Ina Garten's Kielbasa with Mustard Dip (Plus a Cookbook Review on Ina's newest book, Modern Comfort Food!}

 

There are two cookbooks that have completely taken me by storm this year. The first one was Sami Tamimi's Falastin, so unique and beautiful. The second was Ina Garten's latest, and best in my opinion, Modern Comfort Food. As the holidays approach, either one of these cookbooks would be a much-loved gift for any cookbook lover.

I have marked so many recipes in Ina's latest. This recipe, Kielbasa with Mustard Dip was one of them and it inched it's way to the top of the list simply because it is SO SIMPLE and I truly love kielbasa and mustard. Also because I think it would make for a wonderful appetizer for your upcoming holiday parties.

Let this recipe replace the traditional cocktail wienie swimming in a barbecue sauce. This is the updated version. Crispy fried kielbasa dipped in a zesty and zippy mustard sauce. Trust me, everyone is going to love it. IT IS SO GOOD! SO GOOD! Best of all, this is good served hot and juicy straight from the pan, but it's also really good when it's at room temperature (if it lasts that long).

Trust me on this one, folks. Everyone loves savory crispy meat they can skewer and dunk.

If you're wondering about Ina's newest book, Modern Comfort Food I will give you a quick review. It is published by Clarkson Potter, my personal favorite, and in the style of her other cookbooks, which I love. A big stack of Ina's cookbooks makes for a great showpiece.

The book has six chapters: Cocktails (Frozen Palmoas, Hot Spiced Apple Cider, Fig & Cheese Toasts, Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Cacio e Peppe Cheese Puffs, Spicy Pimento Cheese Spread, and today's recipe Kielbasa with Mustard Dip); Lunch (Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Baked Raclette, Lobster BLTs, Ultimate Tuna Melt, Broccoli & Kale Salad); Dinner (Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, Brussels Sprouts Pizza Carbonara, Fresh Crab & Pea Risotto, Seared Salmon with Spicy Red Pepper Aioli); Vegetables & Sides (Cheddar & Scallion Creamed Corn, Provencal Zucchini Gratin, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Orange Butter); Dessert (Peach Almond Torte, English Lemon Posset, Milk Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream, Applesauce Cake with Bourbon Raisins, Berries &Jam Milkshakes, Banana Rum Trifle, Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies); and Breakfast (Smashed Eggs on Toast, Whole-Grain Breakfast Bowl, Creamed Spinach & Eggs, Bacon, Egg & Cheddar Sandwich) Waffle Iron Hash Browns, and Chunky Apple Butter).

I love all of Ina's books, but this one is hands down my favorite. Who doesn't love comfort food? Especially right now, in the midst of a pandemic? As much as I love Sami Tamimi's cookbook Falastin, you will likely see me cooking much more from Modern Comfort Food as the food is so family-friendly and full of modern twists on classics that we crave. If I had to pick between the two cookbooks, I'd pick Ina's Modern Comfort Food, again and again.What can I say? Comfort food is my fave!

 

Kielbasa with Mustard Dip

Adapted from Modern Comfort Food

by Ina Garten

Serves 6-8

 1-1/4 pounds smoked kielbasa (Polish sausage)

olive oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

salt and black pepper

Slice the kielbasa crosswise 1/2 inch thick diagonally. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium (10-11 inch) saute pan, add the kielbasa, and cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until the kielbasa is nicely browned on both sides. 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, horseradish, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve the kielbasa hot from the pan with small wooden skewers and a dish of the mustard sauce on the side for dipping.

 

 

#TheNewSouthwest #CookbookSpotlight {Cookbook Review & Giveaway}

The New Southwest: Classic Flavors With A Modern Twist

Author: Meagan Micozzi

Publisher: Hippocrene

Hard Cover 230 pages

Meagan Micozzi's The New Southwest is a fun, bright, and colorful cookbook that celebrates the festive, and oftentimes fiery ingredients, of the American Southwest.  The recipes are easy enough for beginner cooks but also unique enough to satisfy the adventurous spirit of a seasoned cook.  I found myself drawn to the happy nature of the recipes, as well as the charming personality of the author Meagan Micozzi.  If you are a fan of happy and cheerful food then you'll want to grab ahold of this brand new cookbook. 

