Recommended Read: The 12 Bottle Bar

 The 12 Bottle Bar: A Dozen Bottles, Hundreds of Cocktails, A New Way To Drink by David and Lesley Solmonson.
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This book is great resource for anyone just getting into cocktails or wondering what to stock their bar with for optimal usage.  However, even hardcore cocktail geeks like myself can find some unique and creative recipes in this title.  The 12 Bottle Bar, as the title implies, highlights 12 different types of liquor for you to stock in your home bar, and then provides a plethora of recipes using each or a combination of those liquors.  The authors also supply recommendations of what brands of alcohol to buy for each of the bottles, suggesting both low and medium priced options.  The 12 bottles highlighted include:

• Brandy
• Genever
• Gin
• Amber Rum
• White Rum
• Vodka
• Whiskey
• Orange Liqueur
• Bitters
• Vermouth

Thankfully, I already had all of these bottles (and several others) in my home bar, so I could pat myself on the back and dive into the recipes!  However, I had to get some specialty ingredients like Orgeat syrup and Grenadine to make a few of the cocktails (mostly of the tropical variety).  To the authors' credit, they provide recipes for all their "mixers."  I'm just lazy and would rather buy than make my own.  Overall, I was really impressed with the quality and creativity of the recipes in this book.

One of my favorite sections of the book was the vodka section.  I'm a little bit of a snob when it comes to vodka.  Which is to say, I think it tastes like nothing, and there are no cocktails that you can make with it that I wouldn't rather have gin or tequila in.  However, this book makes a compelling case for the lesser spirit.  The Lemon Drop is one of my dark, guilty pleasures as a pretend liquor snob, and their recipe for a Limoncello Drop is amazing!  I add a pinch of basil or mint to garnish.  I also was a fan of their straight forward recipe for a Kamikaze shot as well.  Both good entertaining options for my less well drunk friends.

Additionally, I appreciated their chapter on Genever, though I strongly disagree that it is a bottle cocktail newbies should buy.  Genever is an acquired taste; it tastes like vodka mixed with cigarette smoke, and this is coming from a gin lover.  However, I have an ancient bottle of Bols in my freezer that I regret buying, and I appreciated the suggestions to make it slighter more palatable!  But for an actual home bar, I highly recommend buying some reposado tequila instead. 

While I disagree with the Genever recommendation, overall this is a wonderful book for anyone interested in cocktails or entertaining.  A lot of cocktail books have the same old recipes for pre-Prohibition drinks like the Old Fashioned or Last Word.  This book has a some of those recipes, but they also have lots of lesser known or newly created recipes too.  Best of all, you don't have to worry about blowing the bank on expensive, but lesser used liquors like Absinthe or Chartreuse to make any of the drinks in this book! 

Cooking for One or Two

Recipes are generally sized for about four or six people, which is great if you are cooking for a family or a small dinner party (or one teenaged boy).  However, when your cooking for one or two, there is simply too much food.  You are faced with a dilemma, endless leftovers or trying to scale down the recipe (which sometimes leaves you with awkward quantities of unused ingredients like half a can of beans).   Thankfully there are plenty of cookbooks out there for solo and couple diners.  Below are some of my favorites:

Cooking for One:

Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones.
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Judith Jones was an editor for Julia Child and James Beard, so she has pretty good foodie cred.  After losing her husband, she decided to come up with great meals to cook by herself.  This has lots of great classic dishes to make for yourself including Ratatouille and Boeuf Bourguigon.  My personal favorite is a poached egg nestled in greens.  It's yummy, takes about five minutes to make and is great for nights I barely feel like heating something in the microwave.  Jones gives you lots of good ideas for what to do with
leftovers too!

What We Eat When We Eat Alone by Deborah Madison.
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This is an interesting look into the actual eating habits of solo diners. It has lots of smart, practical during the week recipes as well as some outlandish, treat yourself recipes.  This is the book I most frequently turn to when making dinner for myself.  My personal favorite recipe is the avocado taco recipe which is cheap, easy and delicious!

Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One by Joe Yonan.
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If you want seriously delicious food with Southwestern accents definitely check out this title.  Most recipes have several layers of flavor going them on, which makes them tasty but probably not quick mid-week meals.  I really enjoyed his recipes for mushroom tacos with caramelized onions and goat cheese.  Even though it turned out ugly thanks to my poor omelet making skills, the Swiss chard, goat cheese and bacon omelet was completely delicious and could definitely feed more than one with a side salad.

Cooking for Two:

One Pan, Two Plates by Carla Snyder.  
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If you are looking for quick but delicious weeknight meals for two check out this cookbook.  Each recipe includes the hands-on cooking time as well as the total cooking time, so you can plan your meals easily.  A variety of different cuisines are covered in this book including French, Italian, Thai, and Indian.  Some tasty sounding recipes include: three cheese mac and cheese with crispy prosciutto, lamb korma, and balsamic braised chicken thighs with figs and creamy polenta.

Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two by Beth Hensperger.
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During the winter months, I'm a huge fan of using my slow cooker.  Mainly because it means I don't have to spend any time actually cooking, I just have to do prep.  However, most slow cooker recipes make a lot of food and I wind up eating the same thing for days on end.  Thankfully, this book gives you recipes that are just big enough for two.  And it actually has small batch soup recipes!  Yummy sounding recipes include: Provencal tomato soup with poached egg, chicken with basil cream sauce, and skirt steak fajitas with tomato-olive salsa.

Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos.
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Excess baked goods aren't usually a problem; odds are you can hoist them upon loved ones, friends and coworkers with little resistance.  Who doesn't like a homemade cookie?  However, if the temptation of having 30 delicious freshly baked cookies is too much temptation to bear, you can check out this book which sized for one or two portions.

It's autumn! Let's bake pies!

I love to bake, and now that autumn finally is in the air I can't get enough of baking pies. I'm highlighting my two favorite pie cookbooks from the library's collection. You can also browse call number 641.8652 for more.

Pie: 300 Tried-and-true Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich (2004)
641.8652 HAE
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Three years ago I checked this book out from the library with the goal of baking my own pies for Thanksgiving. I had never baked a pie before and was a little intimidated by the process. I selected the recipes for Caramel Apple-Pecan Pie and Butterscotch Pecan Pie and immediately fell in love. Each Thanksgiving since then I have returned to Pie and those delicious recipes. Haedrich's book is a valuable resource for all things relating to pies. He writes about choosing a pie pan, instructs the reader on how to prebake a pie shell, and provides a helpful list of the shelf life of different pies, all in the first twenty-five pages. Throughout the cookbook Haedrich also has "Recipe for Success" tips in addition to fun pie-related facts.

Haedrich includes a variety of takes on classic pies. Check out the "Make Mine Apple" chapter to find recipes for Brown Sugar Apple Pie, Cinnamon Applesauce Pie, and more, in addition to the classic recipe. As I mentioned earlier I love the Butterscotch Pecan Pie. But I keep telling myself to try another pecan pie recipe, like the Jack Daniel's Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie or the Maple Pecan Pie. Perhaps the most difficult part of baking a pie from this book is deciding which recipe you want to test out first!

The only negative about this cookbook is the lack of photographs. The book has a small section of color photographs in the center and that's it. I still highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who enjoys baking pies, or to anyone interested in learning.

My pies from last Thanksgiving:

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

Caramel Apple-Pecan Pie

Last month as a way to relieve stress I baked a Sugar Pie:

Will the White Squirrel waits for the Sugar Pie to cool.

My pie crusts don't tend to look too attractive, but I think I'm getting better with each pie I bake!


Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-fashioned and Modern Favorites (2011)
641.8652 STE
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This is an updated edition of the 1985 cookbook. I highly recommend any cookbook by Martha Stewart. Along with her previous books Cookies (2008) and Cupcakes (2009), New Pies and Tarts is another must-have for bakers. Color photographs accompany all the recipes. A "basics" section at the back of the book informs the reader about baking staples, specialty ingredients, tools, equipment, and techniques for working with different types of pastry. Step-by-step instructions as well as several photographs accompany the "how-to" techniques. I've never constructed a lattice pie crust, but thanks to the step-by-step photos, I think I should be able to follow along and be successful.

