Edit: I originally gave this book 4 stars, but after making the "Easy Chocolate Cake" I'm bumping it down to 3. Based on that recipe and the others I...moreEdit: I originally gave this book 4 stars, but after making the "Easy Chocolate Cake" I'm bumping it down to 3. Based on that recipe and the others I made, it seems like the recipes are either not well-tested or just poorly translated from metric. The Easy Chocolate Cake is indeed fairly easy to make. It's not quick and it's not simple--I had to make a special grocery trip to get the ingredients. So I guess it depends on what your definition of "easy" is.
My cake ended up with burnt edges before even reaching the minimum cook time (but the inside was still moist as described in the recipe). I salvaged it by chopping off the burnt parts and strayed from the serving suggestion by making a whipped chocolate ganache to put over the whole thing. I think the ganache really saved it and made it a pretty decent cake (although slightly over-baked). By itself & as presented in the book, I don't think it would have been worth the special ingredients and prep time.
Overall the recipes in this book receive a resounding "meh" from me, although I still think the pictures are pretty.
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The photos and design in this book are equally as cool and integral as the recipes themselves. If you read the introduction, you'll learn that Katie Quinn Davies was a designer in a previous life and now makes a living as a food photographer. So if you're curious about this book, it's worth picking up for the great design and gorgeous photography alone.
Which is why I feel like it's ok to give 4 stars to a cookbook that I haven't actually made anything from. I sat down with this book tonight, drooled over the food porn, read the intro and blurbs before each recipe, and marked 10 recipes that I'd like to make. There are certainly more than 10 recipes in this book that sound delicious, and if I had an unlimited budget and unlimited time I'd probably have marked at least half the recipes. But I'm poor and can't hang out in the kitchen all day so I picked 10 that I hope to actually make within the constraints of real life (as someone who was mildly amused by the frequent talk of "dinner parties" in this book....heh).
I think there's a nice mix of recipes here, but a lot of them lean toward the super-expensive-ingredients end of things (not ALL of them, and if you're not a poor grad student you'll probably disagree). If you're looking for a unique entree, side dish, or dessert, either for your own...err...dinner party...or to bring along to someone else's, this is the book for you. However, (at least for me) most of these recipes aren't particularly feasible for everyday eats. Nonetheless, I'm hoping to give some of these a try. I'm determined to make the Easy Chocolate Cake (pg. 285) as a birthday cake for myself in a few weeks. Practically salivating just thinking about it.
Recipes I marked to try: Banana, Strawberry and Ginger Smoothies (pg. 18) Strawberry, Apple and Almond Breakfast Muffins (pg. 26) Bob's Granola (pg. 37) Wild Rice, Mint and Chickpea Salad with Apple Cider Dressing (pg. 100) Madeleine's Homemade Lemonade Cordial (pg. 125) Lemon Chicken with Herbed Rice (pg. 167) Super-Crunchy Roast Potatoes (pg. 226) Blood Orange, Mango and Peach Granita (pg. 250) Apple, Ginger and Blueberry Shortcrust Pie (pg. 280) Easy Chocolate Cake (pg. 285)
I'll update this (...if I remember) with any notes about the successes/failures of these recipes when I try them!
Edit: Ok, I made the Banana, Strawberry and Ginger Smoothies and the Wild Rice, Mint and Chickpea Salad with Apple Cider Dressing.
Smoothie: Really tasty. I subtracted one banana and there was still a little too much banana flavor for me. I would definitely make this again but would tweak it and add different fruits and more honey. The ginger is a delicious addition and I normally wouldn't think to add ginger to a smoothie.
Rice and Chickpea Salad: There's a typo SOMEWHERE in this recipe because it's supposed to serve 4 "as a side". Uhhh ok. Tell me how 3 cups of rice (uncooked) plus 2 14oz cans of chickpeas results in a side dish for 4 people!? I cut the recipe in half and it still made way more than enough to serve 4. If I make it again, I'll just use half as much rice and chickpeas and keep everything else the same. I ended up having to add more apple cider vinegar and olive oil since cutting that in half made it too mild. Overall, a pretty tasty dish that works as a side or as a nice light lunch. Would be good with some fresh lemon or lime squeezed over it to serve.
