Our library purchases some of the most interesting non-fiction books and I enjoy discovering new topics! The first book I stumbled across yesterday is called The Birthday Cake Book: 75 Recipes for Candle-Worthy Creations by Dede Wilson (641.8 W747b). The cover itself shows a luscious chocolate and meringue swirled cake--and since it was right after my lunch break I just had to peek inside and see what this book was all about! The book opens with a section on making and baking the perfect cake, as well as a few ideas on how to create interesting candle holders and crystallize flowers. The next sections include instructions on how to make basic and speciality cakes and then classic frostings and icing. The next few sections include recipes for decadent cakes (such as a Butter Pecan Cake with Brown Sugar Fudge Frosting or the Hairy Caterpillar Cupcake Cake). The recipes are easy to follow and would be good for either the beginner or experienced cook.
The second book is title Insanewiches: 101 Ways to Think Outside the Lunchbox and it is written by Adrian Fiorino. This book shows you how to make outrageous sandwiches. While I think the idea is charming, and some of these creations are downright cute, I just cannot see anyone making these sandwiches and placing them in a lunchbox to be transported to school! Some of these crazy creations would make an interesting dish for a party, such as "The Banana Split Trickwich (pg. 122) . This would be a great April Fool's gag, because when you look at the picture, it looks like three scoops of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between a hoagie roll! On closer inspection, you see that it is made of mashed potato "ice cream," bacon and chive sprinkles, gravy masquerading as chocolate sauce and topped with cherry tomatoes. I think this would be an excellent choice for an adult dinner party or a child's birthday! Adrian Fiorino is the author of a popular blog, insanewiches.com that he began in June 2009. Adrian currently lives in Toronto and is always on the look out for new sandwich ideas!
I truly enjoy reading Alafair Burke's novels and her new one, Long Gone is another winner! True, she is the daughter of James Lee Burke, the author of the "Louisiana policeman turned private investigator" Dave Robichaux, one of my all-time favorite authors, but she has earned her place in the realm of great thriller writers with this novel. Alafair Burke writes a wonderful series about gutsy heroine Elie Haskell, but Long Gone is her first stand alone novel and it is a page-turner. The stories' basic premise is that struggling art major Alice Humphrey has been trying for months to get a job in New York City when she is suddenly offered her dream job of being a gallery owner in a new gallery in the Meatpacking District. Alice thinks the job is too good to be true and when she meets savvy gallery owner Drew Campbell and learns that the main gallery exhibitor will be a man with questionable artistic tastes, she hesitates about taking it. Although Drew tells Alice that the anonymous artists' work is a little edgy, Alice thinks that her dream of running her own gallery outweighs any objections she has to this anonymous artist's work. Alice is trying to balance her life being the daughter of a famous Academy-Award winning director and his leading lady, and her life seems just about perfect, until she walks into the gallery and finds the work gone, the owner dead on the floor and her dream job vanished. Alice is suspect number one until she teams up with an FBI agent and works to clear her name. There are at least three different stories tied together in this book and it makes the story an interesting read. I enjoy Alice Humphrey's character and admire her guts as she tries to discover the truth. The book has many twists and turns, especially at the end, and I think you'll find it very enjoyable!
Soleil Moon Frye, formerly known as the spunky main character on the 1980's hit television series Punky Brewster is currently a social media maven and "momtrepeneur" with two little girls. She often finds herself living in the chaotic world of rasing kids and trying to figure it all out. Soleil dishes out advice on motherhood in her latest book, Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures In Between. Soleil believes that chaos is not such a bad thing...in fact...she believes that chaos is the sign that a family is operating at its best. Soleil believes that when parents accept that there will be bumps and scrapes, misses and mishaps, then both parents and kids will be happy living their lives. Soleil herself was raised by a free-spirited mother and she tries to raise her kids in the same fashion. Soleil uses lessons she learns in her own upbringing to give the reader a unique view into her own conception of motherhood. This is partly a memoir and partly a how-to guide that is sure to appeal to every modern mom and dad. Follow Soleil Moon Frye on Twitter and Facebook and check out Moonfrye.com for more parenting information. In 2008 Soleil alaunched an eco-friendly clothing line for kids called "The Little Seed," and became an advocate for the Alzheimer's Association. In 2011 she also became Target's "Mommy Ambassador."
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think the subtitle of this book says it all..."Put some lovin' in your oven with 100 easy one-dish recipes"--after reading this book I couldn't agree more! Authors Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock have written The Casserole Queens Cookbook, one of the most entertaining cookbooks I have read in a while. The cover art is pure "vintage 1950's" with these two savvy women in pearls and dresses holding scrumptious casseroles. Once you open the cookbook, you realize that the book is so much more than 1950's cooking! The casseroles in this collection have a distinctly "contemporary" touch and are family-friendly fare that will appeal to adults and kids alike. I adore the recipe titles (i.e., Pimpin Paella and Frenchy Toast Casserole) and the personal stories that begin each recipe. The stories let the reader know that these recipes are 'tried and true" and mean something to each of the authors. Some of the casseroles are a little fancier than others but I think any home cook will find something to love in this collection. Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock (aka "The Casserole Queens") started their home delivery business in Austin, TX in 2006. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM and on other television and radio shows. Check out their website at wwww.CasseroleQueens.com for other tasty meals that can be fixed on any night of the week!
