Wicked Smart

Once upon a time, every kitchen had The Betty Crocker cookbook hidden somewhere.  It was the go-to guide for cooks to look up a recipe on just about anything their heart desired.  That was our mothers' generation.  The future is now and we have The Homemade Kitchen by Alana Chernila! This is the new ultimate, must-have cookbook for anyone who enjoys spending some time in the kitchen.  The book is well laid out, well written and chock full of delicious recipes, including many kitchen staples. The front of the book is laid out amazingly well, with a bunch of short, generic recipes that you can mix and match and spice up as needed.  How do you cook this kind of vegetable?  Its in there, next to many other vegetables and the best way to prepare them for your meal. Want to make jam?  There's a generic recipe where you can mix in whatever fruit you may have on hand. I have enjoyed every recipe I've made so far and look forward to cooking my way through the book as the s

There rarely comes along a book that speaks so profoundly to me.  Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr. Daniel Amen is one of those books. Like most people my age, I have found myself feeling lost and questioning my choices lately.  Am I in the right job? Have I surrounded myself with the right people? Am I truly happy? I never consider myself depressed, I laugh every day, but I have noticed I can get caught in negative thought patterns when I think about how different my life is from the one I planned to have years ago.  I would never have gone to a psychiatrist to deal with these questions but with Dr. Amen's plan for a healthy brain, I have a great program in place to change the things I may not love. Change Your Brain is well written, easy to understand, and chock full anctedotes and photos of SPECT images.  Anyone with an interest in brain health and psychology will find it fascinating.  I devoured the book in a matter of days and am excited to follow thru the p

If someone told me to buy a cookbook that only discussed one ingredient, I would have told them they were crazy.  I would have scoffed at the idea that a whole book could be designated for one type of food, cooked one way and still be relevant and innovative.  This is that book. This book is great.  There is so much more to Fried Chicken than I ever imagined. After the introduction (Great for seeing how to cut up a chicken for proper frying, descriptions, definitions, explanations, smoke points...this section has got it all!) author Rebecca Lang has broken the book down into 3 sections: Skillet Fried, Deep Fried and Combination Fried (cooking the chicken prior to frying).   The best part of Fried Chicken is that it is so much more than just Southern Fried Chicken (not to worry, there is an amazing recipe for that in here too!), There are versions of friend chicken from around the globe, and all the sauces that accompany them! Think Saigon Street Wings, Mexican Lime Fried

Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore is not your average detox program. It is less a full-scale program, and more a way of living which sounds interesting but is not very sustainable long term....at least for me. The general concept behind Everyday Detox is that our bodies process food more easily if it only has one food group to focus on at a time.  If you want a baked potato, have a baked potato, but leave off the butter and sour cream and steak.  If you want that steak more, have it, but don't load your plate with carbs or dairy.  You are instead supposed to load it up with the "freebies" (green vegetables basically). I enjoyed the individual recipes that I tried, however, I wasn't able to eat more than a few meals without combining the food groups.  If I had more willpower or ,let's be honest, desire to eat that way, perhaps I could have toughed it out.  But I would rather eat a baked potato with butter and sour cream more sporadically than have a boring a

Ice cream.  We all scream for it, especially in this summer heat wave.  Nothing is better on these 90 degree days than a cold, creamy cone full of awesomeness we call ice cream.  And luckily for anyone with access to a stove, ice cream maker, or even just a store, there is Big Gay Ice Cream by Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint. These guys have made ice cream their life and have an uber successful story to share because of it.  Their dream started off more as a lark one summer when they decided to open up their own ice cream truck.  They threw off the dusty imperialism of the corporate ice cream truck world and started their on brand based on solid (okay, okay, soft serve) ice cream and loads of wacky combinations.  Eventually the truck became so successful they opened up their own shop in NYC and now they are one of Anne Burrell's favorite guilty pleasures. I held on to this book for awhile before reviewing it because I wanted to host an ice cream social for all of my friends

Food52 Genius Recipes is part cookbook, part kitchen helper.  The recipes themselves are nothing to write home about, at least at first glance.  Things like roast chicken, coconut macaroons, and fried eggs are all recipes home cooks have made a million times. So many times, in fact, that I almost never look at a recipe.  Where Food52 differs is in the tips it provides.  Instead of just fying an egg, make a vinegar reduction to enhance the flavor.  Instead of using butter on your grilled cheese, coat it with a layer of mayo to keep it from burning.  These tips have proven themselves to be true, no matter which recipe I tried or what section of the book I was in.   When Food52 Genius Recipes first arrived, I immediately dropped what I was doing and proceeded to go through the beautiful pages one by one, writing down all of the recipes I was interested in trying. This book is so beautiful and well laid out I couldn't wait to try everything! Out of 100 recipes, I flagged 44.  I

I am the type of girl that loves to read about all of the gross stuff added to our food these days.  I am also the type of girl who loves to share what she reads and freak others out.  This book isn't overly disgusting, though it has it's moments.  The worst wasn't even something you put in your mouth, but rather that you put on your clothes (Fabric Softener).  Vegans, beware! I enjoyed how the chemicals were broken down into laymen's terms making it easy for everyone to understand what exactly they were and why they were used.  It's fascinating how many items are used to either counteract a negative component of another chemical or to work in conjunction with it.   I would recommend This is What You Just Put In Your Mouth to anyone who is interested in learning a little bit more about the chemicals surrounding them. I recieved this book from Blogging for Books for this review.