Edit: Made the Lemon Chicken with Herbed Rice. Wow. Will not make that again. It was disgusting. Even the rice was blah (also, not sure how cooking rice with onion and adding parsley and scallion makes it "herbed"). The chicken just tasted mushy and over-flavored and I thought the sauce was nasty. Too many bold flavors mixed together. I thought 3T of smoked paprika in the flour mixture seemed like overkill, and it definitely was. Yuck! Also, the servings are once again grossly miscalculated for this recipe. It's supposed to serve 2 but could easily serve 4.
I also made a batch of Madeleine's Homemade Lemonade Cordial but it's not ready to drink yet. Will update with the results of that...
Edit: Homemade Lemonade Cordial was definitely a success :D I made a half-recipe and it was plenty (made roughly 400mL of syrup). If you have any home-grown mint I would highly recommend using that over store bought stuff (obviously), or if it's farmer's market season get some there. The store-bought stuff tends to have small leaves which are kind of annoying when floating around in a glass (aside from the fact that home-grown or locally grown stuff probably tastes better). Anyway, the syrup itself was pretty easy to make and it's easy to mix up a glass or pitcher of it. I followed the serving recommendation and mixed it with soda water (but I used sparkling water...which I guess is the same...but I don't know). She also recommends serving it with vodka which I think would be reeeeeally good.
Not sure I'll get a chance to make much else from this book. I definitely will make the Easy Chocolate Cake but I don't think I'll get to the others. After making some of the recipes, I don't know if this is really a book I'd want to own. The pictures are pretty but I feel like the measurements in some of the recipes are off (like...REALLY off). I noticed on the What Katie Ate blog, the measurements are all metric and have been converted to US for this book. Obviously convenient for us non-metric folks but I think some things got messed up in translation.(less)
This is a pretty amazing book. Even if you think every recipe in it sounds disgusting (I'll admit, some of them sound disgusting--to me), I guarantee...moreThis is a pretty amazing book. Even if you think every recipe in it sounds disgusting (I'll admit, some of them sound disgusting--to me), I guarantee you'll get something out of it anyway, because this book is as much about cooking as it is about philosophy--a philosophy of cooking? The ingredients and the recipes don't matter much (although there are many recipes throughout this book), what matters is the process and how you perceive food/cooking. Throughout the book Adler challenges you to reconsider how you relate to food and how you can look at in new ways to make cooking natural, easy, and economical.
I really enjoyed this book, and could see myself reading it again (and again). Adler is a great writer--poetic, humorous, and practical. Some of her advice becomes a bit redundant, though. Not necessarily in a bad way--I actually found it kind of humorous because she seems well-aware of her culinary obsessions. Her cure-all seems to be to add olive oil to everything. If you're not a fan of olive oil or vinegar, you're likely to be repulsed by the majority of recipes described in this book. Adler also really likes toast (another common cure--put it on toast) and anchovies. However, as I said above, there is plenty to be gained from An Everlasting Meal even if you don't share Adler's taste in food.
Something about it prevents me from giving it 5 stars. I feel like I might have a hard time actually using this book as a reference in the kitchen, but since I got it from the library I guess I don't have time to find out. It was a joy to read, and I can imagine re-reading it and having a spark of inspiration and running to the kitchen to experiment with one of Adler's ideas. However, I can't really imagine looking to this book for concrete meal ideas/recipes (some, but not many, of the actual recipes in this book appealed to me). Although...I might have to bake those brownies in the last chapter...(less)
This was an enjoyable read for sure--so why 3 stars? Although I love the concept of this book, and some of the stories are truly amazing, the layout a...moreThis was an enjoyable read for sure--so why 3 stars? Although I love the concept of this book, and some of the stories are truly amazing, the layout and some of the writing got on my nerves.
