Making the case for instant coffee

November 27, 2020 by
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Until the pandemic hit, I hadn't given instant coffee a thought for years. I used instant espresso in baked goods on occasion, but the idea of actually drinking instant coffee did not cross my mind. Why would I do that when I have a world of flavorful, aromatic, high-quality coffee available at my fingertips? If my local supermarket did not… read more

The last two weeks: Holiday cookbooks, shopping deals, gift guides, cookbook and product giveaways, EYBD Previews & more

November 27, 2020 by
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We skipped last week's roundup as the monthly newsletter was going out around the same time and we try to respect your inboxes. While many of us in the US are still recovering from turkey comas, the last thing we want to read about today is more recipes! Instead, I'll share a short roundup of some special holiday-themed cookbooks that… read more

Gingerbread house season is here

November 26, 2020 by
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In my post on 'charcuterie chalets' a few days ago I mentioned that I usually find a magnificent gingerbread house to share with you during the holiday season. It didn't take long for one to find its way to my news feed, and this one is a doozy. Joseph Daigle submitted his gingerbread house to a contest held in Newark,… read more

Not your grandmother’s Brussels sprouts

November 25, 2020 by
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A couple of weeks ago Jenny rhapsodized over Brussels sprouts, and the image that accompanied that article received more clicks than almost anything else we have published this year. The most popular Thanksgiving recipe "by far" on NYT Cooking's website is Mark Bittman's Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic (pictured below). My neighbor's 12-year-old daughter requests the tiny brassicas for almost… read more

Using up the leftovers

November 24, 2020 by
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This Thanksgiving I'm cooking for a 'crowd' of only four, and both of the guests will be at their own home, where I will deliver the food for them to enjoy. Despite the fact that this is one-third as many people as our usual gathering, I seem to be incapable of reducing the size of the meal. I had pre-ordered… read more

Holy Sweet! Cookbook & Emile Henry Loaf Pan Giveaway

November 24, 2020 by
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Enter our US giveaway to win one of three copies of Holy Sweet!: 60 Indulgent Recipes for Bigger, Better Desserts by Peabody Johanson with one grand prize winner receiving an Emile Henry loaf pan. Holy Sweet!: 60 Indulgent Recipes for Bigger, Better Desserts by Peabody Johanson is an innovative, maddeningly creative collection of recipes from this talented baker/blogger. I continue to… read more

Ottolenghi Flavor & Smithey Oval Roaster Giveaway

November 24, 2020 by
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Enter our US giveaway to win one copy of Ottolenghi Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ixta Belfrage, and Tara Wigley and a Smithey Oval Roaster. Ottolenghi's latest book is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - I had to use that "word" because I am sure you are tired of amazing, gorgeous, beautiful as am I. I made two recipes from this title (and plan on… read more

All in the (allium) family

November 23, 2020 by
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Popping out to the grocery store to pick up a single item you needed for a recipe seems like such a luxury these days. Most of us make do with what we have, even if it means finding another dish to make instead. Thankfully there are substitutes for many ingredients, and when it comes to onions, shallots, and leeks, you… read more

Food news antipasto

November 22, 2020 by
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Weeks after vanishing abruptly, Fine Cooking's website is back up and running. The return was announced via tweet on November 19. I was able to log in to my Fine Cooking account, and the site appears to be fully functional, although I did not have any recipes saved to my Recipe Box so I do not know if that also… read more

GBBO contestant bullied online for making the finals

November 21, 2020 by
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Spoiler alert: if you haven't watched the semi-final episode of GBBO/GBBS, stop and return after you have done so. I have to admit that my favorite contestant of the series did not make it through to the finals. Hermine made an unwise decision to use untested recipes in the semi-final, and she paid the price by being eliminated. Up to… read more

Recreating lost family recipes

November 20, 2020 by
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Most family recipes handed down from generation to generation relied on a tradition of daughters learning how to cook a dish from their mothers or grandmothers. It wasn't until very recently that written recipes became the norm, and in many families writing things down just wasn't the way these cherished foods were handed down. Some people (selfishly in my opinion)… read more

November 2020 New Cookbook Review

November 20, 2020 by
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Welcome to the last unofficial month of the totally unofficial Cookbooktober. November has some exciting titles but far less in number than October. It seems as though I was just finishing up October's epic review yesterday and here we are nearing the end of the year. Some reminders before we dive into the cookbooks. Recently, I've published my gift guides… read more

Baking at the 20th Century Cafe Cookbook Giveaway

November 19, 2020 by
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Enter our US/CA giveaway to win one of three copies of Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake by Michelle Polzine. This beautiful book made my best books of 2020 as well as my baker's gift guide. This year there has been a wealth of jaw-dropping baking titles and Baking at the… read more

What’s on food writers and chefs holiday wish lists?

