Resources

Since I was out of town this past weekend and didn't have time to do Friday Favorites. I thought I would share a couple links with you today.

Univerisity of California's Agricultural and Natural Resources Free Publications - They have so many great PDF's. I found myself reading and reading one afternoon.

Home Economics Archive - books and journals in Home Economics and related discipline titles that were published between 1850 and 1950 and selected for their great historical importance. This link was shared over on FetLife Domestic Servitude by our newest Domestic Servitude contributor Daphne.

Daphne had a couple guest posts. She is very passionate about her carbon footprint and all things green. And I know she is going to give a unique perspective on many domestic subjects.

Book Review: Homemade

This is a great reference book for the home. I found some things I loved and some things I didn't. But mostly I think it is a good resource to have around the house.

So the things I didn't like first:

* I didn't like that half the book was food recipes. I would have liked more of the cleaners, health remedies, bath products, and such. But I will say that I am sure that many could and would use the food section just as much as the rest of the book.

* It uses the same phrase of it will the ingredients cost pennies on SO MANY recipes. We get it. It could have been used in the intro and that is IT.

* Not sure all the recipes really do cost pennies. I am not sure all the recipes would work.


Things I liked:

* I like how things are laid out in the book - very easy to follow and find thing. Each section has a list to reference on what is to come in the following pages.

* When using these recipes - you know exactly what is in each product. And they often are less expensive then the commercial brand.

* Such a huge variety of recipes - ketchup, chicken noodle soup, jam, face cream, household cleaners, insect repellent, sore throat lozenges, pet food, craft paste - just so many things you can use around the house.

* There are "helpful hints" and highlighted tips posted through out the book.

Overall I am sure this is a book that many could use and would reference often. I checked it out from the library but will be adding it to my wish list.

Friday Favorites

Less Trash to Take Out by Vocal Point - A short little article on reducing paper waste. But also if you just go to Vocal Point, through your free sign up they offer samples. I have gotten a lot of samples, plus then I get $1 to $2 off the product and then coupons to share too.

10 Tips on Finding Decorating Style - I think these are all good tips for finding your own or someone else's decorating style.

You Grow Girl - is a good resource for gardening in a modern world

Real Simple's Top 20 Reference Books - Many I haven't heard of and want to check out but there might be some good books to have in a personal library

Reusable Swiffer Duster - A Tipnut.com find that I think could be interesting to try out. I got one of those Swiffer Dusters free in the mail a few years ago. I just have it sitting in a basket never used it before

Homemade Pancake Mix - to have on hand for whenever

Book Review: Knife Skills Illustrated

Knife Skills Illustrated: A User's Manual
by Peter Hertzmann

I really enjoyed this book and one of the main reasons is that they have left-handed instructions as well as right-handed. It is very rare to see a book that gives us lefties instructions. Usually we are just left to struggle and figure it out on our own. So I really appreciated the left-handed instructions. In addition, it has amazing illustrations (by Alan Witschonke). The author, Peter Hertzmann goes through basic skills and applies them to many different vegetables, fruits, fish and meats to shows how they are executed on each of those foods. As someone who doesn't have a large knife set this book was very good also as it tells you that you don't need a large set of knives instead 2-3 are plenty for everyday kitchen use.

I really wish it had been a book that I had when I first started cooking, but even now as someone who knows my way around a kitchen fairly well, I learned new things and feel it could give me instruction to learn new knife skills.

Edit 4/28 to add:
Project Foodie - This website has an excerpt complete with illustrations.

And then the website to the book - I believe it has some downloadable chapters

Book Review: Homekeeping Handbook

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home by Martha Stewart

I finally got around to reading Homekeeping Handbook and I have to say I want it as a reference. Even though I feel Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson will always be my first go-to book, I still enjoyed Martha Stewart's book.

So I am going to be doing some comparison to Home Comforts. Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook has a lot of handy-dandy charts and photos both in color and black and white. Home Comforts has illustrations and sketch drawings but no photos. It does have charts but because Martha uses color in her book the charts have color elements in them to make them stand out more.

Home comforts feels, to me, more in-depth and more of an actual reference where Martha's is more of a handbook despite the size of the book. And example of this is that Home Comforts had information about bacterias and dust mites and things of that sort where Martha is just like "clean this." Home comforts I think sometimes gives instructs as though the person reading the book has never cleaned and I like that. Martha does that at times in sections and other times it is just like I said "clean this." But doesn't tell you how.

