Early Book Review: I Don’t Like to Eat Ants by JTK Belle, Sabine Mielke

I Don’t Like to Eat Ants is a picturebook written by JTK Belle and illustrated by Sabine Mielke. It is currently scheduled for release on August 1 2019. This story follows Anteater One and Anteater Two’s debate over their current diet of ants. Anteater One doesn’t like to eat ants and wants Anteater Two to try new foods, while Anteater Two believes it’s their nature to only eat ants and nothing else. Together, Anteater One and Anteater Two adventure off to the Peanut Butter and Jelly Deli, where they discover that it’s important to try new things, because you’ll never know if you like something unless you’re willing to give it a chance. 

I Don’t Like to Eat Ants is a fun book about anteaters arguing about what they should be eating. One anteater is sick of ants and would much prefer cake and rolls while the other is insisting that eating ants is part of their nature, and included in their name. I liked their banter and the way they finally find a common ground. I found the illustrations to be pretty much perfect, illustrating the spirit of the story and having details that made for additional humor. I especially enjoyed the side conversations by the ants throughout the story, I almost missed them, and only noticed them part way through the book so I had to go back and look again. I think this book will stand for multiple re reads and might become a favorite book for some young readers.

I Don’t Like to Eat Ants is a cute story about trying new things and not being tied down by names or expectations. I think this book is well suited for storytimes, sharing one on one, and for emerging readers to read on their own.

Early Book Review: Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen by Margaret Li; Irene Li; Andrew Li

Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen by Margaret Li, Irene Li, and Andrew Li is currently schedule for release on February 9 2019. This book is from  three fun-loving, food-loving Chinese-American siblings--Margaret, Andrew, and Irene Li, the siblings behind Boston's acclaimed Mei Mei Restaurant and Street Kitchen--directly to your kitchen table. Their recipes take familiar dishes and add classic Chinese techniques, a fresh seasonal twist to beloved Chinese restaurant dishes, and layer of Asian ingredients into everyday family meals. Celebrate local veggies with a quick weeknight meal of Farmers Market Fried Rice or Summer Noodle Salad with Ginger Garlic Dressing. Invite all your friends over for an action-packed dumpling-making party featuring Sweet Potato, Feta, and Brown Butter Dumplings and the famous Double Awesome scallion pancake sandwich. Or go low-key and let the Five-Spice Pork Shoulder roast in your oven all day, transforming into a glorious meal for the whole family. The book offers a glimpse behind the scenes of a modern restaurant family, including start-up stories alongside go-to sauces to amp up any meal, and even vegetable-centric desserts. Packed with pro cooking tips, sustainable sourcing advice, and over 100 delicious recipes, Double Awesome Chinese Food will bring fascinating new flavors and crave-worthy dishes to your home kitchen.

Double Awesome Chinese Food starts with an introduction to the siblings that work, cook, and write together. I enjoyed reading about their family, philosophies, and how they got where they are. I also enjoy that they work so hard to be good to the environment and local food system, using local and sustainable ingredients. Including the use of quality and sustainable ingredients in their instructions to readers continues that trend. More experienced cooks might be tempted to skip the tips and tricks that are offered in the beginning of the book, but I highly recommend slowing down to read them. Some might seem obvious, like having a good knife and cutting board, but some others were so smart and simple I could not believe I was not already doing them. I found the information on finding the best ingredients useful as well, since have not been staples in my home and I want to make good choices when adding new things to the mix.

Now the important part, the recipes. I like that each section includes the story behind the dishes, and some options for changing things up a bit, as well as how to create the dish or sauce. The ingredient lists and instructions are easy to understand and leave readers hungry and willing to give it a try themselves. I have to admit to wanting to both run to the grocery store and get going in the kitchen as soon as I read each chapter, but had to hold myself back since I have to ease the picky eaters in my house into new flavors and trying new things.  I do plan on spending my next free day mixing up some of the basic sauces, and trying out a few recipes. There are some dumplings, fritters, and noodle based dishes that are the most likely (hopefully) to go over well with my family that I plan on trying. There are some great recipes that will just be for me, that I will gladly take to work with me and enjoy. I also liked the additional resources at the end of the book to help readers find what they need to achieve the best results. Readers that are looking to expand their cooking knowledge and skill set to include Chinese-n American cuisine will find what they are looking for here. 

Double Awesome Chinese Food is a well written and enjoyable cookbook to explore. I love Chinese-American food but have often felt too intimidated to give it a go. Even though I am no longer the primary cook in the house thanks to my work schedule, I fully plan on trying out a recipe (or two) for my next day off or inspired weekend of cooking.

Book Review: Drink Me: Curious Cocktails from Wonderland by Nick Perry, Paul Rosser

Drink Me: Curious Cocktails from Wonderland by Nick Perry and Paul Rosser offers readers a selection of twenty cocktails inspired by Alice in Wonderland as well as some cocktail bars that you might want to visit. Every page of this beautifully designed book includes charming illustrations for the completed madcap drinks .Drink Me! also includes definitive list of the "most curious cocktail bars" you need to visit, and the best ingredients to use with each recipe. 

