The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake by Rachel Linden

THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE by Rachel Linden is a novel about family and community and caring. To save her online cooking show featuring vintage recipes, thirty-year-old Jules Costa heads (with her fifteen-year-old estranged half-sister, Alex) to her grandmother’s home in Italy. There, Nonna Bruna has a magical cookbook with pages that only show recipes that can help the person doing the cooking or baking. Many have benefited from the cookbook over the years, but Jules can’t seem to see anything. That is true in many ways – she is blind to the loneliness and needs of her sister; to the attraction felt by Nicolo, a neighbor and Jules’ first love; and to her own best interest and family obligation. Poor Jules struggles to “come of age” even though she is an adult and Linden shares with readers all of Jules’ confusion, insecurity, and fear in a repetitive manner. The Italian setting is described beautifully as are the mouth-watering recipes. The characters, however, seem stiff and uncomfortable as they come to grips with the idea that “Fear can rob you of the life you are meant to live. It does not keep you safe, it keeps you small.” Discussion questions are included for this cozy mix of secrets, romance and magic.  

Cook Once, Eat Twice by Nadiya Hussain

COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE by Nadiya Hussain offers “Time-Saving Recipes to Help You Get Ahead in the Kitchen.” This is a great concept from a much-beloved chef who is a past winner of The Great British Baking Show. In her latest cookbook, Nadiya presents seven chapters with each focused on a theme: Back to basics; Lovin’ your leftovers; Ready meals (cook ahead at home); Two dishes (transforms to two different meals like carrot soup / carrot and cod curry); Never wasted again (using frequently discarded ingredients like ripe bananas for Banana Peanut Bark); Easy Bakes; and Waste not, want not. Her emphasis is on delicious food made easily with minimum waste to help save money. A few examples that I am looking forward to trying are Scissor Cut Pesto Pasta (looks and sounds delicious) OR Sloppy Joes which is followed by directions of how to incorporate leftovers into Cheese and Lamb Samosas OR Mongolian Beef with Sticky Rice. Borrowing from a variety of cultures, she also suggests an easily freezable Chicken Tikka Masala and a Lasagna Soup! Most recipes are accompanied by full color photos although nutritional information is not provided. There is a helpful index, also, as well as a kitchen toolkit list.

Simply Jamie and Cold Kitchen

SIMPLY JAMIE by Jamie Oliver is the latest cookbook for this renowned chef and here he offers suggestions for “Fast & Simple Food.” Oliver divides the recipes between five sections: Midweek Meals, Weekend Wins, One Pan Dinners, Pantry Love and Delicious Desserts. The recipes, like Spiced Cashew Chicken or one of the 8 Cool Ways with Salmon, are comprised of relatively few ingredients and are accompanied by a time estimate to prepare (generally a half hour or less). I am intrigued by Baked Bolognese Crepes, as he says, two big hitters with families. The pictures are colorful and appealing and both air fryer directions and nutrition information are available. SIMPLY JAMIE is a great addition to his many other popular cookbooks.

COLD KITCHEN by Caroline Eden (Samarkand) is subtitled “A Year of Culinary Travels” and contains only a dozen recipes. Instead, Eden describes her travels and reflections on various cuisines as from her Edinburgh kitchen she attempts to recreate favorite dishes like soup from Poland or dessert from Latvia. I found the text to be rather dense and was hoping for a narrative more similar to Ruth Reichl’s Garlic and Sapphires, for example. However, Kirkus gave COLD KITCHEN a starred review and The Wall Street Journal also offers a more thorough and positive review.

