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Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
Deb Perelman has a wonderful food blog that has endured for many years, probably because her recipes are great and she is so personally involved. Her cookbook feels just like her blog, and every recipe has a story that goes with it – maybe where the recipe started from, or why her kids like it, or why her husband likes it, or how and why she tweaked it. In other words, her voice shines through and it is a voice worth listening to. She got me at the introduction –
against drudgery.”
The table of contents:
Introduction: Against Drudgery
Breakfast
Salads
Soups and Stews
Sandwiches, Tarts, and Flatbreads
Vegetable Mains
Mean Mains
Sweets
Cookies
Tarts and Pies
Cake
Puddings, Frozen Things, Etc.
Apps, Snacks and Party Foods
To be fair, a not so healthy chunk of this book is dessert based. Deb is a great baker, and her recipes are easy to follow if not always easy to make, if that makes sense.
Deb’s cookbook philosophy is that you shouldn’t have to turn a page to make something, and she fails at that spectacularly here, but I didn’t care.
I made her “Perfect Blueberry Muffins” and while they were good, I wouldn’t say perfect, though to be fair, I’m not sure what a perfect muffin is. I expected these to be larger than they were for some reason, probably because in the explanation of the recipe Deb says, “this makes 9 much prettier towering muffins.” Not so towering, they looked like regular muffins to me. And they stuck to the paper muffin liners. On the other hand, “Loaded Breakast Potato Skins” may be my daughter’s new favorite food. Think of a regular loaded potato skin, all cheesy, with bacon and scallions, and then bake an egg in it. Pure joy! Up next in my kitchen will be “Chicken and Rice, Street Cart Style.” I’m waiting for my husband’s next camping trip, he hates chicken so I’ll make it while he’s gone.
The thing that has been getting the most buzz is “The Party Cake Builder,” an easy solution to making birthday cakes (or any other occasion cakes.) This is well thought out, easy to follow and make your own. Worth the price of admission!
2/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
SMITTEN KITCHEN EVERY DAY by Deb Perelman. Knopf; First Edition edition (October 24, 2017). ISBN 978-1101874813. 352p.
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