This cookbook includes both sweet and savory pie and tart recipes, and I do enjoy the way the recipes are divided: classic, free-form, sleek, dreamy, rustic, layered, dainty, artful, holiday, and savory. In the past three weeks I have baked the Alsatian Potato Pie recipe twice, to rave reviews all around. The Alsatian Potato Pie recipe is a heavenly combination of tender potato rounds, Gruyere cheese, cooked leeks, and garlic-nutmeg infused cream layered inside a flaky puff pastry crust. Unfortunately I cannot provide a photo because the pies did not last long enough for me to snap one. One taste-tester did tell me, "That smells glorious," as the pie baked in the oven.

Apple Butter Hand Pies, Chocolate-Almond Tart with Fleur de Sel, and the Apple Crostada are the recipes high on my list to try next.

What pies are your favorites to bake? Have you discovered any interesting pie recipes lately?

Recipe Tester: Making Whoopie PIes

Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley.
Call No.: 641.8654 WEI
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Generally, I like my desserts to be as glamorous as possible. I prefer tartlets to pie, creme brulee to custard, and macaroons (the fancy, French kind--of course) to drop cookies.  Even though they are so hot right now, I don't think I've eaten a whoopie pie since I was ten.  After all, they don't put gold leaf and sugared currants on whoopie pies!

Thankfully, when it comes to baking, I'm not such a snob.  I'll make anything that doesn't involve a rolling pin or a pastry bag.  So when I saw this stylish retro looking cookbook, I decided to embrace the whoopie trend and try making some of my own.  It helped that some of recipes had fancypants ingredients like matcha and rosewater which appealed to my inner snob, and fun names like "Fat Elvis" and "The Happy Pilgrim." 

This cookbook has mix and match recipes, so you can decide to match different cakes with different fillings.  The authors do give you some suggestions.  Most of the whoopies I tried were based off their suggestions, though I did go rogue and make a Reese's Peanut Butter cup inspired whoopie. Below are photos of the different whoopies I tried:

The Purist Whoopie: Classic Chocolate Whoopie (p. 43) and Classic Marshmellow filling (p. 76).
This tastes pretty much like the classic whoopie pie that I used to have as a kid.  Though I still enjoyed it as an adult, which means it's probably tastier than the Hostess variety.

Peanut Butter Cup Whoopie: Classic Chocolate Whoopie (p. 43) and Salty Peanut Butter Filling (p.87).
This is my personal favorite whoopie that I have made.  I did notice a mistake in the peanut butter filling.  The book calls for "3/4 cup (6 tablespoons) of butter."  Really, 3/4 cup of butter is more like 12 tablespoons, but I used 6 tablespoons and the recipe turned out fine.

Recipe Tester: SoNo Baking Co. CookBook

Book: The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook by John Barricelli, 2010.

Initial Impressions:  I've always wondered about books from East Coast bakeries that are distributed worldwide.  Are people outside of the East Coast really familiar with these places?  But this book was endorsed by Martha Stewart and it looks gorgeous.  Recipes include savory and sweet and vary in skill level.  Almost every recipe is lushly photographed, so it's a good book to gawk at too.

Results:  I've tried several recipes so far, and each have turned out delicious.  Here are a few of the ones I have made:

Strawberry Thumbprint Corn Muffins (p. 28-9):
A basic corn muffin recipe with a twist.  These were pretty simple to make; the recipe only had six steps and followed logically.  They turned out pretty good, not too sweet.  Definitely better served hot. 

The Best Lemon Squares (p. 88-9):
I didn't exactly follow this recipe, which called for a 1/3 of a cup of wheat germ.  Who wants to buy a whole jar for a lousy third of a cup?  I just added 1/3 of a cup extra of flour to make up the difference.  These were probably the easiest lemon bars I've made.  They are tart and sweet, and the strawberries pair well with them.

Cheddar Chive Scones (p. 36):
I would make these again in a second!  The scones are very simple and quick to assemble (it took me about 10 minutes).  The cheddar flavor really stands out.  This is a really easy, delicious addition to dinner.

