I haven't posted a book review in a long time and I'm finally sitting down to write one. This months free book from blogging for books is a cook book called Around the Fire. Its written by Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quinones Denton with Stacy Adimando. Greg and Gabrielle have a restaurant in Portland called "Ox Restaurant" This cook book is filled from cover to cover with some of their most mouth watering dishes served there.
The front cover is adorned with a fire pit and inviting flames. The warmth it emits draws you in and you cant help but run your hand over the front of the book. Each page is a soft paper material, not the silky typical book page of a cook book.
The table of contents is what draws you into the beginning of the book. Its laid out in parts, equaling 4 parts.
Part 1 is the beginning, filled with delicious entrées such as spiced beef empanadas, coal roasted oysters on the half-shell, grilled foie gras with caramelized onion sherry broth, savory cabbage and gruyere toasts. (My mouth is watering just typing that out!)
Part 2 (from the grill) is filled with Veal chops with chanterelle Mushroom Stroganoff, Grilled Maple-Brined Pork Chops, Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops with a Rosemary Marinade, Grilled Butterflied whole Chicken with grilled figs, manouri cheese and lentil chimichurri. Are you frothing at the mouth yet?
Part 3 (from the garden) Has my mouth watering with kale and radicchio salad with Miso-Lemon Dressing, Feta and Crispy Red Onion rings, Heirloom Tomatoes with shaved sweet onion, capers, bottarga and Cress, Grilled Radicchio and Corn with Mt Tam Triple creams and Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette. Garden deliciousness is by far my most favorite!
Part 4 (sweets and drinks) will have you reaching for your dessert plate with delectable entrees such as Strawberry-Cherry Sorbet with chocolate magic Shell and Crushed Pistachios, Vanilla bean tres leches cake with marionberry ice cream, warm parmesan pund cake with whipped mascarpone, raspberries, and basil sugar. I am officially ready for some dessert!
After the Contents page there is a great Coauthors note from Stacy Adimando. I cant even begin to put into words the sweetness that emits from the words she chose to put in this note. Here is a little snippet "Don't get me wrong: I have nothing but love for you, non-meat-eating friend I speak of. But surely, I though, the fire-coked rib-eye and the onion-marinated skirt steak and the list of other grilled meats that ran down the center of this restaurant's menu must be the best dishes they offer. In this age of share-everything dining, I silently panicked." She goes on to talk about how she discovered the restaurant Ox and her fondness for everything it entailed.
Grilling Basics literally cover everything needed to grill any type of food. They start off with the style of the grill, types of fuel (yes there are more than one type of fuel to build a wood fire with), the essential grilling tools (there wont be a test but some of them are really essential, such as the chimney starter) and finish off with how to turn your grill into a smoker. Yes there are a few steps inbetween but I cant give everything away!
Every single recipe gives you an exact ingredient list and how much of each item will be needed to prepare the meal. Along with the ingredient list there are step by step instructions on exactly how to prepare the dish so that it comes out to perfection. My personal favorite part of each recipe are the photos that come with each one. I don't know about you but I want to know what my finished product is suppose to look like. It's an added bonus that each one of these photos are creatively taken to
make your mouth water.
There are over 200 pages of delicious recipes of all varieties to meet every single one of our grilling needs, wants and desires. After all of these there is a short section titled "basic recipes" that add the perfect touch to this book. There is everything from homemade ketchup, homemade mayonnaise, smoked sea salt to toasted garlic-lemon oil and grandma Agnes's spicy dill pickles. What an amazing cook book to include recipes for the basic ingredients so you can freshly make them instead of purchasing them from the store! That alone gets my vote of approval!
I have nothing but amazing things to say about every page of this book from the inviting front cover, to the pages filled with the most amazing food ive ever seen to the back cover of the book that so sweetly has a quote from Francis Mallmann. If you have a chance to purchase this book, do it! you will not be sorry and it will be money well spent!
