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Did You Know? (Cashew Edition)

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That cashews grow on the bottom of a cashew apple, and are related to poison ivy?

Cashew nuts are actually the seeds of the ‘cashew apple’ – a Brazilian evergreen tree with bright orange fruit. I found this on page 405 of 1900 Ingredients by Christine Ingram. Cashews are never sold in the shell because they have to undergo extensive heating to remove them from their shells.

Wikipedia tells us that “the seed (drupe) is surrounded by a double shell containing an allergenic phenolic resin, anacardic acid, a potent skin irritant chemically related to the better-known allergenic oil urushiol which is also a toxin found in the related poison ivy.”

Fancy Nancy: Poison Ivy Expert by Jane O’Connor is a darling story about poor Nancy getting into poison ivy while picking flowers. Nancy’s neighbor gives her a cream made from jewelweed to help soothe her itch. Jewelweed has long been used for this as a natural cure.

The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants by Lytton John Musselman and Harold J. Wiggins has a chapter about identifying poison oak, ivy and sumac along with pictures so you DON’T end up eating or touching them! It also tells us that mangoes and pistachios are related to cashews.

Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins is a fun tale told to a man in the park (eating a peanut butter sandwich: chunky peanut butter, by the way) by a very old squirrel that can speak! He tells the stories of squirrels travelling on the buzz paths, and having great adventures. He states that ‘nuts to you’ is a classic squirrel greeting, meaning all manner of things, but mostly good luck.

As vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise, cooking with cashews and other nuts is getting more and more popular. VBQ the Ultimate Vegan Barbecue by Nadine Horn and Jorg Mayer has recipes using cashews for a pesto, sour cream and an aioli spread. This Cheese is Nuts by Julie Piatt has lots of cashew cheese choices. So, go nuts with these recipes, and “nuts to you!”

eCookbooks at EPL

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A slew of new eCookbooks have landed at our online library!    

Ready to whip up a heap of comfort food, or try your hand as a dough puncher (industry lingo for bread baker)? Haven’t been out to the grocery store lately? We’ve got you covered. The library has eCookbooks for all of those scenarios and more. So. Let’s get cooking!

A few categories of cookbooks lend themselves perfectly to the practice of hibernating, settling inside for an extended period of time. One such type is pantry cooking: cookbooks chock full of recipes that use what you have on hand, and many are easy, perfect for cooks at entry level and up.

For instance, Michael Love has many yummy recipes in The Salvage Chef Cookbook: More Than 125 Recipes, Tips, and Secrets to Transform What You Have in Your Kitchen into Delicious Dishes for the Ones You Love. Besides the recipes, Love explains how to lengthen the shelf life of items and answers a variety of questions about how cooking meals can be easier and more successful based on the underpinnings of a kitchen.

Hack Your Cupboard: Make Great Food with What You’ve Got by Alyssa Wiegand goes over what food storage areas typically have (and what they ought to have) and then delves into age-specific guidance to help you move on to more ambitious meals. Under the heading Toast, Wiegand offers three kinds of Avocado toast as well as adventurous versions of meal and snack staples, including Pepperoni Grilled Cheese and Curry Lime popcorn. Under Raman Hacks cooks can select from, among others,  Raman with Ham, Egg and Spinach as well as Coconut Curry Raman. I also like the sound of her Rotisserie Chicken Hacks and the list of many marvelous Microwave Hacks recipes, including Mushroom and Egg Cheese Bowl. And finally, show off your new cooking skills in what she calls, A Family Celebration Dinner, a collection of recipes to choose from for dinner and dessert.

Add ‘easy’ to ‘make with comfort food’ and you have yourself a popular recipe. Danielle Centoni turns an old standby favorite, fried rice, on its head with delectable results. with Fried Rice: 50 Ways to Stir Up the World’s Favorite Grain. For easy and healthy, try Fix-It and Forget-It Healthy 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Hope Comerford. For easy and fast, check out The Two-Pan, One-Pot Cookbook: A Guide to Cooking Great Meals Quickly, in Any Kitchen, and On Any Budget by Hope Korenstein. It can help you to swiftly deliver a meal and remove hunger pains at the same time.

Besides the aforementioned titles, aspiring cooks can pick up valuable information that deconstructs how all the food parts fit together in the critically acclaimed Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat.