SoNo Cheesecake (p. 198-201):
You can't tell by my photograph, but this has a pistachio crust that looks green and very elegant in person.  The berries on top are raspberries.  I used frozen because they are out of season and very expensive right now.  Blackberries would be a good substitute too.  This is probably the most difficult item from the book that I've made, but even a novice baker like myself could handle it.  The directions are clear and easy to follow.  It takes more time than the other recipes, but it's definitely worth it.  This is a fantastic cheesecake recipe.  It is incredibly creamy and rich, the raspberries and pistachios are a delightful touch.  I'd make this again for a special occasion.

I also have tried the  Raspberry Linzer Bars (p.90-91) and Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies (p. 60), both of which received rave reviews from friends.  I was especially fond of the Linzer bars, though instead of hazelnuts (which the recipe called for), I used the more traditional almonds.  Overall this is an excellent cookbook to look at and use.  I highly recommend it!

Find it in the catalog.

Baking Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

"Sorry I smell like frosting, I just love to bake."
~ Drew (Jon Hamm) to Liz (Tina Fey), 30 Rock

This wonderful quote explains my state of mind on a recent Friday afternoon when I decided to test out three recipes from the cookbook Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat (2009). I just felt the urge to bake. Each recipe is accompanied by a color photo so lovely and delectable you'll want to enlarge the photos, frame them, and hang them up as art. The recipes are divided into categories: Swirled and Sprinkled, Dipped and Glazed, Simple and Sweet, Filled and Layered, Piped and Topped, Birthdays, Holidays, and Celebrations. The recipes for various occasions rely heavily on decorating techniques and ingredients, like marizpan, that are quite intricate and, in my opinion, look more like play-dough creations than cupcakes. The end of the book features tips for essential baking tools and techniques.

I decided to test three recipes: Brown Sugar Pound Cake, Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes, and Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes. I also wanted to make the Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes but could not locate cake flour at the store and decided that three recipes were enough for one marathon baking session.

The Brown-Butter Icing for the Brown Sugar Pound Cake calls for brown butter, which I have never made before. The recipe does not provide detail about letting the butter get too brown; I ended up burning my first batch because I thought the brown color I was seeing in the pan was okay. I looked up brown butter online for some tips and then made a second, successful batch. I also probably could have added a couple more tablespoons of milk to the icing. The picture in the book shows the cupcake with icing running down the side, so I figured I could just spoon the icing over the top letting it run over; I soon realized that I wouldn't have enough icing, and some cupcakes were frosted more than others. VERDICT: Very tasty, moist cakes with lovely vanilla-flavored icing. I'm already thinking of when I can make them next.

I had to try out the Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes because of the alluring photo: a single Oreo cookie placed at the bottom of the muffin tin, covered with the cheesecake filling on top. Yes, please! VERDICT: A simple-to-follow recipe that yields yummy small portioned cheesecakes.

The recipe for Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes was fun to make because of the chocolate batter and peanut butter filling components, which are alternately spooned into the muffin tins. By swirling a toothpick in the batter a chocolate/peanut butter marble design appears. I think I rushed this step; the finished cupcakes looked like they had layers of chocolate and peanut butter, instead of being a chocolate cupcake filled with peanut butter. VERDICT: Addicting combination of chocolate and peanut butter. 7 out of 7 cupcake testers agree that these cupcakes are awesome; this joins my collection of "go-to" recipes. Because the recipe only makes 12 cupcakes I will definitely double or triple the recipe for future baking sessions.

Lovers of sweets and baking, this is a must-read cookbook. Just remember that the photos accompanying the recipes display a perfection that is only achieved with food stylists and photographers that hang with Martha Stewart. Even though the cupcakes I made (pictured) do not look as pretty as the examples in the book they still taste delicious.

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat:
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Recipe Tester

Recipes always look delicious in the pages of cookbooks, but how do they turn out in real life.  Heather investigates and reports back on the results.



Recipe: PB &C Brownies.  These brownies have a layer of peanut butter in the middle and are topped off with dark chocolate ganache—a gourmet take on the classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

From: Baking Unplugged by Nicole Rees (Recipe found on Page 133).