Happy grilling :)
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
tears, memories and the Holocaust
Its taken me a while to write my review of the last book I received from Blogging for Books, I had to read this book in sections as my emotions were all over the place while reading the words on the pages. I have always been intrigued by the Holocaust and have been to the memorial museum in Washington DC. My life was forever changed as I walked through those walls. Reading this book brought back a lot of those memories for me.
In this epic history of extermination and survival, Timothy Snyder presents a new explanation of the great atrocity of the twentieth century, and reveals the risks that we face in the twenty-first. Based forgotten testimonies from Jewish survivors this book recounts the mass murder of the Jews as an event that is still close to us.
The Holocaust began in a dark but accessible place, in Hitler's mind, with the thought that the elimination of Jews would restore balance to the planet and allow Germans to win the resources they desperately needed. Such a worldview could be realized only if Germany destroyed other states, so Hitler's aim was a colonial war in Europe itself. In the zones of statelessness, almost all Jews died. A few people aided them, without support from institutions. Much of the new research in this book is devoted to understanding these extraordinary individuals. The almost insurmountable difficulties they faced only confirm the dangers of state destruction and ecological panic that in similar circumstances few of us would do so.
By overlooking the lessons of the Holocaust, Snyder concludes, we have misunderstood modernity and endangered the future. The early twenty-first century is coming to resemble the early twentieth, as growing preoccupations with food and water accompany ideological challenges to global order. Our world is closer to Hitler's than we like to admit, and saving it requires us to see the Holocaust as it was -- and ourselves as we are. Groundbreaking, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, Black Earth reveals a Holocaust that is not only history but warning.
In this epic history of extermination and survival, Timothy Snyder presents a new explanation of the great atrocity of the twentieth century, and reveals the risks that we face in the twenty-first. Based forgotten testimonies from Jewish survivors this book recounts the mass murder of the Jews as an event that is still close to us.
The Holocaust began in a dark but accessible place, in Hitler's mind, with the thought that the elimination of Jews would restore balance to the planet and allow Germans to win the resources they desperately needed. Such a worldview could be realized only if Germany destroyed other states, so Hitler's aim was a colonial war in Europe itself. In the zones of statelessness, almost all Jews died. A few people aided them, without support from institutions. Much of the new research in this book is devoted to understanding these extraordinary individuals. The almost insurmountable difficulties they faced only confirm the dangers of state destruction and ecological panic that in similar circumstances few of us would do so.
By overlooking the lessons of the Holocaust, Snyder concludes, we have misunderstood modernity and endangered the future. The early twenty-first century is coming to resemble the early twentieth, as growing preoccupations with food and water accompany ideological challenges to global order. Our world is closer to Hitler's than we like to admit, and saving it requires us to see the Holocaust as it was -- and ourselves as we are. Groundbreaking, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, Black Earth reveals a Holocaust that is not only history but warning.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
chai tea love from the Gods
This last week smiley360 sent me some coupons to try out some chai tea from Tazo. My taste buds are doing a happy dance and have begged me to drink it everyday. This stuff is pure heaven in a warm liquid form. I love everything about Chai Tea and this stuff does not disappoint! The flavor is so delicious, I almost do not want to swallow it. I want to keep it in my mouth where my taste buds can savor the flavor.
You get to choose from warm liquid goodness that pours straight out of the carton or cute little tea bags that you get to give a warm bath in your cup of scalding hot water. I picked up some of each and have enjoyed the goodness in both forms. I also sent a friend one of the cartons full of liquid deliciousness and he was so excited to receive it that he poured a cup as soon as he took it out of his care package.
This stuff is truly magical. I don't even know what else to say about it. There is a variety of flavors but the caramel one is my favorite sinful delight. the rest of the flavors are just as good but I have a love affair with caramel so when that is paired up with a chai tea....there is some serious love flowing.