Comfort and freshly baked bread go hand in hand (don’t forget the butter!). If you’re looking for all of the above as well as the ultimate weekend baking project (any two days will do) that ends with you popping a warm piece of bread in your mouth, see if these cookbooks don’t do the trick.

In David Norman’s debut cookbook, Bread on the Table: Recipes for Making and Enjoying Europe’s Most Beloved Breads, he spells out bread baking traditions, learned first-hand traveling throughout Europe and North America. Home bakers will revel in the clear instructions and terrific photography, as well as the menu suggestions, which he has designed to showcase the bread you make. A fixture in Austin, head baker Norman and Easy Tiger Bakery and Beer Garden have recently committed to baking 10,000 loaves in 60 days to distribute to organizations that are experiencing increased demands from those in need, a direct result of the Coronavirus. Norman’s book was named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times Book Review in 2019.

Then there’s David Leader’s Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making, released last October. Living Bread is an introduction to everything bread and includes recipes inspired from bakers around the world.  A pioneer in American artisan bread baking, Leader started baking bread out of a wood-fired oven in the southern Catskills. From the start, he produced traditional, European-style bread shaped by hand. Perfect for the enthusiastic home baker.

Bon appétit!

Reading That Satisfies

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There’s still time to complete another summer reading challenge before the August 31st deadline! Today I present to you a bountiful feast of books about food. Most of these are straight-up cookbooks, though some include recipes as more of an aside. Either way they totally count toward your reading challenge and have the added benefit of helping you put fantastic meals on the table.

Just click on the book you like and you’ll be taken to the online catalog where you can drool over a larger cover image and place a hold.

               

If you’d like some more reading suggestions to complete more reading challenges check out this series of blog posts designed to help you read and succeed.

Julie Does Some Cast-Iron Cooking

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Enjoy this review, complete with an example of her excellent cooking, from Julie for the book:

The Cast-Iron Pies Cookbook by Dominique Devito

I usually only use my cast iron for searing steaks, but this cookbook changed all that. I made the Spinach Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche and it is delicious! I was nervous about it sticking to my pan, but it came out perfectly and did not ruin the pan. I will have to check this book out again, especially now that it is farmers’ market season.

Did You Know? (Lobster Edition)

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That in 1880s Massachusetts servants went on strike so they wouldn’t have to eat lobster more than 3 times a week?

I found this information on page 215 in the book Good Eats, the Early Years by Alton Brown. This book is based on his TV series that explains the science of different foods, with lots of tidbits and trivia facts. Alton also gives very good instructions for preparing and cutting up a lobster, as well as a recipe for Stuffed Lobster.

The New York Times Seafood Cookbook edited by Florence Fabricant has many lobster recipes. I actually can’t wait to try my hand at making the Lobster Thermidor or risotto. For those of you who don’t have the opportunity to get or use fresh lobster, 200 Best Canned Fish & Seafood Recipes by Susan Sampson has recipes for Lobster Newberg, Lobster in Américaine Sauce and Shortcut Lobster Thermidor.

We mainly think of lobsters as an expensive delicacy but, back in the day, they were plentiful and cheap. As yummy as any one food can be, too much of a good thing can be very tiresome. Craving: Why We Can’t Seem To get Enough by Omar Manejwala, M.D. explains the science of why we crave certain things. Let’s just say it has a lot to do with neurotransmitters, serotonin, enkephalins, and norepinephrine. The author has lots of advice on how to break the cycles of addiction and craving.

Lobsters are crustaceans that belong to the larger family of arthropods. There are more than a million species of animals, and 3/4 of them are arthropods. Lobsters and other Crustaceans is a good book from the World Book’s ‘Animals of the World’ series. This children’s book explains all about lobsters being decapods (10 legs), their exoskeletons, molting, breeding and almost everything else you ever wanted to know about them! Animals Without Backbones by Ralph Buchsbaum gives even more details about these fascinating creatures.

And lastly, The Lobster is a funny movie about finding love… The story centers on David, as he searches for love at an exclusive resort. But, there’s a catch: you have 45 days to find love or you will be turned into an animal of your choosing!

Thrills and Grills: Summer Cooking

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
When the gas grills are flowing and charcoal is glowing and we’ve got cold beers!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Seriously. Summer is my jam. Well, actually autumn is my jam because the temperatures don’t get all high and mighty. But I’ll take summer for all the wonderful tastes and smells it has to offer. I’ve called you here today to tell you about the wonderful new books that are going to help you have the best barbecue on the block. So stock up on wet wipes and read on!