Twelve Chapters  

The Southwestern Pantry | Building Blocks | Condiments | Breakfast | Drinks | Appetizers & Snacks | Breads | Side Dishes | Main Courses | From the Grill | Desserts | A "Christmas-Style" Extra

Recipes I've Tried

Mushroom & Shallot Migas

Pinto Bean Breakfast Patty Melts

Recipes I'd Like To Try

Sunday Salsa|Coconut Crunch Muffins|Apple, Cheddar & Chorizo Breakfast Pizza|Breakfast Toastadas with Cumin-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes|Tequila Sunrise|Texas Rose|Black Bean & Corn Quesaditas|Cheesy Beer Bread|Sage & Honey Skillet Biscuits|Adobo Potato Gratin|Fideo Burritos|Chipotle-Spiced Grilled Cheese Sandwiches|Chicken Tinga Potpie|Fancified Frito Pie

And now... here's how to win your very own copy of The New Southwest by Meagan Micozzi!

 ***The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight Giveaway!***

How to enter:

1. Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this blog post letting me know what your favorite Southwestern dish is.

2. There are tons of optional extra entries in the rafflecopter widget!

Hippocrene will be supplying 14 copies of The New Southwest by Meagan Micozzi for this giveaway, in conjunction with The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight. Contest is open to anybody with a shipping address in the USA. Submissions will be accepted via the rafflecopter widget through 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, November 3, 2013. Fourteen winners will be chosen by random draw, verified, and be notified by email (from Heather at girlichef) within 48 hours of the close of this contest. The winner should respond within 24 hours of notification, or a new winner will be drawn in their place. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Author Notes: Meagan Micozzi was born in New Jersey, raised in Washington, D.C. and educated in New England. In 2011 she launched Scarletta Bakes, a blog devoted to her adventures in southwestern cooking. Micozzi's recipes have been featured on The Huffington Post, The Kitchn, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Scarletta Bakes was named a Site We Love by Saveur. Micozzi resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. You can visit her at scarlettabakes.com.

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef. 


Note: I received a copy of this cookbook from the publisher as part of a Cookbook Spotlight event, however I received no monetary compensation to review it. As always, my thoughts, feedback and experiences cooking from it are entirely my own. 

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef.

To see 14 other food bloggers thoughts, reviews, and recipes they've tested from the book, click on the "cookbook spotlight button" to the left!
- See more at: http://www.girlichef.com/2013/10/AdoboPotatoesGratin-TheNewSouthwest-CookbookReview.html#more

A Cookbook Gift Guide for the Holidays

I highly recommend Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart's Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking.  This newly released gem of a cookbook is packed full of traditional, modern, and sophisticated southern cuisine.  With a little over 700 pages, this is more of a tome than a cookbook.  This book reminds me of Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table or maybe even Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything.  It's very comprehensive and really celebrates southern cooking at it's finest.  You will not find loads of overly rich butter-laden recipes in this book.  Think of this cookbook as a fresh take on southern cooking with a modern, almost up-scale, classy touch.  Unfortunately this cookbook doesn't have too many pictures, but I honestly don't mind.  I don't think you will either.

For the baker in your life, The Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook  will charm you with it's whimsical retro design and gorgeous baked goods (both savory and sweet).  This is one of those books that you simply page through again and again because it's so very pretty.

Okay, Joy The Baker Cookbook.  Need I say more?  I fell in love with this book when I was invited to be a part of the Joy the Baker Cook-off.  Joy's blog is so much fun and her cookbook reflects her upbeat personality.  I've made so many recipes from this book and they've all been a hit, but Joy's Chocolate Fudge Brownie with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is incredible.  Worth the price of the book alone.  I'm buying a copy of this book for a friend of mine. 

Ina Garten.  When she writes a cookbook, you buy it!  Especially when the title of said cookbook is Foolproof.  Ina has a knack for writing recipes that turn out well every single time.  Foolproof  has the same gorgeous layout as Ina's other cookbooks and it's easy to fall in love with this book.  Best of all, the recipes seem very impressive while being easy and quick. 