Betty Crocker Found Recipes

BETTY CROCKER FOUND RECIPES contains “Beloved Vintage Recipes Worth Sharing.” A few examples include Chocolate Chip Scones, Raspberry Almond Crepes, or Gumdrop Bread. The categories are Holiday Celebrations, Memorable Main Dishes, Warm from the Oven Breads, Irresistible Cookies and Bars, and Better than Ever Desserts. Each recipe has a brief accompanying vignette which identifies the time period (like 1950s Cheese Balls) and often includes consumer memory comments or even a photo of the recipe as originally published. Many recipes include photos of the food itself or of the ingredient packages (e.g., Bisquick) as they appeared in the past or even from cooking or research sessions at the Betty Crocker Kitchens. BETTY CROCKER FOUND RECIPES brought back so many wonderful memories, like my grandmother’s delicious clover rolls (see Refrigerator Roll Dough) or my Mom’s many baked treats (e.g., Salted Peanut Crisps). This is a terrific cookbook, filled with fun ideas to prepare and plenty of nostalgia, too. There are several pages about the history and evolution of Betty Crocker. For those still curious about how tastes have changed, The New York Times recently profiled “The 25 Most Influential Cookbooks From the Last 100 Years,” including titles like The Joy of Cooking, The Moosewood Cookbook, Jubilee, and titles related to the cuisines of Mexico, India and more. ENJOY!

A Couple Cooks and 100 Afternoon Sweets

A COUPLE COOKS by Sonja and Alex Overhiser is an absolutely wonderful and rather unique cookbook. The authors offer “100 recipes to cook together” and they even designate preparation to be undertaken by cook 1 vs. cook 2. It’s a practical, but very fun, guide that is filled with beautiful pictures and delicious, healthy recipes. Sections in this cookbook begin with about 20 “Everyday Dinners” (e.g., Baked Tilapia with Feta, Olives & Cherry Tomatoes) Then there is a chapter “Just for Two” (e.g., Grilled Eggplant Parmesan with Burrata or Creamy Scallops with Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes) followed by Gatherings (e.g., Smoky Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna). Subsequent chapters divide recipes in a more traditional way (Mornings, Sides, Bakes, Appetizers & Snacks, Sweets, and Drinks). The Overhisers add comments and tips to most recipes, as well as storage information. There is no nutritional data, but they do include a section on essential kitchen gear, provide a few sample menus, and a helpful index. Be sure to also checkout their food blog – it will give you a sense of their cooking philosophy: “to share fresh, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking!”

100 AFTERNOON SWEETS by Sarah Kieffer (100 Cookies) is filled “with Snacking Cakes, Brownies, Blondies, and More” and will be available on October 1st. Like her earlier cookbooks, this one is filled with colorful photos and chatty introductory comments before each recipe. The eight chapters range from One-bowl Bakes and No Bakes, to the more involved For a Crowd and Weekend Projects (e.g., Giant Pop Tart). There’s an “Extras” chapter, too, with comments and direction for components like Almond Cream or Lemon Curd. Personally, I am looking forward to sampling Orange-Cinnamon Swirl Cake, Coffee Blondies, and Lemon Cake Squares. So much to explore, but seasonal favorites could be Pumpkin Streusel Pie and Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream Cake. There is no nutritional information, but additional material contains a playlist of “Music to Bake to” and a bibliography of other helpful cookbooks.

Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

MRS. QUINN'S RISE TO FAME by Olivia Ford certainly celebrates food, especially baking, but it also harbors some dark secrets despite its colorful, attractive cover. In this debut novel, Jenny Quinn is seventy-seven (married to Bernard for almost sixty years) when she decides to stealthily apply to Britain Bakes (yes, think The Great British Baking Show) and takes readers through her many bakes and memories, with numerous flashbacks to her childhood and life choices as a young woman. As she reflects, “it's strange, ... how recipes outlive the people that wrote them and yet they almost bring a part of that person back to life, as if a tiny piece of their soul lives in those instructions.” Even as she seems to take him a smidgen for granted, her husband is very supportive and patient, and summarizes the success of their long marriage, saying, “over the years you will both inevitably change but you will always have one thing in common, and that is that you're both only human, so try to be kind.” MRS. QUINN'S RISE TO FAME was one of Washington Post's 10 Noteworthy Books for January and an early draft was long-listed for the Women’s Prize Trust’s Discoveries Prize.

Readers looking for a “cozy” read with likeable characters, a bit of history, and centered on cooking may also want to explore: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, Love & Saffron, The Kitchen Front, and, of course, Lessons in Chemistry. More of a mystery element behind the scenes of a cooking contest is available in The Golden Spoon.

