GSP Cookbooks Win World Gourmand Awards

Food Festivals of Italy by James Fraioli and Leonardo Curti has been named the Best Italian Cuisine Cookbook in the American division of the 2008 World Gourmand Awards.



Great Chefs Cook Vegan by Linda Long has been named the Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the American division of the 2008 World Gourmand Awards.


These books will now compete for the Best in the World competition in their categories, the winner of which will be announced in May.

Havana Before Castro featured on PRI's The World broadcast

Peter Moruzzi reads and excerpt and shares his insights into Cuba while being interviewed on his book Havana Before Castro on PRI's The World radio broadcast. (Click on the link below to hear the program)

PRI's The World Global Perspectives for an American Audience

Posted using ShareThis

Tasty Thursday

Oh what fun! Now you and your kids can make cute cakes for any occasion! Since Christmas is only two weeks away, I thought it would be fun to highlight a recipe from Easy Cut-Up Cakes for Kids by Melissa Barlow. This great cake is the perfect way to spread holiday cheer!

Christmas Tree

Pans: 1 (9 x 13-inch) pan

Serves: 8 to 10

1 chocolate cake mix

Green frosting

1 King-Size Snickers or Milky Way candy bar

White frosting

Red candies, like M&Ms, striped peppermints, or Red Hots

1. Make cake mix according to package directions. Bake cake as directed on box for a 9 x 13-inch pan. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, and then invert and cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Cut the cake according to the diagram below. Position the two smaller triangle pieces together to create one large triangle and frost the top green. Place the other large triangle on top and frost entire cake green. Cut candy bar in half and then stack at the bottom of the tree to make the trunk.

3. Using a decorator's bag with a star tip, frost a white garland diagonally across the tree. Decorate your tree with candy as desired.

Variation: Frost the tree with green mint frosting or sprinkle on shredded coconut that has been tinted green to look like pine needles.

The true, inspirational Christmas story

Share the true meaning of Christmas with neighbors and friends with Candy Chand's true, inspirational story, Christmas Love.

Originally featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul and on the Internet, Christmas Love is the miraculous story of finding the sacred meaning of Christmas amid the chaos and commercialization of the holiday. Since 1999, this true story, about a touching reminder suddenly appearing during a school's holiday pageant, has captured the hearts of readers around the world. Now with tender watercolor illustrations, Chrsitmas Love is a beautiful, inspirational story for anyone who wishes to honor the real meaning of Christmas.

To Order, click on the book cover.

Barry Dixon Has Fans in High Places!

Brian Coleman, author of the book Barry Dixon Interiors with photography by Edward Addeo, sent us this image. The lady on the left is First Lady Laura Bush, and the lady on the right is Karyn Frist, wife of US Senator Bill Frist. Mrs. Frist presented Mrs. Bush with a copy of Barry Dixon Interiors during a recent visit to the White House.

Tasty Thursday

It's time to start making all those luscious treats that get us all excited for Christmas! Today's recipe is taken from the New York Times Best-Seller, 101 Things to do With a Cake Mix by Stephanie Ashcraft. This is the perfect dessert to make and enjoy with your family this holiday season. 


Christmas-Rainbow Poke Cake

1 white cake mix

1 small box strawberry gelatin

1 small box lime gelatin

2 cups boiling water, divided

1/2 cup cold water, divided

1 container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Prepare cake mix as directed on box. Pour batter into two 8- or 9-inch round pans and bake as directed; cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool cakes completely and clean the pans.

Place cake layers, top sides up, back into the two clean pans. With a fork, poke holes at 1-inch intervals through both cakes.

Dissolve strawberry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Mix 1/4 cup cold water into gelatin. Spoon over one layer of cake in pan. Repeat with lime gelatin. Refrigerate 3–4 hours or overnight.

