also included are suggestions of items for the pantry, techniques and menus.  I have made the Hot and Sour Soup two times now and just thinking of it now makes my mouth water!  You could display this title as a glossy coffee table book but pick it up and take it into your kitchen; your family and friends will thank you for it (and ask for second helpings!)

As a child, I loved fall, but these days it often means too many activities in too little time.  The last thing I want to think about when I get home is what to cook for dinner, so I'm a perfect candidate for make-ahead meals.  You know the concept.  You prepare a big batch of something and freeze it in individual meals, then just thaw and cook a meal when you need one.  I first tried this years ago, but most of the recipes were heavy on the cream of mushroom soup--not a good fit for my household.  I've continued to try each new make-ahead-cookery book, and my favorite is Fix, Freeze, Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik.  

One thing that sets this book apart is that their recipes are based on quantities that you would find in your local warehouse store.  Rather than standing in the meat section trying to work out how many packages will give you enough chicken breasts for the recipe, you're already armed with a list that is in warehouse-tray multiples.  As someone who wants to spend as little time shopping as possible, I fully appreciate this feature. 

The recipes themselves are straightforward, with only a few steps and generally not requiring unusual ingredients.  If you aren't sure whether you'll like a recipe, it is usually simple to try it out by making only one meal.  It is also easy to adapt the recipes to allow for food allergies and family preferences.  Are you a fan of cream of mushroom soup?  They have a great recipe for that.  The authors write in a clear, friendly style that is a pleasure to read and inspires confidence. 

While others may spend Labor Day enjoying one last outing, I'll be freezing batches of chicken curry and snickerdoodles, thanks to Fix, Freeze, Feast. 

 

"Do you really need a recipe for a platter of figs? No. Is that the point? Yes."

Thus begins the new cookbook, A Platter of Figs, by author and Chez Panisse chef David Tanis. Although this is primarily a cookbook, it is also a kind of manifesto about the joys of eating and the benefits of simple cooking based on ingredients used only at their peak. To highlight this, the book is organized into four sections corresponding to the seasons and each starts with six sample menus to help readers get the most out of their ingredients and their cooking. Each suggested menu begins with a brief essay about its inspiration and the thoughts behind pairing certain ingredients or a particular method of preparation, which really helps the reader visualize the menus and dishes before they even start chopping. And, although most of the recipes are based in European cooking traditions (and somewhat heavy on the meat), some do touch on North American and African cuisines, making the book a little more flexible for vegetarians.

I like a cookbook with lots of illustrations, and the lush color photographs throughout this book do not disappoint. At least half of the recipes are accompanied by a full page photograph that really brings the food to life.  Even if you don't end up actually cooking anything, it's still a fun book to look through and is certain to inspire even the most reluctant of cooks. Lucky for us, there are still some fresh figs to be had in the markets, but hurry up, because they won't be here for long!

My sister and I have decided our next diet will be eating all the diet books that we have bought over the years.  As Teresa says there is plenty of fiber.  But before I pour the low fat sugar free ketchup over 100 Easy Ways to Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Minutes!!!!!  I thought I'd read 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet, by registered dietitian Elizabeth Somer.

Her strategies for losing weight are realistic, healthy and not easy!  Hope springs eternal in my chubby cheeks, but there is no quick fix, no miracle pill from a refined rare plant from the hills of Shangri-la. Darn!!

Ms Somers explains why diets don't work.  Actually it doesn't have anything to do with the diet per se; it is sabotage.  And guess who is the saboteur?  That's right me!  Or in your case--you!  The tools of sabotage are bad habits.  The author explains how to identify (or own up to) these diet destroyers and break them.   How many times have you said to yourself, I don't eat much. What you may not notice is, no you don't eat much at one sitting, but you are pretty much sitting and eating many, many times during the day.  Do you believe there are no calories in food taken off your spouse's or child's plates?  Surprise!

There are no recipes in 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet, there are quizzes for self-awareness and suggestions and solutions for breaking the bad and starting the good habits.  One that caught my eye: carry a glass of water in your dominant hand, so it isn't as easy to pick up those chips at the party buffet, or at least it will give you time to think about those chips as you switch your glass to the other hand.  I carefully read chapter six, Excuses, Excuses, Excuses; she took care of all of mine. Ya know what?  I am going to reread 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet and follow her recommendations.  I recommend that you read (and don't eat) this book.