Zingerman's Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day

If you have never been to Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Arbor, Michigan, you absolutely must go (and eat!). In the meantime, have fun sampling delicious recipes from a brand new cookbook, ZINGERMAN'S BAKEHOUSE CELEBRATE EVERY DAY by Amy Emberling, Lindsay-Jean Hard, Lee Vedder, and Corynn Coscia. The four authors each adopted a season in order to include “A Year's Worth of Favorite Recipes for Festive Occasions, Big and Small.” The photographs by E. E. Berger are stunning – and there are more of them (roughly a hundred) than recipes (about 80) so this is a visual feast as well as one sure to please the palate. Recipes are detailed with fairly lengthy ingredient lists, but the results are so creative and special, that it will truly be a joy to experiment with the ideas here. Examples include Key Lime Pie, The Works Grilled Cheese Sandwich, or Hot Cross Buns for Spring and Blueberry Buckle or Fresh Fruit Tart (plus a couple of Paella choices) for Summer. Fall may be my favorite with Bavarian Soft Pretzels, Kickin’ Butternut Soup, Pumpkin Cheesecake and Michigan Double Chocolate Cookies, but Winter has plenty to offer, too: Pfeffernűsse, two versions of King Cake, and West African Peanut Stew or Zingerman’s Deli Chicken Pot Pies. And that is just a few from each season – don’t they all sound yummy?

Piecemeal by Kathryn Pauline and Lidia's Latest ...

PIECEMEAL by Kathryn Pauline describes “A Flexible Repertoire of Effortless Meals in 124 Recipes” and it truly is flexible. Pauline offers a unique method for trying new recipes. She suggests 30 basic components (e.g., caramelized tomatoes; garlicky mushrooms, or roasted grapes) and then, for each, offers an idea for 3 recipes. Of those, one takes 5 minutes to prepare, one about 15 minutes and the last, maybe 30 minutes or a little more. One example is smoky eggplant which could be used in Baba Ganoush, a Ricotta Frittata, and Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Pauline continues to emphasize experimentation by offering easy backup plans, including additional recipes for what she calls essential foundations (e.g., buttermilk biscuits, kale, and almond brittle). Plus, she offers two tables of contents; one divides components by type (e.g., vegetables, meats, sauces, fruits) and lists their potential uses while the second version offers a more traditional division (breakfast, soups, mains, and so on). I am looking forward to trying her ideas for coconut shrimp, turkey spinach meatballs, and cinnamon apples. The accompanying photos are excellent – colorful and appealing throughout.  Nutrition information is not provided, but Pauline stresses fresh ingredients and spans a variety of cuisines (e.g., German, Italian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Polish, Thai and more).  PIECEMEAL received a starred review from Booklist. We will likely be purchasing this new title for use by our cooking class students, but this inventive cookbook merits a place on your shelf at home, too. 

LIDIA'S FROM OUR FAMILY TABLE TO YOURS by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali offers “More Than 100 Recipes Made with Love for All Occasions.” This latest cookbook from a prolific author will likely appeal to her many fans. However, the recipes do not seem especially healthy. Nutrition information is not provided; quite a bit of frying is recommended, and a fun appetizer like Spicy Crispy Roasted Caulifower still requires an entire sick of butter. Perhaps Lidia’s target audience is really an established, confident cook since other recipes are somewhat complicated (see Asparagus with Lemon Sauce) and throughout the authors assume a level of knowledge and sophistication from their readers (did you know that Grana Pandano is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano?). 

For easier meal ideas I plan to investigate instead 100 Easy Dinner Recipes for Right Now from The New York Times. 

Diet, Health, and New Cookbooks

I took a quick look at several food-related new books recently; they are from a number of publishers and cover a variety of more niche topics so I am posting them together in case one is of particular interest to you.