Dip one pan with cake into warm water for 10 seconds: invert cake onto a serving plate. Cover the cake with part of the whipped topping. Invert second layer of cake on top and then frost with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

An interview with the man who lives in 140 Square Feet

Author Gregory Johnson of Put Your Life on a Diet: Lessons Learned from Living in 140 Square Feet, was recently interviewed for "Writers Voices," on KRUU FM in Iowa.

Writers’ Voices with Monica and Caroline warmly welcomed author Gregory Paul Johnson, as well as guest host Steve Cooperman, last Friday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. Steve Cooperman is a former journalist and a KRUU show host who is currently involved in numerous community projects. Steve put his own life on a diet about a year ago when he moved into a 500 sq ft cottage with a wood stove, close to the town square, greatly reducing driving miles.

Click here to listen.

Click here for the article.

Use Goat Cheese to Liven Up Holiday Meals!

Be the hit of your holiday gathering with these delicious recipes from Goat Cheese by Maggie Foard!

Espresso cheesecake brownies

[makes 16]

7 ounces 70 percent bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks

1 (1-ounce) square unsweetened chocolate

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 extra-large free-range eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup pecan halves

Topping

4 ounces fromage blanc or fresh chèvre

1/4 cup shot of freshly made espresso or very, very strong fresh drip coffee, cooled

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 beaten egg (about 2 tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment that is oiled

or buttered on both sides. Melt the chocolates with the butter over simmering water in a double boiler; or do it my way—on the defrost setting in the microwave—until the chocolates are just about melted. Remove

from heat and whisk in the salt and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. The batter should be satiny and dark and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Scatter the nuts on the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon all but 1/2 cup of the chocolate mixture into the pan.

Topping

Whisk together the fromage, cooled espresso, powdered sugar, vanilla and egg. Drizzle the fromage mixture over the chocolate batter. Dot the remaining chocolate batter over the top of that and run a knife back and forth through the batter to create kind of a swirl pattern over the top. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30–35 minutes, or until the top is set but not dry. Cool on a rack. Chill thoroughly before cutting if you want nice

neat pieces, but be sure to take the brownies out of the fridge a little while before eating. The flavor

is so much better when they are at room temp!

Fresh tomato tapenade

[makes approximately y 2 cups ]

1 pound fresh ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced and poached in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil for 1 minute

1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

1 tablespoon capers

1/4 cup chopped basil

3 ounces crumbled goat feta

Salt and pepper to taste

Organic Roma or San Marzano tomatoes are best for this dip, but any full-flavored tomato can work.

In the dead of winter when I crave tomato bruschetta, I use diced organic tomatoes from a can.

Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl shortly before serving at room temperature with bruscetta. For a change, omit the feta and serve the tapenade with slices of fresh goat mozzarella or goat brie.

Flying M in Boise hosts Dinner at Your Door authors for booksigning

From the authors of Dinner at Your Door:

It's "Buy Local Week" in the City of Boise, Dec. 1 - 7th. Meet us First Thursday at the Flying M Coffeehouse for some pre-holiday cheer. Diana, Andy and Alex will be sipping coffee and signing books from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4th - that is this Thursday!

Bring in gift copies of “Dinner At Your Door” and we’ll add personal inscriptions to your friends and family. Flying M will also have books for sale. If you have recently started a Dinner Co-op of your own, come in and let us know how it's going. If you're trying to convert some pals, bring them in and we'll see what we can do. :)

This is our last scheduled local event before the holidays--it would be fun to see you there. To learn more about this all Boise-based project, please visit the dinner co-op website:

www.dinnerco-ops.com

*Also - Join our group on Facebook- "Dinner At Your Door"

For Ordering Information, visit the Gibbs Smith Website:

Raving reviews of Art and the Gardener by Gordon Hayward

Artful Living: A library of garden delights
by Linda Brazill, The Capital Times

In a field like gardening, where new books are as numerous as tulips in spring, it's rare to find one that stands out. Gordon Hayward's books, however, are always noteworthy because the Vermont resident is that rare talent: a good garden designer and a good teacher, in print as well as in person -- as those who've attended his presentations in Madison can attest. But "Art and the Gardener: Fine Painting as Inspiration for Garden Design," Hayward's 10th book on garden design, is a radical departure from his previous work.