The rest of the delicious flavors to choose from are:
classic latte
vanilla caramel latte
chai latte
pumpkin spice
and
chocolate
and for you non caffeine drinkers, yes it does come in decaf. wahoooo!
click this link for some more tasty chai tea info
http://h5.sml360.com/-/1f7h0
You get to choose from warm liquid goodness that pours straight out of the carton or cute little tea bags that you get to give a warm bath in your cup of scalding hot water. I picked up some of each and have enjoyed the goodness in both forms. I also sent a friend one of the cartons full of liquid deliciousness and he was so excited to receive it that he poured a cup as soon as he took it out of his care package.
This stuff is truly magical. I don't even know what else to say about it. There is a variety of flavors but the caramel one is my favorite sinful delight. the rest of the flavors are just as good but I have a love affair with caramel so when that is paired up with a chai tea....there is some serious love flowing.
The rest of the delicious flavors to choose from are:
classic latte
vanilla caramel latte
chai latte
pumpkin spice
and
chocolate
and for you non caffeine drinkers, yes it does come in decaf. wahoooo!
click this link for some more tasty chai tea info
http://h5.sml360.com/-/1f7h0
Saturday, September 26, 2015
crafters delight
Let me just start off by saying that I am completely in LOVE with the newest book I am reviewing from Blogging for Books!
If you and your children love crafts, this is the book for you! Paper Goods Projects by Jodi Levine is the ultimate fun craft heaven.
This book covers everything from toddler crafts that are super adorable to older children crafts that are cute enough to give away as gifts.
The first line of the Forward section had me hooked. "The first rule of crafting is Don't Drop the Glitter" If your husbands are anything like mine, spilled glitter is the end of the world. He despises glitter and any and all things that have to do with it. Of course that means I have to buy it in bulk and use it on every craft project that I do with my 4 year old daughter.
coffee filters and cupcake papers have their own section in this delightful book and you guessed it, its the first chapter! I have always wanted to try out some of the coffee filter crafts I see on pinterest but have not been brave enough. Now I have the tools to guide me through it with fool proof step by step directions. From flowers to cards and gift tags and a few things in between (I wont ruin the surprise for you) this book will have you seeking out the cutest cupcake papers in town. I mean, who would have though mini cupcake papers would make the cutest little dollhouse accessories?
If your household is anything like mine, there is always extra paper plates left over after parties that get put up in the top of the cupboard and shoved to the back where they are forgotten about. More are then purchased for the next party only to have them left over and added to the hidden stash once the party is over. Now that I have this amazing craft book, those left over hidden plates no longer have to stay stashed away. There are some amazingly adorable crafts that will use them up in no time. When party time comes around, there is always a need for dessert stands and none to be found. Now with all of those excess paper plates laying around, you can whip a few up in no time and proudly display all of your tasty treats to be gobbled up. Team those up with some fun paper plate masks for your party guests in the designs of lions, birds, or bunnies for the boys and perhaps some tiara's for the girls and you have a complete party set up made out of left over party supplies. Hard to go wrong with any of those ideas, especially when they come with detailed step by step directions and supply list.
Balloons...who doesn't love them? I know I do, well until they pop that is. My daughter loves to blow them up and promptly pop them and then just laugh and laugh. I am hoping that once we complete a few of the balloon crafts in this book she will no longer feel the need to do the popping stage. Pair a few balloons up with some dyed coffee filters, straws, paper plate or construction paper and you have the cutest little clown. lion, giraffe, ballerina, birds (I am in love with the birds) or planets. Follow that up with some cute little twisty letters to spell out words and you will be in balloon cuteness overload.
the last section of the book is "The Recycle Bin" and on my goodness are there ever some adorable crafts to make in this section. Im not sure if my husband will let me hang the sea creature mobile in our "ocean" themed bedroom but you better believe I am going to try!
The back of the book has templates for anything and everything you will need to complete the crafts in certain sections of the book with directions on what type of scissors to use and were to use them at. What percentage to enlarge what photo. Where to make a slit, what sections need to be overlapped, and where and what needs to be folded.
