Blog on!

Here is the book that my friend had signed. Cool, huh?!? I've been overwhelmed with how thoughtful people have been this Christmas. Debbie (from this blog) had her hand in this too.

I flipped through it and saw a few recipes I'm willing to try. I like how this one is organized, it has a table of contents in front and an index in the back. The Express Lane Meals book I just got from the Nabisco promotion isn't as "put together" as far as being easy to use as a reference book.

The other cookbooks I got this Christmas were "French Women For All Seasons" and the King Arthur Flour's "Whole Grain Baking." I'm such a Francophile, even though I don't really speak French, all I had was one year when I was something like 6 years old. It has been pretty chilly this week so I'm hoping I'll have a chance to get started on reading all these books.

BTW, here's another photo that Sharon took at the VA booksigning.

Virginia Booksigning

My friend Sharon went to Rachael's booksigning in Vienna, VA, on Monday. She took this photo, and reported back that...

"In a nutshell ...She was 45 minutes late getting there -- traffic is awful here, and she got stuck in it. She looked sharp - black shirt, black skirt, black boots ... she didn't talk about the book - just signed and talked to people as they walked up. She was very pleasant, and nice. I told her that you have a blog for her, and gave her the site. Not sure she'll stop by, but she has the address. I told her you were in Texas, and she said 'oh, I was just there". I couldn't remember what part of Texas you were in (brain freeze!!) but I said I thought you were in some small town and couldn't make it to Dallas."

Anyway, I found an article online about the Dallas booksigning, and there were over 400 people there!

Thank you to Sharon for getting a book autographed for me. I wish I could have gone in person but this is the next best thing.

While on the subject of books, I got my "Express Lane Meals" from that Nabisco offer, in the mail yesterday. I feel like a "loser" in that I have most of the items on the pantry list, but there are many times when I feel like I have nothing to cook for dinner. I hope this book helps a little.

Now begins the holiday crunch...not sure how much I will be online in the next week...so Happy Holidays everyone!

Sister Act

My sister had a cookbook review published in her local paper! I'm so proud, her article is superb. I think it's weird (in a neat way) that we both write about recipes for fun, guess it is in the genes.

All-American Favorites

By Denise

The following review is by a reader who was given a cookbook from the Times. The included recipes were selected and prepared by the reader.

What intrigued me most about "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" was the book's "promise of sorts" to deliver more than 1,200 recipes guaranteed to be a success in home kitchens. Operating out of a 2,500-square-foot test kitchen, recipes are developed by test chefs after conducting blind taste-tests of recipes culled from other cookbooks. Further testing and tasting is done, culminating in what the Test Kitchen believes to be the best version of that dish. As if this is not enough, each recipe is further tested up to 40 times with variations in equipment and ingredients to mimic what might be found in a typical home kitchen.

Recipes are formatted with easy-to-follow directions, including step-by-step pictures, as well as prep time and total cooking time. Ideas for variations and make-ahead directions are also provided. Recipes designed to be "30 minutes or less" are easily identified by a red icon. The book's 700-plus pages are contained in a binder, with dividers for easy reference to each section. There is even an entire section devoted to slow cooker and pressure cooker recipes, and another for light recipes.

Several features of the book help the cook to understand how and why recipes work. Throughout the pages are sidebars referencing Test Kitchen tips, test cook favorites, cooking 101s, menu planning, equipment testing and ratings of ingredients. I learned that Minute Maid Premium Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice was the top-rated supermarket OJ, beating out the chilled carton version. The double pasteurization used in carton juices heats the juice, which in turn destroys its fresh flavor, making canned frozen the fresher-tasting choice.

Choosing recipes to test was not an easy task, given that I had more than a thousand to choose from. I'm lucky that my family is always willing to be test subjects and are supportive of my efforts, providing feedback in terms of "keepers" or "don't make again."

Up first was the Best Spaghetti and Meatballs. I couldn't resist testing the theory that mixing sandwich bread with buttermilk would provide tender and moist meatballs. I followed the recipe as stated, choosing the recipe's option to use jarred pasta sauce over homemade. I also added diced homegrown tomatoes to the sauce. The results were a unanimous thumbs-up. The meatballs were tender, flavorful, moist, holding together with a great texture.

I proceeded to make Quiche Lorraine. The recipe had me partially bake the pie shell and then pour the egg batter into the warm pie shell in order to achieve a crisp bottom crust and to ensure even cooking of the batter. Since I did not have the time to make my own pie crust, I used ready-made pie crust from the refrigerated section at Trader Joe's. The end result was a nicely browned crust filled with a delicious egg custard that was silky and luscious, far from the tough and rubbery quiches I have produced in the past.

Next up, Beef Stew. The Test Kitchen states that contrary to popular belief, flouring chunks of beef before browning does not properly brown the meat. In addition, the flour hinders the flavor of the sauce because there are no browned bits (fond) in the pan to use as flavor for the sauce. I followed the recipe, using the picture of properly browned meat as my guide, and made the stew, finishing it in the oven. The end result was a rich, flavorful sauce with fork-tender pieces of meat.

I hit a bump in the road with Asian Spiced Chicken Wings. The recipe was time-consuming, as it required deep-frying the cornstarch-dredged chicken wings in batches. I used my deep fryer in order to monitor oil temperature, but the end result was disappointing, producing wings that were soggy and pallid. Although the sauce was tasty, my chicken looked nothing like the enticing picture in the book, which showcased dark, crispy chicken, bathed in sticky sauce.

For dessert, I made the Classic Apple Pie. Since I have an ample supply of Golden Delicious apples from the tree in my backyard, I used these apples instead of the combination of McIntosh and Granny Smith apples called for in the recipe. I found the visual instructions very helpful in making the crust and assembling the pie. The pie was delicious, with a tender and flaky crust. The only change I recommend is reducing the lemon zest, as its presence was a bit overwhelming in relation to the apples.