It's also stunningly beautiful, inspiring and filled with ideas and observations that will give even the most informed -- or jaded -- gardener pause. If you buy only one book this year, make it Hayward's. The book's been germinating since 1994 when Hayward first gave a talk at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on the relationship between art and the garden. That event made him realize the two disciplines share a vocabulary, but more importantly, they both train the eye to see. And that's what Hayward does for readers in "Art and the Gardener" (Gibbs-Smith, $40, 176 pages).

Hayward trains your eye by continually comparing paintings and gardens focusing first on style (romanticism, minimalism) and then on the relationship between the house and garden (view from the front door, out the window). He offers 10 "methods of composition for the landscape painter and garden designer" and looks closely at design principles like curving paths and focal points.

There is a whole section devoted to the role trees play in the garden: orchards, allees, the effects of low-pruning in compressing views under them. None of these ideas is necessarily new but Hayward's presentation is. Showing each concept as a pair of images -- painted and gardened -- brings a freshness and intelligence that has often been lacking both in books on garden design and in many gardens themselves.

Hayward also looks at that most difficult issue: color harmony and contrast, and begins at the beginning with a color wheel. He uses the gardener's color wheel expertly put together by fellow author, gardener and New Englander Sydney Eddison. He finishes up with a look at Monet, the master at combining life, garden and art.

Hayward includes images of a painting at various stages of creation, floral arrangements that interpret paintings, superb appendices on symbolism in art and gardens, descriptive language and a bibliography. The end papers are swirls of William Morris floral designs that continue onto the cover. "Art and the Gardener" is a book one will never tire of nor cease to learn from.

To Order Art and the Gardener, Fine Painting as Inspiration for Garden Design, or other works by author Gordon Hayward, please visit our website:

Christmas Gift Ideas from Gibbs Smith

Can't quite find the perfect gift this holiday season? The creative minds here at Gibbs Smith have come up with some fantastic, creative, economical ideas for your holiday shopping ... all involving the wonderful Gibbs Smith titles!

You’re getting “Muffin” for Christmas = Muffins Book $16.95, Gift items $4.75

Play Some Reindeer “Games” = Pocket Guide to Games $ 9.99, Gift items & basket $8.50

Hope Your Holiday is Warm and “Toasty” = French Toast $16.95, gift items & basket $12.75

Save Santa a trip. Be naughty = Pocket Guide to Mischief $9.99, slingshot and box $3

Other ideas:

• “It’s a Marshmallow World in the Winter” = Marshmallows & hot chocolate
• May you have “S’more” Love this Holiday Season than you know what to do with. = S’mores with all the fixings
• "I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month." ~ Harlan Miller = Putting Up with a jar of homemade jam
• May your new year be Festive and Fruitful! = 75 Remarkable Fruits for Your Garden with seeds or unique fruits
• Add a Little Spice to Your Holidays!” = Salsas & Tacos with a jar of homemade salsa and chips
• You take the “Cake” neighbor. We think you’re top rate! Happy Holidays = 101 Things to Do with a Cake Mix and a packaged cake mix
• Thyme again to wish you and yours a Happy Holiday Season = 75 Exceptional Herbs and a seed pack or gardening tools
• Have a wonderful Christmas this year with a “plateful” of fun = Small Plates and some Christmas Dishes
• Take “note!” We’re thinking of you this holiday season! = Box of Gibbs Smith note cards, pens and stamps
• Wishing you a wonderful holiday “simmering” gently with love = 101 Things to Do With Canned Soup and a fresh batch of homemade soup
• "Like snowflakes my Christmas memories gather and dance – each beautiful, unique and too soon gone." ~ Deborah Whipp = Snowflakes, paper and scissors

Tasty Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week's Tasty Thursday feature comes from Muffins: Sweet and Savory Comfort Food by Cyndi Duncan and Georgie Patrick. You can whip up these fantastic muffins Thanksgiving morning and then snack on them until your main dinner event! 

