Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC News

The Art and Soul of Baking a 2009 IACP Cookbook Awards Winner

2009-04-07T12:10:00.004-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking is a 2009 IACP Cookbook Awards Winner

Winners were announced at the 2009 International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference (IACP) International in Denver on April 4.

Art and Soul of Baking won in the cookbook/baking category!

Sur La Table teamed with pastry chef and baking teacher Cindy Mushet to bring you the ultimate guide to baking. Beautiful photographs and more than 250 easy-to-follow recipes lead you into a world of alluring aromas and light, flaky pastries. Illustrated asides take you step by step through important techniques, from carmelizing sugar to working with croissant dough. Plus, you'll find invaluable information on over 100 ingredients and 50 baker's tools. A true pleasure for anyone who loves to bake.

The cookbook is also nominated for a 2009 James Beard Foundation Award.

Vanity Fair features Podcast by Bikeman author Tom Flynn

2009-04-06T13:45:00.003-05:00

Tom Flynn Reads from Bikeman

by Vanity Fair

April 6, 2009, 12:26 PM

Bikeman by Tom Flynn

Journalist Tom Flynn decided to respond to the events of September 11, 2001, by writing an epic poem in which he recalled how, on that fateful day, he had hopped on his bicycle, braved the chaos, and headed down to the World Trade Center to cover the attacks for CBS News. When the second tower was hit, Flynn found himself in the middle of the unraveling horror. In his book, Bikeman: An Epic Poem (Andrews McMeel), Flynn's poetic dispatches reflect on the sorrow, fear, and humanity shared by the nation on that “forever September morning.”

In celebration of National Poetry month, VF.com presents an exclusive audio excerpt.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/culture/2009/04/06/tom-flynn-reads-from-bikeman.html

The Art & Soul of Baking Named James Beard Nominee

2009-03-23T13:21:00.004-05:00

The Art & Soul of Baking has been named a nominee in the James Beard Foundation Awards 2009 in the Books: Baking Category

The James Beard Foundation Awards shine a spotlight on the best and brightest talent in the food and beverage industry.

The winners will be announced May 4th at a Black Tie Ceremony in New York

The Art and Soul of Baking guides readers through the world of baking, where alluring aromas of chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon fill the air and tempt the palate. Culinary authority Sur La Table teams with professional pastry chef and baking instructor Cindy Mushet to create the ultimate book for bakers. The Art and Soul of Baking demystifies the friendly science of baking through delicious recipes and photography sequences that illustrate proper techniques for carmelizing sugar, or working with croissant dough.

Jurassic Towel Origami Featured on Teen Vogue

2009-03-16T17:17:00.002-05:00

People Are Talking About columnist Danielle Nussbaum on Teen Vogue called Jurassic Towel Origami "The best thing we got in the mail this week."

http://www.teenvogue.com/industry/blogs/entertainment/2009/03/best-thing-we-got-in-the-mail-this-week.html

Thanks to Jurassic Towel Origami, readers can amaze their houseguests and friends. It's also the perfect craft book for kids with its combo of dinos and origami.

Discover and create 15 distinct dino projects from Stegosaurus to Brontosaurus. With easy step-by-step instructions and photos, it's simple and fun to make extinct creatures come alive.

This interactive book is an imaginative and humorous gift for just about anyone.

Towel meets T. rex and lives to tell about it.

This book is quirky and unique, just like most houseguests, making it the perfect self-purchase or gift.

Andrews McMeel Cookbooks Nominated for IACP Awards

2009-03-06T14:05:00.002-06:00

Two Andrews McMeel Publishing 2008 cookbooks have been named finalists in the 2009 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards:

The Art and Soul of Baking
By Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet
Baking Category

Things Cooks Love: Ingredients. Implements. Recipes.
By Sur La Table with Marie Simmons
General Category

The winners in each of the thirteen categories, as well as the Cookbook of the Year,
will be announced April 4 at IACP’s annual international conference in Denver.

Bee & Me Named Publisher's Weekly Bestseller

2009-02-19T16:15:00.005-06:00

Publisher’s Weekly’s Children’s Picture Book Bestsellers (2/16/09) features Bee & Me at #8

When a young boy discovers a bee trapped in his bedroom he hides for fear of being stung. But when the amiable bee frantically explains all that bees do, the boy comes to understand how good things come in different packages: "Bees make honey. That much we know. Bees also spread pollen, which makes all things grow."

The subject of honeybees' mysterious dwindling population throughout the world has been a growing concern in the news in recent years. Bee & Me brings the critical importance of bees to light for young children through the innovative, full color process of ANIMOTION™ in an engaging story of friendship and understanding. Bee & Me will charm readers while providing valuable information about how important bees are to sustainable agriculture. Bee & Me is sure to fascinate, entertain and engage readers of all ages.

Coming soon: Baby Turtle's Tale

This is something to "sea" and read. Full-color ani-motion technology comes alive and propels Baby Turtle's Tale, a lovely and touching story about a baby sea turtle hatching and making his way in the underwater world.

Elle McGuinness, the author of the well-received Bee & Me, takes us on the sea turtle's adventures from the beach to the reunion with his family on the coral reef.

Baby Turtle's Tale will appeal to young readers interested in preserving the environment and helping the plight of endangered species like sea turtles.

Features an educational appendix of fun and interesting facts about sea turtles

Bee & Me Makes Best-Seller Lists

2009-01-22T13:48:00.003-06:00

Publisher’s Weekly’s Children’s Picture Book Bestsellers
(1/19/09) features Bee & Me at #7

The New York Times Book Review Children’s Best Seller List (2/1/09) features Bee & Me at #9

Features:

Unique animated windows on almost every spread enhancing the action of the story.
The first time ever that such a technique has been applied in full color through the ANIMOTION™ process.
Enchanting full color illustrations.
Special appendix full of fun and important bee facts.

Cool Jew Named National Jewish Book Award Finalist

2009-01-22T13:39:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to author Lisa Alcalay Klug, recipient of an honor in the "Jewish Pulitzers." Her book, Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe, published by Andrews McMeel in September 2008, has been named a 2008 National Jewish Book Awards finalist.

Cool Jew is a loving and irreverent celebration of Jewish culture. In addition to its fervent call for positive Jewish identity and affiliation, and embrace of Jewish multiculturalism, language, and more, the 250-page humor book also chronicles contemporary Jewish arts and culture with approximately 400 images. These include original line drawings, vintage Israeli and Jewish posters, t-shirt designs, kabbalistic paintings from Israel, album covers, kitsch and more. Cool Jew also features extensive back-of-the-book resource guides on ways to enjoy Jewish community called "Da Tribe Online" and contemporary Jewish music called "Da Heebster Jewkebox."

Cool Jew placed in the category of "Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice." It is the only humor book among the 2008 National Jewish Book Award honorees.

Each year, the National Jewish Book Awards honor some of the best and most exciting authors in the field of Jewish literature. After more than fifty years of presenting these awards, hundreds of books have received the prestigious National Jewish Book Award, including titles by the top authors on the American Jewish literary scene. For the full list of winners and finalists, click here.

The 58th Annual National Jewish Book Awards Ceremony will be held at 7:30 pm, March 5th at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

This is the second honor for author Lisa Alcalay Klug since the September release of her first book. She was previously named Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month by the University of Dayton.

President Obama Reviewed by Philadephia Inquirer

2009-01-20T12:21:00.002-06:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s review of President Obama Election 2008: A Collection of Newspaper Front Pages Selected by the Poynter Institute on Sunday (1/19/09) includes the following:

Everyone should probably grab one as a momento, but for sheer fun, the best of the commemoratives is President Obama/Election 2008: A Collection of Newspaper Front Pages from the Poynter Institute (Andrews McMeel). It gathers dull headlines (“Historic Victory”), witty ones (the Tulsa World’s, “Yes He Did”), and lovingly local riffs (The Jakarta Post’s “Barry’s Done It!”).

President Obama
(ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-8480-4)

The Art and Soul of Baking Named Best How-To Book

2009-01-11T10:06:00.006-06:00

Library Journal included The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet on its list of Best How-To Books of 2008.

This addition to renowned culinary authority Sur La Table's cookbook series, The Art and Soul of Baking (Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC; $40.00 hardcover), guides readers through the world of baking, where the tantalizing aromas of chocolate, vanilla, butter, and cinnamon fill the air and tempt the palate. Whether turning out a rustic olive and thyme bread or crafting a show-stopping triple-layer chocolate cake, pastry chef and baking instructor Cindy Mushet provides indispensable tips and tricks to help home bakers achieve professional-looking—and professional-tasting—results.

More than 275 tested and delectable recipes cover all the bases from tasty pies, tantalizing tarts, melt-in-your-mouth meringues, and delicious cookies to more complicated creations such as flaky pastries, decadent cakes, and lighter-than-air soufflés. Novice bakers and pastry perfectionists alike will be tempted by such treats as Dulce De Leche Éclairs with Milk Chocolate Glaze; Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting; Gingerbread Shortcakes with Caramelized Apples and Cider Sabayon; and Warm Cranberry Crumble Tart. Of course, there are savory recipes, too, including fragrant Parmesan-Herb Popovers; Potato, Onion, and Gruyère Galette; and a perfect Herbed Chicken Pot Pie. And for a delicious twist on tried-and-true favorites, there are recipes for Bananas Foster Bread Pudding; Citrus-Goat Cheese Cheesecake; Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake; and Peanut Butter Thumbprints with Peanut Caramel.

Bee & Me Named Best Seller

2009-01-08T09:25:00.002-06:00

The New York Times Book Review of January 18, 2009 features Bee & Me at #8 on the Children’s Best Seller List

Features:

Unique animated windows on almost every spread enhancing the action of the story.
The first time ever that such a technique has been applied in full color through the ANIMOTION™ process.
Enchanting full color illustrations.
Special appendix full of fun and important bee facts.

President Obama Election 2008 Named Best Seller

2009-01-08T09:06:00.003-06:00

The New York Times Book Review of January 18, 2009 features President Obama Election 2008: A Collection of Newspaper Front Pages Selected by the Poynter Institute at #28 on the Paperback NonFiction Best Seller List

The election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States was a worldwide historic event resulting in perhaps some of the most important front pages in US history. President Obama Election 2008 is a collection of over seventy November 5th, 2008 newspaper front pages from around the world. There is no better statement of the emotion, excitement, and significance of this moment in history.

During his campaign for the White House, Barack Obama garnered an almost frenzied following. President Obama Election 2008 will be a cherished keepsake or gift for any of the millions of Americans who cast their vote for the 44th President of the United States. Here is the must-have commemorative book on this historic event.

Features over 70 historic newspaper front-pages from the day after the election, including international, campus, and ethnic publications.
Includes an introduction by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau.
Compiled by The Poynter Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan school of journalism.

About The Poynter Institute

Founded in 1975, The Poynter Institute is a school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders. It promotes excellence and integrity in the practice of craft and in the practical leadership of successful businesses. It stands for a journalism that informs citizens and enlightens public discourse. It carries forward Nelson Poynter's belief in the value of independent journalism in the public interest. As a financially independent, nonprofit organization, The Poynter Institute is beholden to no interest except its own mission: to help journalists seek and achieve excellence.

To purchase: http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/products/?isbn=0740784803

Dilbert 2.0 Creator Scott Adams Interviewed By Barron's

2009-01-06T15:11:00.003-06:00

No Laughing Matter By JIM MCTAGUE
Cartoonist and blogger Scott Adams is outspoken about economics, politics and more -- but tight-lipped about Dilbert, hero to cubicle jockeys.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE ECONOMY COULDN'T POSSIBLY get worse comes this disturbing news: Dilbert's mismanaged high-tech company is foundering, jeopardizing the lovable cartoon character's oppressive but steady job as an electrical engineer in a stuffy cubicle, where he's manufactured laughs about illogical and inhumane corporate managers for nearly 20 years.

Barron's won't divulge the climax of the current plot. During a recent interview, Dilbert's creator, Scott Adams, asked that we merely hint at what lies ahead for the cylinder-headed nerd with the upturned, clip-on tie. But read the daily Dilberts carefully over the next few days or weeks; clues abound and they don't point to a happy conclusion.

That's fitting because, as Adams notes in Dilbert 2.0, his $85, 576-page 20th-anniversary collection of 4,000 of his more than 8,000 cartoon strips (plus a DVD): "Dilbert is most popular when the workplace is at its worse." In fact, the strip, a window on workplace absurdity, took off during the downsizing binge of the early 1990s. In one memorable sequence from that period, Dilbert competes with a monkey to keep his engineering job. Dilbert wins, but his victory jig is short-circuited by his pointy-haired boss' decision to place the monkey on the upper-management fast track. Sounds like a telling commentary on the corporate world of 21st century's first decade, too.

Adams' current strips and very funny blog (http://www.dilbert.com/blog/), which often feature the cartoonist's insightful economic and stock-market commentaries, provide more hints about Dilbert's fate. A Dec. 12 blog argues that the recession is anything but temporary: "I think we are on the verge of a change as profound as the Industrial Revolution. Society will have to retool its expectations to meet the reality that there just won't be enough money to provide necessary services if we insist on consuming in an inefficient way."

One clue about Dilbert's fate appeared on Dec. 13 in newspapers around the world (Dilbert is published in 70 countries and 25 languages) in what turned out to be one of the most popular episodes in the strip's history: A financial adviser recommends that Dilbert's pointy-haired boss invest all of the company's funds in sick livestock. Don't buy just one sick cow, the adviser urges; buy an entire herd, because by aggregating sick cows, the risk goes away. "It's called math," the adviser adds, in a send-up of the asset-backed securitizations that have helped topple the global economy.

The financial adviser, by the way, is a malicious canine. In his blogs, Adams is equally unkind to real advisers and money managers. In his view, formed long before the disrobing of Bernie Madoff, they're always conniving to steal investors' money. Perhaps this depiction is payback: Adams lost a bundle following advice during the tech bubble, which also convinced him that investing in individual stocks and "professionally managed" funds is a losers' game. His advisers put half of his portfolio into WorldCom, Enron and other sure things and lost 40% of his invested cash, he says. He managed the other half and lost 20% in the tech wreck.

"Most of the investments I made in individual stocks went bad because managements were lying. They are the source of the information for the markets." His conclusion: "It is even dumber to pay an expert to talk to the liar for you and charge you 1% of your portfolio." Some folks who bought funds of funds that invested with Madoff surely would agree.