My cast iron skillet is probably my favorite kitchen tool.  I love the versatility of being able to go from the stovetop, to the oven, to the table.  Of course, it helps that everything looks gorgeous when served in cast iron.  It's no surprise then that The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook  is also a favorite of mine.  This cookbook is full of gorgeous cast iron cookware and great recipes (many of them time-saving one-pot recipes). 

I'm a huge fan of Giada De Laurentiis.  I have all of her cookbooks, but Weeknights with Giada is probably my favorite Giada cookbook.  As my children get older, I have less and less time in the kitchen.  This is somewhat of a go-to cookbook for me.  I can always find something quick and easy that my kids will like.  This cookbook is great for people who are looking for something delicious without spending hours in the kitchen.   

And finally, Muy Bueno.   I have a soft spot for this book.  I really do.  It's written by three generations of women and it just screams family, love, and tradition.  I love the recipes in this book, but I love the stories even more.  This would be a great book for any food lover. 

These are my favorite cookbooks that have been published this year, however I'd really love to know which ones you liked the best.  What are some of your favorite cookbooks that came out this year?

Cookbook Review: The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook {and Upside-Down Salsa Cornbread}

The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook

A Treasury of Timeless Delicious Recipes

Softcover 

288 pages

Eight Chapters:  Lodge Cast Iron: A Song for a Cook's Soul; Breakfast; Soup, Stew, Gumbo & Chili; The Main Course; Cooking Outdoors; Sides; Nothin' But Cornbread; Desserts, Biscuits, & Bread; and great features on the history of cast iron as well as caring for your cast iron. 

I am absolutely in love with cast iron.  I love the rustic and homey look of cast iron, but more important than that, I love the functionality and superior results from cooking with cast iron.  Cast iron goes from the stovetop to the oven and from the oven to the table. 

I had a chance to go to The Lodge Factory Store in Sevierville, TN this past winter.  It was a total dream come true.  There are four factory stores in the southeastern United States and I highly recommend stopping by one if you get the chance.  They have so many cast iron pieces to chose from.  I especially like the table in the back where you can buy "less than perfect" pieces for a fraction of the price.  After I stocked up on cast iron I spied this cookbook at the checkout and vowed that I would buy it when I got the chance. 

This is a beautiful softcover cookbook with lots of gorgeous pictures, both of the recipes and also the cast iron.  There are so many recipes that I'd like to make from this book, but I've been all about cornbread lately so I chose this Upside-Down Salsa Cornbread from the Nothin' But Cornbread chapter. We loved being able to cut a wedge of this and top it with additional salsa, sour cream, and a little bit of chopped green onion.  It was very pleasing to the eyes and the palate!

Upside-Down Salsa Cornbread

Adapted from The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook

Serves 6-8

Filling:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound lean ground beef (I used 95% lean)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 medium green or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into rings

Topping:

2 cups Martha White Buttermilk Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

1 (16-ounce) jar chunky-style salsa

1-1/4 cups milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 425F.  

Make the filling:  Heat the oil in a 10-1/2 inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, salt and garlic salt; cook until the beef is no longer pink, stirring frequently and breaking up any clumps of meat.  Remove the beef mixture from the skillet to a bowl.  Place the bell pepper rings in a single layer in the bottom of the skillet.  Spoon the mixture over the rings.

Make the topping:  Stir together the corn meal mix, cheese, sugar, salsa, milk, oil, and egg in a medium bowl; stir until well blended.  Spread the batter evenly over the beef mixture in the skillet.  Bake until golden brown, 32 to 38 minutes.

Place a serving plate over the skillet; carefully invert and remove the skillet.  Cut into wedges.  If desired, this can be served from the skillet:  Cut into wedges and carefully turn each wedge upside down onto a serving plate.

Cookbook Review: The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook {and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream}

The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook

Hardcover 

160 pages

*Spiral bound for easy flipping

Seven Chapters:  Introduction; Candy; Cookies and Brownies; Cakes, Custards, and Pies; Frozen Treats; Indulgent Breakfasts; and Fun Snacks and Party Fare

Lindsay Landis, of the popular Love and Olive Oil blog, has created one helluva cookbook in The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook. This book is a complete dream for any cookie dough lover, kids and adults alike. Not only that, but the book includes an extensive set of recipes, from Cookie Dough Wontons with Chocolate Dipping Sauce to Cookie Dough-Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls.  There are so many fun new ways to enjoy cookie dough in this book.  Wanna know the best part?  All the cookie dough is egg-free.  So there's no worries about eating raw egg.

