Christina's Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from a Northwest Island Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)As customers who have already enjoyed Christina's restaurant--which, as expats visiting from France, my family and I stumbled into 20 years ago--we may be biased. But this is more than a compendium of the wonderful cuisine we have enjoyed there, more than the sum of welcome and ambiance (and WHAT a view from the deck overlooking the waters of Eastsound!). Christina knows how to write as well as to cook. The little essays about discovering food as she grew up in the Pacific Northwest bring the recipes to life. They also provide a capsule history of a generation: from the wheat fields of eastern Washington to the burgeoning restaurants of Portland, Oregon, to the lovely little island north of Seattle (Orcas) that is home to the gem she created as a single mom a couple of decades ago. Read the book. Go to the restaurant. Live some history!

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Deeply evocative of the San Juan Islands, the recipes and ingredients ofChristina's Cookbookgive readers a flavorful tour through all of the area's eddies, bays, and gardens.Just for starters, readers can try recipes for Crab Fondue and Fennel Breadsticks, Mussels with Garden Lilies and Curry, or Singing Scallops with Sweet Cicely and Cider. Add to this a side dish of charming tales and worldwide adventures, and the innovative recipes become all the more enticing. Roasted Halibut comes with a story on how it got its glaze; a millionaire playboy in the South of France is behind the delicious lamb recipe; and if readers want to discover how icy Doug Fir Granitas came to be served at the James Beard House, they can open up to the chapter on desserts (which also includes Poached Cherries and Lavender Ice Cream). For fans of authentic northwest cooking and seafood alike, this colorful cookbook is deliciously entertaining.

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The Spice Kitchen: Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices Review

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(More customer reviews)The Spice Kitchen is a good introduction to the use of spice for those who have been timid of doing so. An apt description from the back cover is that this book is "a fresh new way to make everyday foods more delicious...."
Hence, most of the recipes consist of an already-familiar dish that has been jazzed up with the addition of one or few spices. I find this to be a good approach for those who are inexperienced in using spices. The chance of success is high, compared to something like a complex Indian curry. It also allows the novice to clearly taste the effect of the spice.
Some dishes that illustrate this approach include:
Curried Deviled Eggs with cumin, coriander and turmeric.
Popcorn spiced with Creole seasoning.
Caramel corn with cloves.
Cheeseburgers with ancho chile and lemon zest.
Potato salad with fennel seed and dill weed.
While there are a few recipes that include a more complex blend of spices (Jamaica Jerk Chicken, Tandoori Chicken Skewers with Curry Butter sauce), most recipes are fairly simple. For this reason, cooks already experienced with the use of spices will probably find this book a bit lacking.
The ultimate goal of this book was to provide ways to spice up simple daily home cooking, and it meets that goal. The book is also visually appealing and well-written. Combined with a rack of spices, it would make a good gift for less experienced cooks.

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The Spice Kitchen offers more than one hundred delicious recipes for using herbs and spices to add vibrant flavors to your food at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any time in between. From Spiced Yogurt and Granola Parfaits, to Strawberry Salad with Cinnamon-Balsamic Vinaigrette, Spiced Guacamole, Tarragon Chicken Potpie, Clove Spiced Caramel Corn, and more, this exciting cookbook is full of inventive recipes, information, and tips for using herbs and spices. Best of all, the recipes are easy and fuss free--a must for busy home cooks who want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the family table. And with dozens of full-color photographs and illustrations, The Spice Kitchen is as beautiful as it is practical.The Spice Kitchen changes everything, using herbs and spices to add special twists to favorite family recipes, from macaroni and cheese, to burgers, chicken salad, deviled eggs, and much more. It's the only all-purpose cookbook for spicing up everyday meals. Not just exotic extras, spices from around the world make it easier--and much more fun--to turn out delicious and healthy food. The simple but flavorful recipes and ideas in The Spice Kitchen will make old family favorites new again--and bring everyone to the table.