Frosted Pumpkin Muffins

Try substituting chocolate chips for the raisins to get your daily dose of chocolate—delicious!

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup seedless raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal.

Combine the egg with pumpkin and milk. Stir in raisins. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just to moisten. 

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 15–20 minutes. Cool.

In a large bowl, beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cooled muffins. Makes 16 muffins.

 

Bark House Style signing in the Highlands

Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature authors Chris McCurry and Nan Chase, recently did a booksigning at Summer House antiques in Highlands, North Carolina.

Bark style is quickly becoming a popular green-building material in commercial and residential architecture. Learn about the history, various styles and varieties of homes built with bark siding and designs in Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature.

Chris McCurry and her husband, Marty McCurry, are the originators of the modern poplar bark shingle manufacturing company, Highland Crafstmen, based in North Carolina.

To Order, Please Visit our Website:

Add a little Italian to Thanksgiving

Chef Leonardo Curti, author of Trattoria Grappolo and Food Festivals of Italy, shares his recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli, a delicious appetizer to your upcoming turkey feast.

Happy Mangia!

Creation of the 101 Series

Stephanie Ashcraft shares the history of creating her 101 Things to Do with a Cake Mix cookbook. That first book was the launching pad for a series of cookbooks which has sold more than 2 million copies and is a New York Times bestseller.

Tasty Thursday

In the mood to shake things up a little this Thanksgiving? Try this easy and fantastic recipe from Family Dinners by Janet Peterson. It's a great substitute for the usual sweet potato or yam dishes that appear year after year, and it tastes better when made the night before! 

Sweet Potato Salad

Who says potato salad has to be made with white potatoes?

4 to 5 sweet potatoes or yams

1 cup sliced celery

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 to 3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted

Cook sweet potatoes or yams in a large pan of water until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and cool. Peel sweet potatoes or yams and cut into 1-inch cubes.

In a medium bowl, combine celery, green onions, relish, salt, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Toss with sweet potatoes or yams to coat. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Add pecans just before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Time Saver: Toast nuts, such as almonds and pecans, in the microwave. Place nuts in a glass bowl and microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave 1 minute more.

See it Wiggle. Watch it Jiggle.

Jennifer Adams and Melissa Barlow, authors of 101 Things to Do With Gelatin, recently shared some great recipes with FOX 13's Good Day Utah.

Ribbon Has People Tied Up in Knots!

Ribbon: The Art of Adornment by Nicholas Kniel and Timothy Wright is garnering rave reviews from across the country.

Las Vegas Review Journal, Nov. 13, 2008: "The book has terrific ideas for decorating oneself and one’s environment with ribbons, in all their variety — including directions for making those gorgeous ribbon roses. It’s a pleasure to turn the pages and peruse the photos. Beauty is food for the soul, and this book contributes to the cause."

Bridal Guide.com blog by Executive Editor Susan Schneider, Oct. 8, 2008: "This tome is a treasure for any bride-to-be’s coffee table (just watch your friends pick it up and leaf through it, ooh and aahing!). In the wedding section you’ll find out how to use ribbons, or love knots, to heighten the beauty of your bouquet or to add a satiny sheen to your invitations. Ribbons are the “extras,” the type of detail that makes a typically pretty table setting look really special. Also note that ribbons can be gotten quite inexpensively at your crafts store, and if you or your friends puts your heads and hands together, you can probably come up with some very sweet and unique ideas for your look. Take a look at these ideas and let yourself dream!"

Country Living December 2008 issue: featured as an Editor's Pick.

Congrats, Tim and Nick!

Tasty Thursday

In keeping with fall flavors, this week's Tasty Thursday recipe comes from New West Cuisine: Fresh Recipes from the Rocky Mountains by Chase Reynolds Ewald and Amy Jo Sheppard. Enjoy!