I had a hard time deciding on what to make from the book, so I let my daughter decide.  It was no surprise when she chose the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  It is her favorite after all.  We all loved this ice cream.  My husband, who is my toughest critic, declared this ice cream the best I've ever made.  I have to agree.  We loved the brown sugar flavored ice cream base, but what we loved even more was the fact that this was the creamiest ice cream ever.  The texture was perfect!  Sometimes homemade ice cream can be icy and best served on day one.  This ice cream isn't that way at all.  This ice cream is creamy and it stays creamy, even on day five in the freezer.  But, of course, the best part of this ice cream is all the plentiful little chunks of cookie dough...and let me tell you, this ice cream is not skimpy in the cookie dough department.  It's fully loaded!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Adapted from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook

Makes 1-1/2 quarts

For Ice Cream:

2 cups heavy cream, divided

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

pinch salt

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk or cream

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Recipes Tagged To Make:  Crispy Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cups; White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Cookie Dough Blondies; Cookie Dough Mosaic Cheesecake; Mexican Chocolate Cookie Dough Tartlets; Invisible Cookie Dough Ice Pops; Cookie Dough Oatmeal Pancakes; Baked Cookie Dough Doughnuts; Cookie Dough-Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls; Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Granola Bars; and Cookie Dough S'mores.

*Quirk Books sent me a copy of The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook for review, but all opinions shared are my own.

Cookbook Review: Weeknights with Giada

Weeknights with Giada:

Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner

Hardcover

240 pages

Eight Chapters:  Soups & Salads; Bruschettas, Sandwiches, & Pizzas; Pasta & Grains; Meat, Poultry & Fish; Change of Pace; Breakfast for Dinner; Veggies & Sides; and Desserts

When I heard that Giada was coming out with a new cookbook I preordered it.  I knew I would love it and I was right.  Weeknights with Giada is full of family-friendly, super easy, inventive and fun recipes for the weeknights.  There are lots of days where I love to spend all day in the kitchen, but then there are also days where I need quick and easy and this book delivers.  On top of all that, the book is absolutely gorgeous, full of both family photos and gorgeous food.  You will find lots of Italian-inspired recipes in this book, but you'll also find that Giada branches out with recipes like Sweet and Spicy Greek Meatballs, Chicken Adobo, Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups, and Chicken with Peruvian Chile Sauce.  But most importantly, everything I tried was delicious!

**The recipes for each of the dishes below can be found by clicking on the recipe name.  The link will take you to the recipe on the Food Network.

Just for fun let's start where it counts.....DESSERT!!  Giada's Peanut Butter Cookies with Blackberry Jam.  These are no everyday peanut butter cookie.  These cookies have cocoa powder added to them, which is perfect for those of us who are addicted to the combo of peanut butter and chocolate.  I made some of the cookies with the blackberry jam and some without any jam at all.  Both were a huge success!  The recipe makes 10 huge cookies and believe me, they were gone in no time at all!

 From the Veggies & Sides chapter is probably my favorite recipe of the bunch, Giada's Scallion and Mozzarella Cornbread.  Holy cow is this stuff good!  The buttermilk in this recipe makes for an extremely tender and incredibly moist cornbread.  You can actually see the mozzarella in the cornbread....it is so cheesy.  And, we just loved the studs of olives and scallions running throughout.   I'm gonna go out on a limb here and tell you that this is probably the best cornbread I've ever had.  In fact, I'm making another version of it today.

If you're a potato lover, then you will fall in love for these Baked Potatoes with Sausage and Arugula.  A fluffy baked potato is topped with Italian sausage and a very cheesy creamy tomato sauce.  Since there is quite a bit of arugula mixed into the sauce I've deemed these healthy.  My family absolutely loved these and asked for more so I went ahead and made them again (twice in the same week).  This is a recipe that I can see myself making again and again, which is the mark of a very successful recipe.  Food bloggers rarely make the same thing twice, right?

