Posts Tagged ‘Cookbook’

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style
ISBN-10: 0446565466
ISBN-13: 978-0446565462

Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time!

From the Publisher…

The producer of An Inconvenient Truth, Laurie David’s new mission is to help America’s overwhelmed families sit down to a Family Dinner, and she provides all the reasons, recipes and fun tools to do so.

Laurie David speaks from her own experience confronting the challenges of raising two teenage girls. Today’s parents have lots to deal with and technology is making their job harder than ever. Research has proven that everything we worry about as parents–from drugs to alcohol, promiscuity, to obesity, academic achievement and just good old nutrition–can all be improved by the simple act of eating and talking together around the table.

Laurie has written a practical, inspirational, fun (and, of course, green) guide to the most important hour in any parent’s day. Chock-full chapters include: Over seventy-five kid approved fantastic recipes; tips on teaching green values; conversation starters; games to play to help even the shyest family member become engaged; ways to express gratitude; the family dinner after divorce (hint: keep eating together) and much more. Filled with moving memories and advice from the country’s experts and teachers, this book will get everyone away from electronic screens and back to the dinner table.

About the Author…

Laurie David, ex-wife of Larry David, is a media savvy powerhouse. She founded the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, produced the Academy Award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and launched the Stop Global Warming College Tour with Sheryl Crow. She’s been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Today, and Good Morning America; is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and is author of The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming (Scholastic, 9/07).

My Thoughts…

The Family Dinner is the kind of cookbook that no family kitchen should be without.  This cookbook will challenge, inspire, and leave you looking forward to digging back into it.  No other cookbook have I picked up that encourages family time in the kitchen like this one. You’ll find yourself  not just making great meals for your family but wonderful memories with your children!

The Family Dinner includes words of wisdom, kid friendly recipes, conversation starters,  living green, and games…I love it.  There’s so much in this book that there’s no way I could cover all that I like about it. So let me list the sections you’ll find in this book and what they are about!

• Why Family Dinners Matter – Sharing the importance of family togetherness and the benefits of eating together.
• Ten Simple Steps – Ten steps that are key for making family dinner time a success!
• Setting the Scene – How how to make the dinner table appealing looking!
• Fast Recipes – My favorite chapter, hands down! It’s filled with recipes that can be prepared quick.  I love it teaches us how to keep a well stocked pantry for this task too!
• “Cook” Together at the Table – A chapter filled with ideas and recipes for meals that can be prepared at the table, so each family member gets to be involved.
• Souper Dinners – Features many  Soup recipes that are great during the Fall and Winter season.
• Take it Slow – This chapter includes recipes for dishes that you can make when you have more free time and then save or freeze them for the days you don’t have much time. Another favorite chapter!
• Meatless Monday – This chapter is filled with vegetarian dishes.
• Kids in the Kitchen – Spotlights lots of  kid friendly recipes that they can help prepare.
• Your Green Table – This chapter has tips on being green and how you can teach your children to be eco-friendly!
• Table Talk – This chapter has tips and ideas for conversation starters and games that can be played at the dinner table.
• Read Around the Table – This chapter includes more ideas and tips for discussions.
• Grandparents and the Extended Family – This chapter includes recipes and tips for including other family members into the family togetherness.
• Two Homes, One Table – This chapter suggests ways to keep the family together even after a divorce.
• Grace is Gratitude - This chapter has tips and ideas on ways to show and teach gratitude.
• Play With Your Dessert – This chapter is full of fun. It includes dessert recipes and games that can played after dinner to keep the togetherness going.

I tried out one of the Apple Sauce recipes from this book and loved it! I can’t wait to try out several more such as the Rainy-Day Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, Homemade Tomato Sauce, and even a few of the recipes for home made cleaners (no kidding, this book has everything)!

I highly recommend this book to be on the shelf of every kitchen! You can purchase this book on Amazon for under 20.00! You can also check for it at your favorite bookstore! But thanks to Hatchett, one of my readers is going to have a chance to win this fantastic book!

Win it!

One winner will receive The Family Dinner Cookbook. Giveaway is open to USA & Canada only.

To Enter: Let me know what one recipe you always enjoy making during the Holiday Season!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

Giveaway running till 11/20/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA & Canada only. One winner per household.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinions. The book copy information and cover image were provided by Hachette Book Group. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are my own.

Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN-10: 0316083372
ISBN-13: 978-0316083379

Breakfast, Brunch, and Beyond from New York’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant

From the Publisher…

The Clinton St. Baking Company is one of the hottest brunch spots in a city obsessed with brunch. A tiny thirty-two-seat eatery on Manhattan’s trendy Lower East Side, the restaurant draws long lines of customers who come from far and wide to sample fresh-baked goods, hearty omelets, sugar-cured bacon, and light-as-air pancakes with maple butter.

In the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook, owners DeDe Lahman and Neil Kleinberg share more than 100 treasured recipes that have made their restaurant a sensation. Learn the secret to their house-made buttermilk biscuits and tomato jam, irresistible muffins and scones, delicious soups and sandwiches, and their decadent, eye-catching desserts. Helpful techniques, like Neil’s patented omelet “flip and tuck,” and gorgeous color photographs throughout will have readers cooking like pros in no time, and sharing the delicious results.

About the Authors…

DeDe Lahman is co-owner of the Clinton St. Baking Company and Community Food & Juice. She began her career as an editor and advice columnist at Seventeen magazine. She has worked as a book researcher, freelance writer, brand consultant, and cook.

Neil Kleinberg was raised in Brooklyn, and opened his first restaurant, Simon’s, at the age of 22. After four years at The Water Club under Rick Moonen, he returned to his native Flatbush to reopen the legendary seafood star, Lundy’s. Neil co-authored The Lundy’s Cookbook (Harper Collins, 1998), and is a distinguished member of The James Beard Foundation.

My Thoughts…

If you are in the mood for eating or if you are pregnant, I would not recommend opening up this cookbook. I made that mistake and was longing for several delicious recipes I didn’t have the current means to throw together! Note also that I am a huge lover of breakfast and brunch foods so I was practically drooling over the pages featuring full color photos for each recipe found in this cookbook.

In the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook you’ll find that it’s broken down into the following categories all the while featuring extremely helpful hints and tips along with easy to follow step by step instructions!

• Biscuits
• Muffins and Scones
• Eggs, Eggs, Eggs
• Pancakes {The Best in New York}
• Soups
• The Sandwich King & Queen
• Fried Chicken {A Clinton St.  Specialty}
• Sides
• Condiments
• Dessert {Made from Scratch}
• Drinks

This morning I was in the mood for more than just a bowl of cereal and tried out the Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins recipes! I love baking from scratch instead of using mixes. I know what’s going in my muffins and don’t have any odd additives or preservatives, which I’m not a huge fan of when baking for myself or my family.  I was extremely happy with how my muffins came out and will most definitely be making them again!

I really can’t wait to try some of the other recipes out like the Fried Green Tomatoes, Homemade Caramelized Applesauce, Potato Pancakes, and more!

I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone and can’t help but think what a great gift this would make during the Holiday Season! You can find the Clinton St. Company Cookbook on Amazon.com for under twenty dollars but how about the chance to win one?

Win it!

One winner will receive the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook. Giveaway is open to USA & Canada only.

To Enter: Let me know what one recipe you always enjoy making during the Holiday Season!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

Giveaway running till 11/20/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA & Canada only. One winner per household.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinions. The book copy information and cover image were provided by Hachette Book Group. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are my own.