Tuscan-American Kitchen, A Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book was first published in 1993 under the name of IMMIGRANTS KITCHEN: ITALIANThe authors made changes. They updated the ingredients and methods. A distinction has been made between Tuscan cooking and cooking in other Italian regions.The introduction written was helpful in understanding the various regions of Italy and the different cultures in methods and foods used in cooking.The authors wrote a detailed history of their family. You will find it not only interesting but maybe your ancestors had similar stories to tell.My grandparents were immigrants from Sicily, Italy. I have heard stories about the family get togethers, food cooked and customs.This book was a look back into a time in the authors' past and made me eager to try the recipes. They are recipes that are still alive not only in American but in Tuscany too.
Here are a few of the recipes I used:
The first one I made was the Boiled Potato with Parsley Salad. Variations to the recipe included adding garlic, fresh vegetables like tomato, cucumber, peppers, beans or olives. I made the salad for our family church picnic. The bowl was empty when I left. I loved the vinegar and oil dressing on the salad. It added to the freshness of the vegetables I used.
The second recipe I was the polenta. I made the polenta and let it harden in a rectangular pan in the refrigerator overnight. I made the meat sauce in the book which I used the next day on the warmed up polenta which had been cut into rectangles. This was another delicious combination and a nice change from pasta and meat sauce.
The recipe choices range from appetizers through vegetables ( in alphabetical order). You will not be disappointed in this story book and cook book. The ingredients can be easily found in your grocery store. All you need to do is add your time and your love!
BUON APPETITO!!!
[...]

Click Here to see more reviews about: Tuscan-American Kitchen, A

This definitive Italian cookbook presents more than 250 kitchen-tested recipes, along with five essays and illustrated, step-by-step instructions for the essentials of Italian cooking, such as stuffing an artichoke, making cannelloni, identifying dozens of types of pasta, and more. In addition to the well-known pastas, breads, and meats, the recipes include canapes, sweets, baccalà, chicken galatine, soups, vegetables, porchetta, sausage, salami, and other cured meats. Indexes and recipe listings in both Italian and English and a complete chapter devoted to the gran fritto misto (the Italian method for frying meats and vegetables) complete this wholesome and hearty celebration of homemade Tuscan cooking.

Click here for more information about Tuscan-American Kitchen, A

Read More...

Debbie Travis' Painted House Kitchens and Baths: More than 50 Innovative Projects for an Exciting New Look at Any Budget Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I highly recommend this book. Directions are clear and concise. You have LOTS of choices of innovative projects that are adaptable for many different lifestyles. Good for young, young at heart AND older people who want something different in homes.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Debbie Travis' Painted House Kitchens and Baths: More than 50 Innovative Projects for an Exciting New Look at Any Budget

Kitchens and bathrooms need not be the most expensive rooms in the house to decorate. Debbie Travis presents imaginative solutions for these vital rooms, whether you have a small budget that will cover only a quick facelift or you're starting from scratch.Returning with her trademark do-it-yourself Painted House techniques, Debbie Travis decorates these hardworking rooms using the affordable and ever-stylish power of paint, plust a host of mateials now available for home interiors, such as concrete, hot rolled steel, corrugated tin, tinted plastic, and more. Each makeover is accompanied by Debbie's helpful step-by-step instructions and stunning before and after shots. Discover how easily a kitchen or bathroom can be transformed with Debbie's magic touch.

Click here for more information about Debbie Travis' Painted House Kitchens and Baths: More than 50 Innovative Projects for an Exciting New Look at Any Budget

Read More...

French Country Kitchens: Authentic French Kitchen Design from Simple to Spectacular Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Kitchens To Cherish
I bought this book after reading a New York Times review that mentioned that the book featured kitchens in the French countryside that were "cherished." Now I cherish this book! It presents a very interesting selection of kitchens from Paris to the Berry to Provence, and they're not all fancy, designer-created affairs seen in high-end catalogues and glossy interior magazines. Each one seems to have its own personality and style, and an interesting story to go with it. I especially liked the quirky kitchen in Clermont-Ferrand where everything, even the appliances, is on wheels, and the chapter featuring three tiny, charming kitchens, because it gives me lots of ideas about how to upgrade my own small space. I also found the chapters that define various elements of French country style - the tiles, the colors, the furniture - helpful and fun to leaf through.