Read entire article: http://online.barrons.com/article/SB123094660981850775.html

Good Morning America Food Editor Picks Knives Cooks Love Among Best of 2008

2009-01-06T15:07:00.001-06:00

Good Morning America food editor Sara Moulton’s picks for
Best Cookbook of the Year included Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. by Sur La Table with Sarah Jay.

The segment aired 12/23:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/HolidayTheme/story?id=6511192&page=1

AOL Food Names The Art & Soul of Baking One Of The Best Cookbooks of 2008

2009-01-06T15:02:00.003-06:00

The editors of AOL Food included The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet on their list of the Best Cookbooks of 2008:

http://food.aol.com/holidays/most-sought-after-cookbooks

The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

Cindy Mushet, a pastry chef at the legendary Chez Panisse and a culinary instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles, reveals the science behind baking in a language the home cook can understand. Take the time to read through the Baker's Pantry, which provides useful tips.

Recipes to try: Baci Tart with Frangelico Cream and Herbed Chicken Pot Pie

Food & Wine magazine’s “Best of the Best” Cookbooks To Feature AMP Cookbooks

2009-01-06T14:55:00.004-06:00

Food & Wine magazine’s “Best of the Best” cookbooks feature in the June 2009 issue will include

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet

and

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart by Pauline Nguyen with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen

Food & Wine magazine’s “Best of the Best” cookbooks feature in the June 2009 issue will include

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet

and

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart
by Pauline Nguyen with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen

Secrets of the Red Lantern Reviewed on globalgourmet.com

2008-12-15T18:15:00.001-06:00

Secrets of the Red Lantern
Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart

by Pauline Nguyen, with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen

Overflowing with sumptuous but simply prepared dishes that have been passed down through generations of the Nguyen family, Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart is part Vietnamese cookbook and part family memoir.

More than 275 traditional Vietnamese recipes are presented alongside a visual narrative of food and family photos that follows the family's escape from war-torn Vietnam to the founding of the Red Lantern restaurant in Sydney, Australia.

At the heart of each recipe is the power of food to elevate and transform. From a recipe of Cari De that sparks a memory to the distinctly bitter melon soup that says, "I'm sorry," Secrets of the Red Lantern shares the rich culinary heritage of the Nguyen family and their personal story of reconciliation and success.

Recipes such as Bun Rieu (Crab and Tomato Soup with Vermicelli Noodles), Goi Du Du (Green Papaya Salad with Prawns and Pork), and Che Khoai Mon (Black Sticky Rice with Taro) unlock the family's secrets and see the family persevere through homesickness, heartache, and the upheavals of change to finally experience growth and celebration. The result is a beautiful journey through Vietnamese history, culture, and tradition that cooks everywhere will embrace.

Roger Ebert Books Make Amazon Best-Seller List

2008-12-15T17:54:00.006-06:00

Three of the top 15 titles currently on Amazon’s Bestsellers in Books: Guides & Reviews List are from Roger Ebert:

YOUR MOVIE SUCKS, ROGER EBERT’S FOUR-STAR REVIEWS and ROGER EBERT’S MOVIE YEARBOOK 2009

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/4494/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_b_1_4_last

Secrets of the Red Lantern Named Best Asian Cookbook of 2008

2008-11-19T18:48:00.002-06:00

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart
by Pauline Nguyen has been named Best Asian Cookbook of 2008 by epicurious.com:

BEST ASIAN
Secrets of the Red Lantern
by Pauline Nguyen (Andrews McMeel Publishing)
Recipe to try: Salt and Pepper Tofu

Whether you want amazingly accessible Vietnamese recipes or just a good, honest family story with food, this Sydney restaurateur delivers. Her family memoir is a great tale of what immigrants both give up and gain in choosing (or not) to pack up and try another country, and if it's not always pretty, it is inspiring, especially with both vintage photos and pictures of the contemporary food Nguyen creates. The book is so beautiful you can almost taste the braised duck with ginger and scallions or the banana fritters.

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/cookbooks/bestof2008

Knives Cooks Love Reviewed by Library Journal

2008-11-17T14:06:00.001-06:00

Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. by Sur La Table with Sarah Jay is reviewed in the 11/15/08 edition of Library Journal:

Most home cooks tend to be protective of their knives and often claim to be highly knowledgeable of the knife world. This book from Sur La Table and food writer Jay is slightly obsessive; it goes into shocking detail about each type of knife from the few countries that produce the best of the best. There is the obligatory section, "A Blade for Every Purpose," that describes each type of knife and its possible uses, which is the best part of the book. Another helpful portion addresses how to buy a knife, which has comprehensive explanations on such weighty points as blade anatomy and blade material. The lay reader will like the simple sections on how to chop, peel, and dice a variety of foods. The recipes that are included are basic for the most part and slightly uninspiring (e.g., mango-cucumber salsa). Recommended for academic libraries with a large collection of culinary arts materials.—Claire A. Schaper, Morgantown, WV

Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. Reviewed by the Tampa Tribune

2008-11-17T14:01:00.004-06:00

Knives Cooks Love Review

As Emeril Lagasse writes in the book's foreword, knives are the most highly valued cooking tool in a chef's possession, and yet they are often the least discussed in the kitchen. This book, produced by Sur La Table, pulls the cloak back on that tool to provide a wonderfully coherent, easy-to-follow guide to selecting knives, maintaining them and, as you might guess, using them properly. Even better, they pair those instructions along with recipes that you can make immediately after learning each new cut, chop or slice.

Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. focuses on this most versatile tool in the kitchen and provides tantalizing recipes allowing you to practice and perfect techniques. Consider this Knives 101—lessons on everything you need to know to make your experiences behind the blade more straightforward, efficient, and enjoyable.

Secrets of the Red Lantern Chosen One of The Best Cookbooks of 2008

2008-11-13T18:29:00.004-06:00

Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen has been chosen by NPR food writer Susie Chang as one of the Best Cookbooks of 2008.

An interview with Susie about her selections is tentatively scheduled for Weekend Edition the weekend of November 22, with two recipes and images from the book planned for npr.org.

• Secrets of the Red Lantern will also be on the year’s top cookbook lists of the Chicago Tribune and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Overflowing with sumptuous but simply prepared dishes that have been passed down through generations of the Nguyen family, Secrets of the Red Lantern is part Vietnamese cookbook and part family memoir.

More than 275 traditional Vietnamese recipes are presented alongside a visual narrative of food and family photographs that follows the family's escape from war-torn Vietnam to the successful founding of the Red Lantern restaurant.

Mass Historia Reviewed by Monsters & Critics

2008-11-07T13:11:00.003-06:00

Book Review: Mass Historia
Fiction Book Reviews

Emmy award winning comedy writer Chris Regan has turned his considerable talents to past events and come out with a winner in this uproarious look at 365 days in history. Embellishing facts with liberal doses of light humor, history has never been more entertaining as demonstrated by the January 4 entry celebrating Utah’s statehood that explains how Utah became the forty-fifth state which coincidentally, was the average number of wives enjoyed by most Utah men at the time. Then learn about the army suppression of an uprising of a hoard of Donnie Osmond groupies and the five top Mormon fun facts.

Even better, on June 24, 1997 the U.S. Air Force released their final report on the Roswell incident, a 231-page tome that would prove to be light reading for those who can polish off 251 pages of a Dune novel while awaiting a Star Trek rerun. Or how about the November 15, 1887 entry highlighting the birth of Georgia O’Keeffe with the notation, “After being born, the baby looks up at where she came from, and gets her first-and last-idea for a painting.”

Chock full of fun “facts”, sidebars and irreverently captioned pictures, this is not history as we learned it in school, thank goodness! Regan’s view of history is smart, pointed, frequently not PC but always entertaining. Think History Channel crossed with equal portions South Park and Robot Chicken and you get the general idea.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/books/fiction/reviews/article_1441330.php/Book_Review_Mass_Historia

Bee & Me Debuts

2008-11-07T13:04:00.004-06:00

Bee & Me debuted at #15 in the Children’s Illustrated Category of the Independent Bookstores Bestseller list for November 6-13, 2008.

The listing is based on reporting from many
hundreds of independent bookstores across the United States.

Bee & Me (Accord Publishing, LLC, $16.99) is the fantastic new storybook that everyone is buzZz-ing about! From author Elle J. McGuinness and illustrator Heather Brown, Bee & Me is an entrancing book that features vibrant full color illustrations introduced by the innovative technique of Ani-motion, created by Accord designers Jeff Cole and Katarina Ford. Bee & Me is the first book to feature Ani-motion applied in full color, providing the visually arresting Ani-motion panels in almost every spread to enhance the action and immediacy of the story.

Author Jeremy Greenberg on MyFox Kansas City

2008-11-06T09:32:00.004-06:00

Relative Discomfort: The Family Survival Guide author Jeremy Greenberg appeared on MyFox Kansas City.

See the interview here: MyFoxKC.com

Everybody has one, or more. That relative who drives you up the wall. And it's hard to get through the holidays without seeing them. Author, Jeremy Greenburg explains relative discomfort in his family survival guide. He'll be at Barnes and Noble on the Country Club Plaza Friday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. for a book signing. Visit his website at jeremygreenberg.com.

Relative Discomfort is a sidesplitting, guffaw-inducing guide to living through and laughing at all of our family encounters. You know that knot you get in your stomach when you're about to come face-to-face with your Uncle Drunk and Aunt Enabler, or the brother-in-law who always wants to show you his gun collection? This book unties that knot.

Dilbert 2.0 Featured #8 in Amazon’s Top 100 Books for 2008

2008-11-06T08:55:00.003-06:00

Dilbert 2.0 is featured as #8 in Amazon’s Top 100 books for 2008 in the Comics and Graphic Novels Category:

http://www.amazon.com

With more than 2,000 cartoons (including some never-before published creations), extensive remarks by Adams, and a DVD that will include all Dilbert cartoons from 1989 through April 2008 and a link which enables readers to download future Dilbert cartoons, Dilbert 2.0 is the ultimate must-have collection for the millions of Dilbert fans. And, as we head into the second decade of the 21st century, all indications suggest that Adams will have ample fodder for future decades of Dilbert — the proliferation of workday ridiculousness is one thing that does not promise to downsize anytime in the foreseeable future.

Bee & Me Reviewed on Through The Looking Glass Children’s Book Review

2008-11-04T14:07:00.003-06:00

Bee & Me

Elle J. McGuinness

Illustrated by Heather Brown

Novelty Board Book

Ages 3 to 5

Accord Publishing, 2008, 0-7407-7734-3

One day a bee is out collecting nectar when a dog chases her into a house. The little boy in the house is frightened of the bee and prepares to run away from her. Then he hears the bee talking to him. The little insect explains that she needs to get back to work for there is much to do and she asks the little boy to help her. The little boy learns that bees are “good for much more/Than just honey.” They pollinate trees and flowers, and without the hard labors of bees the world would be a very a different place.

Children who do not know how vital bees are will be astonished to learn how much we depend on them, how much we need them to do what they do best so that we might have food, and so that plants and trees can thrive. These days wild bee populations are in trouble and this book’s arrival is timely. The book’s environmental message shows children that little creatures can have a big impact on the environment and on humans. In addition to the story of the little bee, at the back of the book the author includes some bee facts, and she tells children what they can do to be a “Honeybee Helper.”

Throughout the book there are bright illustrations, and on most of the double page spreads there are Ani-motion panels, which allow readers to see characters in the story move.

Discover Magazine Features Hidato

2008-11-04T14:01:00.003-06:00

Hidato: 200 Pure Logic Puzzles

is featured in the November issue of Discover Magazine in a full page article.

A highlight: “Now a new number puzzle called Hidato is poised to steal sudoku’s spotlight.”

The Amish Cook at Home Reviewed by Cincinnati.com

2008-11-03T13:31:00.003-06:00

The Amish Cook turns a page

By Polly Campbell • pcampbell@enquirer.com • October 29, 2008

Lovina Eicher, aka the Amish Cook, whose syndicated column appears in The Enquirer and 130 other papers, has a new book, "The Amish Cook at Home" (Andrews McNeel, $29.99) written with her editor, Kevin Williams of Middletown.

The column was originated by Eicher's late mother, Elizabeth Coblentz, and Williams in 1991. Eicher took over writing it in 2002.

She and her husband, Joe, have eight children and live in southern Michigan. They farm with horses, use a horse-drawn buggy for transportation and use no electricity in their home. They do have a telephone in their barn, from which she talked about her life.

She will be in town Nov. 8 on a tour promoting the book, which the publisher describes as "an up-close-and-personal look at today's Amish life and cooking through the eyes of an Old Order Amish family." Williams rented a van to bring Eicher and her family to Cincinnati.

Go behind the scenes:

Question: What chores are you leaving behind for your book tour?

Answer: The garden is pretty well finished, we've made the tomato sauce and juice. Joe let the chickens loose so they finished up anything we didn't.

Q: Is it a good year in the garden?

A: The zucchini did well. I've got some in the freezer. I've put a lot out by the road for people to take. The carrots and the cucumbers did well, too. And I've got about 10-12 bushels of potatoes.

Q: It seems like your children have a lot of chores to do. How do you interest them in cooking and doing chores?

A: We work together. They take an interest in what I'm doing and help. Loretta, who's 4, likes to pick up the broom and sweep. She just started to like seeing the house look nice. They learn sewing by making doll clothing.

Q: You often write about cooking for big events like weddings and church gatherings. That seems to be an important part of Amish life.

A: I went to a wedding recently and was a helper in the kitchen. We made 320 pounds of fried chicken. There were 30-40 women working together, I was helping with the dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy. It was very enjoyable; my sisters and cousins were all there.

Q: You don't use electricity, but you have some other conveniences?

A: We have a propane refrigerator and freezer that work really well. I use a hand-held egg beater, and I like a chopper I bought at a Tupperware party. For making tomato sauce, I have a Victoria strainer.

Q: What would you like people to learn about the Amish way of life from your column and book?

A: That we really have a good time together as a family. People wonder what we do at night without TV. We do a lot of singing, read books and play games. We probably do have a lot more chores than most people, but it's not all chores.