That said, who doesn’t love pasta? And AN A-Z OF PASTA by Rachel Roddy provides stories and commentary on 50 types of pasta, with, as the subtitle notes “Recipes for Shapes and Sauces, from Alfabeto to Ziti, and Everything in Between.” Roddy, an award-winning British food writer, says, “The idea is the 50 stories, arranged alphabetically according to the first letter of the shape, are like pieces of a jigsaw…” The relatively few pictures look scrumptious, like the one for baked macaroni with meatballs and eggplant (Maccheroni ‘ncasciati), although I did not see any nutrition information in the preview. In general, the recipes use numerous ingredients so this may work best for more experienced cooks, but some are marked very quick (e.g., butter and parmesan fettuccine) or quick (e.g., Carbonara). In addition to the delicious food, fans of pasta are sure to enjoy the details – like Penne being named for its slanted cut thanks to an 1865 patent on a diagonal cutting machine - revealed in the descriptions. AN A-Z OF PASTA received a starred review from Booklist. 

MIND OVER BATTER by Jack Hazan is subtitled “75 Recipes for Baking as Therapy.” Hazan writes quite a bit about his Syrian Jewish family members and obviously shares numerous favorite recipes, including his own experience making and selling challah. It all sounds delicious, and frankly, I think if I had more patience and somewhat different expectations that I would like this book more. I was honestly hoping for less stress through easier recipes. Pictures are quite colorful and have me thinking about giving Pesto Pull-Apart Bread or Choose-Your-Own-Scone a try. Since these are baked goods, they tend to be on the sweet side and nutritional information is not included. Hazan, a licensed psycho​therapist, also includes information on self-care, mindfulness, and healing exercises. MIND OVER BATTER is a unique cookbook, especially if you enjoy baking. 

EAT TO BEAT YOUR DIET by William W. Li describes how to “Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism, and Live Longer.” Li is a physician, scientist, and author of over one hundred scientific publications in leading journals. He outlines a program to improve your metabolism by carefully choosing what you eat and eating less and more slowly at certain times of the day. The text focuses more on the theory of what and when to eat, but Chapter 12 includes a sample meal guide and recipes like Berry Walnut Breakfast Cookies, Artichoke Egg Scramble, or Pasta Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Olives. Unfortunately, the preview did not contain images (always a favorite part of cookbooks) or nutrition information. Addressing a topic of interest to everyone, EAT TO BEAT YOUR DIET appeared on The Wall Street Journal non-fiction best seller list and for those who are interested, this link leads to a short video interview with Dr. Li as shown on Good Morning America. 

THE EVERYTHING ONE POT MEDITERRANEAN COOKBOOK by Peter Minaki offers “200 Fresh and Simple Recipes That Come Together in One Pot.” That is a style of cooking that I appreciate and there are many, many great choices here: Risotto with Shrimp, Mushrooms, and Asparagus; Cod with Raisins; Skillet Lasagna; even making Sun-Dried Tomatoes yourself. Minaki blogs about “Greek food and more” and embraces Greek (e.g., Scallops Saganaki) and other cuisines in his latest book with recipes like Moroccan-Style Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon or Spanish-Style Chickpeas with Cod. THE EVERYTHING ONE POT MEDITERRANEAN COOKBOOK contains sparsely illustrated sections for skillet dishes, sheet pans, Dutch ovens, Slow Cookers, Instant Pot and casseroles. Yummy! Nutritional information is provided and readers will have a hard time deciding what to try first.

Cookbooks and healthy eating ...