Jodie Levine has done an amazing job of mapping out exactly what you need to complete each craft, and step by step direction on how to create it. Jodie used to be on the staff of Martha Stewart Living magazine as a craft editor and once you get through this book you will clearly see that she was an amazing craft editor and that job suited her well.
Each craft comes with amazing photos by Amy Gropp Forbes. Each photo shows the craft in a way that makes you want to complete each one to see how cute your own will turn out.
I couldn't be happier with the selection of this book and cannot wait even more to start completing each one of these crafts with my daughter so we can both keep them as well as give them away.
If you and your children love crafts, this is the book for you! Paper Goods Projects by Jodi Levine is the ultimate fun craft heaven.
This book covers everything from toddler crafts that are super adorable to older children crafts that are cute enough to give away as gifts.
The first line of the Forward section had me hooked. "The first rule of crafting is Don't Drop the Glitter" If your husbands are anything like mine, spilled glitter is the end of the world. He despises glitter and any and all things that have to do with it. Of course that means I have to buy it in bulk and use it on every craft project that I do with my 4 year old daughter.
coffee filters and cupcake papers have their own section in this delightful book and you guessed it, its the first chapter! I have always wanted to try out some of the coffee filter crafts I see on pinterest but have not been brave enough. Now I have the tools to guide me through it with fool proof step by step directions. From flowers to cards and gift tags and a few things in between (I wont ruin the surprise for you) this book will have you seeking out the cutest cupcake papers in town. I mean, who would have though mini cupcake papers would make the cutest little dollhouse accessories?
If your household is anything like mine, there is always extra paper plates left over after parties that get put up in the top of the cupboard and shoved to the back where they are forgotten about. More are then purchased for the next party only to have them left over and added to the hidden stash once the party is over. Now that I have this amazing craft book, those left over hidden plates no longer have to stay stashed away. There are some amazingly adorable crafts that will use them up in no time. When party time comes around, there is always a need for dessert stands and none to be found. Now with all of those excess paper plates laying around, you can whip a few up in no time and proudly display all of your tasty treats to be gobbled up. Team those up with some fun paper plate masks for your party guests in the designs of lions, birds, or bunnies for the boys and perhaps some tiara's for the girls and you have a complete party set up made out of left over party supplies. Hard to go wrong with any of those ideas, especially when they come with detailed step by step directions and supply list.
Balloons...who doesn't love them? I know I do, well until they pop that is. My daughter loves to blow them up and promptly pop them and then just laugh and laugh. I am hoping that once we complete a few of the balloon crafts in this book she will no longer feel the need to do the popping stage. Pair a few balloons up with some dyed coffee filters, straws, paper plate or construction paper and you have the cutest little clown. lion, giraffe, ballerina, birds (I am in love with the birds) or planets. Follow that up with some cute little twisty letters to spell out words and you will be in balloon cuteness overload.
the last section of the book is "The Recycle Bin" and on my goodness are there ever some adorable crafts to make in this section. Im not sure if my husband will let me hang the sea creature mobile in our "ocean" themed bedroom but you better believe I am going to try!
The back of the book has templates for anything and everything you will need to complete the crafts in certain sections of the book with directions on what type of scissors to use and were to use them at. What percentage to enlarge what photo. Where to make a slit, what sections need to be overlapped, and where and what needs to be folded.
Jodie Levine has done an amazing job of mapping out exactly what you need to complete each craft, and step by step direction on how to create it. Jodie used to be on the staff of Martha Stewart Living magazine as a craft editor and once you get through this book you will clearly see that she was an amazing craft editor and that job suited her well.
Each craft comes with amazing photos by Amy Gropp Forbes. Each photo shows the craft in a way that makes you want to complete each one to see how cute your own will turn out.
I couldn't be happier with the selection of this book and cannot wait even more to start completing each one of these crafts with my daughter so we can both keep them as well as give them away.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
marshmellow heaven
This latest book review is brought to you by the newest delivery from blogging for books. I have loved getting fun free books in the mail in exchange for reviewing them. The hardest part is always picking just one at a time to review!