All in all, this is a fabulous book and one that I am very happy to have in my collection.  In fact, I'll be sharing more recipes soon!

Recipes tagged to make: Literally everything...Shrimp and Sausage Cioppino; Burgers a la Pizzaiola; Ricotta, Lentil & Rice Rolls; Herbed Lamb Chops with Homemade BBQ Sauce; California-Style Chopped Salad with Shrimp; Sweet Corn & Basil Lasagna; Chicken with Tarragon & White Wine; Black Forbidden Rice with Shrimp, Peaches & Snap Peas; and Grilled Creamed Corn with Spinach and Parmesan....just to name a few!

Cookbook Review: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Food From My Frontier 

by Ree Drummond

Hardcover

294 pages

Nine Chapters: Breakfast; Lunch; Soups; Starters, Party Food, and Drinks; Pasta and Pizza; Supper; Sides; Sweets; and Canning

I'm a big fan of Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman.  If it weren't for her then I never would have discovered food blogs, much less started one of my own.  Several years ago I was on a forum for bath and body products and someone mentioned The Pioneer Woman's site.  Out of curiosity I clicked on the link to her site and instantly fell in love.

I credit Ree with my discovery of food blogs.  Prior to clicking on her site I never even knew food blogs existed.  For years I had been alone in my love for food and cooking and suddenly a whole new door opened.  I became obsessed with food blogs and eventually I told myself that I could write one of my own.  The rest, as they say, is history.

I really enjoy following Ree along on her journey, whether it's on her blog or on her new Food Network show.  I enjoy everything she shares whether it's the footage of her ranch life, her kids, or her food.  I enjoy her personality and the fact that she doesn't take herself too seriously.  I think she's a real class act and I'm happy for her.  She's really carved out a wonderful career for herself.

I think The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a great book for any food blogger, but mostly I think this is a great book for the family cook.  There are so many wonderful recipes to feed your family in this book.  To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed to tell you how many recipes I have bookmarked.

I'd like to cook almost every recipe in Ree's new book, but here are the ones I managed to do so far.

First up are Ree's Make-Ahead Muffin Melts, which I wrote about on this post.  These little muffin melts are genius!  It's basically a make ahead egg spread that can be pulled out of the fridge in the morning, smeared on an English muffin, and broiled until hot and bubbly in mere minutes.  A very quick and tasty way to have a nice hot breakfast in the morning.  The best part?  You can customize these to suit your tastes.

Next up I chose Ree's Tequila Lime Chicken to serve alongside her Mexican Rice.  Ree's Tequila Lime Chicken is marinated in a mixture of lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, olive oil and tequila.  The chicken is tender and flavorful and pairs so well with refried black beans, Mexican rice, and some corn tortillas.  My family really enjoyed this meal.

Tequila Lime Chicken

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

by Ree Drummond

Makes 6 portions

3 limes

5 garlic cloves, peeled

1 jalapeno, sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

5 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup tequila

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Optional for serving:

pico de gallo

jalapeno slices

Refried black beans (heat two 14.5 ounce cans of black beans in a saucepan, then mash slightly)

Mexican Rice (recipe to follow)

Warmed flour or corn tortillas

Lime wedges

Avocado slices

Sour cream

Grated Monterey Jack cheese

Slice open the limes and squeeze the juice into a food processor or blender.  Add the garlic cloves, jalapeno slices, cilantro, kosher salt, olive oil, and tequila.  Blend the mixture until totally pureed.  Then add the chicken breasts to a large plastic bag and pour in the marinade.  Seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for several hours or overnight.  Remove the chicken from the bag and grill it over medium-high heat. Rotate the chicken 45 degrees on both sides to create nice grill marks, and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked thoroughly, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Slice the chicken and serve it on a plate topped with pico de gallo and a jalapeno slice, surrounded by refried black beans, Mexican Rice, rolled-up warmed tortillas, and a couple of lime wedges.  You can also add some avocado slices, some sour cream...load it up!

Mexican Rice

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

by Ree Drummond

Makes a huge amount; enough for two dinners*

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups long-grain rice

One 10-ounce can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles

One 14.5 ounce can whole tomatoes

1 teaspoons ground cumin, or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 cups chicken broth

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and add the rice.  Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the rice doesn't burn.  Add the Rotel, whole tomatoes, cumin, cayenne, and salt.  Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.  Add 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the rice is done.  Add more liquid as needed; the rice shouldn't be sticky. 