Holiday time … a chance to try new recipes while cherishing family traditions. Here’s a few forthcoming cookbooks to consider. SMITTEN KITCHEN KEEPERS by Deb Perelman is the most recent collection in this series, filled with “New Classics for Your Forever Files.” It is an extremely appealing cookbook, filled with colorful photos of delicious looking food. As promised, it does lean to more time-honored favorites like apple crisp or pound cake. Sections include breakfast, salad, soup & starters, vegetables (big and small), meat (and shrimp), plus a variety of sweets and snacks. Each recipe begins with a picture and a paragraph or two of commentary, then lists ingredients and directions. Nutritional information is not provided, but additional notes (with suggestions on substitutes or freezing, etc.) often are. A nod to classics include choices like little gem salad, French onion soup, or (skillet) chicken parmesan, but there are more unique offerings (like a citrus salad with radishes and hazelnuts for breakfast). Personally, I want to try the Challah Cheesecake Buns or Caramelized Cinnamon Sugar French Toast. Perelman does also set a reassuring tone with comments like “Don’t fret if you don’t have all of the spices called for. Use as many as you have; the fries will forgive” about Spiced Sweet Potato Oven Fries. Cooks will enjoy this beautiful text; however, I am a little surprised at the reliance on a heavier use of salt (e.g., adding two or three teaspoons of salt in Cozy Chicken and Dumplings) and even butter (e.g., two full sticks in the crust of Deepest Dish Broccoli Cheddar Quiche) in some recipes. SMITTEN KITCHEN KEEPERS received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal (“Essential for all collections.”).

LOW-SODIUM COOKING MADE EASY by Dick Logue is all about how to “Eat Well and Maintain Health Naturally with Less Salt.” This is adapted from other low sodium cookbooks which Logue has produced and the thoroughness of this recent cookbook prompted me to investigate other offerings from him which feature slow cooker, high fiber, and low cholesterol recipes. LOW-SODIUM COOKING MADE EASY begins with chapters devoted to spice blends & seasoning and to condiments & sauces (like sweet and sour or a teriyaki substitute).  The Baked French Toast in the breakfast section seems like an easy dish to prepare the night before. In addition, there are plenty of main dishes – with chapters on chicken & turkey, beef, or pork from which to choose. I am looking forward to trying Hungarian Beef Stew and also Pork and Sweet Potatoes, both in the slow cooker. And for seafood, we will be sampling Salmon Packets and Potato Crusted Fish. If you are still looking for ideas, there are additional chapters with suggestions for soups, stews & chilis, for salads & salad dressings, and for potatoes & rice. Unfortunately, there are not many pictures which I personally feel are pretty essential to an enjoyable, useful cookbook. The recipes, however, are relatively easy - as promised - and point to the importance of changing shopping habits (e.g., look for low-sodium bread) while pursuing dietary changes and a healthier lifestyle. 

THE EASY ANTI-INFLAMMATORY COOKBOOK by Molly Thompson is subtitled “Simple Recipes that Heal and Support Immune Health.” Like her earlier efforts, this cookbook, begins with some basic information about inflammation and then includes chapters on breakfast, on snacks, and on pasta. These are followed by poultry & pork, beef, and seafood, with the final two chapters featuring meatless meals and beverages. The recipes tend to be fairly complex and are probably suited to a more experienced, committed cook. For example, Paleo Coffee Cake Doughnuts with Crumble Topping had between one and two dozen ingredients, including three kinds of flour (almond, tapioca, and coconut). Ingredients are a bit unusual (at least to me), too; the appetizing Spicy Chicken Thai-Inspired Lettuce Wraps called for coconut aminos, chili paste, and toasted sesame oil. The pictures are colorful, with one for approximately every three or four recipes. There is no nutritional information, but number of servings and dietary designations (e.g., dairy free, gluten free, vegan, etc.) are included, with some helpful “pro tips” also interspersed.

On a related note, EAT & FLOURISH by Mary Beth Albright is all about “How Food Supports Emotional Well-Being” and even its beautiful cover evokes positive feelings. Albright, a writer, editor, and executive producer at the Washington Post, divides the book into six chapters dealing with first emotional eating; then pleasure; the gut microbiome; inflammation; nutrients and, finally, how to eat for emotional wellness. The first five provide scientific evidence of the important relationship between well-being and food, while the last provides a flexible four week outline to help incorporate many of the findings in daily life. As Albright points out, some suggested steps (e.g., “buy and eat 30 different plants in one week”), are indeed daunting, but she contends throughout the book that “it’s not just what we eat, it’s how we eat that affects mental health.” Notes, including citations for numerous scientific papers, represent at least ten percent of the text. EAT & FLOURISH received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.