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Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)There are a lot of things that I love about this book. First, the authors use humor to present some really serious news, simplifying a set of complex factors that have led to our very broken food "industry". Second, they artfully show the intersection of the health, environmental and social justice issues that play out in food production and food choices. Third, they remind us that eating healthfully doesn't mean we're limited to tofu veggie stir fries and rice cakes every day of the week. Finally, Grub is really accessible, and is a perfect tool for educating friends and family members about these issues without worrying about offending anyone by saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment.
I already consider myself a healthy eater - but after reading Grub, I feel so much more inspired to make thoughtful choices, buy from my local farmers market and have more fun creating beautiful, delicious and healthy meals. Just in time for summer!

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A savvy and practical guide to organic eating for urban dwellers. In the past few years, organic food has moved out of the patchouli-scented aisles of hippie food co-ops and into three-quarters of conventional grocery stores. Concurrent with this growth has been increased consumer awareness of the social and health-related issues around organic eating, independent farming, and food production. Combining a straight-to-the-point exposé about organic foods (organic doesn't mean fresh, natural, or independently produced) and the how-to's of creating an affordable, easy-touse organic kitchen, Grub brings organics home to urban dwellers. It gives the reader compelling arguments for buying organic food, revealing the pesticide industry's influence on government regulation and the extent of its pollution in our waterways and bodies. With an inviting recipe section, Grub also offers the millions of people who buy organics fresh ideas and easy ways to cook with them. Grub's recipes, twenty-four meals oriented around the seasons, appeal to eighteen- to forty-year-olds who are looking for fun and simple meals. In addition, the book features resource lists (including music playlists to cook by), unusual and illuminating graphics, and every variety of do-it yourself tip sheets, charts, and checklists.

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The Conscious Kitchen: The New Way to Buy and Cook Food - to Protect the Earth, Improve Your Health, and Eat Deliciously Review

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(More customer reviews)You know, it is not often that you can change your entire life in a month. However, around here, we have basically done just that. This all began with a simple book called The Conscious Kitchen from Alexandra Zissu...
First off, I have to admit, while I always felt guilty about it, I was not very environmentally conscious. When my youngest was born almost 5 years ago, I realized her birthday coincided with some cool Earth Day festivities in our town. So, I paid a bit more attention. You know how once you "see" something, you see it everywhere? Well, I had that going on. So, I visited health food stores and began attempting to recycle.
Sadly, I have to admit, my feeble attempts to get "greener" never lasted. I have 5 kids and making drastic grocery changes seemed so hard...so maybe that played a role? Is it because I am ADD? Oh, and we are not rich or really hippie, so maybe that was it? In my mind, I rationalized all kinds of reasons why I could not be more environmentally concerned.
Then I read Alexandra Zissu's book, The Conscious Kitchen. And I changed. Because...well, I could. I suddenly got it. Now, I am just sorry I did not understand some of the concepts earlier. I feel bad that I was not one of the pioneers. Because this is worth doing and it is not hard anymore.
I totally recommend reading her book (You can buy it on Amazon, here). The clear writing with specific examples about how to have great tasting food and maintain a green and healthy kitchen made going green the most natural thing in the world for us!


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Your everyday food choices can change the world—and make meals taste better than ever For anyone who has read The Omnivore's Dilemma or seen Food, Inc. and longs to effect easy green changes when it comes to the food they buy, cook, and eat, The Conscious Kitchen is an invaluable resource filled with real world, practical solutions. Alexandra Zissu walks readers through every kitchen-related decision with three criteria in mind: what's good for personal health, what's good for the planet, and what tastes great. Learn, among other things, how to: - Keep pesticides, chemicals, and other harmful ingredients out of your diet- Choose when to spend your dollars on organic fruit and when to buy conventionally grown- Avoid plastic—including which kinds in particular and why- Figure out what seafood is safe to eat and is sustainable- Use COOL (country of origin labels) to your advantage- Determine if a vegetable is genetically modified just from reading its PLU (price look up) code- Decipher meat labels in the supermarket- Cook using the least energy—good for the earth and your wallet- Eat locally, even in winter - Understand what "natural" and other marketing terms really mean- Buy packaged foods wisely Navigate farmers' markets, giant supermarkets, and every shop in between to find the freshest and healthiest local ecologically grown and produced meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables—no matter where you live With The Conscious Kitchen as your guide, you will never again stand in the market bewildered, wondering what to buy. You can feel confident you are making the best possible choices for you, your family, and our planet. ALEXANDRA ZISSU writes about green living, food, and parenthood. She is the author of The Conscious Kitchen, coauthor of The Complete Organic Pregnancy, and contributes the "Ask an Organic Mom" column to The DailyGreen.com. Her stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Green Guide, Cookie, Details, Bon Appétit, Self, and Health, among other publications. She is also a public speaker and "greenproofer," an eco-lifestyle consultant. Visit her website, www.alexandrazissu.com.

