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 If you're anything like us, your summer kitchen adventures are a mix of joy and frustration. Fresh vegetables and fruits are available like in no other time of the year. We return from the farmers' market with practically more than we can carry and eagerly look forward to spending a day cooking. But then Mother Nature strikes and turns up the heat outside making that day in the kitchen closer to a day sweltering in hell than the subject of our day dreams. No, sorry, I don't have a solution (if you do, please share!), but balance and counter measures are great starting points. After a long day of canning, enjoy a frozen ice pop, or just turn on the AC (we promise we won't tell)! No matter how you survive the heat of the summer kitchen we know as a foodie you will be there enjoying the highs that only fresh from the garden produce can bring. That's what we've been doing this summer and here are a few of the cookbooks (and recipes to try) that have brought us joy this summer (both with and without the AC on…).
Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard by Romney Steele (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011) First and foremost this isn't a book only about plums. Oh, you'll definitely find a fair share of such recipes but you'll also find recipes for nearly any fruit that grows in an orchard. Romney Steele had the fortune to have grandparents who ran the infamous Nepenthe Restaurant. She's built upon that culinary heritage to develop her own wonderful style and even greater recipes. If you dream of turning your summer (or fall or winter or spring) fruit into amazing meal components year round you'll enjoy exploring Romney's creations -- whether or not you love plums. - picked by Foodie Pam Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard". Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life's Sweeter Side without Tipping the Scales by Marisa Churchill (Clarkson Potter, 2011) Marisa Churchill's motto is 'Life is too short not to eat dessert" and she has the solution for enjoying that dessert without guilt. A former Top Chef contestant and San Francisco pastry chef, Marisa has created a collection of delicious desserts with less fat, calories and sugar than their traditional counterparts. And amazingly she does this without using artificial sweeteners (although she does provide sugar free variations for those who want them). What could be better? How about that the recipes range from classics to quick week night delights to showstoppers? Bring on the dessert! - picked by Foodie Pam Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life’s Sweeter Side Without Tipping the Scales". Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats by Shelly Kaldunski (Weldon Owen, 2011) Are you a kid at heart? Or perhaps you have kids or even if you don't but you're just looking for some fun frozen delights to combat the summer heat. Meet 'Ice Pops'. It's packed with more than 40 ice pop recipes ranging from simple fruit pops to pretty multi-color pops to sophisticated pops for even adult desserts. How cool is that? - picked by Foodie PamRecipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats". A Southerly Course: Recipes and Stories from Close to Home by Martha Hall Foose (Clarkson Potter, 2011) As someone who is really just learning to appreciate her Southern roots "A Southerly Course" by James Beard award winning author Martha Hall Foose is just what the doctor ordered. Recipes that are inspired by Ms. Foose's own life in the Delta and stories about some of her favorite food loving folks. This collection of recipes exemplifies simple southern inspired food with small modern touches. Peanut slaw with a splash of Siracha, Winter Tangerine & Fennel salad, or Home Grown Indian flavored green beans with paneer. Whichever dish you try will certainly delight and perhaps inspire you to find some southern roots of your own. - picked by Heather Jones Recipes to try: 1 viewable recipe from "A Southerly Course: Recipes and Stories from Close to Home".
Disclosure: Review copies of books discussed in this post may have been provided to Project Foodie by publicists and/or publishers.
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