Drink Me: Curious Cocktails from Wonderland starts off with a helpful guide to spirits, including how they are made and their variety of flavors. Tools and terminology is also explained, which will make cocktail making for novices like myself have an easier time successfully creating tasty cocktails. I am not a big drinker, and rarely experiment, but the combination of literature, whimsy, and alcohol made me want to try out this book. I like that everything is laid out and explained, so I have no surprises once I get started making the recipes. Not all of the recipes help appeal to me, in fact the idea of an "Off With Her Head" made me cringe because of the flavors it was described as having, but very next recipe (The Golden Afternoon) sounded very tasty. Like any recipe book, some results might take some practice and others are hits right off the bat. The batch recipes were the most interesting to me, since simple syrups and liqueurs can be used in a wide variety of recipes. I think this is a great way for novices to explore drink making, and those already experienced to expand their repertoire. An ideal book for those planning a themed dinner or cocktail party, or that simply want to learn to make these drinks and those like them.

Early Book Review: Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, Stems, and Other Odds and Ends into Delicious Meals by Lindsay-Jean Hard

Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, Stems, and Other Odds and Ends into Delicious Meals by Lindsay-Jean Hard is currently scheduled for release on October 16 2018. Do you want to stop throwing away food scraps or composting them? Well, you can start enjoying some of them on your table! This book is a collection of 80 surprising, creative, delicious recipes for anyone who wants to cook smart, sustainable, and impressive meals out of unused bits of produce, cheese rinds, stale bread, and other oft-discarded foods.

Cooking With Scraps is a well written and forgiving cookbook. I like that it opens with the idea that no recipe or person is perfect, or unchangeable. Doing the best we can in our shopping and cooking is the goal. I found the recipes to be well organized, in alphabetical order by the type of food you are using in the process. This makes finding a recipe to deal with a specific type of scrap easier. I like that there are alternatives and further suggestions for foods that can be used recipes as applicable. There are also some hints and tricks included through the book, some of which will be helpful to new cooks, and others that will be useful to everyone. Some I found to be common sense, but I also grew up in a household that saved everything, canned, and scrimped much more than I currently do. The instructions and ingredient lists are well written and clear, letting even new cooks keep up and find success in their cooking. While many of the recipes are thing that would not be well received in my house, there were some idea that I will be using and some changed I will be making to my cooking and baking habits. I found the read to be interesting, inspiring, and important to those that will make the effort to create as little waste as possible.

Cooking With Scraps is a valuable cookbook for those looking to save money and resources, while willing to put in the necessary planning and work. I found it interesting, and it helped me plan my meals with the idea of limiting the waste I produce.

Early Book Review: Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Kids Learn to Love Vegetables with 101 Easy Activities and Recipes by Melanie Potock

Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Kids Learn to Love Vegetables with 101 Easy Activities and Recipes by Melanie Potock is currently scheduled for release on February 6 2018. It features a year’s worth of family-friendly recipes along with strategies for helping kids learn to become more adventurous eaters over time. Parents will learn how to introduce a new vegetable every week, plus creative and engaging ways to expose their kids to new foods. The book features 20 vegetables, organized by season, each with activities and recipes highlighting the program’s three phases to vegetable love: expose, explore, expand. The kids are involved in every part of the activity process from washing the vegetable to eating delicious food they helped make. 

Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Kids Learn to Love Vegetables with 101 Easy Activities and Recipes is a valiant attempt to help parents with children that boycott vegetables to give them a try, and to have some fun along the way. I like that the book is organized by season, which makes getting started and planning that much easier. I like that some of the activities give the chance for kids to feel, taste, and smell the veggies before eating them even becomes part of the conversation. I also liked the idea of getting the kids involved in the preparation and cooking of the veggies. I find that being included in the work and discussion makes most kids more willing to give something a try. I can see how it can, and would, work with many children. I also see how parents that are willing to go to these strides are already on the path to kids willing to try and do new things. However, I feel like there are too many kids that this will not work with, such as those with sensory issues. Of course, that being said my daughter would adore these activities, and some of the recipes, while my husband and son would run in terror since my husband is not a veggie fan and my son is very sensitive to flavors and likes things as bland and boring as possible.  

In short, for those that are willing to go all out in getting their families to eat better, particularly in the vegetable department this would be a great addition to a home library. For those just looking for some tools to get a few more veggies, and break down some barriers, I would suggest borrowing the book from the library and trying the suggestions that might work in your home.