Click Here to see more reviews about: French Country Kitchens: Authentic French Kitchen Design from Simple to Spectacular

"When I think back on all the homes I've visited in the French countryside—and I've visited hundreds over the last twenty-five years—it is almost always the kitchens I remember most clearly and recall with the most affection." —From the introductionThe kitchen is truly the heart of the home, and nowhere is this exemplified with more style and personality than in France. Distinguished by striking craftsmanship, bold colors, and vintage accents, the French country kitchen—whether a rustic retreat or an urban oasis—is always unique and inviting. In this beautiful celebration of France's real-life kitchens, French style authority Linda Dannenberg invites us into dozens of kitchens that capture the spirit of their regions, carefully examining the design, the priorities of the owners, and the details—from color palettes to collectibles—that create inviting, functional, and personal spaces. You'll visit a remarkable new "eighteenth-century" kitchen in the heart of Paris's old garment district designed entirely with elements dating from the 1700s; an airy, open family kitchen in a Provençal house that was once a grain mill; a dramatic kitchen, bold in color and scale, in an elegant farmhouse in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence; a romantic country kitchen, illuminated by a Palladian-style window from an old abbey, in a welcoming village surrounded by the farmland of the Île-de France; and a casual Parisian space—once an atelier occupied by Pablo Picasso—featuring a kitchen with subtle, restrained mosaics. Distinctive elements that characterize these welcoming spaces are examined in depth, from tile work to the French way with color. You'll even find recipes that capture the spirit of the French kitchen. With an extensive directory of sources, more than 200 full-color photographs, and evocative text highlighting a bounty of original ideas, French Country Kitchens is a lush and inspiring guide to re-creating a little corner of France in the heart of your own home.

Click here for more information about French Country Kitchens: Authentic French Kitchen Design from Simple to Spectacular

Read More...

Candice Olson Kitchens and Baths Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Love this book. Great design ideas, as always from Candice! Only complaint is that if you watch the show, some of the kitchens in here will not be new to you.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Candice Olson Kitchens and Baths

Popular TV star Candice Olson shows you how to create your dream kitchen and bathroom
Kitchens and bathrooms are the most commonly renovated rooms--and also the best investment with the highest payback value upon resale. This book is chock full of tips, inspiration, and ideas from popular TV star Candice Olson, whose designs have wowed fans around the world. Brimming with hundreds of full-color, before-and-after photos of Candice's stunning room makeovers, the book gives advice for choosing colors, materials, and furnishings to make any space shine. Divine Design Tips for the Kitchen & Bath from Candice Olson 1. Taking the time to plan for adequate lighting in any space is critical, but never more so than in the kitchen and bathroom. Just spend some time really evaluating your lighting needs. What elements of a room do you want to play up? Aside from a central ceiling fixture, consider task lighting under kitchen cabinets, wall sconces on each side of the bathroom mirror, or accent lighting to play up stunning artwork or furniture pieces.2.Today's kitchen and bath tiles come in a never-ending array of colors, but there is one thing you should remember when selecting tiles for showers or kitchen counters. Simply put, unless you're going to take the time to wipe down the shower every day, stay away from dark tiling. 3. In this era of environmentally friendly design, the lowly dimmer switch has come a long way! Today you can purchase dimmer switches that can be pre-programmed to automatically change the lighting level in a room. With the touch of a button on the wall or the click of a remote control, different lighting levels can be called up. 4. Many elements of a bathroom have a 'cold" feeling: think tiles, chrome and porcelain. To balance with warmth, try painting the walls in a warm color. Vary textures by adding shaggy rugs, bamboo baskets or intricate fabrics. Plants are a great addition to a bathroom, either wall mounted or in pots on the counter. 5. Busy homemakers, here is your first mission: go on a hunt for wasted space. If you have an area adjacent to or in the kitchen - whether the corner of a laundry room or an under-utilized wall--you can create a kitchen office that really cooks! 6. When redesigning your kitchen, new cabinetry will be your biggest expense. Even if you need to scrimp in other areas, be sure to invest in quality cabinets now and you'll reap the benefits for years to come. 7. Gone are the days when whirlpools were the hallmark of a luxurious bathroom. These days, air tubs are the new way to soak away the stress of your day! Tiny jets create zillions of little air pockets that massage your entire body, without the sting of a blasting water jet. But if showering is your thing, check out the latest 'rain" shower heads - flat round fixtures which come in a variety of widths. They provide a steady, gentle-yet-invigorating flow of water for the perfect shower experience! 8. There's no doubt that when it comes to interior design, the hottest color right now is green. With the mounting evidence of global warming, recent energy crises and other environmental concerns, interior design has an important role to play. When choosing materials for your renovation projects, look for products that will have the smallest environmental footprint possible.

Click here for more information about Candice Olson Kitchens and Baths

Read More...