This book had me drooling from the start! There is a lovely pink circle on the front cover that grabs your attention right away that says " 50 recipes for no-bake marshmallow treats" I have been wanting to make homemade marshmallows for two summers now and have yet to do it. I have zero excuses now!
This book is simply named TREAT. Doesn't get much better than that right there! There is a lovely photo of a rice crispy treat adorned with festive color sprinkles on top of it that is front and center on the cover of the book. Come on, who can resist that temptation! I certainly could not! Hence why I sit here writing this review of this very book.
95 pages of pure mouth watering deliciousness is what you will find bound within the pages of this very book. Stephanie Banyas knocks this book out of the park with what you find inside the covers. From the front cover to the back cover I found myself salivating with each page I turned. She could not have picked more delicious treats than what she did to include in the book. I mean, who can resist cream cheese home made marshmallows??? That may be the very first thing I attempt to concur!
The first chapter introduces marshmallows..vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and cream cheese are the variety you get to pick from. How do you choose what to attempt first? each recipe has a detailed list of the exact ingredients you will need to make these scrumptious little bites of fluff. These tasty little bites are made in 6-8 super easy steps that are lined out for you as well. It doesn't get much easier or better than this!
chapter two covers the "updated classics"
Toasted coconut treats, twenty first century treats, peanut butter-honey treats, toasted marshmallow treats, biscoff treats are just a few that are included in this section. Much like chapter one, each recipe in this section comes with a detailed ingredients list, measurements of each ingredient and step by step instructions so you simply cannot possibly mess up any of these delectable tasty treats.
What kind of book would this be if it did not have a chapter on tasty fruit concoctions? This one does for sure and it marks the bar pretty high in the must bake these tasty treats category!
you will find star shaped berry cobblers, strawberry lemonade treats (and not the liquid drinking kind!), key lime pie treats, raspberry cheesecake treats and lemon poppy seed treats. I'm a sucker for anything cheesecake so I'm thinking about substituting the key lime for the raspberries and testing out a little key lime cheesecake treat. I just cannot believe anything but deliciousness would ensure out of that combination! Yep you guessed it, instructions, step by step, ingredient list, measurements and all of that jazz are included in this section as well.
who can resist chocolate? certainly not me and I was excited to see a section devoted to chocolate all on its own. I've recently decided that I am a huge fan of mint and the second recipe in this chocolate section just so happens to include mint! ahhhhhh! mint chocolate treats. The only thing that could make this recipe any better would have been a photo to show what the finished product would look like. Purely so I could drool over it, of course. cookies and cream treats look fabulous, but then again when you pair up oreos and rice crispies how can you go wrong? This section will leave you hungry, I promise you of that. There are more recipes than just the two I mentioned but I will leave them as a surprise for you to check out. I cannot give away all of the secrets in this amazing tasty recipe book!
This book is wrapped up with the last section being Holiday Treats. All the favorites are included. Gingerbread, snickerdoodle, white chocolate cranberry, new York cherry cheesecake, and an added twist of chocolate potato chip treats. Im pretty sure that may be a new family tradition recipe. I mean come on, potato chips AND chocolate?? YUM! I wont give you the detailed instructions on how to make this (easy) delicious looking treat but if you purchase a copy of this book you will get them as well as all the others mentioned above. Are you ready to head to the book store yet?
The very last page is wrapped up with an index. A very detailed index at that.
From the front cover to the back cover this book is filled with amazing photos of delectable and delicious looking treats that are amazingly easy to prepare. I cannot suggest/recommend this book enough times. It is by far top notch quality and I promise you will not be disappointed in your purchase.
This book had me drooling from the start! There is a lovely pink circle on the front cover that grabs your attention right away that says " 50 recipes for no-bake marshmallow treats" I have been wanting to make homemade marshmallows for two summers now and have yet to do it. I have zero excuses now!