Park Cafe's Classic Apple Pie

2 1/4 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup sugar (can substitute brown sugar)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Prepared pie crust, uncooked

1/4 cup butter, chilled

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Gently toss apple slices with sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Place apples into the prepared crust.

Mix butter, brown sugar, and flour and crumble with a pastry cutter or hands to get mixture into small bits. Spread over the apples carefully. Lightly press topping into apples.

Bake according to the following instructions:

"The important thing [for this pie] is in the baking. I hate undercooked apples and too many apple pies have undercooked apples.  I bake the pie for 2 hours at 350ish with a large stainless steel bowl over the top not touching the pie. For the last 10 minutes I take off the bowl, turn up the heat a bit, and let the crumble topping brown."

—The Pie Lady, Kathryn Hiestand

Tasty Thursday

Every week at the barn we all enjoy what we lovingly refer to as "Tasty Thursday." What is Tasty Thursday, you ask? Well, because we have so many cookbooks with amazing recipes at our fingertips, we decided we wanted to try them all! Now every Thursday someone brings a recipe selected from one of our cookbooks for all to sample. So, to take it a step further, we thought it would be nice to share our recipes with EVERYONE! 

The first cookbook we're featuring is the Ivy Bake Shoppe Cookbook by Martha Wolf. We hope you enjoy this scrumptious fall recipe!

Pumpkin Dessert Bar

2 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 yellow cake mix

2 sticks butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix the first seven ingredients as you would for pumpkin pie, pouring batter into a greased 9 x 13-inch glass dish. Sprinkle cake mix over the top and then drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with pecans if using. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

If there are any recipes or books you'd like to see featured as part of Tasty Thursday, please comment and let us know!

Cheap vs. healthy

Is it always one against the other when you are considering what to feed your family? Or is there a way to keep meals both inexpensive and healthy?

According to author Jennifer Maughan, there is a way to do both. "It is possible to lower the amount you spend on food without resorting to drastic measures, such as serving boxed macaroni and cheese five days a week. With strategic planning and flawless execution, you can still get good food for less than you’re spending now."

In her new book 100 Meals for $5 or Less, coming out in Spring 2009, Jennifer shows weary grocery shoppers the way to an enlightened—and lightened—food budget.

Her suggestions?

Have a plan
Figure out what's on sale and where
Do recipe research
Make a shopping list
Buy house brands
Use coupons if you're up for the challenge
And many more . . .

There are numerous ways to save on food. What are some of yours?


As a bonus, here's one of Jennifer's simple and cost-effective meals:

Farmer’s Strata
Use leftover mashed potatoes or instant—either way it’ll taste wonderful.

8 cups mashed potatoes
1 (16-ounce) can corn, drained
1 (16-ounce) can creamed corn
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare mashed potatoes. Mix the corn together in a small bowl. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer the following: 1⁄3 of the mashed potatoes, 1⁄2 of the ground beef, 1⁄2 of the corn, 1⁄3 of the mashed potatoes, 1⁄2 of the ground beef, 1⁄2 of the corn and top with remaining mashed potatoes. Pat the potatoes with a spoon to form small peaks. Bake 30 minutes until potato peaks begin to brown and mixture is bubbling in the center.

Serves 4–6

Serve with sliced strawberries, bananas and apples.

Plan the perfect Baby Shower with Jennifer Adams

Pea in the Podcast, a newly launched baby website, talks about everything baby and pregnancy related and Baby Showers author Jennifer Adams is currently featured on the site offering tips, ideas and even some history about Baby Showers.

Check out Jennifer's interview here.

Country French Kitchens Garners Rave Review from Design Professional

Country French Kitchens by Carolina Fernandez has received a wonderful review from American Society of Interior Designers member Holly Holden.

"A stupendous Country French reference guide... it's like having a designer by your side whispering what IS done and not done!