Let’s jump right in and talk about how to cook your meat so perfectly it makes people drool before, during, and even after eating. While these first two titles might seem silly, I promise you the authors and publishers are quite serious about their barbecue. The South’s Best Butts by Matt Moore has over 150 tried and true recipes from some of the best barbecue joints in the South. Divided by restaurant, you’ll find meaty recipes throughout the first half of the book. While this does mean it’s laid out more creatively than a traditional cookbook that might place all the pork recipes together, for example, it also means you get to read about each restaurant which will make creating your barbecue road trip itinerary a snap. (Yes. I dream of taking a vacation where my husband and I do nothing but drive from one barbecue restaurant to the next as we wind our way around the country. Tell me this doesn’t sound like a rad idea!) For those looking for side dishes there’s a wide selection in the back part of the book. The genius recipes are those that incorporate the meat from the front part of the book, meaning you have ready-made ideas for any leftovers that didn’t already get gobbled up the day you cooked.

My personal favorite new barbecue cookbook however is Praise the Lard by Mike and Amy Mills. I admit I’m totally biased towards this book because both the Mills family and I hail from Southern Illinois (618 for life!) where you can find good barbecue all around you. Pork steaks, burnt ends, and ribs as far as the eye can see. Sorry. I went somewhere just then in my mind. I think I went to barbecue heaven, which can actually be found in Praise the Lard. But all of my dreams can be a reality by following the recipes on pages 101, 116, and 88, 92, 107 respectively. I got a little antsy with the church-themed chapter titles and wordplay, but it’s also representative of Southern Illinois and so I gave it grace and moved onward. In addition to intricate smoking and grilling recipes for meat, you can also find recipes for everything from sauces and seasonings to drinks and side dishes. They even show you how to cook the whole hog so you can make your dreams of a luau a reality at your next family reunion or block party.

Side note: if you know how to become a barbecue photographer please get in touch with me. Asking for a friend.

When it comes to summer drinking there’s nothing I want less than a heavy alcoholic drink. Think about it: we’re standing out in the heat, maybe even burning in direct sunlight. Aside from a nice cold beer or hard cider fresh from the cooler, what really hits the spot are low-alcoholic icy cold cocktails. Day Drinking: 50 Cocktails for a Mellow Buzz by Kat Odell will become your go-to beverage bible all summer long. Perfect for mixology beginners like me, Day Drinking explains all the perplexing-sounding techniques like muddling and dry shaking and builds confidence by reminding us that many recipes can — and should — be improvised. Included in the book are recipes for various flavored syrups you can make at home, making it super-easy to switch out ingredients and make your own bespoke cocktail. None of the drinks actually require a specific glass or container, meaning those red Solo cups that have become a staple at parties everywhere can hold your sorta-fancy low-booze beverage just as well as it holds beer fresh from the keg. That said, I must note that I’m drawn to visually interesting drinks like The Regent’s Royale that’s served in a hollowed-out pineapple, which is a bit of work but also means I get to eat a bunch of pineapple!

So there you have it. With just a couple of library books and a little bit of planning you can rock the best summer barbecue on the block. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to wipe the drool off my chin before my boss sees me.

Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals

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cookwithoutHmmm…. I wanted to write a review that isn’t a review for the cookbook Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals by Pam Anderson. But any comments I write would be reviewing the book, so that doesn’t work! The principle behind the book is to show you that once you master a cooking formula, you open up a world of variations to help you break free of “cooking BY the book.” The recipes in the book are actually just a suggestion for ingredients and amounts, and you can add or subtract ingredients to accommodate your own tastes. Learn the technique for the item, be it soup, frittata, hash or quiche (just to name a few!), and you can whip up any of these later without dragging out a cook book!

641.84: A Tale of Two Burgers

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pornburger

I. Love. Burgers.

At any given moment I would like nothing more than to sink my teeth into a couple of juicy, almost sizzling patties smothered in cheese, grilled onions, and topped with a slice of tomato and crispy thin bacon. I think Jimmy Buffet said it best:

I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well, good God Almighty which way do I steer?!
Apparently you steer toward the actual Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant in one of seven states (sadly, not Washington…yet).

So it should come as no surprise that two recently acquired cookbooks have sent my heart into a tizzy, not just because of all the cholesterol it’s now anticipating.

