Review - 300 Sensational Soups By Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds

I received a copy of 300 Sensational Soups By Carla Snyder & Meredith Deeds for review.  I live in Illinois, so it's basically soup season here...except for the funky warm weather we are having as I type this.  Not that soup isn't good year round, it's just that when it gets cold out, a nice piping hot bowl of soup warms your soul.

I love soup!  

Contents:

Introduction
Soup Stocks
Chilled Soups
Fresh From The Garden Vegetable Soups
Beans, Beans, and More Beans Soups
Cheese Please Soups
Hearty Soups For Meat Lovers
Chicken and Turkey Soups to Comfort the Soul
Go Fish:  Fish and Shellfish Soups
Chow Down Chowders
A World of Soups
Just Dessert Soups
Gilding the Lily:  Toppings and Garnishes

Here are just a few of the mouthwatering recipes:

Coconut Curried Chickpea Soup (page 124)
Beef Stroganoff and Noodle Soup (page 149)
Texas Cowboy Soup (162)
Easy Chipotle Chicken Soup (page 220)
Ground Beef Soup With Chili and Cornmeal Dumplings (page 161)
Taco Soup (page 160)
Lasagna Soup (page 146)
Mac and Cheese Soup With Bacon Croutons (140)
Mulligatawny (page 292)
Hot and Sour Soup (page 329)

About the authors:

Carla Snyder is an artisan baker, food writer and accomplished culinary instructor.  She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Meredith Deeds is a well-respected cooking instructor and food writer.  She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

300 Sensational Soups By Carla Snyder & Meredith Deeds is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobel.com and your local bookseller.

Lola's Diner Disclaimer: I was given the cookbook 300 Sensational Soups By Carla Snyder & Meredith Deeds to review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this book review. 

Lola's Diner ©2008-2012

Review - Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence: Dinner Made Simple

I received a copy of  Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence: Dinner Made Simple to review.  "So many of us have the idea that whipping up a fabulous dinner during the week, but when it comes to putting the pan on the flame, we lose confidence.  Do I have the skills to pull this off?  Do I have the time:  The answer is 'yes' when you have Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence: Dinner Made Simple at your fingertips"

That is so true.

The cookbook has many photographs, and lots of tips and tricks, even a list of Basic Pantry Items to make everything simple.  This book is fabulous just for the Basic Pantry Items list!

Table of Contents:

1. Eat your vegetables.
2. A grain of truth.
3. Beans the miracle fruit.
4. Not your average chicken recipes.
5. Beyond fish sticks,
6. The meat of the matter.

Some of the delectable recipes included are:

Eggplant Parmigiana
Pepperoni Pizza Strata (kind of a savory bread pudding.)
Grain Filled Summer Bell Peppers
Tuscan Sausage Stew With Tomatoes and Cannellini  Beans
Green Curry Chicken With Thai Basil
Tuscan Pot Roast
Tortilla Soup With Pork Meatballs, Tortillas, & Cheddar
...and so many more.

One of the recipes that brought me back in time is Cheesy Spaghetti Pie.  My Grandmother cooked pasta for every holiday...enormous amounts of pasta, so she always had leftovers.  One day we were over there early while my Dad did some work around the house.  Grandma cooked up some spaghetti pie for us kids.  (Because if you're Italian, you know Grandma has to cook for you when you come over, doesn't matter what time you come over, she has to feed you. Manga!)  I am definitely going to make this for my son with Gluten Free Pasta (he has an allergy to Gluten).

About the author:

"Joanne is the host of her public television series Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence and has written 17 cookbooks, including James Beard award winning Weir Cooking in the City.  Joanne is the consulting Editor-at-Large for Fine Cooking and has contributed to Bon  Appetit, Saveur, Cooking Light, Food & Wine, Gourmet Sunset, and Better Homes & Gardens.  Joanne also teaches cooking classes in her home studio kitchen in San Francisco, hosts culinary journeys around the world, and is executive chef of Copita Restaurant in Sausalito, CA.  She has also just launched her own wine label - Joanne Weir's Wines."

Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence: Dinner Made Simple is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and your local bookseller. Fine Cooking.com currently has FREE SHIPPING & 25% off!

Lola's Diner Disclaimer: I was given the cookbook, Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence: Dinner Made Simple to review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this book review.

Lola's Diner ©2008-2012

Sunday Stealing - The Not So Manly Meme

 Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's post. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme's best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme. Let's go!!!
 

Today we ripped off a blogger named CV Rick from the blog CVRick Ninja Writer. He states that he got it from Alan, via Mrs. Chili. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Take the time to comment on other player's posts. It's a great way to make new friends! Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!


Don't let the title fool you, it is Gender Friendly. 

1. Boxers? Briefs? Boxer briefs? Thongs? Bikinis? Commando? Boxer briefs.

2. What’s your fussiest personal care routine?  Probably my hair.Today I'm sporting a faux-hawk, because that's what my hair wants to do today.  Lol!.

3. Do you have a favorite tool? Power or manual?  In the kitchen...definitely my KitchenAid Mixer.  Outside the kitchen, my sawzall.  I haven't used it often, but when I have used it, it was the perfect tool.

4. Can you change your own oil? Do you?  I could, I watched my Dad change his oil all the time.  I know how it's done, but I choose not to because I don't feel going through all that trouble is worth my time when Jiffy Lube can get er done in under 30 minutes and there is much less swearing.  Lol!

5. What’s the “manliest / 'womenliest” thing you do on a regular basis?  I have no idea.

6. What’s something “manly” that you never learned how to do?  I have no idea.  I've done many diy projects around the house that probably most men have never done.

7. Do you ever cry? If so, what’s your trigger?  Duh!  Sorrow.  Duh!

8. Do you have a chivalrous streak? How does it manifest itself?  I always open doors for other people.  I just think it's polite.

9. Do you have a chauvinistic streak? How does it manifest itself?  I don't think so.

10. What’s your favorite movie?  Casablanca

11. What’s the dumbest, testosterone-inspired thing you’ve ever seen?  Evil Knievel.  Nuf said.

12. What quality do you think makes a good man good? Do you have that quality?  Empathy.  Yes.

13. Toilet seat up or down?  Down.

14. If your significant other is away, do you cook for yourself or eat out of cans and boxes (or rely on local drive-throughs and delivery)?  I cook for myself, or have my kids cook.  They love to cook.

15. What societal expectation of being a man / women do you most resent?  Women...that we are delicate flowers.

16. What’s the best part - societal-wise - about being a man / women?  Never thought about it.

17. Will you stop to ask for directions?  Hell no!  I have a GPS and if I'm still stumped, if I'm alone, I will drive until I figure it out, or ask my gf to get directions.  Lol!

18. What’s one thing about your significant other that you just cannot understand, no matter how hard you try?  Can't think of anything.

19. What do you need to have in the shower?  Of course.  Daily!

20. Do you burp/fart/scratch? Do you do anything stereotypically male?  I don't care what anyone else says, everyone does it, women just try not to do it in front of anyone else.  Hell, if you have to pass gas and you try to suppress it...you'll esplode!

Thank you for playing this week on Sunday Stealing! Please leave a comment or link when you have posted. Stop back and visit other player’s posts. That is really what this is all about, making new friends! Have a great week. See you next Sunday!

Lola's Diner ©2008-2012