How-To Books

I've been doing a lot of work lately; you know, to do with my Crafty Pegs hobby business.  Over the next few months I'm going to be adding on a few new lines for it and to do that I have to look up some non-fiction books to know how to do those things.

For example:  I need instructions on how to make dishcloths... but I already know how to knit.  So, I've been looking through my stitching books and changing the patterns to match the stitches so the dishcloths look and feel wonderful.  Also, I want to sell different styles, sizes and types of stitches in my cloths too.

I'm also getting right into cooking again.  So, I've been pulling out my cookbooks from under the sink.  Today, I woke up with the worse sinus ever!  And it was shopping day... so I went out and bought a huge amount of groceries and now the Slow Cooker has Potato and Leek Soup bubbling away in it!  How wonderful is that?  I've made my own changes to it and added garlic, basil, parsley and seasoned it too.  Now to wait the 6 hours for it to cook!  I can't wait to taste it after I blend it with the hand blender.

I do love the How-To books we all seem to collect over time.  Which ones do you get your nose into?  Mine always have to do with craft or my hands or cooking... what do yours always seem to get you doing?  Until my next post, happy reading!

March Book Buys!

This month has been a big splurge on buying books; and mainly it was from nerves.  So, I bought them because I was nervous and stressed out.

Yep, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

At the beginning of the month, I went out and bought three books for $16 at Lucky Charms Newsagents at Springwood: 'The Copper Beech' and 'This Year It Will Be Different' by Maeve Binchy and 'Wicked Business' by Janet Evanovich. Those three were bought on 13th, March - the day before the World's Greatest Shave.  Yep, I was nervous alright!

After the big shave, I didn't do any book-buying at all.  I was kind of relieved it was over and done with.  I jumped in and got ready for a market at Murarrie; and with all the heat and storms around, my hair was so easy to look after and dry, I was happy to have the length of it so short.

Then, yesterday, I found a really lovely cookbook.  I love collecting cookbooks, they can show you so much to do in your kitchen; making to see what you're missing out on - you know, the forest for the tree bit.  Well, I found 'Fresh & Easy' by Marie Claire sitting on the table for just a $1.00.  This book was brand new and I saw so many vegetarian recipes and other great ideas in it I could adjust, that I knew I wanted it immediately.  So, I found a dollar in my purse and grabbed it.  
Well, that was my book-buying for this month.  I've been reading a few bits and pieces, but otherwise I'm too tired lately to read, and have been just turning out the light and going straight to sleep.  Until my next post, happy reading.

A Busy Week of New Reading Material

I've had a busy week, and it's been filled with my craft group, reading and organising myself to get my butt into this year... yep, it's February already and this year isn't slowing down!

But on Monday, I thought to check my mail - seeing the rain had eased - and my PO Box was filled to the brim!  I also had to pull out a blue pick-up card!  Yay!  There was a parcel to get from inside the post office!  Anyway, once I did that, I found my curiosity got the better of me and I opened it right there in the place and found a brand new copy of 'Eucalyptus' by Murray Bail.  This came all the way from Scotland for the Australia Day Sweepstakes on Bookcrossing.  Well, I'd never heard of this author or the book, so this was a first for me.  And I'm looking forward to reading it too!
Then, while I was at my craft group, Nola (a lady who sits across from me at the tables) brought in some books she didn't want and showed them to us ladies before putting them up for grabs on the show and tell tables, where they're sold for $1.00 each.  I found a great copy of 'Hour's The Limit: Great Food In Less Than 60 Minutes' by 'Fast Ed' Halmagyi.  What a cookbook!  The pictures look great, the recipes look wonderful, and I've yet to try out anything in it, but it's all delicious sounding and I think I'll have to have a try of one of the pastas first... I'm not sure yet.

Also in the mail on Monday came my March issue of 'Good Reading' Magazine.  It's a bumper copy with all sorts of great articles about books, authors, and anything about the written word.  And you all know what I'm like about that!  Yep, obsessed!  Well, how was your week?  Filled with reading material like mine, or are you happily reading along like last week... please do keep us updated.  Until my next post, happy reading!

Writing Work This Wet Weekend

This weekend just gone has been one of the wettest around for some years; and I got a lot done!  

As I mentioned in the last post, I wanted to get some reading done - and I did.  I read a few chapters of 'Wizard and Glass' book 4 of 'The Dark Tower' Series by Stephen King.  That was on Friday night, but then on Thursday night, I read a few chapters of 'Dandelion Wine' by Ray Bradbury.  These books are total opposites, but both writers are absolute genius' as what they do in this world.