This book is simply named TREAT. Doesn't get much better than that right there! There is a lovely photo of a rice crispy treat adorned with festive color sprinkles on top of it that is front and center on the cover of the book. Come on, who can resist that temptation! I certainly could not! Hence why I sit here writing this review of this very book.
95 pages of pure mouth watering deliciousness is what you will find bound within the pages of this very book. Stephanie Banyas knocks this book out of the park with what you find inside the covers. From the front cover to the back cover I found myself salivating with each page I turned. She could not have picked more delicious treats than what she did to include in the book. I mean, who can resist cream cheese home made marshmallows??? That may be the very first thing I attempt to concur!
The first chapter introduces marshmallows..vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and cream cheese are the variety you get to pick from. How do you choose what to attempt first? each recipe has a detailed list of the exact ingredients you will need to make these scrumptious little bites of fluff. These tasty little bites are made in 6-8 super easy steps that are lined out for you as well. It doesn't get much easier or better than this!
chapter two covers the "updated classics"
Toasted coconut treats, twenty first century treats, peanut butter-honey treats, toasted marshmallow treats, biscoff treats are just a few that are included in this section. Much like chapter one, each recipe in this section comes with a detailed ingredients list, measurements of each ingredient and step by step instructions so you simply cannot possibly mess up any of these delectable tasty treats.
What kind of book would this be if it did not have a chapter on tasty fruit concoctions? This one does for sure and it marks the bar pretty high in the must bake these tasty treats category!
you will find star shaped berry cobblers, strawberry lemonade treats (and not the liquid drinking kind!), key lime pie treats, raspberry cheesecake treats and lemon poppy seed treats. I'm a sucker for anything cheesecake so I'm thinking about substituting the key lime for the raspberries and testing out a little key lime cheesecake treat. I just cannot believe anything but deliciousness would ensure out of that combination! Yep you guessed it, instructions, step by step, ingredient list, measurements and all of that jazz are included in this section as well.
who can resist chocolate? certainly not me and I was excited to see a section devoted to chocolate all on its own. I've recently decided that I am a huge fan of mint and the second recipe in this chocolate section just so happens to include mint! ahhhhhh! mint chocolate treats. The only thing that could make this recipe any better would have been a photo to show what the finished product would look like. Purely so I could drool over it, of course. cookies and cream treats look fabulous, but then again when you pair up oreos and rice crispies how can you go wrong? This section will leave you hungry, I promise you of that. There are more recipes than just the two I mentioned but I will leave them as a surprise for you to check out. I cannot give away all of the secrets in this amazing tasty recipe book!
This book is wrapped up with the last section being Holiday Treats. All the favorites are included. Gingerbread, snickerdoodle, white chocolate cranberry, new York cherry cheesecake, and an added twist of chocolate potato chip treats. Im pretty sure that may be a new family tradition recipe. I mean come on, potato chips AND chocolate?? YUM! I wont give you the detailed instructions on how to make this (easy) delicious looking treat but if you purchase a copy of this book you will get them as well as all the others mentioned above. Are you ready to head to the book store yet?
The very last page is wrapped up with an index. A very detailed index at that.
From the front cover to the back cover this book is filled with amazing photos of delectable and delicious looking treats that are amazingly easy to prepare. I cannot suggest/recommend this book enough times. It is by far top notch quality and I promise you will not be disappointed in your purchase.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
we all scream for ice cream
Summer is here and its time for some tasty ice cream delicious treats. what better way than homemade!
Today's book review is on the book "Big Gay Ice Cream" by Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint and it came to me to review for free via Blogging for books.
I must say, when I saw this book title I was both curious and intrigued. I couldn't help but request it for a review. It is definitely not a children's book. There is some quite funny humor in this book but it is not child appropriate.
This book is laid out in a year book type of format with signatures and people writing notes to the authors. A few of the notes left say things like, "mister softee aint got nuthin on the big gay guys. They're the best thing to happen to soft serve since Viagra!" and "Dear bryan and doug thank goodness for your sweet sauces and toppings. They've gotten me through some tough times and make my day tastier" Some of the others had me literally belly laughing out loud.
