Cookibook Wednesday: Desserts

This is a cookbook Mark found for me at a used book sale about 4 years ago.  To be fair, the title has always intimidated me.

 "Fantastic desserts"? I'm in. "Extravagant trifles, truffles, tarts and more"? Well....I need fast and relatively simple, not extravagant.

But...here goes.  The table of contents shows a little bit of everything.

 There are pages upon pages of hints and how-tos, which is nice.  Fun to read, even if you don't need it.

 In season right now: frozen desserts! Including a low fat orange sherbet.  I might try that one, or maybe wait until my dearly beloved is either (a) bored with his diet, or (b) decides he's lost enough weight to splurge now and again (he's dropped 10 pounds of the 25 he wants to lose, thanks to the cardiologist telling him what I've been trying to tell him).

 Bar cookies! Who doesn't love a good bar cookie? And they are easier than the regular kind!

 The instructions for this cake are daunting, filling 2 pages.  This is what I mean: extravagant doesn't work for me.  There are other things to do.

 But the boys might like these.

 And, for Louise: Peanut Butter Cups! (Fair disclosure: I love peanut butter cups, too.)

 There are even fruit desserts for those of us who want a lighter sweet treat.

 So, thanks to Louise for prompting me to pull this cookbook off the shelf!  There are things in here that won't take all day to prepare, after all!

This is Cookbook Wednesday, hosted by Louise!  Hop on over to check out the others who have linked up with her, look at her cookbook giveaway, and find out about signing up for the Picnic Game!  Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Cookbook Wednesday: Summer Desserts

OK, I know it's Thursday.  But Wednesday was busy, and it's better that I've made an effort, right?

This cookbook is in honor of Memorial Day, which is the start of summer in the minds of most Americans, including me.  Ryan and Dan found it at the supermarket a couple of years back, and brought it home, respectfully requesting that I use it.  A lot.

 Some of the recipes involve baking.

 Some just require mixing.  I've actually made this, with pineapple and oranges, and, of course, with real whipped cream, not cool whip.  It's pretty good; the boys love it.

 I'm sure everyone would like this.  I'm not sure I have the patience to be this cute.

 Did I mention that every recipe involves Jello, instant pudding, cool whip or a combination thereof?  It's OK, summer is meant to be easy.  And Peanut Butter Cup Pie sounds great.

 Lemon Mousse?  Love it.  Diet recipe? Even better.  I'll have to look into this one (but with real whipped cream, of course.  Not so diet.  Oh, well.)

 And this one does sound delightful.

 Now I've given you plenty of summer desserts to drool over.  Here's hoping you enjoy summer confections this weekend and beyond.

This is Cookbook Wednesday on Thursday, hosted by Louise!  Hop on over and see what she and others are offering!

Cookbook Wednesday: Bread

I found this cookbook on my shelf while digging for the recipe for what Mark calls "The Traditional Horse Race Day Coffee Cake."  Yes, I always make a yeast-raised coffee cake for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.  I did it once, and have been suckered into it every race since.  So, this pretty little cookbook was tucked neatly in beside the cookbook that contains Mark's favorite coffee cake.

 It really does have information and recipes for bread from around the world, from America to India.

 The book starts out with a history of bread, much of it surmised from the archaeological record.  It's great reading, but the real problem is that the typeface is much too small.  The book is maybe 8" or so high, and as you can see by the comparison to my thumb, the print is smaller than that in the newspaper.  I can't really read it well without a magnifying glass.

 A discussion of wheat and other ingredients follows,

 along with a listing of the most commonly used bread making tools.

 What really puzzles me is that the second section is a discussion of what kinds of breads are commonly made and eaten in various nations and regions.

 No recipes, just what they are.

 This book finally gets to the recipes in the third section, but I think it would have been much more useful had the discussion about the breads and the recipes been side by side.

 Again, this is a cookbook with beautiful pictures which I can never hope to replicate.  Oh, well, it's fun to gaze upon them and dream of the day when I have hours to spend making pretty bread.

 The pages are heavy, glossy stock, and that makes it all the more fun to read.  Heck, you could (theoretically) even use it without too much fear of permanently grubbing up the pages, because they could (again, theoretically) be wiped off!