Because of numerous past failures with light recipes from other books, I am a bit reluctant to try any light recipes. However, bearing in mind that I was promised a foolproof recipe, I went ahead with the Light Fettuccine Alfredo. According to the Test Kitchen, cornstarch along with half-and-half is the key to achieving a creamy sauce comparable to the kind made with heavy cream. Other than substituting dry pasta instead of fresh, I followed the recipe as stated. As promised, the recipe delivered a rich, creamy sauce with 11 grams of fat versus 43 grams in the full-fat version in this same book. The pasta should be served and eaten immediately after it is prepared, as the sauce tends to congeal if left to sit. However, adding a little reserved pasta water to the sauce restores its creamy texture. I'll be making this dish again, next time adding green peas or chicken.

This is a great, basic, all-purpose cookbook perfect for both aspiring and experienced cooks looking to hone their skills. I definitely recommend this cookbook. With its tips, techniques and an endless supply of recipes, I'll never be at a loss for something to cook.

• BOOK: "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" ($34.95, America's Test Kitchen, 726 pages), more than 1,200 recipes.
• AUTHORS: The editors at America's Test Kitchen, led by Christopher Kimball, host of the PBS series "America's Test Kitchen," editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine.
• REVIEWER: Denise will try almost any recipe once.

Risi e Bisi

I started out making Risi e Bisi (risotto with peas), then changed my mind at the last minute and substituted broccoli for the peas (since that’s what I had on hand). I also had some chicken leftover and threw that in as well. I’ve never had risotto before, much less cooked it. My usual recipe for rice is throw it in the rice cooker and hit the "on" switch…voila.

This was easy, though. The hardest part was trying to figure out how much salt to add. I was afraid to add too much, since there is chicken broth and parmesan cheese already in it. Anyway, it tasted good. (It needed salt but it’s so much easier to add it than to take it away.) One of my favorite dishes is Campbell Soup’s "Glorified Chicken" which is chicken cooked with cream of mushroom soup, served on rice. The risotto tasted like a glorified version of that. Now I want to try the risotto cacciatore that’s in the December issue of the magazine.

P.S. Half the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of arborio rice. It may not look like it will be enough, but it made plenty. I didn't think it was enough so I put in 3/4 cup. Of course, it soaks up all that liquid and expands, and it would have been fine with the original amount.

Chicken Francese with Lemon and Wine

I still have a bunch of lemons and have been looking at recipes to use them. I love chicken piccata but the last recipe I tried (from Penzey’s One) had a ton of butter in it. It tasted good, naturally, but I didn’t feel good eating it. This recipe from Rachael’s "365" cookbook sounded promising. It’s not exactly a piccata and not exactly francese, a little bit of both.

I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, and pounded them out thin. Then they are dredged in flour, dipped in egg, and then pan fried. I added a tiny minced clove of garlic and mushrooms to the sauce, and used chicken broth instead of wine. Everything went on top of some egg noodles.

The chicken was moist and the sauce had lots of flavor. The egg coating added a rich taste to the chicken. And even though it has butter in it, I felt good eating it, it was very light-tasting. As Rachael would say, "You could certainly entertain with this dish" - it was pretty on the plate, I thought.

It took me about 45 minutes to prepare. I did a mise en place this time, since everything comes together quickly in the end. It saved a lot of frantic scurrying to get ingredients ready while something was cooking. Everything was chopped, pounded, sliced, and ready to go. I think that’s why Rachael is able to do her 30 minute meals, so gets everything as prepared as possible beforehand.

She is coming to Dallas next week for a booksigning at Borders. I don’t think I will be able to attend. The tour schedule is online at http://www.rachaelray.com/bookTour.html. She’ll be in cities from Boston to Seattle, and every town in between. I wish she were signing books somewhere closer to me but she is only doing Dallas and Houston. I’d love to hear how it goes if anyone gets to attend in their area.

Baking with Rachael and Paula

I was disappointed that on Rachael’s "Thanksgiving in 60 II" she didn’t bake the pecan pie, since there was a recipe in the November magazine. But…she made up for it by baking last week on her talk show. Personally I have to measure ingredients because I tend to underestimate when I eyeball things.

Anyway, yesterday I baked a lemon meringue pie with lemons we brought back from CA. For the crust I followed Rachael’s recipe that went along with the pecan pie. It was easy to put together, no cutting in shortening with a pastry blender. Her recipe has 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 3 tablespoons of milk. I found a similar recipe in Joy of Cooking that recommends this sort of crust for pies that don’t require baking the filling in it for a long time, since the oil gives it a strong flavor. (I didn’t think it tasted bad, just different.) Joy also says you can pat the crust in the pan, which is even easier (I rolled mine out). I blind-baked it for about 14 minutes at 425° F.

For the pie, I used Paula’s recipe from Lady & Sons Too. It’s a typical lemon meringue pie, except for the order in which you mix together the filling. Her recipe calls for mixing in the lemon juice & rind at the very end. Most other recipes, you mix it in and cook it with the rest of the ingredients.

The lemons were not very tart so the filling didn’t have a strong lemon flavor. I like how the meringue topping came out. For the filling, I think next time I’ll add the lemon juice & zest earlier and cook it all together, maybe it won’t be as soggy that way. I was surprised Paula’s recipe only called for a tablespoon of butter, I think Joy’s recipe has four tablespoons. I felt like something was missing, I’m not sure if the butter made that much of a difference or if it needed more lemon zest. It tasted like lemon meringue pie! I guess what was disappointing was that it wasn’t anything outstanding, just OK.