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Editor Bob Mankoff on Charlie Rose

2008-10-30T14:08:00.002-05:00

Robert Mankoff, Cartoon Editor at The New Yorker was interviewed about The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Book on Charlie Rose.

http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2008/10/28/2/a-conversation-with-robert-mankoff#comment_67471

The New Yorker presents the best of the cartoon caption contest. Write your own captions for the top 100 cartoon contests, then see the best, and all the rest.

Since its inception in 1925, the New Yorker has been world famous for its cartoons. Not surprisingly, the cartoon caption contest has quickly become one of the magazine's most popular features. Located on the back page, the contest invites readers to craft their own captions for the weekly cartoon. Thousands enter each week, but only one wins.

This entertaining collection, the first of six books in an exclusive series with Andrews McMeel Publishing, presents the top 100 caption contests, with the winners, the runners-up, and everyone in between (available on-line), plus fun facts and stats about who is entering and why. Learn how the finalists came up with their captions, and how their lives changed after winning. Discover the inner workings of the caption contest and then see if you have what it takes to be a successful cartoon caption writer.

Cindy Mushet Interview on Seattle Tall Poppy

2008-10-30T11:24:00.003-05:00

An Interview with Cindy Mushet on the "Art & Soul of Baking"

Cindy Mushet's definitive book, the Art & Soul of Baking.

If you don't know the name Cindy Mushet, let me introduce you. She's one of those people in the background who makes amazing things happen. Her contributions may not always have her name blazed on them, but her impact is evidenced by a rich history in the culinary world. Cindy was a contributor to the Joy of Cooking, has taught throughout the United States for Sur La Table and is currently an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu. Her recipes have appeared in Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, the New York Times, and the National Culinary Review.

Cindy's currently on a whistle-stop book tour...and coming to a Sur La Table near you!

During her 24 hour stay in Seattle, I had the opportunity to meet with Cindy and it was kismet from the beginning. We chatted over lunch and then strolled over to my favorite bakery for a little nosh. She was just days into her 3 week tour, and despite having already done an early morning TV spot, a pod cast interview and a newspaper interview, by the time we talked she was still a fireball of energy.

A long history of teaching permeates Cindy's culinary style. She understands how her students feel, going through the effort to bake something, only to fail with a dessert you can't serve. "That's when people go to Costco and pick up something cheap." But there are so many things wrong with cheap: desserts are packed with preservatives to extend the shelf life and the ingredients stray far from anything that might be good for you...or flavorful.

Her mission became: Teach a Man to Bake, Don't Give Him a Cake.

Warm and engaging, Cindy's got an analytical mind that probes with a laser focus until she lands on the answer. While there are some excellent baking books, many of them lack direction in the most basic steps. One of the most frustrating steps both she and her students struggled with was the familiar: cream butter until light & fluffy. "What does that mean?" In her frustration she surmised, "Butter never looks fluffy...or light." Eventually she learned "light" meant light in color, not texture. And "fluffy" spoke to the incorporation of air into the butter. It's that attention to the intention that makes her recipes a step above.

To perfect her baking, she applied a scientific approach -- baking cakes repeatedly, changing the ratios at each attempt. Then, she'd study the results and determine what yielded the best outcome.

This scientific approach came from an early influence by the San Francisco's Baker's Dozen group. At the time, she was living in Berkley and there were a number of bakers in the area. They'd gather and talk about issues they were having, "I'm having a problem with this dough...do you know anything about that?"

Eventually, the group gelled into something more formal. They'd meet once a quarter and learn from each other. Tackling Angel Food cake, for instance, each person brought a finished cake and the recipe. "You wouldn't believe the variety! They all fell under the category of Angle Food cakes, but they were so different." Getting to the heart of the differences, the group sampled each cake, decided which characteristics were ideal, and then compared recipes. Side by side, they'd see the ingredients were the same. "Okay, now what did you do differently?" They'd analyze the techniques that arrived at an excellent finished product. Not surprising, this process deeply influenced Cindy's approach to baking.

When she was first asked to write a book on baking, Cindy thought, "What could I say about baking that hasn't already been said?" After further reflection...and before she'd given a final answer, she tapped into her own collection of over 200 baking books. Laying multiple books out on the living room floor, she poured over them with an analytic approach ---what's here? What's missing? And most importantly, what did her Sur La Table students struggle with when using the recipes?

Because she had years of contact with students who are often unsure, she could see firsthand where the issues where, and modified her own recipes accordingly.

Then Cindy turned to the bible of cooking science, Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. While the book is a treasure trove of information, admittedly, it's a very dry read.

So, Cindy asked herself, "How can I combine both solid recipes and provide enough information to help people understand the science behind what's going on?"

She was determined to prove success in baking is built on a solid foundation...not a fluke. Tapping into an analytical approach, combined with years of teaching, the result is her latest book, the Art and Soul of Baking.

It hits the mark on every level.

In fact, she gives a lot of credit to Sur La Table, who was the impetus behind the project. They were very "hands off" in the creation of this book. None of the directions were cropped or modified to save space. And they gave her the time necessary to create a book of substance. Two years to write it, one year for editing means this book is much more than just a collection of recipes.

Baker's Dozen alum, Alice Medrich, wrote the forward and she highlights two key points: the chart for Baking Pan Volumes (What's the difference between a 9 x 1" Pyrex pie pan and a 9 x 1 1/2" Emily Henry fluted pie pan? It's here.) And a handy chart that converts measuring cups and spoons into exact weights. Alice notes, "The book's two essential double-page charts should be photocopied and hung inside a cupboard door for easy reference." Taking a cue from Alice, mine are laminated and stuck to the side of the refrigerator...and I refer to them, regularly.

The Art & Soul of Baking is packed with relevant information designed to bring success into the kitchen. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned baker, I found her discussion on the Eight Main Ingredients invaluable. And the photos for bread dough detailing the different stages: underrisen, perfectly risen, and overrisen doughs provides the visual cues necessary when conquering the land of yeast. Tips in the margins, "What the Pros Know" layers the knowledge base, providing multiple "ah-ha!" moments.

I consider myself a fairly accomplished baker and I've got dozens of books on the subject. Frankly, this is the book I have been looking for. Cindy is a perfect guide -- explaining not just how, but why. Surely I'd be a better baker today if I'd had this book sooner.

The good news is, there's still plenty for me to learn. And with Cindy as my guide, next up...conquering my fear of yeast!

***

Now, if you're a serious baker, no trip to Seattle would be complete without a stop at Bakery Nouveau. The owner, William Lehman, has a stable full of accolades, but most notably, he was the Captain of the Bread Bakers Guild, Team USA in 2005. Teams from around the world competed at the prestigious event and William's team took home the gold. (You can still catch footage of the competition on Food Network re-runs.)

After lunch, Cindy and I made a beeline to Bakery Nouveau.

This is what Cindy called "research":

One of my favorite things about dining with chefs, is watching the way they eat. I'm fascinated by how they truly tune into what they're eating. Look, smell, touch come into play and mentally, each dish is deconstructed before the first bite. Cindy was impressed with the crumb on William's baguettes and took note of features in the crust.

This caramel and custard beauty is one of my favorites. Cindy's book tour escort joined us and just before we tackled this dish, Cindy took a moment to explain how the caramel coating was brought to a dark amber, creating an intense caramel flavor that is actually balanced by bitter notes from the depth of the caramelization process.

As you can see, this is a visually stunning dessert and I love the gold leaf detail. This dessert is called the Phoenix. It's three layers of mousse (chocolate, pear and caramel) on a bed of candied pecans, bathed in a caramel glaze.

Pause for a swoon. This is my absolute favorite dessert at Bakery Nouveau: a crispy thin praline base with a uber creamy chocolate-hazelnut mousse, topped with milk chocolate shavings. Prailine Dream, indeed.

Finally, I just have to share this photo. When we first sat down, this was Cindy's initial reaction!

http://seattletallpoppy.blogspot.com/2008/10/interview-with-cindy-mushet-on-art-soul.html

Dilbert 2.0 on Entrepreneur

2008-10-29T16:10:00.005-05:00

Dilbert Turns 20 (Almost)

By: Mike Werling | October 28, 2008 1:44 PM

Happy Birthday, Dilbert. Put 20 candles on the cake and sing a refrain of the world's most sung song to the character who feels the angst of every cubicle-bound employee and represents the dashed hopes of so many dreamers. (How he would blow out the candles is beyond me. Dude's got no mouth.)

The ubiquitous workplace presence, creation of multiple-low-paying-job-holder and current entrepreneur Scott Adams, has said and done many of the things workers around the world only wish they could say and do. And for most of that time he's been trapped in the same cubicle.

To mark the occasion of Dilbert's 20th--he doesn't look a day over however old he was when the strip began--United Features Syndicate Inc. and Andrews McMeel Publishing have created a hefty collection of Adams' ode to workers everywhere--though oddly enough Dilbert didn't start out as a workplace comic.

At 576 pages, "Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert" doesn't include every Dilbert comic, but what it lacks in completeness it more than makes up for in weight. The DVD included with the book, however, does contain every comic from Dilbert's April 16, 1989, debut through April 2008.

Adams makes the book a compelling read by sprinkling his comments throughout. He points out the first appearance of this or that character; he riffs on his lack of drawing prowess; he highlights a joke that fell flat; he explains how using a sentence from a memo at his real job in one of his early strips earned him worse and worse assignments at work--and how his comic strips got funnier as a result.

One of my favorites, about a March 30, 2006, strip: "This was the first successful use of the word "crap" in a Dilbert comic. It was a long, hard struggle, and perhaps not the worthiest goal, but success feels good no matter where you find it."

Adams himself has moved from worker drone to the role of entrepreneur. He owns two restaurants, one of which he actively manages. I wonder if he has become the pointy-haired boss in any of his employees' eyes.

After 20 years, one might think he'd be out of ideas for the strip, but as long as there are meetings, coworkers, consultants (and consulting fees), bosses, technology, accounting departments, office policies, new guys and human resources, Adams will have material.

http://blog.entrepreneur.com/2008/10/post.php

Scott Adams Interview on The New Yorker

2008-10-29T16:05:00.003-05:00

October 29, 2008

An Interview with the “Dilbert” Cartoonist Scott Adams

Scott Adams is the genius behind the comic strip “Dilbert,” and behind every genius is a stalker, lurking in a crawl space. I like to think that each of our readers is like that stalker: hungry, semi-naked, and scratching at an itch that doesn’t exist. I’m almost choked up now.

And now, the man, the legend, Scott Adams:

Cartoon Lounge: Scott, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. I’ve already buried your fee of fifty gold doubloons in your back yard, as per your instructions. You have a very beautiful garden.

Scott Adams: (Nods, lips sealed tightly.)

C.L.: How does it make you feel that “Office Space,” “The Office,” the American version of “The Office,” the German version of “The Office,” and the animated television show “Dilbert” all stole your idea?

S.A.: I would feel bad if I hadn’t stolen the idea of a loser with a talking dog from Charles Schulz. My contribution to the creative process was realizing Dilbert would starve if he didn’t have a job.

C.L.: When you first started drawing “Dilbert,” were people in your office mad? Was your boss like, “Wait a second…I have pointy hair…”?

S.A.: I had several different bosses during the early years of “Dilbert.” They were all pretty sure I was mocking someone else.

C.L.: Do you own a dogbert?

S.A.: I recently got a toy Australian Shepherd. I’m teaching her to walk on two legs (really) because I think it’s funny. Not all the time, but at least when company comes over. If I can get her to wear glasses, that’s pure comedy gold.

C.L.: A rat?

S.A.: I’m sure there is a rat around here someplace.

C.L.: Dinosaur?

S.A.: Hard to say. They are notoriously good at hiding.

C.L.: How did you first get published, and when did you become syndicated?

S.A.: For the full story, see my new twentieth anniversary book, “Dilbert 2.0.” (Smooth, eh?) The short version is that I bought a book on how to become a cartoonist and followed the directions on submitting work to the big comic-syndication outfits. I was rejected by all of them but United Media. Before that, my only attempt at commercial cartooning had been some submissions to magazines such as The New Yorker and Playboy, all rejected. (Actually, the comics rejected by the The New Yorker and Playboy are in “Dilbert 2.0.”)

C.L.: Do you generally come up with a bunch of strips for the week in one sitting, or spread it out over the week?

S.A.: For most of my career I did one comic a day, every day, including weekends and holidays. After I got married a few years ago, I have been doing two dailies per day on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and one Sunday comic on Wednesdays. That gets me ahead for vacations, and leaves weekends mostly open.

C.L.: How far in advance do you have to have a strip in?

S.A.: I think it’s about five weeks for daily comics and nine weeks for Sundays.

C.L.: You lost the ability to draw. How did this happen, what was it like for you, and how did you overcome it?

S.A.: It was tough. I burned out my drawing hand by using it too much. The common word for it is writer’s cramp. The fancy words for it are focal dystonia. The symptom in my case was a pinky finger that went spastic when I tried to draw.

I first got symptoms over ten years ago, and drew some strips left-handed while working through it. Over time, I retrained the hand by a gradual process of getting closer and closer to the motion of drawing without actually drawing, until my brain somehow allowed it. (The problem is in the brain. That can be proven by the fact that my right hand would spasm when I drew with my left hand.) Anyway, I was probably the first person who ever overcame that particular problem.

About ten years later, I overused the hand again, and the problem returned. This time I ditched paper and pen and started using the Wacom Cintiq 21 ux, which allows me to draw directly to the computer screen. Although the motion is the same as drawing on paper, my brain doesn’t recognize it as such, and I have no problems whatsoever. Now the dystonia has gone away again, but would pop up if I started overusing the hand and drawing on paper again. But that won’t happen. The computer cuts my production time in half. I love it.

C.L.: You lost the ability to speak. How did this happen, what was it like for you, and how did you overcome it?

S.A.: These dystonia problems often travel in pairs. After a bout of a routine respiratory virus, plus allergies, I got a normal case of laryngitis that never went away. It morphed (again from overuse and straining the voice muscles) into something called spasmodic dysphonia. The vocal cords would clench shut when I tried to speak, making it difficult for anyone to understand a word I said. I was essentially unable to speak for over three years. The condition is incurable, or so the literature says.

This summer, I had surgery at U.C.L.A. to rewire the nerves in my neck and cure this incurable condition. My surgeon, Dr. Berke, pioneered this technique. Apparently it worked, because for the past two weeks I have been able to speak. (It takes several months for the nerves to regenerate.) I can’t shout yet, but the prognosis is good. In casual conversation my voice sounds about normal, and will keep improving.