 This is Cookbook Wednesday, hosted by the gracious Louise!  Pop over to see what she and others are offering today!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Cookbook Wednesday: Shortcut Cooking

Again, this is a cookbook I think I've mentioned before.  But more and more people these days are finding cooking time extremely limited, while still wanting good food.  Our old friend, Betty Crocker, has the solution for all of us.

SHORTCUT COOKING FOR THE SMART COOK
circa 1991

I found this at a bookstore while shopping for books for my kids for Christmas, and added it to my pile (the place was much too small to even consider having baskets).  It's been a very good resource for me.

It has both Fix it Fast and Fix and Forget sections, each divided into categories for such marvels as main dish salads, soups, pasta....you get the idea..

 Some pages just contain recipes.

 Others have glorious pictures, which always make me feel that my finished product is not nearly as attractive as I'd like.  Where are the cookbooks with the "This is what it will look like on your plate" pictures?  (Yes, I know both Pams and Larry put out pretty plates, but I have hungry hordes who won't wait.)

 So, this cookbook comes to mind this week because of this beautiful and delicious (not to mention super easy) dessert.  Seriously, it's right up everyone's alley.  You mix it in the baking dish, and only dirty one fork and one measuring cup.

APPLESAUCE SNACK CAKE

1-2/3 cups flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground allspice (I used 2 tsp whole, which I crushed)
1 tsp cinnamon (my addition, because I felt it was necessary)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup water


Spray your 8x8 or 7x10 pan liberally.  Put the dry ingredients into the pan and stir to combine.  Add the oil, applesauce and water, and stir with a fork until well combined.  Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.  Top with:

ORANGE SAUCE

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp whipping cream

Melt the butter, add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil on the cooktop and simmer until the sauce thickens.  Or cook in the microwave in a 2 cup glass measuring cup; cook until the sauce thickens slightly.  Spoon over the warm cake.

I added whipped cream.  Mark hated it (but you all know he hates everything).  Ryan liked it so well that he took Mark's right out from under his nose and ate it.

 (Again, not as pretty as the cookbook picture, but that's OK).

 This is Cookbook Wednesday, and I"m linking up with Louise for this event!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Cookbook Wednesday: Ryan Made Me Do It

At the used book sale 2 weeks ago (different from the one last weekend, which I attended with the girls), I picked out a couple of cookbooks.  Then Ryan found this one, and campaigned for it.  So, it would be accurate to say "Ryan made me do it!"

COOKIES UNLIMITED
by Nick Malgieri
c. 2000

The cover of this book is enough to make you want it.  And all of the cookies on the cover.

 And the inside of the covers are enough to make you say, "Ah, well, weighing 400 pounds is a fine price to pay for all of these cookies!" (But when you realize YOU have to make them, your resolve will doubtless waver.)

 The table of contents shows that there are a wide variety of cookie categories in this cookbook, from (my favorites) bar and drop cookies, to more elaborate molded, piped and biscotti, and even including savory cookies AKA crackers.

 There are not pictures on every page; in fact, they are on very few pages.  There are about 4 pages similar to the inside of the cover, and that is enough drool inducement for my little corner of the world.  And don't these bar cookies look like something you simply must have now? I'm a sucker for shortbread.

 Ultimate Lemon Squares?  I don't know how they are different from regular lemon squares, but count me in.

 Drop cookies? These look terrific.

 Checkerboard cookies.  These are on the table of contents page.  The illustration tells you how to make them look checkered.  Probably too much work for me, but I'm betting that one or more of my daughters might try this when they are home at some point.

 Virtually all of these recipes call for a ton or butter.  I'm pretty sure that is a 100% guarantee of fabulous flavor.  Ryan will no doubt be campaigning for me to find out.  Soon.

 Macaroons, also known as diet cookies, but loaded with different flavors.

 Vanilla pretzels?  I love vanilla.  And I love their illustration of how to get the pretzel shape.

 Biscotti.  Double baking feels like a lot of work to me, but everyone loves biscotti.

 Sandwich cookies? Of course!

 Pizzelle, in many forms and flavors.  I have an old pizzelle iron, designed to be used on the stove top, which I haven't used since, oh, 1981 or so.  I'm not inspired to get it out.

 And crackers, also known as savory cookies.  These skinny rosemary bread sticks are a lot like the ones you sometimes find in restaurants; they might be a fun alternative to the regular, fat puffy ones I make.

 This is Cookbook Wednesday, hosted by Louise.  Stop by and see her Passover cookbooklet, and then visit the other contributors to this event.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!