Pornburger: Hot Buns and Juicy Beefcakes by Mathew Ramsey is not just the winner for ‘Best Title of the Year’ in my mental book awards. It’s a mouthwatering cookbook perfect for summer evenings spent around the grill. I literally salivate every time I open the book. This cannot be stressed enough. Do not read this book on an empty stomach. You have been warned.

Glad we got that out of the way! Pornburger has some incredible basic and not-so-basic burger recipes to satisfy both your burger cravings and your need to create something magical in the kitchen. Ramsey calls the book “an ingredient-driven Choose Your Own Adventure-style experiment, where all roads lead into the mouth of burger madness.” And it’s true! You are the boss of your own burger recipe. You can mix and match sauces, condiments, veggies, pickles, buns, etc.

You’re not limited to just ground beef patties either. Venison, pork, lamb, chicken (ground or fried–yes, fried chicken!) or even lobster can be your main attraction. There’s even a great recipe for a veggie burger that looks so much better than those sad frozen pucks you buy in a box.

And don’t stop there! Make your own pickles and condiments and wow the pants off of your dinner party (not literally–though, whatever floats your boat). Some examples include mustard caviar, pumpkin aioli, bacon jam, relish, and even bacon peanut butter. Why I haven’t made that last one yet is obviously a major oversight on my part. There are also recipes to make your own buns and breads, as well as sides and drinks sure to compliment your creations.

But wait, there’s more! While Pornburger is everything I’ve ever wanted in a burger cookbook, I’m also a rabid fan of the TV show Bob’s Burgers which just recently aired their 100th episode. Since the first episode was broadcast, my friend and colleague Jennifer was on my case to watch that show. “You’re going to love it!” was a phrase I heard until my ears bled. Like a fool I resisted until about season 3. She convinced me to give it one episode and if I didn’t love it, she’d never mention it again.

Reader, I loved it to pieces.

If you’re not familiar, Bob’s Burgers is both the name of an animated TV show and the name of the burger restaurant featured in the show. The Belcher family runs this small burger joint in a small seaside community on the East Coast.

Smash-cut to two years later and the world has been gifted with the publication of The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book: Real Recipes for Joke Burgers. For those in the know, Bob keeps a daily burger board behind the counter. Each day on the show the burger of the day changes, and there’s usually a dad pun involved in the name. Well, the geniuses at Fox decided that they should take all those pun-burgers and turn them into actual recipes.

bobs burgers with beefsquatch

What better way to introduce this cookbook than to replicate the Beefsquatch episode (season 2, episode 9)? Bob gets cast as a TV chef on a local morning show, and Gene steals the show as the burger-mad Beefsquatch. The recipe for that episode’s Bruschetta ‘Bout It burger is on page 25.

I know what you’re thinking. The pun burgers on Bob’s Burgers are so simple, why would I need a recipe to create them at home? I see where you’re going but I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. Or, just not right. Not only do the recipes go into greater detail than Bob’s burger board could ever hope to go, the recipes are actually funny to read.

Here’s a great example. It’s the Don’t You Four Cheddar ‘Bout Me Burger from the episode Linda-Pendent Woman (season 3, episode 13). Behold the description ahead of the ingredient list:

How many cheddars are too many in a burger? Science doesn’t know yet. This burger handles four safely and deliciously. The all-beef patty is stuffed with two different cheddars, cooked in bacon fat, and then topped with two other completely different cheddars. Throw some crispy bacon on it along with lettuce and onions, and call it a beautiful, fantastic, cheesy day.

The recipes are all peppered with Bob’s humor in this way. Fans of the show will recognize the way he drops those dad puns and how sometimes he even goes back to emphasize them, in a ‘see what I did there?’ sort of way. Reading this in Bob’s voice adds another layer of hilarity to the process.

You vegetarians will enjoy the veggie burger recipes inside. I have been pleasantly surprised to find veggie-tastic recipes in both of these burger books, and I hope you’ll find something you enjoy making and love to eat.

So there you have it: a porn burger and a pun burger. Not only do these cookbooks provide mouthwatering hunks of deliciousness, they’re also some of the few cookbooks I’ve run across that are actually a joy to read cover-to-cover. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a grill that’s begging for my attention. I just need to put a DVD in first and tilt the speakers toward the sliding door.

Crazy Fall Publishing: Cookbooks!