The layout and design are very coffee-table-book-esque (not a bad thing in and of itself). Phrases on each page are printed in red instead of black; there are plenty of pictures; and each chapter is broken into parts (there's a main story that's the focus of each chapter, then some recipes, followed by a section called "kitchen visionary" and/or transcriptions of stories that were called in to the show). The different colored fonts kind of irritated me, especially since a lot of highlighted phrases sounded so gimmicky and silly when isolated on the page.
I really liked how each chapter had sections, which highlighted multiple stories aside from the primary story. Although sometimes I couldn't help but think that the shorter messages from callers sounded so much more interesting than the longer stories in the book, for the most part I got into all the stories in some way. Except the NASCAR one, maybe. Interesting, sure, but I think there are other food-related tales more "deserving" of a full chapter in this book. And it's one of the few chapters with recipes that actually sounded downright repulsive to me. Story #10 ("Milk Cow Blues: The Apple Family Farm and the Indiana Cow Share Association") was really interesting to read, but seemed to deviate from the unifying theme of "hidden kitchens", at least as I understood it.
As for the writing: overall this book is well-written and captures the emotional, social, and cultural importance of food throughout the country. However, at times it made me roll my eyes with lines like "Mark Apple, beard and glasses, the kind of guy you might expect to meet in the band room at school rather than a milk barn...". Sorry, that's just a little too cheesy for me.
One chapter that just made me feel uncomfortable throughout was Story #3 ("The Chili Queens of San Antonio"). This was actually one of my favorite chapters in the book simply because of the story but the writing particularly irked me. The descriptions of the chili queens are horribly romanticized. It comes across as patronizing and the fact that these women were, ultimately, taking on these roles to make money for themselves and their families is minimized (it comes up a little near the end of the chapter). Instead, their fiery, mysterious personalities are emphasized in nearly every description, reinforcing a stereotype that seems to permeate the story rather than revealing any sort of "truth" regarding the real women involved in the chili queen legacy. Less than one page is dedicated to an actual interview with someone directly involved (Isabel Sanchez, granddaughter of a chili queen). I just wish more of this chapter had been constructed from first-hand accounts (the shorter story at the end, for example--"The Lark of the Border"--is excellent). But overall, this chapter came across as the least "honest" in its writing, as much as I enjoyed the story.
Despite a few shortcomings, this is a good book and very much worth reading. I doubt I'll try any of the recipes (except maybe the Czechoslovakian Moon Cookies)--it kind of seems like they're in the book more for show than anything. I mean, I probably won't be making 3 gallons of Moonlite Bar-B-Q Burgoo anytime soon...or ever...if you catch my drift. But the actual stories in these pages are truly amazing and make you consider how powerful food really can be, for both our bodies and our spirits.(less)
This book is ok. I appreciate that the recipes are simple and usually result in a minimal amount of clean-up afterward, however I think that in some c...moreThis book is ok. I appreciate that the recipes are simple and usually result in a minimal amount of clean-up afterward, however I think that in some cases adding another pot or pan to the clean-up could have resulted in a better recipe.
A few of the recipes I made were awesome; I made them multiple times and they were great every single time. A few recipes were abject failures, either by my own fault or because the recipe was just a flop.
The Good:
Asparagus avgolemono (pg 130) This soup is so good! Especially served with toasted rye or pumpernickel bread. Mmm. The lemon juice adds a nice tang to it. I found it to be a bit much when the soup was served fresh but thought that it became milder after a few days. It's good either way, though, and this is a simple recipe that just "works". It has a complex combination of flavors, but uses only a few ingredients and is very simple to prepare. I used dried dill instead of fresh, and I think it came out wonderfully.
Broccolini cheddar melt (pg 138) I misread the name as "Broccoli" originally and so bought broccoli to make these sandwiches. Broccoli works fine but I guess if you can find this "Broccolini" creation in your supermarket, go for it. These sandwiches are really simple, filling, and tasty. I made this recipe a few times and it's a keeper. Really simple but delicious and hearty.