On Saturday, I cleaned out my lounge room.  It was great to be able to move around the house again, throw out a rubbish bag and fill up the Donation Box completely.  But then, it was also great to put things away too, check the water in the piano (yep, they need it to keep from warping) and I cleaned the coffee table and now, all I have to do is clear the dining table and the place look sweet!

But then, I stumbled upon two recipe books I'm working with.  They're lovely books.  One book is one Mum bought me where I write down recipes I've created or gotten from people and they are my favourites and the other is one I bought from my craft group and it's more professional-looking.  The second one is cut up into sections where you write your recipes down and there's little pockets where you can slot recipes cards that are loose and sitting around - a very nice book in all, something I'd definitely use!  So, I'm working with these two books, off and on.  Honestly, I really need to get them finished up and put away, they are getting in the way.
Then, I have a recipe book on my tablet.  This one is one where I've copied out my recipes from the first book onto an app I scored from the 'Play Store' for free.  It's great to have this on my tablet because I can take it anywhere and I have a recipe book at my fingertips without having to be hooked up on the internet - not a bad deal, right?  Well, I have to update that 'invisible' recipe book soon as well so I'm not without the needed recipe when I'm on holidays.  You never know when I'll need a recipe or two and if it's not on my table, it'll be at home.  Just what did we ever do without technology?

Well, I hope you survived the weekend, like I did.  I heard that overseas in the USA, there was a huge ice storm and everyone there was trapped at home as much as we were.  So, what did you get up to during that time? Until my next post, happy reading.

'Fresh From Italy' by Stephano Manfredi

Isn't it amazing what you find when you're not looking for it.  I was out shopping yesterday at my local Life Line charity store when I stumbled upon an italian cookbook.  This wasn't just an ordinary, run of the mill Italian cookbook, it was one by Stephano Manfredi - a world-wide known chef.

At the time, I didn't know who he was.  So, when I uploaded the photos of the book to show it off to you guys today, I thought to Google him to see if he's got a website we could suss out together.  And I've found out he's got three big restaurants, has put out a collection of books and has a blog (which has a collection of delicous and delectible recipes with photos and why he's using particular ingredients in his recipes - and why we should be using only the best ingredients in our food and recipes too).

Now, this is a great chef who can teach us how to cook great food for our families, letting us in on the how and why of the food we're eating.  This is a good thing.  There's so much out there in the food world to teach us to be scared of the food we're currently eating, that it's about time we had a chef - an author - who was telling us how we can change the way we cook, the way we eat and how our kitchens can become, yet again, the hearts of homes just like they used to be in our Grandmother's days, instead of the places where you throw something into the microwave to heat up.  

'Fresh From Italy' by Stephano Manfredi is a book which is written for Australian kitchens for Australian people to help us understand exactly how to cook Italian food for anyone in our families.  I love how it's set out.  I love how he's shown me what I need in my kitchen, how the contents cover the seasons instead of just the dishes and I love most of all, how easy it is to read.  It's as though I've got a friend showing me how to cook a meal instead of a teacher telling me how to cook... and that's a big difference.

Until my next post, happy reading.

Vegetarian Bible 2

As a lot of you know, I love to cook; and I mean really cook!  I don't mean getting out packet mixes and just adding an egg and milk, I mean getting right into it and making a mess in the kitchen.  And I've got on this blog a label which covers cookbooks for all you lovers of cooking out there; and this review is about a wonderful cookbook I just happen to stumble upon while I was on my way to the doctors a few weeks ago.
Vegetarian Bible 2 is obvious the second book of vegetarian cooking; and it's a wonderful little book of recipes for the hard-core vegetarian who loves to cook with just about anything in their pantry and fridge.
The recipe I tried out was the Sweet Potato and Walnut Cannelloni with Spinach and Goat's Cheese.  However, I didn't have Sweet Potato and so I used Pumpkin instead and there was no spinach and so I grabbed some basil instead and cooked that to death (as it loses it flavour and keeps the green in it).  Then, I had no goat's cheese; so I skipped that part and made the filling just the way it was.  And the whole recipe itself was so easy to follow and even easier to put together... I couldn't believe I had made such a scrummy meal for my friends who were coming for dinner last night!  And there were no leftovers either!