This is the best book ever, just in case I have not said that yet!
The freshman year photos are adorned with everyone holding an ice cream cone amongst their other silly 80's attire.
The book starts off with the story of how the Big Gay Ice Cream truck came to be and just like the other parts of the book, the story is quite hilarious. I wont give any parts of it away because I want you to read it in its entirety on your own.
The list of items you will need to prepare your own ice cream does not disappoint. There are items such as Fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, international and kisher foods, cookies cereals granola and pop tarts.....is your mind wandering yet as to what types of ice cream youre going to learn how to make in this book?
Equipment and tools that will be needed include items such as squeeze bottles, 1-quart plastic containers, funnels, microplanes, ice cream scoops, spreaders, coffee grinder, good sharp knives, French press, and juicer.....Im not even sure I know what some of these items are but im definitely going to find out!
Simple topping ideas that are suggested have me drooling all over the pages. Caramel, peanut brittle, honey and cayenne, jams and marmalades. How can any ice cream not be delicious with these items drizzled over the top of it!
the sophomore year section of the book has ice cream recipes included in it.
I cant wait to try toasted curried coconut. Two flavors that I would not normally pair together but for some reason the combination sounds quite tasty to me. Im certain that Whiskey Walnuts will be a favorite amongst any adult household that likes to have summer parties. And yes, whiskey is an ingredient in the making of this flavor. Pair this flavor with Bourbon butterscotch and everyone is sure to have fun!
The kids would be even more awesome after they have a few bowls full of awesomesauce flavored ice cream.
Junior year combines all of the years together and is a bit tacky and full of non children appropriate material. There are stories of items discovered in various ice cream trucks, none of which are things you want your children discovering! there are stories of people who have tasted and approved the various different ice cream concoctions, There are sundae recipes and the Mermaid sundae is on the top of my list to test out! Who doesn't want to eat anything that involves mermaids? I didn't read the ingredients list for the Gobbler sundae but it may or may not involve turkeys. Floats and shakes round up the junior year....Mexican coke, orange Fanta, grape crush, guiness beer, izze lime and sprechers root beer. The hardest decision im having is what order to try them out in.
Senior year is much like the other 3 years. Starts off with stories, photos (there have been amazingly fun and silly photos all the way throughout this book) This may be my favorite year of the book. Sorbet is my favorite form of ice cream and there are some mouth watering concoctions in this section. The very first recipe is concord grape. I am in love with anything that is grape flavored. This is on the must make list ASAP!
The book wraps up with an epilogue- senior year trip to ronnybrook and back again. A full story of the beginning to the end of the business that this book and its recipes are based on. Photos of being at the dairy plant and the fun that took place there.
acknowledgments and a few of our favorite things wrap up the last of the book just before the index that take up the last pages.
From the front cover and the first page of this book all the way through to the last page and the back cover of this book you will giggle, smile, belly laugh and want to share everything you read with all of your friends that have a sense of humor. I would be silly if I did not recommend this book to all the adults that I know for some great summer time treats, and yes some of the treats and recipes are indeed kid friendly, just don't let them read the pages before or after.
Today's book review is on the book "Big Gay Ice Cream" by Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint and it came to me to review for free via Blogging for books.
I must say, when I saw this book title I was both curious and intrigued. I couldn't help but request it for a review. It is definitely not a children's book. There is some quite funny humor in this book but it is not child appropriate.
This book is laid out in a year book type of format with signatures and people writing notes to the authors. A few of the notes left say things like, "mister softee aint got nuthin on the big gay guys. They're the best thing to happen to soft serve since Viagra!" and "Dear bryan and doug thank goodness for your sweet sauces and toppings. They've gotten me through some tough times and make my day tastier" Some of the others had me literally belly laughing out loud.
This is the best book ever, just in case I have not said that yet!
The freshman year photos are adorned with everyone holding an ice cream cone amongst their other silly 80's attire.