Vegetarian reuben (pg 143) This probably sounds like a complete abomination, but let me tell you...it's good. And really simple. It's essentially coleslaw, tomato, and swiss cheese on toasted rye or pumpernickel bread. I hate coleslaw, but loved these sandwiches. I made up a full batch of the cabbage/dressing recipe and kept it in the fridge to make sandwiches over the course of 3 or 4 days. It kept pretty well and made for easy prep. I think it's the sloppiness of these sandwiches that's so reminiscent of a "real" reuben, not necessarily the flavor...but regardless...it's really good.
The Bad:
Pasta with artichoke hearts and feta (pg 29) This recipe sounded absolutely delicious and I couldn't wait to make it. Now I have a giant bowl of leftover pasta in my fridge and I have a sinking feeling that most of it is going to end up in the trash. There are a few reasons for this. One pound of pasta is just way too much in comparison to the amounts of the other ingredients. The pasta to other-stuff ratio is just...off. Second of all, the recipe instructs you to add a cup of hot pasta-water to the feta and whisk until smooth. I found that achieving a smooth consistency was quite simply impossible. I'd much rather have made an extra dish to clean by using a small sauce pan over low heat on the stove instead of mixing it in a bowl--it probably would have worked better. Third, there just seems to be something missing. Some other vegetable or spice or...something. It's just a whole lot of pasta (too much pasta), artichoke hearts, and some cheese basically. It needed something else.
Green and white bean gratin (pg 57) This recipe was probably a failure because of my own errors, not necessarily by any failure of the recipe itself. It came out pretty horribly, and again, I have a feeling the leftovers are not going to be eaten by anyone. First of all...am I the only one who has no idea what the heck "white beans" are? I stupidly bought a few cans of beans that were literally white, but upon further research on the internet later discovered that white beans are not necessarily WHITE beans. So there was my first problem. I'd have appreciated a note somewhere in the recipe listing the types of beans that would be suitable. Second of all, I don't own a blender so that part of the instructions kind of got thrown out the window and I mashed the beans with a fork instead. It worked alright but after baking, the results were just not good (although it smelled great, which gave me hope...false hope).
Red bean, potato and arugula soup (pg 124) This soup was easy to prepare and serving it over arugula was kind of novel and made me feel fancy and sophisticated. This was another recipe that I felt was just too simple, however. The actual soup is basically composed of 2 main ingredients, red beans and potatoes. It gets old after about 4 bites. The lemon juice also adds a tangy-ness that I didn't think was great for this particular soup, especially if served with parmesan or romano cheese as recommended--it's just a little too much considering the very subtle earthy flavors of the beans and potatoes. Not that great, but at least the scant leftovers will likely be consumed rather than trashed.
Overall, I think this book has some good recipes to offer, and most of them are simple to prepare and require minimal clean-up. Sometimes I just think that "simplicity" came at the expense of flavor.(less)
I made 3 recipes from this book, and also 1 recipe from the Peas and Thank You blog while I had this book out from the library. There are some great r...moreI made 3 recipes from this book, and also 1 recipe from the Peas and Thank You blog while I had this book out from the library. There are some great recipes, both in the book and blog. I imagine the anecdotes and other non-recipe content of the book are probably significantly more entertaining if you happen to be a parent. I generally skipped the non-recipe text because really...I don't get a recipe book to read funny/cute anecdotes. I get a recipe book because I'm hoping to find awesome recipes.
What I made: -Spicy African Peanut Slow Cooker Soup (pg 75 in book). This stew was really great--I made it on the stove instead of in a slow cooker. It was not, however, spicy (nor was there a strong peanut flavor). If you like spicy definitely modify a bit. I served it over rice, like a curry, rather than as a stew.
-Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (pg 97 in book). This was tasty, but the cook time wasn't quite right (for me). The bread was undercooked when I first took it out of the oven, and I had to put it back in after it had already cooled a bit (oops). It was still reeeeally good--just kind of ugly looking. I liked the tip included with this recipe to store it in the fridge.
-Double Chocolate/Single Chin Brownies (pg 199 in book). Vegan low-fat brownies. Sounds pretty gross, right? These brownies are actually delicious. I only wish I'd had the ingredients on hand to make some mocha frosting to spread on top--would've been perfect! Again, I had to bake longer than directed.