Example of Home Comforts being more thorough.....Martha does 2 pages on setting a table. Home Comforts does 8 and half. But then Martha does her sections different then Home Comforts and actually probably makes more sense. She has after setting table - little things on table linens and storage, then names all the different forks, spoons, glasses, storage and care for chine and flatware - and Home Comforts does care and cleanness in another chapter and has 1 illustration of all the flatware and their names. It does a list of what china that one needs. But then care for it and storage are in another section. Home Comforts goes into food more too - cooking a meal, food storage, what foods to have in pantry. Martha does some of that too but not so as extensively.

As I said above Home Comforts will probably always be my go-to book but I still want Martha's. I like how it is laid out. It breaks sections off into - Room by Room guide, throughout the house cleaning manual, comfort and safety, moving manual, material guides and references . I like the charts. Even as big as it is - easy to flip through and see charts about something interesting or something you always wanted to know.

Just an example of photos and illustrations in from Home Comforts and Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook....


Table Setting Illustration from Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House By Cheryl Mendelson

This illustration has several settings - for breakfast, meatless and several informal settings. It also has formal settings on the next page.



Photograph of two table settings from Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home By Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart's book has black and white photographs throughout such as this one for table settings. It only has two examples of table settings everyday and special occasions. I think in most instances that what most of us would use. But there are times we do want to step up the service and Home Comforts to me will give you better examples of how to do that.

Some quick pros and cons of Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook....
Cons:
* this book is huge and although has a great amount of useful information but because the book is so big it is often hard to find it
* if you are a Martha Stewart fan the photos in this book aren't as lavish but didn't really expect them to be for a "handbook"
* if you clean at all - most of this information is probably already something you know

Pros:
* it has pictures and charts
* set up to make a guide that can be used more easily than Home Comforts
* Martha Stewart always has good practical information as well as information to take things to the next level in cleaning and keeping a house


I do want this book to be a part of my home references. I have a few Amazon gift certificates so I think I will be using one on this book soon.

Book Review: Martha Stewart's Cooking School

Martha Stewart's Cooking School by Martha Stewart

From publisher:
"Imagine having Martha Stewart at your side in the kitchen, teaching you how to hold a chef’s knife, select the very best ingredients, truss a chicken, make a perfect pot roast, prepare every vegetable, bake a flawless pie crust, and much more.

In Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, you get just that: a culinary master class from Martha herself, with lessons for home cooks of all levels.

Never before has Martha written a book quite like this one. Arranged by cooking technique, it’s aimed at teaching you how to cook, not simply what to cook. Delve in and soon you’ll be roasting, broiling, braising, stewing, sautéing, steaming, and poaching with confidence and competence. In addition to the techniques, you’ll find more than 200 sumptuous, all-new recipes that put the lessons to work, along with invaluable step-by-step photographs to take the guesswork out of cooking. You’ll also gain valuable insight into equipment, ingredients, and every other aspect of the kitchen to round out your culinary education."

I say if you don't know how to cook at all and are intimated by Martha Stewart- first go to Betty Crocker. But if you are ready to move up and beyond then this is the book for you. Just don't let not being able to cook stop you from picking this book up as you will learn so much with it.

I know a lot of people don't like anything Martha Stewart's does. I know she can be intimidating and scary. But this book is fantastic. First and for most the information is amazing. Next the photography is beautiful and supports the information in a wonderful pairing. This book covers some basics but also takes things a step beyond to help you understand how to cook which will ultimately make you a better cook.

The books covers:

• Equipment lists that tell you everything from a loaf pan to a dutch oven to a spider (which is wide shallow mesh skimmer with a long handle great for removing food from hot oil or boiling water).
• It gives you a run down on knives and what they do and how to care for them.
• Shows how to do basic vegetable cuts and more special cuts like the lozenge which is to cut them into thin slices and then stack the slices and cut into strips. Making cuts on the diagonally to achieve a diamond shape.
• The book covers some basic herbs: how to wash, store, cook and few other tips for them.
• It has a several pages on just onions. Photos of the different kinds, how to peel, slice, cut, chop, saute, caramelize the various kinds.
• Making stock from a basic chicken stock to how to make a consomme or cream soup. It not only tell you how to make them but a glossary of terms and tips.
• Eggs - how to boil, poach, coddle, make a frittata and so on.
• Meat, Fish and Poultry - It has charts to show what each cut of meat and how to buy. It shows how not only how to roast, grill saute, braise, stew and many other things to create the perfect meat dish but also shows how to tie a roast, stuff a turkey, get charcoal ready for a grill, how to carve a duck and many other techniques.
• Vegetables - how to steam, wilt, simmer, saute, grill, make a green salad and many other ways to cook vegetables. It also has a buying guide what to look for, what to avoid, storage and cooking method.
• Pasta - how to make fresh pasta, gnocchi, sauce, baked pasta dishes and several other things.
• Dried Beans and Grains - how to cook and varieties of beans and grains

And finally....

• Dessert - how to cream butter, cut butter into flour, make meringue, a souffle, sorbet and many many other things. It include a chart showing a variety of berries and stone fruits

PLUS all that throughout the whole book there are recipes upon recipes....from gourmet to just basic comfort food

Minestrone Soup
Squash and Goat Cheese Frittata
Chicken Piccata
Pan-Seared Strip Steak with Mustard Cream Sauce
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Creamed Spinach
Herbed Rosti with Wild Mushrooms
Glazed Turnips
Gnocchi with Basil Pesto
Lasagne
Cassoulet
Rice Pilaf
Double Crusted Apple Pie
Creme Brulee
Poached Apricots
Yellow Buttercake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

It is a beautiful book with a wealth of information that I think anyone serving someone who likes to eat and enjoys food should have in their kitchen.

Book: The Flavor Bible

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chef by Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

A description from Barnes & Noble's website:

"Great cooking goes beyond following a recipe--it's knowing how to season ingredients to coax the greatest possible flavor from them. Drawing on dozens of leading chefs' combined experience in top restaurants across the country, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg present the definitive guide to creating "deliciousness" in any dish. Thousands of ingredient entries, organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, provide a treasure trove of spectacular flavor combinations. Readers will learn to work more intuitively and effectively with ingredients; experiment with temperature and texture; excite the nose and palate with herbs, spices, and other seasonings; and balance the sensual, emotional, and spiritual elements of an extraordinary meal. Seasoned with tips, anecdotes, and signature dishes from America's most imaginative chefs, THE FLAVOR BIBLEis an essential reference for every kitchen."

I am really really wanting to have this book. Just as I said about the other book by these authors I read - it is AMAZING! It isn't a cookbook but it is an essential reference for the kitchen and every cook. I learned things about seasoning that I would have never thought of if not picking up this book. It will make it easier for anyone to adjust any recipe to fit what you have one hand. I feel it it will help one be more creative and inventive when cooking. It will just make you into a better cooked. I know that there is so much more I would learn from it by having it in the kitchen.

A quote from the first chapter in the book....that I think summed up the book well...

"Flavor is a 'language' that anyone who love pleasures of the palate will find to be well worth mastering. Once you master the language of flavor, you can use it to communicate -- and become a better cook."

The book has 3 sections but really the third section takes up most of the book. The first section is on learning to recognize the language of food. The taste, aroma, how it feels and that x-factor. And then the second sections is maximizing the flavor by communicating the language of food. And then the final section is like the What to Drink with What You Eat book where it is basically lists. It gives lists of herbs, spices, fruit, vegetables, meat, vinegar, oils, alcohols and so on - and then each list has details under it. Such as if you look up artichokes it tells you when they are in season, the weight, the volume and the technique to use with them. (It goes into the weight and volume more also in earlier sections.) And then under it lists every seasoning that goes with artichokes, cuisines that goes them and flavor affinities. Plus with some ingredients there is a little sidebar box that says "Dishes" and it has chefs from around the world tell how a dish they make with that ingredient. Such one for artichokes says, "Fettuccine with house-made pancetta, artichokes, lemon and hot chilis -- Mario Batali, Babbo (New York)" and under Skirt Steak there is one that says, "Skirt steak marinated in seville oranges and limes --Maricel Presilla, Zafra (Hoboken, New Jersey)."

I know I won't be able to say enough good things about this book. I just feel it covers so much and gave me such amazing inspiration in the kitchen. And has helped me be a better cook. I checked it out from the library but know I would love to have it in the kitchen all the time!