C.L.: Incredible. I have had a turtle for four long, dark years, and I have not been able to teach him word one.

S.A.: I think I bought some wax from him.

C.L.: I read…somewhere…that you once put on a fake wig and mustache and pretended to be a management consultant for Logitech. First of all, that is awesome. Second, is it true? Third, was this just for the sake of art (i.e. tax deductible)?

S.A.: It is true. I did it for fun, and for publicity for a book.

C.L.: Now that you work from home, do you have to take vacations where you spend a month in an office so you can get material for “Dilbert”?

S.A.: I have an endless stream of suggestions coming in from readers who are in cubicles. That keeps me going.

C.L.: Who were your favorite cartoonists/comics growing up?

S.A.: Charles Schulz, all the cartoonists for Mad, and Al Capp.

C.L.: Who are your favorites now?

S.A.: “Pearls Before Swine,” “Basic Instructions,” “F Minus,” and anything by Roz Chast.

C.L.: What makes you angry?

S.A.: I get angry in retail stores that have vague rules about where the line forms.

C.L.: As the owner of a small sandwich shop in New York City, I am always interested to find out about the operations of other cartoonists who run food empires. How did you decide to start Scott Adams Food, Inc., and when can we expect to see the Dilberito in stores again?

S.A.: I started a food company after realizing it was impossible to get all the vitamins and minerals you need from a well-balanced diet. Do the math yourself. You can eat veggies all day long and never get close to the recommended minimums. So I thought I could make the world a better place by selling a fortified food that was inexpensive and tasty and convenient. As it turns out, the world wasn’t interested in being healthy, so I got out of that business eventually.

C.L.: Back to the new book, “Dilbert 2.0.”—What is included?

S.A.: It’s a big, beautiful, ten-pound coffee-table book with a few thousand of my favorite comics, including the ones too naughty to get published in newspapers. It also has stories about the trouble I got into for strips that did get published. I tell the story of how I went from cubicle to cartooning, which required lots of luck and the kindness of strangers. We also include a disc that has every “Dilbert” comic published in newspapers from 1989 until we went to production.

C.L.: There is a huge economic crisis in the world, people are losing their homes, their jobs, their retirements. Can you show us what would happen if Dilbert became a werewolf who was always dancing?

S.A.: Finally, a question no one has ever asked!

C.L.: We are doing nonstop election coverage this month. Any thoughts on whether there will be an election?

S.A.: There will be an election, followed by rioting, the complete unraveling of society, and, I assume, a zombie problem. And everyone will agree it’s an improvement.

C.L.: Thanks again, Scott.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/cartoonlounge/2008/10/scott-adams-dilbert.html

Scott Adams Interview on Motley Fool

2008-10-28T15:48:00.004-05:00

9 Things You Should Do Instead of Buying Stocks

By Tim Beyers and Austin Edwards

October 23, 2008

Most know Scott Adams only as the creator of Dilbert. But after a recent meeting with him at his Silicon Valley office, we think we know him a lot better than that.

We watched him draw Dilbert on a touch-sensitive PC that we're still salivating over. We got a closer look at one of the two local eateries that he owns. We heard first-hand about his new book, Dilbert 2.0. It was an engaging and entertaining conversation -- right up to the moment one of us mentioned stocks.

Whoops.

Here's what really caught our attention
Adams' passion for personal finance is matched only by his utter disdain for stocks. That's right, this keen observer of business and management trends believes that most people, himself included, cannot beat the market buying individual stocks -- especially when the companies behind those stocks are run by drunk chimpanzees.

Rachel Hale/Baby Love on Good Morning America

2008-10-28T15:35:00.004-05:00

Watch the piece that was shown on Good Morning America featuring award-winning photographer Rachael Hale and her stunning new book Baby Love:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/story?id=6090990

About Baby Love:

Offering over 100 brilliant four-color portraits accompanied by poetic verses, historic data, and surprising facts, readers can learn where birthdays began and how they are celebrated in different countries. Baby Love: An Affectionate Miscellany also includes an indispensable baby names list for fickle moms and dads-to-be. This beautiful book makes the perfect gift for anyone expecting an addition to their family.

Cul de Sac Reviewed by A.V. Club

2008-10-27T16:11:00.002-05:00

Reclusive cartoonist Bill Watterson wrote the foreword for the first collection of Richard Thompson's Cul De Sac (Andrews McMeel), and that's apt, because Thompson's strip is the best thing to happen to the daily comics page since Watterson retired Calvin & Hobbes. After spending a couple of years developing Cul De Sac as a weekly in The Washington Post, Thompson launched the strip as a syndicated daily last September. The comic follows the adventures of the suburban Otterloop family, and in particular Alice, a perpetually wired preschooler who spends her days bossing around her classmates, her afternoons trying to comprehend her finicky older brother Petey, and her evenings befuddling her well-meaning parents. Though sassy-kid strips aren't exactly a rarity, Thompson has a knack for heightening the mundane details of post-toddler suburban life—chirpy teachers, eccentric children's-book authors, enormous fast-food-restaurant play structures, and so on—until they rise to the level of absurdity. The first Cul De Sac book contains the original weeklies and the first few months of dailies, though the strip doesn't really find its rhythm until the dailies start. It doesn't take long for Thompson to figure out how to work in gags about the pile of snow (known as "Old Mount Soot") that rises in the grocery-store parking lot every year, and how in school, "neatness plus creativity equals art." Once Thompson gets into a groove, he produces one of the few strips around where nearly every individual panel is standalone delight… A-

http://www.avclub.com/content/node/89005

Rachael Hale, Baby Love Television Appearances

2008-10-22T21:58:00.002-05:00

Good Morning America and Access Hollywood
will be airing their Rachael Hale segments on their shows on October 23rd.

Good Morning America will air the piece in their 7:00 am hour (Central Time), probably between 7:30-8:00 am.

Focusing on ‘real' images that any mother, father, or grandparent can appreciate, Hale manages to photograph more than just expression. Whether splashing in a bubble bath or napping atop a fuzzy teddy bear, Hale captures the inner soul of each little one.

Offering over 100 brilliant four-color portraits accompanied by poetic verses, historic data, and surprising facts, readers can learn where birthdays began and how they are celebrated in different countries. Baby Love: An Affectionate Miscellany also includes an indispensable baby names list for fickle moms and dads-to-be. This beautiful book makes the perfect gift for anyone expecting an addition to their family.

Baby Love Featured in People Magazine

2008-10-22T21:50:00.006-05:00

Baby Love by Rachael Hale is featured in the November 3, 2008 issue of People Magazine.

It has been said that sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart. Nothing tugs at our heartstrings more than the wide (and often toothless) smile of a baby. Award-winning photographer Rachael Hale focuses her lens on her newest subjects creating a sweet and adorable collection entitled, Baby Love: An Affectionate Miscellany

Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park Dedicated; Oprah Winfrey Attends

2008-10-21T15:34:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, October 18, the mayor of Rockville, MD dedicated Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park, where kids and adults can play and listen to tapes of Mattie’s messages.

Oprah Winfrey surprised Jeni Stepanik at the park’s dedication.

It was featured on Good Morning America:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=6069915&page=2

Mattie J.T. Stepanek books from Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC:
Just Peace: A Message of Hope
Reflections of a Peacemaker: A Portrait in Poetry

The Art and Soul of Baking Review by Baking Bites

2008-10-16T21:11:00.002-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking

Filed under Magazines & Cookbooks by Nicole

The Art and Soul of Baking is a new book from Sur La Table’s relatively young cookbook line. Things Cooks Love was published earlier this year and another book, Knives Cooks Love, is due out at the end of this month. The store is known for its top quality kitchenware, so it’s no surprise to see them putting it to good use in a book like this one.

The Art and Soul of Baking a huge compendium of all things baked. The book has nearly 300 recipes in its 464 pages, as well as tons of information about kitchen equipment and ingredients. The introduction to the book is broken up into two parts and is the main reference section. The Baker’s Kitchen chapter is primarily dedicated to describing the use and purpose of various pieces of baking-related kitchen equipment, and also gives weight and volume conversion tables. The Baker’s Pantry chapter is dedicated to ingredients, describing how things are made, what the flavors are like and how to use them.

The recipes are broken down into chapters by type, and are all well-written. At the beginning of each chapter there is a little primer on how to be as successful as possible with your cakes, breads, souffles, etc. The instructions are descriptive and there are plenty of tips given in the sidebars to help make the process as easy as possible. The book also makes note of possible variations on each recipe. There are plenty of full-page photographs in the book, and while they are excellent shots, not every recipe is covered. Overall, it’s a nice book that will give the reader plenty of recipe options and some great reference material, the sheer size of the book is a little intimidating, even though the clear writing and friendly tone will keep a reader engaged once he or she starts to flip through the pages. The book’s author, Cindy Mushet, has a blog set up that is a great way to get a preview of the book.

Rachael Hale to be on Good Morning America

2008-10-15T18:14:00.004-05:00

Good Morning America is to air a piece with featuring Rachael Hale and Baby Love.

Rachael Hale's luminous four-color photography captures the essence of babies napping, laughing, and mugging for the camera. Whether the babies are splashing happily in the bath, dozing on the sofa, or gazing at the camera with wide-eyed rapture, Hale's images focus on the infants themselves, and her lens captures the inner soul, humanity, and character of each little one.

Baby Love combines more than 100 expressive baby portraits with a mixture of poetry and verse, along with surprising facts and historical details that celebrate all things baby. Readers will learn where birthdays originated and how different countries around the globe celebrate the annual milestone, as well as additional baby-inspired facts and trivia. Also included are lists of the top boy and girl names to help inspire moms- and dads-to-be.

Hale has been designated as a Master of Photography at the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography Awards and received her fellowship—the highest accolade a New Zealand photographer can achieve—in 2000.

Organic Marin Review on The Food Paper

2008-10-07T13:46:00.002-05:00

Organic Marin

Recipes From Land to Table
by Tim Porter and Farina Wong Kingsley

Just north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, sits an Eden of organic farming known as Marin County. With organic roots reaching back more than 30 years that are grounded in the post-sixties values of clean living, community, and collective effort, Marin is considered the birthplace of the organic farming movement. Its close proximity to food-oriented San Francisco and preponderance of eco-literate residents have made Marin a modern utopia of local consumption and environmental sustainability, as well as a model for the nation. Organic Marin illustrates the journey of local crops and pasture-raised animals from the soil to the tables of the Bay Area's finest organic restaurants. In the process, it profiles sixteen of the region's most esteemed organic farms and features 50 recipes contributed by dining establishments which incorporate Marin's locally produced ingredients.

Appropriately, the recipes are organized by season and guided by nature's bounty. Spring brings recipes like MarketBar San Francisco's fava bean bruschetta, which incorporates Marin Star Route Farm's young, tender fava beans. Summer stone fruit stars in grilled pork tenderloin and nectarines with bacon vinaigrette, contributed by Picco in Larkspur. Hearty fall choices include butternut squash gratin from Greens Restaurant in San Francisco and orecchiette with sausage ragu and broccoli rabe from Piatti Ristorante and Bar in Mill Valley. Unique winter selections include Fork Restaurant in San Anselmo's carrot flan with peppercress and mustard vinaigrette, as well as braised short ribs with candied Meyer lemon gremolata from AVA restaurant in San Anselmo. Desserts range from the light spring panna cotta with fresh strawberries, contributed by San Francisco's Scott Howard, to the decadent winter double chocolate bread pudding, courtesy of Buckeye Roadhouse, Mill Valley. Though reading about these dishes may inspire you to hop a plane to the Bay Area for some food tourism, Organic Marin offers the promise of creating a slice of Eden in your own home kitchen.

http://www.thefoodpaper.com/cookbooks/organic_marin.html

Scott Adams: The Monday Interview with Publisher's Weekly

2008-10-06T18:15:00.001-05:00

The Monday Interview: Dilbert Creator Scott Adams

By Dick Donahue -- Publishers Weekly, 10/6/2008 7:25:00 AM

An interview with Dilbert creator Scott Adams, whose Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert, will be published this month by Andrews McMeel.

PW: Where did Dilbert (and, for that matter, Dogbert) come from? Did he/they just walk across your sketch pad one day?? Was he modeled on a real person?

SA: Dilbert’s look is based on a real person, who doesn’t know it. I worked with him but didn’t know him well. He just had an in-teresting potato-shaped body that was fun to draw. He started as a doodle at my day job at a bank. Dilbert’s lack of social skills is modeled on my own personality; his professional skills are a composite of engineers I have known. And Dogbert is partly based on a family dog who never once came when I called, and partly on my own evil side.

PW: What was it that made you realize—and when—that Dilbert had become an American icon?

SA: It was popular long before it became an icon. I started realizing it was an icon when “Dilbert” entered the language as slang for a cubicle worker, and “pointy-haired boss” became shorthand for bad management.

PW: How in general has Dilbert kept up with the changing times?

SA: Dilbert became popular during the downsizing of the ’90s, and job security was a major theme of the strip. When the Dotcom era arrived, Dilbert and the gang started getting cocky, just like real engineers. Lately the themes are more about external forces (outsourcing, mergers) and how they impact the employees. I just write about what’s happening and hope people like it. It isn’t more complicated than that.

PW: What is it about Dilbert that’s kept him in the public eye for nearly 20 years??

SA: I think Dilbert will remain popular as long as employees are frustrated and they fear the consequences of complaining too loudly. Dilbert is the designated voice of discontent for the workplace. I never planned it that way. It just happened.

PW: What might Dilbert say about the current financial crisis?

SA: I have some comics in the pipeline about bailouts and mergers. My focus is on the impact on employees as opposed to philoso-phy. Sometimes that looks like philosophy to readers.

PW: This mammoth Dilbert 2.0 you’ve just labored over: how did you decide what to include and what to leave out?? (And were those choices as tough as I think they were?!)

SA: Editing was tough. But it helped that all the comics would be included on the disc with the book. I picked the comics that made me laugh when I reread them, having forgotten most of them by the time I put the book together. And I also included all the ones that got me in trouble or stirred controversy, as well as ones that were too edgy for publication. (Those are my best work.)