-Pumpkin Molasses Cookie Dough Balls (not in book). I didn't have all the ingredients to make the infamous Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls (pg 244 in book) so I decided to try one of Sarah's other cookie dough ball recipes. I ate all these cookies within 3 days. Needless to say, they were really good...too good. And, once again, I had to bake longer than directed.
What I wanted to make: -Beg-Worthy Banana Bread (pg 19 in book) -Tofu Fun Nuggets (pg 131 in book)--still hoping to make this one before I have to return the book to the library -Better Than Ever Black Bean Burgers (pg 137 in book)--always looking for tasty veggie burger recipes -Green and Red Lentil Enchiladas (pg 155 in book) -Tempeh Chili (pg 159 in book) -Indian Shepherd's Pie (pg 176 in book)
There are plenty of enticing recipes, and the ones I made turned out well. Quite a few recipes call for faux meats and soy products, so if you're not into that, this book might not be very satisfying. I don't like faux meats for the most part but in some recipes those ingredients could easily be subbed out for something else or simply left out entirely.
Overall, this is a nice collection of vegan recipes (some easily convert to vegetarian if you want to include milk/cheese/butter). (less)
I think this is one of those cookbooks that should be added to any "basic" cookbook collection. The core concepts are sound and well explained. Plus,...moreI think this is one of those cookbooks that should be added to any "basic" cookbook collection. The core concepts are sound and well explained. Plus, I'm all for baking bread that doesn't require a complex process of kneading/rising/resting etc.
That said, I had mixed results with the recipes I did try from this book. I'm sure that most of the failures were due to user-error and if I'd been really persistent I probably could have worked out the kinks. This book does contain helpful troubleshooting sections in case you're not getting the desired results.
The one recipe from this book that I use ALL THE TIME is the olive oil pizza dough recipe. It's truly awesome. Maybe not the most unique thing to be found in this book, but it's become one of my staple recipes.(less)
This was really more of a 2.5 for me (mainly because of the disjointed writing). The images themselves tell a far clearer story than Adams does. I'd g...moreThis was really more of a 2.5 for me (mainly because of the disjointed writing). The images themselves tell a far clearer story than Adams does. I'd give her "slideshow" of images 3.5ish stars, although I really wish some of the image reproductions were better. I couldn't even read some of them, which seems to defeat the purpose.
I think Carol Adams brings up many provocative, valid points. However, it seems like this book was basically compiled from slide-show notes. I realize the book is based on her slide-show, but that doesn't mean it can't be a polished, well-written piece of work. It definitely is not, and I found it frustrating to read sometimes. Nonetheless, Adams' passion and knowledge about the topic shine through the occasionally muddled writing.
Even as a recently converted vegetarian, I had never considered animals (particularly the ones we eat) as being gendered. I had never considered how advertising for meat reflects gender stereotypes or enforces binary gender roles. Her argument is intriguing and disturbing. After finishing this book, I began seeing examples of "the pornography of meat" all over the place. It really is scary how such disturbing ideas and images are so deeply ingrained in our cultural imagery.
I'll be looking into Adams' book "The Sexual Politics of Meat." It sounds like a more "academic" version of this book, and will hopefully be more structured and provide an in-depth discussion of the ideas presented in "The Pornography of Meat." (less)
I kind of want to give this book 3 stars, but when I try to think about what I learned from it...the title pretty much sums it up. If a book can't go...moreI kind of want to give this book 3 stars, but when I try to think about what I learned from it...the title pretty much sums it up. If a book can't go beyond its 9-word title, that's a problem for me. Ultimately, Herzog's only certain conclusion seems to be that our relationship with other species is complicated. No kidding! I was hoping for more than that.
It seemed like there was a lot of emphasis on the "Some we love" aspect of the book. Lots of information about pets, including Herzog's speculations about why we have them and why they aren't consistent across cultures. As a dog owner and someone who works with dogs on a daily basis, I found these chapters interesting but the information was sometimes disjointed and didn't seem to contribute to a larger argument. I often felt like the author was presenting information (lots of reference to various studies and books) solely for the sake of saying "Look at all this cool stuff anthrozoologists have discovered!" That's not to say that the information isn't interesting--it is!--but I couldn't see how most of it contributed to explaining the paradoxes and hypocrisy that the author is investigating here.