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I told my book club how excited I was for the new wave of cookbooks being published this fall and the general response was, “Cookbooks?  Who uses cookbooks anymore? Just google your ingredients and find a recipe online!”  Well, call me old-fashioned, but I still love great cookbooks. How else are you going to know what to search for online? And also, a great cookbook needs to be savored as a whole for maximum inspiration.

I’ll be honest here. A lot of the cookbooks that come out each year are at least some part garbage. They either have recipes you’d never want to cook or sloppy, untested recipes. Or both. Or they aren’t arranged nicely and by that I mean a beautiful photo on one side and a great recipe on the other.

But let’s ignore those bad ones for the now. Because the ones that are great? The cookbooks that change how you eat, how you celebrate, how you cook, how you live? The good ones? Those cookbooks come out in the fall!

In library world, that means stacks and stacks of cookbooks are rolling in. It’s a little overwhelming. Where do you start? Which books are worth your time? Here! Let me help you out. I’ve been hoarding a stack of beauties in my office while writing this blog post but now you can get yourself in line for these:

Home Cooking:

Cookbooks1

Good news! Ruth Reichl has a new memoir chock full of recipes called My Kitchen Year: 136 recipes that Saved My Life. It chronicles her difficult time after Gourmet magazine folded and she found herself again through cooking.

Heart & Soul in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin is an intimate look at the celebrity chef and the food he cooks at home with family and friends — 200 recipes in all. Fantastique!

In Kitchen Gypsy: Recipes and Stories from a Lifelong Romance with Food,  Joanne Weir of television fame and who learned from Alice Waters offers the cherished dishes and lessons that have shaped her culinary journey.

Cookbooks from Restaurants:

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This is Camino by Russell Moore is a cookbook about the unique, fire-based cooking approach and ingredient-focused philosophy of Camino restaurant in Oakland, CA.

At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well is by Amy Chaplin who is the former executive chef of New York’s renowned vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen and it celebrates each season with recipes that show off local produce at its peak.

Nopi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi  is a cookbook from the best restaurant in London (Nopi) and features 120 new recipes. Smashing!

Breakfast: Recipes to Wake Up For by George Weld and Evan Hanczor of the Brooklyn Restaurant, Egg. This is a delicious ode to morning foods, featuring eggs, biscuits, meats, and pancakes you’ll want to start every day with.

International Cuisine:
Cookbooks3How to Eataly: A Guide to Buying, Cooking, and Eating Italian Food is by Oscar Farinetti.  “The more you know, the more you will enjoy” is the philosophy behind this essential compendium of Italian cooking.

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomonov who is chef and co-owner of Philadelphia’s Zahav restaurant reinterprets the glorious cuisine of Israel for American home kitchens.

Near and Far: Recipes Inspired by Home and Travels is by Heidi Swanson who is known for combining natural foods recipes with evocative, artful photography. She circled the globe to create this mouthwatering assortment of 120 vegetarian dishes.

Honey & Co: The Cookbook by Sarit Packer brings the flavors of the Middle East to life in a wholly accessible way, certain to entice and satisfy in equal measure.

From the United States:

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A Real Southern Cook: In Her Savannah Kitchen is the first cookbook by Dora Charles who is the real deal. Here she divulges her locally famous Savannah recipes — many of them never written down before — and those of her family and friends.

In America: Farm to Table: Simple, Delicious Recipes Celebrating Local Farmers bestselling author and world-renown chef Mario Batali pays homage to the American farmer — from Maine to Los Angeles — in stories, photos, and recipes. Eat Fresh!

Heartlandia: Heritage Recipes from Portland’s Country Cat by Adam and Jackie Sappington offers soulful, heartland-inspired comfort food from Portland’s popular The Country Cat Restaurant. Put a bird on it!

The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook: A Year of Cooking on Martha’s Vineyard by Chris Fischer whose cooking combines practical, rural ingenuity with skill acquired in the world’s leading kitchens. The result is singular and exciting.

Get Your Health On:

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Food 52: Genius Recipes: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook by Kristen Miglore is an essential collection of more than 100 foolproof recipes from food luminaries such as Julia Child, Alice Waters, and David Chang — curated, introduced, and photographed by the team behind the leading foodwebsite Food52. These are inventive recipes that rethink cooking and are nothing short of genius.

Two Moms in the Raw: Simple, Clean, Irresistible Recipes for Your Family’s Health is by Shari Leidich, the founder of the national award-winning healthy-snack company Two Moms in the Raw and includes raw, cooked, and gluten-free meals. Healthy!