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest in New York Times

2008-10-06T09:34:00.004-05:00

Bob Mankoff, The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest, and The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Book were featured in The New York Times

The Voice
The Editor of Laughs

By BROOKE HAUSER

Published: September 26, 2008

IF incongruity is the essence of humor, then Robert Mankoff, the cartoon editor of The New Yorker for the past 11 years, is a perfect study. At 64, with wavy silver hair and rectangular glasses, he has a professorial manner, but he is prone to go off on surprising tangents about everything from juggling (he keeps leather-covered balls in his office for when the mood strikes) to hair care products. “I need to go to mousse school,” he said one afternoon at his desk, trying to tamp down a few flyaway strands.

"Bantering and joking around and seeing things in a funny way, maybe a cynical way, even a skeptical way, is second nature for New Yorkers." — Robert Mankoff, cartoon editor of the New Yorker.

A self-proclaimed “undocumented” Ph.D. in psychology — he dropped out of a doctoral program at Queens College in the mid-’70s to become a cartoonist — Mr. Mankoff, who grew up in Flushing, Queens, is serious about humor. In 1991, he founded the Cartoon Bank, which eventually became a digital archive of New Yorker cartoons and cover art, and in 1999, along with David Remnick, his editor in chief, Mr. Mankoff inaugurated the magazine’s cartoon caption contest.

On Oct. 14, more than one million entries later, a hardcover volume titled “The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Book: The Winners, the Losers and Everybody in Between” will be published. Mr. Mankoff will also discuss the contest at the annual New Yorker Festival.

The whimsical, cerebral Mr. Mankoff still draws, and one of his cartoons — in which a businessman yells into a telephone: “No, Thursday’s out. How about never — is never good for you?” — is among the most popular in the magazine’s history. On a recent day in his office, surrounded by stacks of the sketches that cartoonists fax in for consideration every week, he shared some tricks of the trade.

The first caption contest was a moment of necessity. We needed a back page for the Cartoon Issue. I remember seeing caption contests in Punch magazine in the ’60s and ’70s. I didn’t invent the idea of a caption contest, but I suggested it. The idea for the contest in its present form is David’s. I think he was inspired by the crossword puzzle in The Sunday Times; you always know it’s there, and it’s standard.

I think what makes someone good at writing captions is the ability to be very free in their thinking. Humor is essentially a type of play. If you try to solve this like you would answer an SAT question, you will fail. Part of it has to be loosey-goosey. When you look at one of these things, you have to let your mind be free, let your unconscious or subconscious do the processing. You can’t go through enough possibilities.

People like to say: “What’s the funniest caption? What’s the funniest joke?” It’s like saying, “What’s the best-tasting food?” It doesn’t actually make much sense. People’s taste in humor differs. Some people like wordplay and puns; I don’t, particularly, because it seems to me those are the only types of jokes that eventually will be able to be done by computer. Of course, a great pun is something else. Some people like humor that is aggressive. No one’s really suffering because it’s only a cartoon, but something bad is happening to somebody — and it’s not us. Then there are other people who like absurdity.

In one of the caption contests, there are parrots on all the people’s shoulders in a boardroom. So you start to associate. Parrots repeat things — people will talk about parroting. Also, parrots poop on you, so there will be a lot of dry-cleaner jokes. The one that actually won, which combined both absurdity and aggression, was “Shut up, Bob, everyone knows your parrot’s a clip-on.” Imagine trying to explain that to someone who is not a native English speaker, who doesn’t know your culture. They’d say: “But I am confused! You are wearing a parrot — this is part of a fashion?” No, you somehow accept that absurdity.

A lot of studies show that people who like that kind of humor tend to like more adventurous things in art, more modern music, and they tend to be more liberal in their politics. Just more adventurous in general. Probably if you look at people’s patterns, not only what they submit but also what they vote on, you start to see a profile of someone’s sense of humor.

I think the society socializes men to be more forthcoming with humor from the start. Women usually mean by “a good sense of humor” someone who makes them laugh, and men mean someone who laughs at their jokes.

There are a lot of winners from both New York and California. We’re very well represented on both coasts. But we’ve had winners from an awful lot of states. Still, bantering and joking around and seeing things in a funny way, maybe a cynical way, even a skeptical way, is second nature for New Yorkers.

It’s funny. Maybe I’m going somewhere in a cab or giving a speech, and somehow it’ll come up that I am the cartoon editor of The New Yorker. People will come up and show me their caption and say, “Honestly, was my caption not better than the ones that won?” Every once in a while, they’ll come up and ask me to explain a caption.

I think there’s something interesting about people not understanding cartoons. I go to universities, and there are incredibly smart people who are totally flummoxed by the caption contest. It’s not easy. There’s no way that the usual things you do yield a result. You have to sort of dream it.

Solving the caption contest shows you conceivably what the future is — creating world peace, or solving global warming. When you have an interconnected community all thinking about the same thing, you can get pretty good results.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/nyregion/thecity/28mank.html?_r=2&ref=thecity&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed by Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

2008-09-24T11:40:00.001-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet is reviewed
by Apartment Therapy The Kitchn:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/video/interweb-cookery-how-to-become-a-pastry-genius-in-one-short-video-063575

The Art & Soul of Baking by pastry genius Cindy Mushet is October's Cookbook Club selection over at Gourmet.com. In conjunction with the book, they also offer up a short video on how to make individual bittersweet chocolate souffles. The clip is chock full of baking tips and very, very precise instructions.

In less than 10 minutes you will learn:
* when to whisk in the flour in a béchamel sauce; indeed, you will learn exactly how to make the entire béchamel sauce
* precisely what a soft peak looks like as compared with a stiff peak (hint: it has nothing to do with the peak)
* what it means to rain (rein?) in the sugar
* why you should completely coat the inside of the souffle dish with butter
* how to fold in (the perfectly peaked) egg whites

I'm a former pastry chef (long ago and far away) and still I learned a lot from this video.
If that's not enough for you, you can continue with another short clip with several great tips like how to soften brown sugar, test your baking powder and soda and keep your scones from burning on the bottom.

Secrets of the Red Lantern Pick of the Week by Publishers Weekly

2008-09-19T18:33:00.009-05:00

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart
by Pauline Nguyen
was the September 8 Web Pick of the Week
on publishersweekly.com:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6593450.html?q=red+lantern

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart
Pauline Nguyen, with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen.
Andrews McMeel, $40 (344p) ISBN 9780740777431

In this moving culinary account of her family’s immigration from their native Vietnam, restaurateur Nguyen of Sydney, Australia, begins: “In my family, food is our language…[when] we cannot speak the words “I am sorry”—we give this bittersweet soup instead.” Luckily, Nguyen is also skilled in written language; her moving, honest and painful story follows her family’s dramatic exodus from their war-ravaged homeland to the safety of Australia. There, Nguyen’s parents opened the restaurant that would give Pauline and her brother Luke the foundation for their current enterprise, The Red Lantern, one of Sydney’s most popular dining destinations. Worth the price alone is Nguyen’s masterful storytelling, including a warts-and-all look at her family and the immigrant experience. The book’s arc is entirely film-ready; indeed, color images of people, places and dishes are striking. And then there’s the recipes: more than 275 traditional Vietnamese dishes, all relatively simple to prepare (though some might require some tenacious shopping). Nguyen’s wide net catches classic comfort food like Pho Bo Tai Nam, the traditional beef noodle soup, and slow-cooked pork shoulder; fish dishes like Crispy-Skin Snapper with Ginger and Lime Fish Sauce; easy appetizers like Tom Nuong (Soy and Honey Grilled Shrimp); and exotic fare like Durian Ice Cream. Whether you buy it for the story, recipes or both, this is an essential volume for those interested in Vietnamese cooking and culture. (Sept.)

The Art & Soul of Baking Author Cindy Mushet Videos on Gourmet.com

2008-09-19T18:33:00.008-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking
author Cindy Mushet is on gourmet.com:

The stakes are simply higher when it comes to baking. A less-than-stellar soup or sauce can be saved at the last minute with an extra pinch of salt or some fresh herbs, but bad baked goods tend to be total disasters—a tough piecrust, a heavy cake, an unrisen yeast dough—and leave you with little to do but dump them into the trash and start again. So when a baking book in which the recipes perform as flawlessly as they do in The Art and Soul of Baking (Andrews McMeel Publishing; 454 pages; $40) comes out, we’re particularly impressed.

Lots of love and effort went into this book from the upscale kitchen store Sur La Table, which is no surprise considering its author is Chez Panisse alum and longtime California baking instructor Cindy Mushet. Her recipes, which strike just the right balance between novelty and simplicity, are each broken down into information-packed sections that are a boon to the home baker: An equipment sidebar tells you everything you’ll need up front; a “getting ahead” section enumerates which steps can be done in advance and mentions what freezes well. Ingredients are listed in traditional cup and tablespoon fashion, as well as in weight measures (for the serious baker); follow-up paragraphs offer recipe variations.

If there’s any weakness here, it’s perhaps too much emphasis on equipment: You don’t truly need a stand mixer for every recipe that calls for it, and when Mushet instructs you, in the blueberry clafoutis recipe, for example, to get out a baking sheet for the sole purpose of holding raw blueberries while you pick through them, she crosses the line into micromanagement. But even this criticism feels like hairsplitting, given such consistently wonderful recipes. A smart one for pumpkin walnut bread can be whipped up quickly using only pantry ingredients. A silky butterscotch pie is a taste of nostalgia that’s not too sweet, and a pizza crust comes together almost effortlessly. It’s the time of year when baking feels right again, and this is just the book to provide inspiration throughout the months ahead.

Selected recipes:

* Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés with Vanilla Custard Sauce
* Butterscotch Pie
* Graham Cracker Crumb Pie Crust
* Chocolate Chip Cookies
* Pumpkin Walnut Bread

http://www.gourmet.com/search/query?keyword=the+art+and+soul+of+baking&

The Art & Soul of Baking Stared Review in Library Journal

2008-09-19T16:26:00.003-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet
receives a starred review in the September 15 issue of Library Journal:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6593415.html?industryid=47112

Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet (text) & Maren Caruso (photogs.). The Art & Soul of Baking. Andrews McMeel. Oct. 2008. c.464p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-7407-7334-1. $40. COOKERY

Mushet, a talented pastry chef, cooking teacher, and author of the excellent Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style, presents the latest book from the Sur La Table team, following Things Cooks Love. Like Malgieri's book, it covers both sweet and savory baking, but it includes far more information. Two lengthy introductory chapters cover techniques, equipment, and ingredients, and dozens of sidebars on "Tips for Success" and "What the Pros Know" offer further helpful insider advice. Recipes range from basics such as Quick Puff Pastry and Classic Sugar Cookies to unusual and appealing treats like Malted Milk Chocolate Tart; most of them include make-ahead information, and many also have variations. There are striking color photographs throughout, as well as step-by-step technique photos. Mushet's style is engaging and never intimidating. Essential.

The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed by AP

2008-09-15T10:06:00.006-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet gets a glowing review in an Associated Press article by food editor J.M. Hirsh

+++

Crank up the oven, it's baking season
By J.M. HIRSCH
AP Food Editor

Cooler weather often is incentive enough to get people baking. But for those who need an extra push, the latest batch of baking cookbooks offers plenty of inspiration to get you in the mood. Here are the highlights:

_ "The Art & Soul of Baking" by Cindy Mushet and Sur la Table

If you buy just one new baking book this season, make it this one. Gorgeously illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, "The Art & Soul of Baking" covers everything from essential equipment (after all, Sur la Table is a kitchen supplies retailer) and pantry staples to chapters on savory breads, quick breads, tarts, pies, cookies and cakes, to name just a few.

The recipes are exceedingly detailed and include do-ahead tips, notes on equipment needed, advice on storing the finished treats and suggestions for variations. Reading this is a pleasant and enticing baking education.

Mushet's recipes for Rustic Olive and Thyme Bread and Nine-grain Whole-wheat Harvest Bread were easy to follow and produced delicious, attractive loaves.

Tom Flynn Author of Bikeman Appearances

2008-09-10T16:27:00.002-05:00

Tom Flynn, author of Bikeman: An Epic Poem, is scheduled to appear on The Early Show (CBS) tomorrow at 7:00 am (CST)

In addition, he is scheduled to appear on AirAmerica Radio with Ron Kuby tomorrow at 3:30 pm (CST)

Tom Flynn’s interview tomorrow on “Here & Now” will be featured on nearly 50 NPR affiliates throughout the U.S. A complete listing can be found at:

http://www.wbur.org/syndication/?program=Here-and-Now

Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. On CW 11 Morning News, WPIX, in New York

2008-09-10T16:24:00.003-05:00

MUTTS creator Patrick McDonnell, author of Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. will be featured on the CW 11 Morning News, WPIX, in New York.

The segment is schedule to air this Friday, September 12th, at 5:55 am and again at 8:20 am.

Tom Flynn Author of Bikeman: An Epic Poem To Appear on NPR and CBS News' Early Show

2008-09-08T13:23:00.006-05:00

Tom Flynn, author of Bikeman: An Epic Poem, will be featured on “Here & Now” on NPR’s Boston affiliate, WBUR, September 11.

His will also scheduled to appear on CBS News' The Early Show on September 11.