"Having my own Interior Design business for over 20 years, and as an A.S.I.D. Allied Member, I only wish that I had this book before now in my office reference library to use as a design tool with my clients! The exemplary photographs serve as a superb "talking-tool" when discussing the many details and design options available to anyone designing a kitchen, whether Country French or another style. Kitchens are the center of activity in any house and quite often, the most expensive renovation cost when updating or designing a house. Carolina Fernandez does a brilliant job of explaining the details found in a Country French kitchen which instantly relay an air of authenticity.... making it inviting, timeless, functional and unique to the owners who create it. My interior design mantra is to make any interior look as if it has always been there, just comfortably embellished with time, nothing new or over the top decorated. Her advice on using antique doors as the front facade of a closet, antique glass in the cabinets, and using light fixtures that have a patina of their own endorse what I try to create in my interiors. You are in for a treat when you see the myriad of lovely Country French kitchens photographed from various angles and read her enchanting commentary!"

Deborah Madison asks: What do you eat when you're alone?

Best-selling cookbook author Deborah Madison seeks out the answers to that question in her upcoming book:

What We Eat When We're Alone

The book, set to publish in May, delves into the relationship people have with food when they dine alone. Are people secretly indulging on cakes and cookies or are they serving themselves mini gourmet feasts? A little of both apparently.

Following are a couple of fun excerpts from the manuscript:

Here are some of the odd things that people confess to eating:

• Saltines crumbled in milk
• Oyster crackers or matzo in coffee
• Life Cereal dredged with Coffee-mate, the original formula only, none of that low-fat or flavored junk
• Cream of wheat made with lumps
• Dried cereal with broken butter cookies, drowned in milk
• Wonder bread, flattened, covered with butter and sugar, then frozen briefly, so it becomes a kind of sugar cookie
• Cake batter (especially chocolate) and raw cookie dough (especially chocolate chip)
• Frozen pound cake shaved into thin pieces and eaten cold
• Cold leftover spaghetti that's stuck together, fried with Swiss cheese

"When I'm cooking for myself, it happens like an urge. That is, it probably isn't a regular mealtime. I first notice that I'm hungry and then have a vision of something that is in the fridge or the pantry. Then I dream up a recipe for it." -- Patrick McKelvey, musician and graphic designer.

The couch is a place of solace and comfort for many women, but it can be a challenging choice when eating with animals. When Roz goes to the couch to have dinner while studying Roman antiquities, she says, "I set my food on the coffee table and eat around the cat, which is inevitably in my lap. This makes the eating part a bit tricky, especially if shrimp are involved. Then, it's one for Tiny, two for me, one for Tiny, two for me."

And now for a recipe:

GRILLED CHEESE AND GREEN CHILE SANDWICH

For fans of Southwest flavors, it's hard to find a better grilled cheese than one that includes a long, roasted green chile.

1 long green chile or poblano, roasted
2 slices bread
Grated or sliced cheese to cover such as Monterey Jack on Muenster
Chopped cilantro
Butter or olive oil

1. Remove the skin and the seeds from the chile, and slice into long strips.
2. Cover one piece of bread with enough cheese to reach nearly to the edge. Add the chile, chopped cilantro, and more cheese. Top with the second piece of bread and brush with olive opil. Put it in a panini machine and press. Cook until the bread is marked and the cheese is melted. If you don't have a panini machine, melt a teaspoon of butter or olive oil in a small skillet. Add the sandwich and cook over medium-low head so that the cheese is soft by the time the bread is golden. Press on it a few times with a spatula while it's cooking. When golden brown on the bottom, turn it over, add another bit of butter and cook the second side until golden.

So, now the question: What do you dig into when you're eating alone?

Leave us a comment with your ideas!

Havana on Current TV

Author of Dinner at your Door Alex Davis on EveryDay with Marcus & Lisa Ryan

Alex Davis, co-author with Diana Ellis and Andy Remeis of Dinner at Your Door, recently traveled to Atlanta to interview and do a cooking demonstration on the show Every Day with Marcus & Lisa on FamilyNet TV Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Alex Davis and Lisa Ryan in the studio's kitchen.