I do recommend this book to anyone who loves to cook vegetarian meals - or to cook anything no matter what your tastes.  As for me?  I'm going to look for the first Vegetarian Bible and see what's in store with that one.  If the meals are anything like the ones in this book, I'm in for a real treat!  Until my next post, happy reading!

French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook by Mireille Guiliano

Bonjour!  For those who love to cook and love to learn different cooking techniques, I must let you in a little secret:  I totally immerse myself in cooking when it comes to making a meal.  Being a person who hardly ever buys take-away and wouldn't have a clue what to buy when I'm asked what kind of food I'd like when I'm at Hungry Jacks (aka Burger King), I've often got my nose between the pages of a cookbook or two to learn how to cook new and interesting meals.  

And this book is one of those cookbooks that is a must for any kitchen.  Two weeks ago, I bought it - not for the title - to learn how to make Ratatouille; as I know it's a dish from the south of France, but I didn't know how to make it.  Being a vegetarian, it was perfect for me to make.  Mireille sets out this book in such a way you can't go wrong with how to cook each meal.  And the best thing is that most of the food is straight from your pantry or fridge or market down the road; nothing too fancy and you've heard of everything she's talking about.

I found the Ratatouille recipe such a cinch to make, and so delicious, that I didn't want to stop there.  I began looking through the book again for my next meal!  Now, Mireille Guiliano is famous for the book 'French Women Don't Get Fat', letting us in on how the French woman eats and how they keep their figure throughout their lives without gaining too much weight.  However, having the cookbook just goes to show us how easy it is to keep ourselves well-fed with good, flavoursome food and yet, not have to want more than what we really want.  

I am so happy to have bought this book and added it to my cookbook collection.  It will be used time and again in my kitchen and I will most definitely make some of the meals in it part of my own personal recipe book that I use all the time.  So, do go out and find 'French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook', it's worthy of being in anyone's cookbook collection; as it's very useful.  The book is cut up into its own respective sections of Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and Dinner - so it covers all our usual bases for when our stomachs want something different and yet delicious!  Until my next post, happy reading!

....and The Plot Thickens!

As with anyone who has a book collection, I have a collection of cook books.  So, it got me thinking to ask you all if you had any notable cook books you'd like to mention here.

I have a few Asian cook books where you can cook just about anything that can fit in a wok.  And most of the sauces they use are the same three ingredients:  sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce.  A tablespoon or so of each, mix and add it to the stirfry; and yummo!

Other books in my kitchen are ones I either look up as reference books or I use all the time.  There's two I use all the time which are 'Symply Too Good To Be True'.  Now, this was a successful weight loss magazine that Annette Syms put out and she had tried every diet there was; until she began writing her own diet just cooked up everything low fat and the weight dropped off her.  So, she thought to share it with everyone.  I met her last year at the Logan Central Library where she signed my magazines; and she was amazed that some people still had the first editions of her magazines.

The other cook book I cook out of all the time is one I have written myself - just like Annette - and it's one Mum gave me when I moved out of home.  This one is for my own recipes that I create.  Being a vegetarian, I create a lot of my own dishes; some work, some don't.  But being one who lives on their own, I have found that I have plenty of time to experiment with food and have fun with it.  So, making sure something is perfected is a good idea before putting it into my cook book.

I've also got a great reference book that Mum bought me from a Book Club at her school.  It's title is 'What Food Is That?'  It's a fantastic book filled to the brim with information about food, where it comes from, how to serve it, what kinds of vitamins and minerals and carbohydrates are in it and how to store it as well as where it comes from in the world originally.  I love this book and will never part with it.

I have one funny book I found in a thrift store of a 'Young and the Restless Cook Book'.  This book contains all the food and recipes that are used on the set of this daytime soap opera and how to make it.  I tell ya!  The amount of fat, salt and sugar in the food that's served up in this book is amazingly high!  I haven't tried any of the recipes; as I wouldn't know where to start.  But they all do sound interesting.  It does make me wonder if there's cook books that have been put out from each soap opera that's been on television... or did 'Young and the Restless' only do it for a giggle?

So, which cook books live in your kitchen?  Are they useful, hand-written, handed down from generation to generation?  Or do you have any that are funny - like I do - and bought them just for a laugh?  Until my next post, happy reading. 

Late-Comers!

Have you ever gone and done something; and realised later you should have waited?  Well, this is what I've done here.  I knew I was going out today to a place where there was a good bookstore and there was a bargain bin; however did I leave my 'July Book Buys' until Sunday?  Nope, I was too darn eager. Silly me.