The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed in Booklit

2008-09-04T14:29:00.001-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet is reviewed in the September 1 issue of Booklist:

Despite the title’s appeal to emotional and aesthetic urges, this baking guide determinedly concentrates on the scientific knowledge that underpins everything that an accomplished baker produces. That focus radiates throughout the text of this totally accessible and eminently useful introduction to breads, pastries, pies, cookies, cakes, custards, and souffles. Mushet is determined to explain in detail the whys and wherefores of baking, recommending that even tyros learn to measure flour and similar ingredients by weight rather than volume. She provides comprehensive glossaries of baking equipment and components that intelligently address just about any question a novice might raise. In addition to listing ingredients, quantities, and techniques, each recipe inventories equipment necessary to execute the recipe successfully, making it unnecessary to search the full recipe to find out what pans and appliances to use. Mushet also provides informative sidebars that share professional bakers’ secrets. Very valuable for cookery reference collections.—Mark Knoblauch

The Art and Soul of Baking Gets Starred Review 0n Publishers Weekly Website

2008-09-03T13:36:00.006-05:00

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet has received a starred review on publishersweekly.com:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6589717.html

LIFESTYLE

The Art and Soul of Baking
Cindy Mushet. Andrews McMeel, $40 (464p)
ISBN 9780740773341

Veteran pastry chef Mushet puts her decades of experience to work in this dense, informative baking guide from Seattle-based gourmet cookware retailer Sur La Table...opening with a comprehensive overview of crucial equipment and a 30 page guide to pantry stocking (butter, flour and sugar get three pages each, chocolate gets five). Covering all aspects of the baking spectrum, Mushet gives yeast-based breads, quick breads, cookies and bars, layered pastries and other specialties their turn, doing admirable work with standards like pizza dough and dinner rolls, as well as trendier riffs like pesto rolls and rustic olive and thyme bread that give cooks room to stretch in each category. Mushet’s invaluable lessons in ensuring oven accuracy, incorporating butter into dough for layered pastries (with step-by-step photos) and the causes of falling soufflés will get novices up to speed, and experts ready to tackle Mushet’s compelling cheesecake batter-in-a-food-processor technique will find her inventive hors d’oeuvre Stilton Cheesecake with Port-Braised Pears a big hit at the next cocktail party. Those already comfortable with baking will get the most out of the book’s 250 recipes, but there are plenty of dishes well within the reach of those new to Crème Brulee and lemon bar construction, making this a great volume to learn and grow with. (Sept.)

Gourmet Singles Out AMP Cookbook

2008-09-02T09:53:00.002-05:00

Andrews McMeel Publishing is proud to announce that The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet has been chosen the October selection for the Gourmet Cookbook Club. Watch for that issue of Gourmet to hit newsstands and a feature to appear on gourmet.com in mid-September.

Gourmet started the Cookbook Club in an attempt to help its readers “cut through the clutter” of the 24,000 cookbooks published each year, according to Editor in-chief Ruth Reichl. The magazine's editors choose a book each month that offers “imaginative insight and delicious results.”

Reichl said she and her staff established the club in response to the overwhelming number of cookbooks published in the United States. “Tons of cookbooks come pouring in here all the time,” she told Publishers Weekly. “Every time we find one we really love we say, 'We ought to share this with other people.’” Reichl considered adding cookbook reviews to Gourmet but decided a book club would be more inclusive of readers and Gourmet's online community.

Books chosen for the new club, which launched in June, are marked with a Gourmet plate shaped seal to indicate they are official selections. In addition, at the book club's home page, gourmet.com/cookbookclub, visitors can find more recipes from the books and videos of the authors demonstrating recipes from their books.

The Grandmother Book A Book About You for Your Grandchild Featured in BabyTalk Magazine

2008-08-28T14:11:00.003-05:00

The Grandmother Book:
A Book About You for Your Grandchild

by Andy and Susan Hilford

is featured in the Editor’s Picks “stuff we love” section of
the September issue of babytalk magazine (circulation 2+ million):

“The Grandmother Book, a sassy scrapbook by Andy and Susan Hilford, is a gift Granny will love now and your baby will cherish later.”

Tagine marries fruit and veggies to wonderful end

2008-08-28T14:06:00.003-05:00

By Emily Nunn | Chicago Tribune reporter
August 27, 2008

Despite the enormous culinary strides Americans have made in the last 50 or 60 years some perfectly modern people still don't think fruit and vegetables should be allowed in the same dish. It's probably a habit left over from the TV-dinner generation: Fruit cocktail goes in a bowl on the side, fully segregated from the overcooked green beans.

But the truth is that many people love the combination, most eat it without even noticing it, and the lovely effect sweet and sour fruits have on savory vegetables is a classic that goes back thousands of years.

If ever there was an excuse to let fruit touch vegetables, the ancient Moroccan tagine (also the name of the beautiful conical cookware used to prepare it) is surely one of the best. This 21st Century version from "Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes," by Marie Simmons, is a sumptuous stew of chicken, prunes, tomatoes, onion, honey and earthy spices.

Chicken tagine with prunes and tomatoes
(followed by recipe)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-chicken-tagine-27aug27,0,7526556.story

Organic Marin: Recipes From Land To Table Now Available

2008-07-25T15:30:00.003-05:00

Rooted in the fertile fields of Marin County, CA, the cradle of the organic food movement, is a belief that food fosters community. With beautiful photography and delicious recipes using seasonal ingredients, Organic Marin: Recipes from Land to Table (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.99, August 2008) tells the story of that connection between farmer and family, between land and table, between food and community. Organic Marin, by Tim Porter and Farina Wong Kingsley, is now available for purchase at andrewsmcmeel.com.

Learn more about the history and the future of the nation’s organic-farming standard bearer in Organic Marin. Also inside, 16 of America’s most esteemed organic farmers share their stories; 50 mouthwatering recipes, contributed by the Bay Area’s most popular organic restaurants, are organized by season and include Heirloom Tomato Flat Bread, Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Nectarines with Bacon Vinaigrette, and Apple-Brandy Crisp; and co-author Tim Porter shares his breathtaking photos of finished dishes and Marin’s incomparable scenery.

Dig into Organic Marin, and soon you’ll feel the warmth of rich black soil between your fingers, the taste of tender beef and juicy strawberries on your tongue. And like Marin’s growers, you’ll celebrate the belief that feeding good food to a community will make the world a better place.

About the authors

Tim Porter is a photographer and a writer with an extensive background in newspaper and magazine journalism, with work appearing in The New York Times, San Francisco Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the American Journalism Review. Tim, an editor-at-large for Marin Magazine, is a former assistant managing editor for the San Francisco Examiner and the co-author of News, Improved: How America’s Newspapers Are Learning to Change. He lives in Corte Madera, CA, and Oaxaca, Mexico. timporter.com

Farina Wong Kingsley is a culinary instructor at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco and a consulting chef for San Francisco’s Center for Culinary Development. She has written and contributed to numerous cookbooks, including The Essentials of Asian Cooking, The Aqua Restaurant Cookbook, and Food Made Fast: Asian. She lives in Tiburon, CA.

Slurp: Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night Featured in Magazines

2008-07-25T12:17:00.003-05:00

Recipes and images from Slurp: Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night are featured in a two-page spread in the fall/winter issue of The Knot magazine.

In addition, the July/August issue of Cookbook Digest includes a recipe from Slurp.

Whether your tastes run to carrot and ginger juice, Captain Nemos, or blueberry and mint coolers, Slurp: Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $16.99) offers the best quenchers around and delicious dishes to eat with them.

This splashy book by Nina Dreyer Hensley, Jim Hensley, and Paul Løwe includes more than 100 recipes for drinks and food presented by the time of day they would best be served. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks are included, along with recipes for tasty appetizer pairings and tips on entertaining. And, last but not least, hangover remedies provide help for the day after.

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. Featured in The Oregonian

2008-07-10T09:33:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, July 08, 2008
DANIELLE CENTONI
The Oregonian Staff

If it's the little things that make life worth living, then saucy, cheesy casseroles should be at the top of the list. There's something about the merging of melted cheese, thick sauce and belly-filling starch that feeds the soul.

Although lasagna and other baked pastas tend to hog all the attention, this delicious Mexican casserole will likely end up making frequent appearances in your casserole lineup. Made with a tomato sauce spiked with canned chipotle chiles en adobo, and layered with roasted poblano peppers, fried strips of corn tortillas and two kinds of Mexican cheese, it has all the ooey-gooey goodness of a good lasagna, but with vibrant flavors that bring a welcome change of pace.

The recipe comes from "Things Cooks Love" (Andrews McMeel, $35, 352 pages), a new cookbook by veteran author Marie Simmons and Sur La Table, the chain of cookware shops. Packed with recipes designed to use specific cookware and gadgets, you might think the book is just a smart marketing ploy by a savvy company, but a trip through the pages assured us it's a great book in its own right. The enticing recipes travel the globe and are organized by cuisine and equipment. But even if you don't have, say, a Moroccan tagine pot, Simmons gives you plenty of alternatives.

In this case, we didn't have a tortilla press, or the time, to make tortillas. And if we did, we'd probably eat them all right away and wouldn't have any day-old leftovers for this recipe. But no worries, we used store-bought corn tortillas and it still turned out great.

Pearls Before Swine Creator Interviewed By Ingram Library Services Readers Advisory

2008-07-01T14:34:00.004-05:00

Pearls Before Swine Creator Stephan Pastis was recently interviewed by the Ingram Library Services Readers Advisory web site.

April 2008--Volume VI, Issue 4

Genre Chicks

I had the hardest time trying to find a conference room in which to interview Stephan--it's what I get for scheduling an interview on Monday morning. I finally found an empty closet with a phone jack in which to make my call. And I'm very glad I did; Stephan is just as cool as you'd imagine him to be. We talked about everything from Greek mafia hits to Garrison Keillor to Bucky Katt to Stanley Kubrick, and we decided exactly who Spartacus was.

And then I remembered to press record.

Warning: A few crocodiles were harmed during the recording of this interview. But it's okay, because we un-died them afterwards.

Pearls Before Swine Treasuries:
The Crass Menagerie
Lions & Tigers & Crocs, Oh My!
Sergeant Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club

Alethea Kontis: What's the first thing that pops up when you press "play" on your iPod?

Stephan Pastis: It's the Bob Dylan album Time Out of Mind. But if you go by which artist is the most played, it's probably U2.

AK: You've mentioned a passion for Hemingway in other interviews you've done--what are some of your other favorite contemporary authors?

SP: Historians like Robert Caro, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough…when I do find an author, I tend to pick up absolutely everything he or she has written and immerse myself in the author’s work. I just did that with Stanley Kubrick, actually--I watched something like 13 Stanley Kubrick films back to back.

This year, my goals are to read up on Roman history, Mayan history, Thomas Wolfe, William Faulkner, and I want to cover architecture. I know nothing about architecture.

AK: Is there a reason you don't have characters named "Dog" and "Cat," or did you make some sort of secret pact with Darby Conley?

SP: Dogs and cats are two animals that have been historically too covered on the comics page, so I have to sort of watch that. That said, I do have a new character who is a dog on a leash that I'm really warming up to, and in the next few months there will be a cat who is a very interesting character.

AK: When you sit down to write your strips, do you find that art imitates life, or that life imitates art?

SP: I do the strip in such a way that it's not a one-to-one relationship. I don't see something and it goes into the strip; I sort of let the subconscious run free and what comes out comes out. You know that zone you get in when you're in the car on a six-hour drive, and suddenly you wonder where the last four hours went? That's the zone I'm usually in when I'm writing. I make up these scenarios and put them down. Afterwards, things tend to happen in real life that seem to reflect that. And since I write the strip about eight months in advance, by the time it runs everybody thinks that I wrote it after the event…when it's usually the other way around.

AK: Do you still have the cartoons you drew as a kid?

SP: I do. For some reason, most of those cartoons were based on television commercials. There's one in particular I remember about the Fruit of the Loom dying in the hamper.

AK: Does picture book star Danny Donkey have a publisher yet?

SP: That would be great, wouldn't it? People have asked me about that one, and if there would be an Angry Bob book. They couldn't be by me, of course--they would have to be by Rat. Maybe I'll compile "Rat's Complete Writings" someday.

AK: How many times has Crocodile Bob died?

SP: Well, Angry Bob has died 19 times. I know that because there are nineteen strips--they are all numbered. I call them "Author One" and "Author Two.” I think the last one is "Author Nineteen." The Crocs, oh boy, that's a harder question. I don't track them and I should. There have probably been about 50 to 60 croc deaths. They've died an awful lot. I know Larry died a few times, too. I just conveniently keep going. I don't even bother to un-die them. I make no pretense about having any sort of continuity in my strip.

AK: Now, Larry, he's the one with the wife, right?

SP: There's definitely a family--I have to ask my son this sometimes because I forget their names--but I think his wife's name is Patty and his son's name is Junior. Where they live I don't really know…somehow they're next door to Zebra, and the Fraternity of Crocs is next to Zebra and I don't think they're in the same house. The Lions are on the other side of Zebra, and now he has Hyenas, so the whole thing's all mixed up.

AK: Zebra really does live in a bad neighborhood, doesn't he? Croc Speak is the best, though…the favorite phrase going around here is: "You shut mouf, woomun!"

SP: (laughs) That's a popular line. I used to hear "Hullo, zeeba neighba," but now I hear "You shut mouf," or "Peese shut mouf." I like when they say "Peese."

AK: Since I'm recording this, could *you* please say something in Crocodile Speak?

SP: See, I don't talk like other people hear it. When I do it, I always ruin it for other people. I say, "Hullo, zeeba neighba. Leesen…" and hear something like Russian, but I know that's not how other people hear it and I end up spoiling it for everybody.

AK: You've never accidentally said, "You shut mouf, woomun!" to your wife, have you?

SP: Oh, wow. Wouldn't that be something? I don't think she would be my wife anymore. I do talk Croc to my kids…it's probably pretty annoying for them. I don't think they listen to me.

AK: Is there a reason you chose crocodiles over alligators? Do they live in the Southern Hemisphere?

SP: That's a good question. Why didn't I make them alligators? I know crocodiles are bigger, so they're theoretically more menacing…which makes these guys all the more lame.

"Croc" is just a good sound. A lot of it is based on sound. It's all rhythm. If you've ever watched a stand-up comic--especially the old guys who were really good at it--if they were going along and it came close to the punch line and they said the wrong word and then restated it, the joke was ruined. If it's just a joke, the word doesn't matter, but it has the same effect as a pianist hitting the wrong note. You cannot recapture the song. Once you have people in your rhythm, they will find stuff funny even if it isn't necessarily so.

Sometimes people will ask me to put their name in the strip, but the real reason I don't is because usually rhythmically it doesn't fit. "Bob" is such a great word. It's short, it's funny, it's a stupid verb, it's a whole bunch of things. Anything that's palindromic or repeated syllables: Fifi, Gigi…those are funny. I don't know why.

AK: Do you have a lot of storytellers in your family? (Being Greek I can't imagine you don't…)

SP: Oh yeah, there are relatives who definitely like to tell stories. No writers, though; I don't know where I came from. Milkman, maybe.

AK: With all the morbid humor, do you have an undertaker in the family?

SP: Wait let me think about that a sec…no. But you know, coming from a huge family you go to tons of funerals. I've been a pall bearer maybe 10 times. And when I'm bored waiting in the wings I talk to the undertakers. They are really creepy. I remember one who took great pride in how well he applied makeup. That scared the $%#* out of me. That's just wrong.