Alex Davis preparing to cook her famous Alex's Crab Corn Chowder on the set.

Click here: Alex's Crab Corn Chowder

To Order, visit our website:

It Came From Berkeley reviewed in the San Francisco Chronicle

'It Came From Berkeley': Wackiness in context
Justin Berton
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

If Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly ever reads local journalist and Chronicle contributor Dave Weinstein's book, "It Came From Berkeley: How Berkeley Changed the World," O'Reilly might be amused to learn that the lefty college town originally was founded on religion, as a moral retreat from that Sodom and Gomorrah across the bay, San Francisco.

"Berkeley was always meant to be a place apart," Weinstein said. "A really moral, quiet place, where intellectuals could meditate, surrounded by nature."

The description still fits, even if downtown is more crowded by men who wear pink tutus while riding unicycles.

But for anyone who has wondered how and why Berkeley became an adjective meaning zany-liberal-smarty-pants, Weinstein tracks down the historical and cultural dominoes that led to milestones such as the Free Speech Movement, bans on plastic foam cups, traffic "calming" roundabouts and, of course, tree-sitting.
Full article, click here...

To order, visit our Website:

Get Raw!

Raw food chef and cookbook author Matthew Kenney (Everyday Raw and the upcoming Entertaining in the Raw) has launched two new websites. These two sites are designed to help educate the public about the benefits of eating raw food. Questions are answered, recipes shared, and insights are relayed.
Check out the sites:

• http://www.matthewkenneylifestyle.com/


• http://www.matthewkenneycuisine.com/

'Dreamy Creamy Carrot Cake' on Good Things Utah

Anyone for Jell-O?

Melissa Barlow and Jennifer Adams, authors of 101 Things to Do with Gelatin are being featured in today's issue of The Deseret News. The great article also highlights four delicious recipes from the cookbook. I can't wait to try out that Key Lime Pie! Check out the article here.

And I just couldn't resist posting this great masterpiece of Photoshop (sorry ladies!) that ran with the feature. (credit: Deseret News)

Havana Before Castro author invited to book festival

As the great reviews continue pouring in, Peter Moruzzi, author of Havana Before Castro, received a coveted invitation to speak at the Miami International Book Festival in November. While in Florida, the author is planning several slide show/lectures and signings throughout the area. For updated information, log on to http://www.havanabeforecastro.com/

Speaking of reviews, here are a few worth noting:

“A jaunty, poignant portrait of the city in its pre-revolutionary heyday as a Caribbean playground. [The book] goes a long way toward filling in the mental picture of a city that has been enticingly evoked by movies such as "Our Man in Havana" (1959) and "The Godfather: Part II" (1974).”

– The Wall Street Journal

“If you’re looking for images, “Havana Before Castro” has them in bulk. Peter Moruzzi’s infatuation with Cuba is illustrated in grand and grandiose style. It’s a pop-culture potpourri.”

– Newsday

“[The book] really put me there: It made me feel like I was staying in towering modernist hotels, ogling dancing girls at nightclubs like the Montmartre, swilling mojitos with Graham Greene and Meyer Lansky, and tapping my toes to the Orquestra Aragón.”

– Los Angeles Times

“The glamour of Old Cuba with its music, nightlife, culture and tropical beauty is perfectly expressed in these pages.”

– Desi Arnaz Jr.

“…[includes] scores of photos that feature mid-century modern architecture – still the best, if you ask my opinion.”

– Tampa Tribune

“A beautiful book that is a wonderful visual complement to 'Havana Nocturne.' It's easy to picture Havana in the 1950s because so much remains unchanged -- the cars, the clothes, the casinos waiting for a new government.”

– The Oregonian

Fall into Cooking with Food Festivals of Italy

Chef Leonardo Curti's recipe for Totelloni di Zucca(Handcrafted tortelloni filled with pumpkin) from the beautiful book Food Festivals of Italy is now being featured on Amazon.com's "Fall into Cooking" feature. Check it out here.