The Vibrant Table: Recipes from My Always Vegetarian, Mostly Vegan & Sometimes Raw Kitchen by Anya Kassoff is a feast for the senses. From small sides to savoury meals and sweet indulgences, each nourishing recipe tells a story of a balanced and well-fed lifestyle, centered around the family table. This is one beautiful book!

The Whole 30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig is the step-by-step, recipe-by-recipe guidebook that will allow millions of people to experience the transformation of their entire life in just one month.

Single Subject:

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My Pantry by Alice Waters is an accessible collection of essays and recipes which introduces the author’s philosophies about making one’s own provisions using seasonal, organic and healthy artisanal foods.

Tacos: Recipes and Provocations is by Alex Stupak. Through recipes, essays, and sumptuous photographs, the 3-Michelin-star veteran makes the case that Mexican food should be as esteemed as the highest French cooking.

Theo Chocolate: Recipes and Sweet Secrets from Seattle’s Favorite Chocolate Makers is by Debra Music & Joe Whinney. Who doesn’t love chocolate? Here are delicious sweet and savory chocolate recipes, along with the fascinating story of how North America’s first organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory came to be. In Seattle!

Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine by Madeline Puckett has lots of information in an easy-to-read format. Some of it is basic — like choosing glasses and how to serve — and most is really good information — like the entire ‘Styles of Wine’ section.

So, there you have it: Something for everyone. Come on down to the library to check out one of these cookbooks that will change how you eat, how you celebrate, how you cook, how you live. See you there!

Confessions of a Cookbook Enthusiast

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Cookbooks fly in and out of the library, sailing across the circulation desk. Their glossy covers tantalize my imagination and whet my appetite with seductive photos and suggestive recipes. I’m lured, tempted, and enticed to experiment! Of all the genres, it’s the culinary arts that push my buttons and get me motivated. Whether I try a recipe or just read up on techniques and trends, the Everett Public Library’s motto to INSPIRE, INFORM, and ENTERTAIN feeds my cookbook enthusiast passion.

dahliabakerycookbookLocal restaurateur legend, Tom Douglas and co-author Shelly Lance, have won me over in compiling The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. I’ve raved about this cookbook, checked it out numerous times and recently became the owner of said cookbook thanks to my sister. I’m in heaven! The old-fashioned molasses cookie recipe with fresh ginger is what turned on my taste buds (see recipe below). They are delicate, chewy, and slightly crisp around the perimeter. These versatile cookies go well with a cup of tea or pair wonderfully with a chilled glass of Jones Late Harvest Riesling. If you like this recipe you may also enjoy the cranberry apricot oatmeal cookies, at 4 inches in diameter these cookies impress!

Personally I’m a bit intimidated when it comes to ‘baking’, more science than art and not my strong subject. Tom concurs that baking requires skill and gives credit to Shelly who is the head Pastry Chef at the Dahlia Bakery establishment on 4th Avenue in Seattle. As a side note several of Chef Douglas’s restaurants are near the bakery. One is Lola’s where my husband and I dined during Restaurant week. The chocolate dessert I had was otherworldly!

Currently, I have on loan two alluring cookbooks: Le Pain Quotidien and One Good Dish and both look a bit exotic. Borrowing cookbooks from the library sometimes leads to adding a well-loved cookbook to my home collection. The Food Matters Cookbook, by Mark Bittman is one such book. I use Bittman’s recipes on a regular basis because a lot of them offer healthy options with substitutions (If you don’t have this you can substitute using this). My confidence is growing as I try new recipes and mix things up expressing my creativity. I encourage you to come in and checkout one of the many excellent cookbooks at the library. There is something for everyone’s palate. Bon Appetite!

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Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies with fresh ginger

makes makes 4 1/2 dozen small cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus about 1/2 cup more for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. preheat oven to 350

2.In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg, molasses, and ginger mix to combine. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before shaping the cookies.

3. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup sugar on a plate. Form 3/4-inch balls of dough and roll balls in the sugar before placing them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Press the balls of dough flat with the palm of your hand. The cookies should be spaced 2 or 3 inches apart after they are flattened.

4. Bake until golden brown and set around the edges but still slightly soft in the center, 7 to 8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. If you have two pans of cookies in the oven at the same time also switch them between the racks. Remove from the oven allow cookies to cool before removing them with a metal spatula.

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