AK: How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to write comic strips?

SP: They weren't worried because I had the law thing going--I had done school and grad school and had the degree. It was a side thing I did once I already had done everything. If I had said it to them when I was a junior in high school, I think it probably would have worried my mom, at least. But because of the way I did it, what's the worst that could happen? I could just go back to being a lawyer.

AK: In some way, shape, or form, do any of your characters reflect anyone in real life?

SP: Ummm…er…ew…yes. Rat is clearly me. He's the most natural voice for me by far. If I had my way, I would do only Rat strips. You would not want to spend a whole weekend with me. I would annoy you. Pig is me, but he's also [my wife] Staci to some extent, like the interplay I see sometimes reflects our conversations. Goat is definitely me: smarter, quieter, wants to stay away from everybody. The Zebra and Crocs are nobody. The Duck is me insofar as I hate my neighbors.

If the characters are going to be believable, they all have to be you. Sparky told me that once. I didn't really understand what he meant then, but now I do. Otherwise, you don't have a real good grasp on them. Really, you don't know anyone like you do yourself.

I cannot write from the female perspective; I can't do it convincingly. They turn out very one-dimensional. I admire writers that can switch genders. It's an amazing thing. I'm hoping my relationship with my daughter changes that. I think she changes how I interact with females. I think she's changed me, so I think she might be reflected eventually in a character.

AK: Good for her! So…what is the meanest thing Rat has ever done?

SP: Tearing Cathy's head off and sticking it in a closet and declaring that her strip had become funnier since she could no longer speak. If I could take something back, it would be that, because I now know her and I feel extra bad.

AK: Do you ever "okay it" before you do a parody of another strip?

SP: I do now, only because I know almost everyone. Bil Keane is actually writing the intro to my next book.

AK: Do you feel impeded by today's political correctness?

SP: Oh yeah. Other than Hi and Lois, there's not a single cartoonist who won't tell you that. It impedes you like crazy. If not for that, I would say "sucks" and "screwed" all the time. I could have references to sex or drugs. It's like playing a piano and they only give you the black keys. I want to have South Park or Family Guy's rules. I got to go to the Family Guy studio one time, and I was looking through the storyboards. Every joke I saw I thought: "This would end my career, this would end my career, THIS would end my career…"

AK: Perhaps when you retire you can go out with a bang. Why is it that comic strip writers (Gary Larson, Bill Watterson) tend to suddenly retire?

SP: My theory on that is that it's akin to novel writing. There is a natural length a novel should be. There's a reason you don't see 4,000-page novels. There's a natural arc that even the best writers have to close up at some point. It's about the 15-year mark. Peanuts and Doonesbury went a little beyond that, but by and large there seems to be something magical about the 15-year mark. The secret is to really expand your set of characters, which is something both Sparky and Trudeau did.

http://www.ingramlibrary.com/MRKNG/FD/0408/ra/Genre.html

By George Author Interview on YouTube

2008-07-01T14:27:00.005-05:00

By George: Mr. Washington's Guide to Civility Today Author Steven Selzer has been featured in a video on popular website YouTube.com

Steven Selzer has been in private law practice in Montgomery County, Maryland, for 25 years. He has campaigned to increase civil behavior in the legal profession and is a staunch advocate of civility. He is a graduate of George Washington University, both as an undergrad and as a law student. He is also the author of Life's Little Relaxation Book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6QfcvPGoWc

SPEND LESS MONEY ON GAS

2008-06-12T09:40:00.003-05:00

SPEND LESS MONEY ON GAS BUT STILL GET WHERE YOU WANT TO GO!

BEAT HIGH GAS PRICES NOW!
by Diane MacEachern

Author and environmentalist Diane MacEachern has written numerous times about how to help our planet, now she is turning her attention to helping our bank accounts. With gas prices soaring over $4.00 a gallon and no end in sight, it’s no wonder that drivers are looking for ways to cut back on their gas usage. This handy guidebook offers dozens of easy-to-follow tips to help you “beat the pump” and save up to $50 a month in gas. Get helpful info such as:

* How to make gas go farther when you drive to work or go shopping
* Information to help you choose a new fuel-efficient car
* Ways to use the Internet to find the cheapest gas in the neighborhood
and more!

“Eco expert” Diane MacEachern is the author of numerous eco-friendly books and founder of the popular Website biggreenpurse.com.

Beat High Gas Prices Now!
by Diane MacEachern
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-6002-0
ISBN-10: 0-7407-6002-5
UPC: 050837241954
$8.95 ($12.50 Canada)
Size: 5” x 8”, 80pp, ppb

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. Spotlighted on Project Foodie

2008-06-11T13:49:00.003-05:00

If you love cooking then you probably love cookware; checking out new tools, and gadgets along with buying them and using them to make new and interesting dishes. I’m not a big shopper but walk me past a cooking store and I simply have to go in. And even though I'm a foodie, I often see things that I just don’t know how or why to use. Or I only know of one use and buying something for just one recipe is a bit too much of a luxury. That’s why the new Sur La Table cookbook, Things Cooks Love, with recipes by Marie Simmons is so great. It presents a whole slew of neat cooking tools, pans, and other foodie equipment along with great recipes that use them. For example, below is an overview of a Cazuela pan popular in Spanish cooking along with a recipe for Sea Bass Fillets with Tomatoes and Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Sauce. The recipes also present alternative equipment in case you don’t have all of cookware mentioned in the book but still want to try out the recipes.

Cazuela

From Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes
by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008

The rustic earthenware cazuela—in Portugal, the same vessel is known as a tacho de barro—is found in the kitchen of every Spanish cook, though Catalonian cooks are especially renowned for their large repertoire of slow-cooked cazuela dishes. Glazed on the inside and unglazed on the outside, the versatile vessel is kiln-fired at a high temperature so that it can tolerate both the direct heat of a stove top and the radiant heat of an oven.

Cazuelas are usually only about 3 inches deep but come in a wide range of shapes—round, square, rectangular, oval—and sizes, including casseroles just large enough for a single serving. All of them are attractive and hold heat—and cold—well, which means they can travel from the stove to the table.

Sea Bass Fillets with Tomatoes and Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Sauce

From Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes
by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008

Prep 45 min

Cook time 55 min

Serves 4

This recipe starts with the cazuela on the stove top for sautéing, and then, once the fish fillets are added, you slip the cazuela into the oven. The fish is served with a red pepper and almond sauce, a loose adaptation of the Spanish romesco. Any firm white fish fillets can be substituted for the sea bass.

Implements: 12-inch Cazuela or 12-inch Skillet and 2-Quart Shallow Baking Dish, Strainer, Small Skillet, Blender

For the Sea Bass Fillets

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, cut into ¹⁄8-inch wedges
1 clove garlic, sliced paper-thin
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless sea bass fillets
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley or mint, or 1 tablespoon of each

For the Pepper and Almond Sauce

½ cup whole natural (skin-on) almonds, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
8 jarred piquillo peppers, or 2 large roasted and peeled red bell pepper (page 268)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
1 tablespoon aged sherry vinegar

1. Add the olive oil to a 12-inch cazuela or skillet and heat slowly over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle a piece of onion, increase the heat to medium, add the onion, and sauté, stirring, for 15 minutes, or until golden. Add the garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the paprika.

2. Set a strainer over a bowl and empty the can of tomatoes into the strainer. Use your hands to break the tomatoes into chunks, squeezing out and discarding the seeds. (Freeze the tomato juices for soup or another use.)

3. Add the broken, seeded tomatoes to the onion mixture and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the mixture has cooked down. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and a grinding of pepper and remove from the heat.

4. While the tomato mixture is simmering, preheat the oven to 400°F.

5. If using a cazuela, arrange the fish fillets in a single layer on top of the tomato mixture. Season the fish with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the parsley. Place a spoonful of the tomato mixture on top of each fillet. If using a skillet, transfer the tomato mixture to a 2-quart shallow baking dish and arrange the fish fillets in a single layer on top. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the parsley. Place a spoonful of the tomato mixture on top of each fillet.

6. Place the cazuela or baking dish in the hot oven (it’s fine to put it in a hot oven because it has been preheated on the stove top) and bake the fish for 15 minutes, or until the thickest part of a fillet is opaque, rather than translucent, when tested with the tip of a small knife.

7. While the fish is baking, make the sauce: Put the almonds in a small, dry skillet, place over medium-low heat, and heat, shaking the pan, for 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Let the almonds cool slightly and then transfer to a blender. Add the garlic, peppers, salt, and paprika, and process until pureed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. With the motor running, add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Taste and add more olive oil as needed to correct the balance. Add the vinegar and process to combine. Alternatively, make the sauce in a mortar: First crush the garlic and salt with a pestle. Then add the almonds and pound until the mixture forms a paste. Add the peppers and pound until blended. Slowly add the olive oil, pounding until the mixture is light and smooth. Add the vinegar and stir to blend. You should have about 1 cup of sauce. Taste and add more salt as needed. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

To serve, place the cazuela in the center of the table. Pass the sauce.

About Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.

The first in a series books by Sur La Table, speaks to the love that cooks of all levels feel for their tools. Whether you're passionate about the gorgeous copper pot you just received as a gift, a rice cooker you have always wanted to try, or your grandmother's well-aged cast-iron skillet, award-winning author Marie Simmons provides inspiration to make the best use of your cookware along with delectable recipes to enhance the experience.

http://www.projectfoodie.com/spotlights/cookbooks/things-cooks-love.html

Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages Is Best-Seller

2008-06-05T11:17:00.003-05:00

Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages
by Leland Gregory

Currently #1 in quality paperback books at Borders;
#11 on Bookscan paperback books; (#2 in humor paperbacks on Bookscan)

Everyone knows that the Greeks created smooth, white marble art right? Not according to Stupid History (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $9.99). It turns out that those works of art were actually painted in bright colors and eventually the color faded to what’s left today.

Another little known history gem: Even though most of us believe that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity, the Greeks had it figured out long before his time. Franklin’s infamous kite and key experiment was only testing the electric nature of lighting.

Just how many other historical tales are actually untrue? Luckily, Stupid History sheds some much needed light on these and many other false historical assumptions. This entertaining volume not only corrects historical inaccuracies, but also offers little known facts and quotes to entertain every reader.

Imagine everyone’s shock when you tell them that the Dead Sea is a really a lake!

Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages by Leland Gregory
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
Price: $9.99 ($12.50 Canada)
ISBN: 978-0-7407-6054-9
Paperback: 5 x 7, 320 pages

Things Cooks Love Featured in Chicago Tribune

2008-06-05T11:06:00.002-05:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons and an interview with Marie are featured in Chicago Tribune:

By Emily Nunn | Tribune reporter
June 4, 2008

Thirty years ago, Marie Simmons never could have written anything like her new book, "Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes"(Andrews McNeel, $35). Of course, nobody else could have either.

Back when Simmons was starting her career in the food business—she's now a popular teacher, award-winning cookbook author (she has written more than 20), syndicated newspaper columnist and monthly columnist for Bon Appetit magazine—American cooks just weren't all that curious about how to use such multi-culti equipment as a cataplana or a chitarra.

Those are just two of the 100-odd "things" that Simmons' large and lushly attractive book—the first in a series coming from cookware retailer Sur La Table—teaches readers to use in making her companion recipes, all of which reflect an expanding interest in global cuisine.

"The concept was very astute of Sur La Table," said Simmons recently, over pizza at Osteria Via Stato, while in town to promote the book. "It's based on the fact their customers kept coming up and asking how to use things available in the stores. They just said, 'Hey, we've got to get this in a book.'"

Which could lead you to believe that Simmons has simply written a gorgeous kitchenware catalog for Sur La Table—if it weren't for the fact that no brands are mentioned in the book's three major sections ("Essential Cookware and Tools," "Cooking with Kitchen Essentials," and "Globe Trotting Kitchen Essentials"); none of the equipment, which ranges from the humble whisk to the lovely Indian karahi (a cast-iron skillet with high, rounded sides and large loop handles) is sold exclusively at the store; the recipes do, as she intended, "sound luscious"; and Simmons always recommends an alternative to a piece of equipment. A really good pommes Anna pan is "a $475 pan, but I say you can use an iron skillet," she said with a laugh.

Even as a veteran, Simmons said, writing the book—which is intended both for beginners and advanced cooks—opened her up to new cooking experiences.

"It was inspiring. . . I learned so much," she said. "I'd never used the chitarra," she added, referring to the Italian stringed tool (the name translates as "guitar") for cutting pasta. She now uses it "all the time" to make the book's rosemary whole-wheat breadsticks.

"I'd never used a cataplana, that's the Portuguese domed pan—the stew is fabulous," she said. But using a large granite mortar and pestle instead of a blender to make pesto, she said, was the most fun. "There was a huge difference with the flavor," she said, citing the "unscientific" theory that steel blender blades dull the flavor "You start with garlic, salt, pine nuts, then add the basil, little by little, and you smash smash smash, then slowly drizzle the oil in. ... It smells so different.

"I think it's more tactile and because it's more tactile, it tastes better," she added.

Which goes to her idea that good cookware should make you "more intimately involved with the food."

And it may explain why what a person chooses to cook with can be as personal as what he or she buys to wear.

"It's sort of like shopping for shoes," Simmons said. "You have your practical flats you wear all of the time, and then there's the little pair of strapless backless heels you just have to have. You won't wear them as much, but you're going to love them.

"That's the way I feel about the cataplana or the tagine," she said. (A tagine is a shallow, glazed terra-cotta, stainless-clad, or cast-iron vessel with a high conical lid.) "You won't necessarily use them every day. You're going to use it, though, and you're going to love it; and when you're not using it, it's going to be sitting there for you to admire. That's the kind of love affair that cooks have with their cookware."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-marie-simmons-cookbook-4jun04,0,997214.story

Things Cooks Love Reviewed on Apartment Therapy-The Kitchn Blog

2008-06-05T10:55:00.002-05:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons is reviewed by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan on the Apartment Therapy-The Kitchn blog.

Just as we were in the midst of the Kitchn's inaugural Kitchn Cure (eight fun-filled weeks of kitchen cleaning, organizing, stocking, cooking, ending with a big bang of a party in May), a book called Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $35) landed on my desk.