Just before serving, sprinkle lots of freshly chopped cilantro over the top

*Note: This recipe easily makes enough rice for two full meals.  Plan accordingly.

Recipes I have bookmarked to make:   Carnitas Pizza; BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas; Fried Chicken Tacos; Peach Whiskey Chicken; Apricot Shrimp Skewers; Pork Chops with Apples & Grits; and Honey-Plum Soy Chicken...just to name a few!

A Tessa Kiros Favorites Roundup

Over at I Heart Cooking Clubs, we have spent a very delicious six months with Tessa Kiros.  Tessa is definitely not as well-known as other chefs and cooks, but she deserves to be.  Her cookbooks are a work of art, abounding with recipes and stories.  Normally when I spend six months cooking and baking up a chef's or a cook's recipes I usually come across a few duds.  Not with Tessa.  This time around I can honestly say everything I tried was great.

It was really hard to narrow down my top Tessa recipes, but here are my favorites.  (Click on the recipe title to be directed to the original post).

First up is Tessa's Garides Saganaki (or simply Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes) from her Food From Many Greek Kitchens cookbook.  This dish is a must make, stays on your mind, fall in love type dish. I keep shrimp in my freezer and feta in my cheese drawer so that I can make it whenever I like.  I can tell you for sure that this recipe will make my top ten favorites list for the year.

 Second on the list are Tessa's Fried Risotto Balls (otherwise known as Arancini) from her Apples for Jam cookbook.  These puppies should come with a warning.  My goodness are they addictive. Crunchy, gooey, cheesy, with lots of garlic and tomato flavor.  These little fried balls are phenomenal. 

The next recipe on the list is Tessa's Risotto with Artichokes and Sausage.  I altered this recipe to suit our tastes simply by keeping both the artichokes and sausage out of the risotto until the very last minute (Tessa's recipe cooks them along in the risotto).  The result was easily my all-time favorite risotto recipe.  The risotto was nice and creamy, the sausage slightly crispy and caramelized, and the artichokes lent a brightness to an otherwise rich dish.  We gobbled it up!

Also making the cut are Tessa's Chicken Croquettes, along with her chicken broth and Pasta in Chicken Broth, all from her Apples For Jam cookbook.  It makes for such an amazing, comforting, family-pleasing meal.  If you're in the mood for some kitchen therapy, make these three recipes.  You won't be sorry.  You'll be rewarded with so many things.  Homemade chicken broth, crunchy and wildly flavorful chicken croquettes, and a comforting soup of pasta in chicken broth. Soul satisfying in more ways than one.

We are partial to pot roasts in my house.  It's one of our all-time favorites.  So, I may be a bit biased when I say that Tessa's Kokkinisto (otherwise known as Reddened) was one of our favorite dishes.  This pot roast is called reddened because it calls for red wine, red onion, and tomatoes.  The end result is so flavorful.  The tomatoes get all jammy and delicious and it's just wonderful served with pasta on the side.

Lastly is the best-looking most delicious tasting banana bread I've ever had.  Seriously now.  I made Tessa's banana bread and really didn't think I would post it, but it blew our minds with it's tender texture, it's spicy fragrance, and it's ultimate banana flavor.  This is THE banana bread recipe.

Tessa has six cookbooks:  Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook; Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes; Venezia: Food and Dreams; Twelve: A Tuscan Cookbook; Piri Piri Starfish: Portugal Found; and Food From Many Greek Kitchens. 

I have four of Tessa's cookbooks:  Twelve, Falling Cloudberries, Apples for Jam, and Food From Many Greek Kitchens.  I recommend all of them, but Apples for Jam was easily my favorite of the six.  I loved how the recipes were organized by color and also the fact that the recipes were so approachable.  My second favorite was Tessa's Food From Many Greek Kitchens.  Food From Many Greek Kitchens is such a stunning book full of gorgeous pictures and loads of Greek recipes.  Buy one, buy them all...you won't be sorry.

 The new chef for the next round of IHCC is Rick Bayless.