PAIRED - Champagne & Sparkling Wines By Fran Flynn & David Stevens-Castro

  Blurb

• Writers Digest Book Awards - First Place - Reference Category

• Gourmand World Cook Book Awards - A 'Best in the World' award - Food & Wine Matching category

• Foreword Reviews - Finalist - Cookbook of the Year

• Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Awards - Finalist - Best Wine Book of the year These awards followed on from winning 'Best in Australia' in two categories of the Gourmand regional awards for 'Food & Wine Pairing' and 'French Wine' earlier in the year

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Food and wine pairing can be easy! All you need are taste buds and a sense of adventure. This beautifully presented, full colour recipe book will encourage and support you to experience the pleasure of food and wine pairing for yourself. The first volume showcases sparkling wines of all styles, and challenges usual perceptions by offering sparkling wines with tantalising home-cooked recipes for all courses of a meal, not just with finger food. The delicious recipes, presented by husband-and-wife team wine expert David Stevens-Castro and food photographer Fran Flynn create a foundation to apply your new pairing skills with confidence. Leave your comfort zone behind, try the unexpected, and bask in discoveries that your taste buds will be forever grateful for. Renowned award-winning wine expert Tyson Stezler contributes a foreword and discusses the current trends in champagne and sparkling wine consumption. Aimed at anyone with an interest in food and wine, this book uses a light-hearted and accessible style of language, plus full-colour illustrations to guide you on the right path to understanding food and wine pairings for yourself, with the added benefit of demystifying terminology and explaining wine labelling. Seven chapters each showcase a style of sparkling wine, present a visual synopsis of the country of origin, supply complimentary cheese ideas, and several recipes that will pair with the topical variety. Every recipe illustrated with full colour photographs is introduced by Fran, while David narrates some pairing suggestions. Common misconceptions about wine are dispelled, a broad range of dishes suitable for sharing and entertaining are presented, and suggestions on how you can introduce your friends to the wonderful world of food and wine are also provided. Note: All measurements appear in both imperial and metric format throughout the book.

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Book Review: 10-Minute Recipes by Liana Werner-Gray

10-Minute Recipes by Liana Werner-Gray is a cookbook for those that want to eat healthier, but need recipes that are quick and easy- and go beyond salads and grilled chicken.  In 10-Minute Recipes, you will find more than 100 recipes to get more of the essential vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients your body needs—each of which can be prepared in 10 minutes or less. Whether you're a meat eater or a raw vegan, this inclusive book offers options for juices, smoothies, salads, entrees, desserts, and more that will delight any palate. There is also advice on proper nutrition; tips for shifting out of toxic habits; and guides for specific goals such as weight loss, reducing inflammation, and increasing energy.

10-Minute Recipes is a well organized and easily understood cookbook. I have to admit that it was not the recipes or text that caught my eye though. As soon as I started reading I notice the beautiful, full-color pictures. The images are very well done and spaced through the book perfectly to enhance the text and catch the eye. The book describes the “Earth Diet” and there is a lot of information about nutrition and changing eating habits, and what you might expect in your body and mindset when you make these changes. Honestly, I was looking for recipe ideas and inspiration rather than this- so I was a little annoyed at how much of this there was, but some readers might find interesting and useful. I did like that she included information on the tools and equipment that the recipes would require before hand and the most likely ingredients that you might not already have on hand.. Nothing worse than planning on a recipe, buying all the ingredients, only to discover you are missing something important when you reread the recipe prior to getting started. However, it was not until page 40 in the book, chapter 5, before even getting to the recipes and them the first 4 chapters are all juices, drinks, and smoothies. In chapter 10 we finally get to things that require teeth.He recipes were alright, and certainly healthy. However, not much I could really use. When I saw 10-Minute recipes as the title I was expecting more things that I could toss together after helping my kids with their homework, and that we all would enjoy eating. IO did get some ideas for my own mornings, but not much that my family would eat for other meals. 

10-Minute Recipes is a good resource to those trying o change their lifestyle and eating habits to go very green and healthy, particularly if they want the philosophy and coaching to go along with it. It is not meant for the casual reader looking for inspiration and ideas to sneak in a little something healthier into their families dinner- quick before they notice. So, it was not meant for me- however I think those looking for this kind of help information, and support will get a lot out for this book.

Book Review: Everyone Loves Cupcake by Kelly DiPucchio, Eric Wright

Everyone Loves Cupcake is a picture book written by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Eric Wright. It is a delightful follow up to Everyone Loves Bacon, but of course they each stand perfectly well on their own.

Cupcake dresses to impress. Her smile is brilliant. Her wave is flawless. She even wears a tiara. Everyone loves a tiara. And Cupcake wants everyone to love her. But when she tries too hard to make everyone happy, she crumbles under the pressure and realizes that sometimes just being yourself is enough.

Everyone Loves Cupcake is another fun picturebook from DiPucchio. Cupcake is always doing her best to be perfect, and in turn to impress everyone around her. If you have ever had anyone in your life that always seems perfect, you can empathize with the other foods and how frustrated they became, if you are a perfectionist like cupcake you can understand her drive to have everything perfect.  I like the bright, fun illustrations as Cupcake struggles to make everything just right, and her slow realization that her efforts are causing more damage to her friendships than good things. i think my favorite part of the book is when everyone is making their confessions, including Cupcake. good fun, great illustrations, and a wonderful lesson about being yourself rather than who you think others want you to be.