What a perfect recipe for the crisp autumn evenings and a fantastic way to use up those pumpkins growing in the garden patch.

Dinner Co-ops soothe stress during tough economic times

Co-author of Dinner at Your Door, Alex Davis, explains how starting a dinner co-op can soothe stress during an economic downswing

Living it up in tough times

"Since food is typically one of the largest expenses in a household, conventional wisdom tells us we should all be huddled in the kitchen eating PB and J’s for dinner while we glumly sip our water. But we in dinner co-ops are quietly thumbing our noses at the financial meltdown. At least when it comes to dinner.

"When we launched our dinner co-ops, we gave up takeout during the week, along with hurried, unsatisfying restaurant meals that never seem worth the money. We also stopped buying those lame supermarket ingredients you keep around for when you have no better idea. We transferred these funds into a virtual purse we can spend at the gourmet store, farmers market, butcher and baker on a single menu for the week. When you focus most of your weekly shopping on a single exciting menu—shopping is quicker, easier, and a lot more fun. Last week I found myself buying wild mushrooms and phyllo dough, ripe peaches to grill with basil—and for the first time, TRUFFLE OIL. Sound expensive? It was a fraction of what we would’ve paid to eat out. Don’t let Wall Street get you down. Get together with your favorite cooks and let the good times roll." - Alex Davis, co-author of Dinner at Your Door.

Consider creating your own dinner co-op with Dinner at Your Door, by Alex Davis, Diana Ellis and Andy Remeis.

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Gibbs Smith, Publisher Authors Finalists for New Mexico Book Awards!

Each year, the New Mexico Book Awards Program honors special New Mexico authors/publishers for their special contributions to New Mexico's book community. In 2008, the New Mexico Book Awards will present Friends of New Mexico Books Awards to Denise Chavez (Las Cruces) and David Morrell (Santa Fe) and the Friends of New Mexico Authors Award to Ruthe Francis for their support of local New Mexico books. In 2007, Tony Hillerman (Los Ranchos) and Rudolfo Anaya (Albuquerque) were honored with the Friends of New Mexico Books Awards.

Gibbs Smith, Publisher authors nominated as finalists include:

Cookbook
Cooking with Johnny Vee — Vollertsen, John

History Book
Walks in Literary Santa Fe — Harrelson, Barbara

Reference Book
Japanese Style — Lim, Sunamita
Stone Design— Morris, John T.
Vastu— Silverman, Sherri

First Book
Historic New Mexico Churches— Lux, Annie

Great Chefs Cook Vegan author Linda Long interviews with Chef and Radio Host Mark Tafoya of ReMARKable Chef

ReMARKable Palate #161: Great Chefs Cook Vegan

"This week, I speak with Linda Long, writer, food photographer, and long time vegan, who has recently published a gorgeous cookbook entitled Great Chefs Cook Vegan, in which she features vegan recipes created by 25 of the most well known chefs in the USA, along with some beautiful photography. This book shows us just how beautiful vegan dishes can be, and how easy it can be to create beautiful vegan dishes at home." - Mark Tafoya

Wedding expert and author launches Tablescapes: Setting the Table with Style

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman knows firsthand what it takes to set the stage just right for that special occasion. As the previous president of a high-end events company, Ms. Whitman's new book contains all the ingredients to create the perfect table setting for any occassion! Whether it's a sit-down dinner for a few guests or a buffet for many, a bridal or baby shower, a holiday dinner with the family or an al fresco party at the beach, Tablescapes: Setting the Table with Style, contains dozens of ideas to inspire hostesses of all ages, from experienced party-givers to style-setters of a new generation!

Kimberly at a recent book signing at Neimen Marcus in Plano, Texas.
Read a recent article with a reference about Kimberly Schlegel Whitman's previous title, The Wedding Workbook, in the New York Times.