The book starts off with the story of how the Big Gay Ice Cream truck came to be and just like the other parts of the book, the story is quite hilarious. I wont give any parts of it away because I want you to read it in its entirety on your own.
The list of items you will need to prepare your own ice cream does not disappoint. There are items such as Fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, international and kisher foods, cookies cereals granola and pop tarts.....is your mind wandering yet as to what types of ice cream youre going to learn how to make in this book?
Equipment and tools that will be needed include items such as squeeze bottles, 1-quart plastic containers, funnels, microplanes, ice cream scoops, spreaders, coffee grinder, good sharp knives, French press, and juicer.....Im not even sure I know what some of these items are but im definitely going to find out!
Simple topping ideas that are suggested have me drooling all over the pages. Caramel, peanut brittle, honey and cayenne, jams and marmalades. How can any ice cream not be delicious with these items drizzled over the top of it!
the sophomore year section of the book has ice cream recipes included in it.
I cant wait to try toasted curried coconut. Two flavors that I would not normally pair together but for some reason the combination sounds quite tasty to me. Im certain that Whiskey Walnuts will be a favorite amongst any adult household that likes to have summer parties. And yes, whiskey is an ingredient in the making of this flavor. Pair this flavor with Bourbon butterscotch and everyone is sure to have fun!
The kids would be even more awesome after they have a few bowls full of awesomesauce flavored ice cream.
Junior year combines all of the years together and is a bit tacky and full of non children appropriate material. There are stories of items discovered in various ice cream trucks, none of which are things you want your children discovering! there are stories of people who have tasted and approved the various different ice cream concoctions, There are sundae recipes and the Mermaid sundae is on the top of my list to test out! Who doesn't want to eat anything that involves mermaids? I didn't read the ingredients list for the Gobbler sundae but it may or may not involve turkeys. Floats and shakes round up the junior year....Mexican coke, orange Fanta, grape crush, guiness beer, izze lime and sprechers root beer. The hardest decision im having is what order to try them out in.
Senior year is much like the other 3 years. Starts off with stories, photos (there have been amazingly fun and silly photos all the way throughout this book) This may be my favorite year of the book. Sorbet is my favorite form of ice cream and there are some mouth watering concoctions in this section. The very first recipe is concord grape. I am in love with anything that is grape flavored. This is on the must make list ASAP!
The book wraps up with an epilogue- senior year trip to ronnybrook and back again. A full story of the beginning to the end of the business that this book and its recipes are based on. Photos of being at the dairy plant and the fun that took place there.
acknowledgments and a few of our favorite things wrap up the last of the book just before the index that take up the last pages.
From the front cover and the first page of this book all the way through to the last page and the back cover of this book you will giggle, smile, belly laugh and want to share everything you read with all of your friends that have a sense of humor. I would be silly if I did not recommend this book to all the adults that I know for some great summer time treats, and yes some of the treats and recipes are indeed kid friendly, just don't let them read the pages before or after.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
squeeze the.....mayonnaise!
The wonderful people at Influenster picked me to sample and review the Hellmann's mayonnaise for free and review it.
im not usually a big mayonnaise fan for a few reasons. I truly dislike having to stick half my hand in the big jar with a knife to scoop out some mayonnaise. half my hand is usually covered with mayonnaise and that just grosses me out! With this new bottle that Hellmanns has brilliantly come up with, all you have to do is squeeze. GENIOUS! there is no mess, no hands getting goopy and no knife falling off the top of the open mayonnaise jar.
Im especially impressed with the fact that Hellmanns is committed to using cage free eggs in the making of this product. That alone may make me purchase this product on a regular basis. Im not much of a mayonnaise eater but I do enjoy macaroni salad and lets face the facts, you simply cannot eat macaroni salad without mayonnaise in it.
I highly suggest any and all of you give this product a good taste test, not only because it's made with quality ingredients but because the new squeeze bottle is simply to hard to pass up giving a good squeeze.
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