November 19, 2020 by
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I gave up on making a holiday wish list years ago, as it became evident that my husband and family members all preferred to do their own thing with regard to gift buying. Nevertheless, it's interesting to see what others would put on their wish lists - especially chefs and food writers. What kinds of goodies or equipment would they… read more

Don’t have a sweet tooth? Make this instead of a gingerbread house

November 18, 2020 by
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Every holiday season I usually post an awe-inspiring gingerbread house. I'm sure that between now and year's end, I will find another to share with you. But in the meantime, there's a new miniature house trend that caught my eye. Ingenious people with too much time on their hands (that describes a lot of us right now) have been creating… read more

Parwana Cookbook Giveaway & Quick Bites

November 18, 2020 by
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Enter our giveaway to win two copies open to US members provided by Interlink Publishing and two copies open to the UK/AU provided by Murdoch books with one additional copy provided by Eat Your Books worldwide of Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen by Durkhanai, Farida, and with assistance from Fatema Ayubi. Often we are told not to… read more

December 2020 Great Big Cookbook Club Roundup

November 18, 2020 by
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As our members know, each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. There are other fun cookbook clubs around the interwebs and we’d like to highlight those for those members who might want to cook or bake something other than our choices. We will try to keep you up-to-date on these clubs’ choices… read more

November 2020 Eat Your Books Cookbook Club Summary

November 17, 2020 by
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Each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. This month we’ve been cooking from the following titles: Main Selection: Ottolenghi Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ixta Belfrage and Tara WigleyBaking Selection: 100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen, with Classic Cookies, Novel Treats, Brownies, Bars, and More by Sarah Kieffer (extending posts until 12/31/2020 due to backorder… read more

News from the Jacques Pépin Foundation

November 17, 2020 by
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In 2016, iconic chef Jacques Pépin, along with his daughter Claudine Pépin and son-in-law Rollie Wesen, created The Jacques Pépin Foundation. The JPF supports community kitchens that offer free life skills and culinary training to adults with high barriers to employment, including previous incarceration, homelessness, substance abuse issues, low skill and education attainment and lack of work history. A couple… read more

Aegean Cookbook Giveaway & Quick Bites

November 17, 2020 by
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Enter to win one of two copies of Aegean: Recipes from the Mountains to the Sea by Marianna Leivaditaki. Aegean: Recipes from the Mountains to the Sea by Marianna Leivaditaki delivers an authentic approach to Cretan food and culture with contemporary flavor combinations. This book is all about eating natural, fresh food, and taking the time to enjoy it. In… read more

It’s okay to hate cooking (really)

November 16, 2020 by
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dirty dishes after dinner lie in the sink, cleaning the table in the kitchen
Whenever people hear that I collect cookbooks, they logically assume that I love to cook. That is true most days, but not always. There are times when I cannot stomach the thought of chopping a vegetable or stirring a sauce or cleaning up yet another sink full of bowls, so I fire up the oven and pop in a frozen… read more

Flavorbomb Cookbook Giveaway – Bob Blumer Quick Bites

November 16, 2020 by
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Enter our US/CA giveaway to win one of three copies of Bob Blumer's Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better. When I received Flavorbomb, I was so excited I posted a photo on Instagram and began a conversation with the author, Bob Blumer. If you are a fan of Food Network - you might remember Bob, his toastermobile,… read more

Food news antipasto

November 15, 2020 by
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Everyone's favorite Hamptons cook recently released her latest cookbook Modern Comfort Food. But as she tells NPR in an interview, "All my books are really about comfort food." In the 8-minute discussion, the domestic doyenne also dishes great one-liners such as "I often say that you can be miserable before eating a cookie and you can be miserable after eating… read more

Celebrate National Bundt Day

November 15, 2020 by
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Today is National Bundt Day (an offically-named celebration day here in Minnesota, birthplace of the Bundt). The iconic pan was invented in the late 1950s by Nordic Ware founder H. David (Dave) Dahlquist. You can read more about the birth of the Bundt in Jenny’s post from 2018. Although cakes baked in ring shapes have been around for centuries, Bundt cakes got… read more

Great British Bake Off – Recap – Week 8 – Desserts Week – a.k.a. Desserts the judges have resurrected from the dead

November 15, 2020 by
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Reminder: New shows for those watching on Netflix. On December 4th, Netflix will air season 3 of the holiday shows. Hooray! Christmas in the tent. Season 3 contestants, if I’m correct, will showcase Briony Williams (Series 9), Tom Hetherington (Series 8), Yan Tsou (Series 8), and Terry Hartill (Series 9). Here are our bakers: Dave, 30, Armoured GuardHermine, 39, AccountantLaura,… read more
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