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The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide: A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to give THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS' GUIDE by Stephen Albert a 5-star rating! I was delighted to get my copy of this thorough and knowledgeable vegetable and herb gardening guide (400 jam-packed pages, but not so big I can't actually take it into the garden with me). I have to admit there are a few gardening questions I can't answer. But when it comes to the vegetable garden, this book has brought all of the answers together in one place. Here's what I've found in this book:
* Planting, growing, harvesting, storing, and preparation details for 80 different vegetables and herbs. There are more plants listed here than any other vegetable gardening book I own. Seriously, it's all in this book. Things like each plant's form, height, breadth, root depth, bloom time, season and climate requirements, and soil requirements. Details on seed and transplant planting depth, germination and growing soil temperatures, days to germination and maturity, sowing time, transplanting time, plant spacing, water and light requirements, how to feed and fertilize, crop rotation, propagation, greenhouse growing, and container growing. All of that before you even get to harvest, storage, and kitchen preparation suggestions.
* Each plant is listed alphabetically by common name, but there is a second table of contents which lists each plant alphabetically by its botanical names. (Not to mention, the name of each plant is also listed in Spanish, French, German and several other languages.) In the index, I could find plants cross-referenced by common and scientific names. Now, I can finally understand exactly what I'm getting from the seed catalogs and talk to that lady at the garden center who always uses horticultural names.
* There's a beautiful identifying photograph and description to go with each plant. You could frame these photographs. Now I can finally identify salsify and sorrel at the market.
* Harvest and storage details and suggestions for using each plant in the kitchen.
* All of the measurements in this book are given in both standard and metric conversion. I can actually send this book as a gift to friends living outside of the United States.
* An appendix with a chart of first and last frost dates and the number of days in the growing season for 228 cities in the United States and Canada, and growing charts for the rest of the world.
* A glossary of plant and gardening terms, an index, and a bibliography of other helpful books. The glossary is one of the most complete I've ever seen: very useful!
This isn't a big coffee table book; it's a book I can actually carry with me into the garden.
The author is Stephen Albert and he has gardened all around the country, in Massachusetts, Florida, Iowa, and now in California. He's actually grown all of these plants in real gardens. At the end of the book he even gives his email address so I can ask questions about my first attempt at salsify. I give THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS' GUIDE 5-stars and a golden garden trowel salute.


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A veritable encyclopedia and easy how-to guide on all that is natural and necessary in the world of gardening and small fruit, vegetable, and herb preparation, in The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide: A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia, Stephen Albert leaves no stone-collard green, leek, or potato-unearthed in this absolutely amazing field guide that greenhorns, old hands, weekend gardeners, and chefs should not be without. From the soil to the plate, this manual is exceptionally penned and easy to follow. It provides answers to basic and in-depth growing questions. It includes how to plant, how to grow and care for crops, how to harvest, how to store, and how to prepare vegetables and herbs. From asparagus and beet greens to Belgian endive and strawberries, this book helps readers organize a small garden close to the kitchen that offers their favorite, fresh-picked-at-the-peak-of-ripeness small crop-and the template on how to orchestrate the effort.

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