Cookbook Review: Joy The Baker Cookbook (Joy The Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-off)

Joy The Baker Cookbook

100 Simple and Comforting Recipes

Softcover

246 Pages

I was both excited and thankful when Heather of girlichef asked me to be a part of the Joy The Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-off.  When this gem of a cookbook arrived in the mail I quickly found a quiet spot and spent over an hour going through it.  I marveled at how pretty it was.  I drooled over all the beautifully photographed goodies.  I laughed out loud as I read Joy's stories.  I bookmarked nearly everything.  I'm dead serious.  I bookmarked way more than I normally do.  I literally want to make everything in this book (bring on the elastic pants). 

I've learned to take note when fellow bloggers write cookbooks.  I was lucky enough to be part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-off and instantly fell in love with the The Homesick Texan cookbook, which by the way, really has become a favorite. I feel the same way about Joy Wilson's Joy The Baker Cookbook.  Joy's cookbook is so well-loved in my home that it's yet to make it's way to my cookbook shelves.  I keep it out on my kitchen counter.  I look through it on the couch.  I take it with me in the car when I'm waiting in the carpool lane.  Heck, I even take it to bed with me.  My point is, when I have any down time at all...this book is almost always in my hands.  And when I don't have down time I think of this book and anticipate the next recipe I'd like to try.     

Here's a glimpse of what I made during the Joy The Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-off!  Ten recipes down, 90 more to go...ha ha.

First up, and oh so promising, were Joy's Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.  These brownies really are the ultimate brownie.  Completely intense with chocolate flavor. 

 

 Next up were the Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Biscuits, which I quickly dubbed as California Biscuits simply because my husband has an aversion to goat cheese.  Can I just tell you that I don't think I did these biscuits justice on my initial post?  I really grew to LOVE and OBSESS over these biscuits.  They were so darn easy and had the best texture.  I really enjoyed them served warm with a little extra goat cheese and a fried egg.  Love these biscuits and will make them often.

For blogger's choice week I really wanted to show that Joy's book included some rather savory options, so I made three snacks.  First up, and because I love mustard, I made Joy's Honey-Mustard Roasted Cashews.  They were all buttery and sticky.  Total deliciousness.

Surprisingly, the favorite of the two nut recipes happened to be these Crunchy Cocoa Roasted Almonds.  When Joy says these nuts are crunchy, she really means it.  These nuts have a big crunch to them and what I really love is that they are the perfect mix of sweet and salty.  Perfect for when you're having those cravings.

For my popcorn eating family, I made Joy's recipe for Perfect Kettle Corn.  I will warn you that this recipe requires some hefty shaking to get all the mixture evenly distributed into the popcorn but it is so worth it, especially if you like making homemade popcorn as we do.

Here are the recipes that I've made and not posted.  Joy's Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins.  These muffins are literally bursting with blueberries.  They turned out beautifully moist with lots and lots of crumb topping.  A damn fine blueberry muffin for sure.

These Cheddar Chive and Jalapeno Biscuits have been so popular during the cook-off and I simply had to make them.  They turned out so pretty and were extremely cheesy.  We enjoyed them with dinner and also made them into egg biscuits for breakfast. 

My Mom and I were in the mood for a dainty and girly dinner one night.  We chose Joy's Zucchini and Potato Pancakes and enjoyed them with a little crumbled feta cheese on top.  These made for a crunchy and delightful dinner, along with a side salad.

For breakfast this morning I made Joy's Baked Coffee Cake French Toast, served with lots of sliced strawberries on top.  Talk about good eatin'.  I'll be posting this recipe soon.

Also made, but not shown here, was Joy's Single Girl Melty Chocolate Cake which was probably my favorite all-time recipe in Joy's new book.  Picture a chocolate molten cake for one that's made in mere minutes.  It's so easy and delicious it will become dangerous.  Dangerous, I tell ya.

 

I'm so thankful to Hyperion for sponsoring this event, and also to Heather at girlichef, for hosting.I'd also like to thank my fellow bloggers.  It sure was fun cooking and baking along with you in this cook-off.  I loved seeing the posts pop up here and there and thoroughly enjoyed reading through all of them.  Joy The Baker's new cookbook is definitely one of my favorite cookbooks at the moment.

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*