Great British Bake Off – Recap – Week 6 – Japanese

For the first time ever, it was Japanese week in the white tent. I enjoyed the feeling of the tent this week but wondered why they didn't elaborate more on the exquisite pastry culture of Japan. Tim Anderson, author of several books on Japanese cuisine stated on Instagram: "So, #GBBO did a ‘Japan week’ and apparently it was a parade of orientalism… read more

November 2020 Great Big Cookbook Club Round Up

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

October 2020 Eat Your Books Cookbook Club Summary

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:  Simple: Effortless Food, Big Flavours by Diana HenryBaking Selection: Happiness Is Baking: Favorite Desserts from the Queen of Cake by Maida HeatterOnline Option:  Great British Chefs – Chef RecipesPlant-based Option: Start Simple: Eleven Everyday Ingredients for Countless Weeknight Meals by Lukas… read more

What happened to Fine Cooking’s website?

Fine Cooking Magazine has been a perennial EYB Member favorite and has legions of dedicated fans. Earlier in the year, we heard that Taunton was going to stop publishing the print magazine, although nothing was said about what would happen to its digital offerings. Fine Cooking's Twitter account fell silent beginning in June but the Facebook page continued to post… read more

Fresh isn’t always best

I always have at least one bulb of garlic in the pantry, usually more. I also grow herbs like parsley, basil, dill, and thyme. For most recipes, using the fresh version of these items is the best way to go, but that is not true in all cases. Sometimes dried spices and herbs work better, and that is the case… read more

October 2020 Great Big Cookbook Club Roundup

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

Great British Chef’s fascinating Signature Series

Have you ever come across a recipe you would like to try, but you hesitate because the cost of the ingredients is high and you are afraid you might waste the precious food because you aren't sure of the technique? Having the recipe creator at your side to show you the steps to perfecting the dish would be one way… read more

September 2020 Eat Your Books Cookbook Club Summary

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:  Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen by Josef Centeno and Betty Hallock or Isolation Baking: Recipes from My (Post) Confinement Kitchen by Jamie SchlerBaking Selection: Everyone Can Bake: Simple Recipes to Master & Mix by Dominique AnselOnline Option:  Australian online recipes (or Australian… read more

The Great Big Cookbook Club Roundup

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

August 2020 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

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: Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African-American Cooking by Toni Tipton MartinBaking Selection: The Cake Bible by Rose Levy BeranbaumOnline Option: Australian Gourmet Traveller (online recipes) or Mary Berry (online recipes)Plant-based Option: Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry For… read more

An ode to the cutlet

What can perk up a boring chicken breast, accommodate almost any type of meat, and even make a bland vegetable the star of the show? Cutting it in thin pieces, breading it and shallow frying it to a rich golden hue. Over at Taste Cooking, Anna Hezel waxes poetic about this in a piece titled "Consider the cutlet." Whether you… read more

Historic Mexican recipes now available as e-books

In February we reported how the University of Texas in San Antonio was in the process of digitizing hundreds of historical Mexican cookbooks. The pandemic has delayed this effort, but instead of just putting the whole project on hold, the university is now releasing recipes from the collection as free e-books. The first mini-cookbook was released earlier this month. Postres: Guardando… read more

Making the most of tomato season

Peak tomato season is here for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Home gardens and farmers markets are flush with heirloom varieties in a rainbow of colors. You can find delicate yellow orbs, huge meaty beefsteaks, dark crimson deeply-lobed beauties, and the list goes on. The only drawback about about tomato season (besides the potential for stains on your… read more

Browned butter is the best butter

blondies on a plate
Earlier today I took two sticks of butter from the fridge, plopped them in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and walked away. No, I did not have what my husband refers to as a "space cadet" moment, I just wanted to make sure it cooked long enough to turn a deep brown, which was going to take long enough for… read more

July 2020 Eat Your Books Cookbook Club Summary

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: Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi or See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and Friends by Sam SiftonBaking Selection: Any recipes from Alice MedrichOnline Option: Sami Tamimi online, Alice Medrich online, Sam Sifton onlinePlant-based Option: Any recipes from Angela Liddon (Oh She… read more

Cool as a cucumber

Whether they are pickled, tossed in a salad, or used in a dip, cucumbers find their way into many meals. They are not typically the stars of any meal, although the team at Serious Eats thinks they are underrated. Reminding us of "the cucumber's sweet, grassy flavor and refreshing crunch", Serious Eats provides 22 cucumber recipes to keep you cool… read more

Ideas to use up your zucchini glut

One of my neighbors gave me some zucchini from her garden last week. I had been waiting for this moment, as I don't plant it in my own garden. Like most people who grow zucchini (aka courgettes or summer squash), my neighbor ended up with more than she could use and began giving it away, which worked out perfectly for… read more

The interesting history of the Popsicle

As we celebrate Independence Day in the US, the temperature in much of the country is sizzling hot. When the weather gets hot, people turn to the freezer for refreshment, and one frozen treat is perfect to beat the heat: Popsicles. The brightly-colored, fruit-flavored frozen concoctions are a natural foil to a sticky summer afternoon. Popsicles are adored by children… read more

June 2020 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

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: Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France by Melissa Clark or Open Kitchen: Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings by Susan SpungenBaking Selection: Bake from Scratch, Volume 4: Artisan Recipes for the Home BakerOnline Option: Melissa Clark online or Susan… read more

Jams and jellies can preserve more than fruits and vegetables

I have lilac bushes in my backyard and each spring since I moved into my home eleven years ago, I would eagerly await the signs of blooms forming on the lilacs because their fragrance is one of my favorite scents. Every year resulted in disappointment, as the trees that grew near the lilacs produced too much shade for them to… read more

May 2020 Eat Your Books Cookbook Club Summary

We have a helpful community here at Eat Your Books that has flowed into our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club where we share our successes and fails in cooking and baking from specific cookbook titles. This month we’ve been cooking from the following titles: Main Selection: Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World’s Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein, with 125 Recipes by… read more

April 2020 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

We have a helpful community here at Eat Your Books that has flowed into our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club where we share our successes and fails in cooking and baking from specific cookbook titles. This month we’ve been cooking from the following titles: Main Selection: Greenfeast: Spring, Summer or Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter by Nigel SlaterBaking Selection: Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland by Shauna SeverOnline… read more

Wacky cake makes a comeback

Page through any church cookbook from the 1930s onward and you will likely find a baked good called "wacky cake" or "Depression cake". This treat was born out of the need to make something special for dessert that didn't use eggs or butter, items that were difficult to obtain both during the Depression and World War II. Now that we… read more

No oven, no problem

Like a lot of people, I embarked on a stress-baking bonanza these past few weeks. Now as the flour supply starts to look less robust and as the stronger southern sun streaming into my kitchen makes it too hot to turn on the oven, my baking frenzy has slowed dramatically. I still want to have sweet treats, however, which poses… read more

A cake that fits the times

Today Epicurious found the perfect dessert for our topsy-turvy world: upside-down cake. This is brilliant not only as a metaphor, but also because upside-down cakes are well-suited to infinite variations and can be made with ingredients you probably already have. Kendra Vaculin writes about why she loves this dessert that can be a decadent weekend breakfast too: upside down cakes… read more
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