I thought the most informative part was Chapter 9, in which Herzog discusses the philosophies of Peter Singer and Tom Regan, whose theories have laid the ground work for animal rights activists today. In this chapter he really gets down to the nitty gritty and I wish more of the book had been like this chapter. Herzog's discussion about experimenting on animals (and how the public views such practices) is also interesting.
Overall, I found this book compelling. It was a quick read, full of intriguing facts and interesting anecdotes. I think my rating might be a bit harsh but this book really didn't live up to my expectations (lots of information, few conclusions), and there was an emphasis on the more pleasant human-animal relationships (pets) rather than the more morally troubling relationship between, say, humans and factory farmed animals.(less)
Revision 8/15: I ended up not making anything from this book before having to return it to the library. Bummer. I photocopied a few recipes (mostly sou...moreRevision 8/15: I ended up not making anything from this book before having to return it to the library. Bummer. I photocopied a few recipes (mostly soups) and hope to make use of them once the weather cools down. Definitely a good book for anyone with a well-stocked kitchen and food processor. The dressings/marinades/hummus recipes sounded so darn good!
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Confession: I haven't actually made anything in this book. It's been sitting on my kitchen table for about a week now. Recipes have been marked. None have been made.
Not because none of the recipes appeal to me. Plenty of them do! However, I would have to make an entire grocery (and appliance) list just to make most of the things in this book.
Granted, I moved a month ago and don't have a really well-stocked kitchen right now. Still, I think I have most of the basics. And I don't particularly want to buy a can of chipotles so I can make one recipe.
You will need a food processor if you intend to really make use of this book. I have neither a food processor nor a blender, so I guess I'm out of luck with all those tasty-sounding marinades and dressings and whatnot.
Most of the soups and stews seem to require simpler ingredients and fewer appliances, so I'm going to try some of those. Rating to be revised in the future?(less)
The recipes in this book are fantastic. I've only made a few so far but they've all been excellent, and I can't wait to try more. So far I've made the...moreThe recipes in this book are fantastic. I've only made a few so far but they've all been excellent, and I can't wait to try more. So far I've made the Cowboy Cookies and Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows. I got this book from the library but will definitely be buying a copy for myself (and my mother, who can't wait to bake more vegan cookies). The cookies don't taste "vegan"...this coming from a non-vegan (I'm just dabbling for now!) They are decadent, delicious, and easy to make.
Before baking anything from this book I read the introductory "Cookie Science" section, and to me, that part of this book is as invaluable as the recipes themselves. As someone who has never baked anything vegan, I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work. The authors break down the ingredients, discuss ingredient substitutions, and explain how everything comes together to make a cookie. There's also a short trouble-shooting section, although I haven't had to refer to that yet, which is a good sign.
So far, I've had great success with this book. I highly recommend it to any vegans out there looking for tasty cookie recipes, or non-vegans who want to try something new. You won't be disappointed!(less)
This book is packed full of information. As another reviewer mentioned, vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike could learn a lot from this book about n...moreThis book is packed full of information. As another reviewer mentioned, vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike could learn a lot from this book about nutrition. I'm trying to transition into a veg*n lifestyle and this book, or more likely the newer edition, will definitely be added to my collection (I got this copy from the library). I read the entire book, except for chapter 9 ("Vegetarian Nutrition in the Growing Years") since none of that information really applies to me (yet). I thought the "Vegetarian Diplomacy" chapter was a little silly at times, but nonetheless I suppose it covers some of the issues that vegetarians encounter in daily life, although I think vegetarianism is more and more becoming a widely accepted lifestyle choice.
Overall I think this book is full of useful information and tries to be as objective as possible, allowing the reader to make decisions for his or herself. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but they seem like good building blocks for a nutritious, diverse vegetarian diet.(less)
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