The first book I bought was 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking' by Ellen Brown.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a good cook, but get a slow cooker near me, and I'm a complete disaster.  The results from these things often either taste like cardboard or worse; and I have to throw the contents out!  So, this book was a must!  I'm just as bad with a microwave; yes I grew up with them, but I'm not good anywhere near them. 

The next book looked good as it's 'The Islands' by Di Morrissey.  I haven't read any of her work and have heard a lot about this book through Good Reading Magazine and so when I saw this at a quarter of the price, I thought it would be a good time to buy it.  Well, these are the late-comers of the July Book Buys.  Next month, I won't be so excited in getting up here... I'll try and wait out the whole month if I can. Until my next post, happy reading! 

Perfect Preserves by Hilaire Walden

What a wonderful book to use and have in your kitchen. I have had this one in my kitchen for some time and used it to make Lilly-Pilly Jam a few years ago; very successfully as well! Well, kind of, I accidentally left the seeds in...oops! Otherwise, it was a lovely jam to eat and I can't wait to try out another fruit; this time, I'll take out the seeds! I highly recommend this book to somebody who is a novice when it comes to making jams and preserves. It has clear and precise instructions on what to do and how much of each ingredient to include; without confusing the cook!

Hilaire Walden has been involved with cooking and food for decades and she worked development for several major companies in the food industry. She then moved into food and wine writing and was chief editor for Anne Willan; the noted cookbook author and proprieter or a cooking school in France. Hilaire has written dozens of cookbooks and contributes to magazines, newspapers, television and radio on a regular basis.
Her most recent books are: 'The Dinner Party Cookbook', 'Sensational Preserves', 'The Moroccan Collection' and 'Mediterranean Cooking'. She makes her home in the secluded, rural countryside of England where preserving is very much part of the culinary tradition. (as taken from the back leaf of the book).

Cooking With The Young and the Restless editted by Robert Waldron & Martha Hollis

Yep, you read the title right. I own a book by the crew of the very Soap Opera people. This is a cookbook with a definite difference, though. It has recipes in it that are by the actors and they actually cooked them on the set and at home. And I tried one out once; and they definitely work! Everything's in pounds and ounces, but once I got that little detail out of the way, I had my fun looking at the other mouthwatering dishes!

This makes me wonder about other shows overseas. Have they had their fair share of favourite recipes they brought home from the set and vice verse. So, if you can, look around your charity stores for this one. Or look it up on the net with the isbn: 1558535489 and try and get your head around that it's just a book to laugh about; like I have. Or, you can do what I did, and try out one of the recipes and see how it goes.

What Food Is That & How Healthy Is It? by Jo Rogers (Chief Nutritionist)

You wouldn't believe where which food actually comes from orginally and what you can do with it! This book is chock full of information from the nutritional information you'd normally want to where it's grown, to how cook it, store it and which one to buy at the market for longevity and taste. My Mum got me this for me when I began looking at being a vegetarian and seriously took an interest in my health; and I'm glad she did because there's so much food companies are not telling us about our food. For example: did you know that powdered milk and store bought milk are pretty much the same thing; just one is liquid and other is a powder where you need to put water with it? Nowadays, the powdered milk that's out there is so much better for us that you don't really have to buy the store bought stuff at all if you're really watching your budget.

This book covers everything from fish to tofu, from mangos to meat. It's the complete nutritional guide to good health and has answered nearly every question I've had about what food I put in my mouth.

Josephine Rogers is the famous Australian Nutritionalist who introduced the concept of the Healthy Eating Pyramid to all Aussies. She was involved with the development of the Healthy Weight Range based on the Body Mass Index and the majority of the ANF information sheets and booklets were either written by or under the direction of Jo Rogers. Jo worked at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for over 40 years before retiring in 1989 and she became Chief Dietition for only 3 years before Dietetic Training and took on the role of the Food Service Manager in 1968. Jo was instrumental in having the University of Sydney provide a postgraduate training of dietitians, a course in which she lectured in for many years. She is the only person US has awarded an honarary degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. During her long career, she influenced the nutrition policy throughout Australia. Jo co-authored many books on nutrition and wrote many scientific papers and articles. Jo Rogers was awarded membership of the Order of Australia in 1980. However, she passed away on 3rd, September, 1996 of a multiple myeloma, after being cared for lovingly in the Prince Alfred Hospital; the same hospital she worked in for many years.