I kept calling it Things Cooks Need, because that's where my mind was, guiding Cure-takers toward cleaning out their cupboards to leave only what they really need to cook well.

I barely had time to glance at it before I left on a business trip. And, I'll be honest, I was skeptical. The book comes from Sur La Table (and is written by a lovely food writer named Marie Simmons) and is based around the gear you have in your kitchen. Hmmmm, Sur La Table puts out a book whose recipes are based on cooking implements. I smelled a marketing ploy.

And then I went to New Orleans for the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference and found myself on the very first night sitting next to Marie Simmons, the author of the book. She is absolutely delightful, extremely knowledgeable, and a great dinner companion. We both had that Speckled Trout Amandine.

I asked her point blank about my suspicions and she told me about how the book came to be, making me feel much better about the book.

It was of paramount importance to her that each recipe's implement suggestions included alternatives. Take, for example, the recipes for using a tagine. Simmons suggests a Dutch oven or a braiser. I might have gone even further to suggest any oven-safe pan covered tightly with foil. It was also critical, Marie told me, that the book not tout brand names. And it doesn't. Sure, most of what you find in the pages is available at Sur La Table.

Getting past the fraction of the book that is actually dedicated to kitchen implements, you'll find original recipes, tips on things like making bread crumbs, how to cut a mango (or read it here) and how to trim an artichoke, and a rundown on various ethnic pantries (the Mexican Pantry includes a list of all those confusing dried chile varieties).

This would be a great book to give a newlywed, or someone just starting their first kitchen who may be faced with gifts they don't necessarily know how to use. So, if you do find yourself owning a tagine, you at least can read about how to use and care for it before deciding to return it.

I might add that if you do decide to return that tagine and it came from a store that carries Things Cooks Love (like Sur La Table), get the book instead. Or come back on Thursday when we'll be giving away five copies.

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/book-reviews/book-review-things-cooks-love-047379

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. Named Cookbook of the Day by slashfood.com

2008-06-02T13:20:00.003-05:00

Things Cooks Love, Cookbook of the Day

Posted May 28th 2008 3:01PM
By Marisa McClellan

For those of us who are enamored of cookware, mixers, bowls and cooking utensils, stores like Sur La Table are dangerous places. We walk in and are instantly taken by a shiny chrome pasta machine or the sleek mandoline. Often times, we plunk down our cash for these items, but once we get them home, intimidation starts to set in and we question whether the purchase was such a good idea. Frequently, these tools get shoved to the back of the kitchen cabinet to collect dust until, years later, you pull them out and sell them at a garage sale.

The new cookbook, Things Cooks Love, is setting out to help you make the most of those stove top smokers, fish poachers and tortilla presses. Written by cooking teacher and cookbook author Marie Simmons, this book starts off with the basics and moves on to the more glamorous and unusual tools and pieces of cookware.

In addition to being a useful and easy-to-follow book, this volume is also downright beautiful. It would make a wonderful gift for the foodie in your life, as it is filled with gorgeous photography and each page is designed to be interesting and eye-catching. It is definitely a winner.

http://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/28/things-cooks-love-cookbook-of-the-day/

Things Cooks Love Reviewed On Cooking by the Book

2008-05-21T13:06:00.003-05:00

A glowing review from Suzi O’Rourke on her Cooking by the Book blog:

Things Cooks Love
Implements. Ingredients. Recipes
By Marie Simmons for Sur la Table, Sur la Table

I know it sounds obvious but a cookbook is only as good as its author. The first good thing about Sur la Table’s cookbook is Marie Simmons. Marie is one of this country’s finest cookbook authors (list book titles link to amazon). By that I mean that her recipes work as written, which is, as far as I’m concerned, the most important element for any cookbook. I dare say that I will try hard not to recommend any cookbook on my blog where the recipes do not work. It is a real pet peeve of mine.

The Sur la Table cookbook offers a distinctively new perspective. It works backwards, it suggests that the reader look in their kitchen and see what implement has been sitting on a shelf or hidden in a box because you haven’t use it in a long time, or you might not use it at all because you don’t know what to do with it. This is the book’s starting point. Use that thing you bought but….

I have tons of stuff in my kitchen that I have put away and haven’t used for years. After reading Sur la Table’s book, I decided to take out that old stove top smoker and give it a whirl again. I tested the prosciutto wrapped smoked shrimp on page 100 loved it! Easy and fun. I also chose cauliflower and sweet potatoes in spicy tomato sauce with cashews, this one recipe is worth the price of the book. I would suggest people roast the cashews separately and then toast the spices. When I added the cumin and mustard seeds to the hot pan they jumped and sputtered, I jumped to cover the pan quickly. So be careful; aside from that, this recipe was an absolute favorite. Finally I tested the ground lamb kebabs with ginger and mint yogurt sauce. The results were very tasty, particularly refreshing with the yogurt sauce.

One of the reasons I chose to test Marie’s Indian recipes is because I know how much she loves Indian food. Although Italian by birth and delightful as an Italian chef, Marie has traveled to India and passionately describes her trips and love of Indian cuisine.

Finally, I decided to show Marie’s cookbook to friends who love to cook and are on the beginner/intermediate side. I gave them the book and asked them to take a look. Michael, a graphic/video guy with a weekend passion for food, loved the way it looked and was intrigued by the concept. Cynthia, a very detailed person, enjoyed all the photos and the contemporary nature of the recipes. Both Michael and Cynthia gave the book an enthusiastic positive opinion. Cynthia already has the book on her cookbook wish list. Marie Simmons has created a must-have cookbook.

A Stingray Bit My Nipple! Featured in USA Today

2008-05-19T10:49:00.003-05:00

A Stingray Bit My Nipple! True Stories From Real Travelers

One of three travel books featured in USA Today:

37 imperiled places, 80 dinners, 1 bite

Iconic destinations posed for change, embarrassing incidents on the road and a cuisine-propelled global jaunt are among new offerings on the travel bookshelf. USA Today’s Jayne Clark takes a look:

A Stingray Bit My Nipple! True Stories From Real Travelers

“As the title of this compact book indicates, the anecdotes within are hardly a collection of wish-you-were here moments. Culled from Budget Travel magazine's popular "True Stories" reader feature, the book is testimony to the notion that the most memorable travel experiences are often embarrassing, uncomfortable or just plain baffling.

Many incidents involve linguistic gaffs — "Who knew toalla was slang for maxi pad?" wrote one red-faced reader who only meant to request a towel rom her host in a Costa Rican beach town. Some relate happy accidents; others are just weird — take the woman who accepted her Australian guide's invitation to lick the rear end of a green tree ant.

As Budget Travel editor Erik Torkells notes in the book's forward, ‘When we travel, we aim for the sublime. It's the ridiculous stuff, however, that we tend to treasure the most.’”

Andrews McMeel Publishing Authors Featured on iGoogle Artist Themes

2008-05-10T15:38:00.016-05:00

Get Your iGoogle AMP Artist Theme

Andrews McMeel Publishing is proud to have four of our authors featured on iGoogle's new Artist Themes. Choose from Anne Geddes whose imagery captures the beauty, purity, vulnerability, and preciousness of children; Edward Monkton whose distinctive style, combining naïve, heavy linework with lyrical, playful wording; Robert Mankoff, cartoon editor of The New Yorker, created this theme from cartoon characters that have appeared in the magazine; or Michael Leunig a cartoonist, poet, painter, philosopher, columnist and public performer.

The Grandmother Book On The View, Friday May 9th

2008-05-07T16:04:00.003-05:00

The Grandmother Book
by Andy and Susan Hilford
will be featured on
“The View”
with Barbara Walters
on a show that is scheduled to air May 9.

The Grandmother Book On Good Morning America

2008-05-05T18:31:00.001-05:00

The Grandmother Book:
A Book About You for Your Grandchild
by Andy and Susan Hilford

will be featured in the Mother’s Day segment of “Good Morning America” tomorrow, May 6, in the last half-hour.

Things Cooks Love Profiled On The Global Gourmet

2008-05-05T12:33:00.002-05:00

The consensus among cooks is that the dividing line between having fun in the kitchen and not having fun in the kitchen is whether you have the most suitable tool for the job. Having the right equipment makes cooking easier, and the results often taste better. Unlike any other book on the market, Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes., the first in a series of titles by trusted culinary authority Sur La Table, champions the kitchenware that cooks of all levels are passionate about.

Whether it's the gorgeous new copper pot you received as a gift, a rice cooker you have always wanted to try, or your grandmother's well-aged cast-iron skillet, this book celebrates the deep connection between cooks and the cookware they love.

Things Cooks Love opens with "Essential Cookware and Tools," which includes The Basic Kitchen, detailed descriptions of everything from baking dishes and braisers to tongs and toasters, and The Well-Stocked Global Kitchen, the ultimate wish list to take your kitchen to a new level of sophistication. It is both an easy reference for setting up a new kitchen and a convenient checklist for when it's time to add new items. Things Cooks Love gives all the information you need to confidently select the best and most durable implements.

Once you've explored the basics, it's time to put them to use in "Cooking with Kitchen Essentials," which offers tips for use and care, and recipes for everything from whisks to stove-top smokers. The recipes put your new or refreshed knowledge to work with dishes such as Sea Bass Poached in Orange, Basil and Wine with Citrus and Herb Sauce; Corn on the Cob with Flavored Butters; or Smoked Shrimp Wrapped with Prosciutto. And because this is a book for both the beginning cook and the gourmet, it also offers alternatives for kitchens that are not stocked with the exact cookware or tools.

For further inspiration, the final section of Things Cooks Love, "Globe-Trotting Kitchen Essentials," explores the cookware, ingredients, and recipes of Asia, Mexico, France, India, Italy, Iberia, and Morocco. It spans the globe, visiting the world's favorite pantries and kitchens to experience the luscious tastes and simple techniques for using tools from the versatile Mexican stove-top pepper roaster and the elegant, clam-shaped Portuguese cataplana to the practical and handsome French cocotte and the iconic Spanish paella pan. A quick read on Morocco will embolden the home cook to try a Lamb Tagine with Artichoke Hearts, Dried Apricots, and Preserved Lemon or Classic Chicken Bisteeya.

Recognizing that a beloved cooking collection is the foundation for good food, Things Cooks Love is more than a reference tool or collection of recipes, more than a cookbook; it is a cook's book. It is for everyone who has not only a passion and enthusiasm for all things culinary, but also a sense of adventure. And just as your kitchen equipment can last a lifetime, this book will serve cooks well time and again as they continue to expand their recipe repertoire and cookware collection.

www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By Shelf Awareness

2008-05-01T13:55:00.002-05:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.
by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons
is reviewed by Shelf Awareness

...Another "equipment" book comes from Marie Simmons and the folks at Sur la Table: Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, and Recipes (Andrews McMeel, $35, 9780740769764/0740769766, May 2008). They say that cooking is easier and more fun with the right tools, and they help you figure out what you need for your style, from basic essentials to global essentials (a Portuguese cataplana, a Moroccan couscoussière, a tortilla press.) Not everything is that exotic; the chapter on cast-iron skillets is excellent, explaining not only how to season them, but what they are good at, and what they are not. But the cookbook is not just a tool book, it has more than 300 pages of scrumptious recipes, like Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce, Sautéed Fish Fillets with Herb Butter and Mango, Fresh-Fruit Quesadillas. The only thing missing is dessert, but that leaves more room for Cornish Hens with Basil and Mint, and Pommes Anna.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed by Cooking With Amy Blog

2008-05-01T13:15:00.004-05:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons
is currently featured on the home page of the Cooking With Amy blog. Amy Sherman is a food writer and recipe developer in San Francisco.

Last month I was raving about the new Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniques book. It's the book I wish I had when I was first learning to cook. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are much more confident in your culinary abilities, Things Cooks Love : Implements. Ingredients. Recipes from Sur La Table is the book for you.

I already know that I want a paella pan and a couscoussiere, and this is the book that fuels my desires with descriptions, amazing recipes and gorgeous photography. You too may want do a little shopping or at least dust off your pizza stone after perusing it. Having 2 -3 recipes to go with each item is what really helps you justify your purchase of a food mill or clay cooker or tagine or whatever it is that strikes your fancy. Wondering what else you can do with the chefs torch you bought but never used? Forget creme brulee, the book has recipes for Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes with Bubbling Mozzarella and Toasted Goat Cheese, Roasted Beet and Pear Salad.

In the beginning there is a section on equipping your kitchen, and then the recipes are divided into "kitchens" as in Asian, Mexican, French, Indian, Italian, Iberian and Moroccan. Each "kitchen" has a discussion of essential pantry ingredients, tools and tantalizing recipes written by Marie Simmons, a two-time winner of the James Beard Award. The book is 300 pages long, has 100 recipes along with 125 detailed descriptions of kitchen implements from the common to the obscure. It's not a comprehensive book, but a great resource for using the "things you love" in the kitchen and a wonderful introduction to the cuisine of many lands. For $23 on Amazon this is a terrific book to add to your collection. Get a sneak peek at sections of the book here.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed in Memphis’ Commercial Appeal

2008-04-30T14:42:00.003-05:00

Whining & Dining: Kitchen must-haves for cooks

By Jennifer Biggs
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

A wonderful book came in last week: "Things Cooks Love" by Marie Simmons ($35, Andrews McMeel Publishing). It's part of a series owned by the kitchen store Sur La Table, which, of course, has good cause to publish books about gadgets, cookware and beloved ingredients.

More power to them! I'm crazy about this book, even though I take exception with some of the beloved items. While I agree that a clay cooker and a pressure cooker are treasures, I probably haven't used my fish poacher three or four times in the 15 years I've owned it.

I love my garlic press -- I just started using it about a year ago -- but I don't care for a garlic peeler. In fact, I have no need for one since I throw the unpeeled cloves in my press. I don't use a melon baller, but I couldn't get by without my mandoline. Bread machine? Not for me. A panini grill, ditto (come on, we've all seen enough "Good Eats" to know we don't need that). But don't touch my stand mixer or my citrus press.

The book also lists foods by country, such as essentials for the French pantry, the Iberian pantry (yum!), Moroccan, Indian and so forth.

Penguin Wisdom

2008-04-28T17:37:00.003-05:00

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Forget The Bluebird of Happiness. It's the penguin that's the bird with the word.

At least that's the idea behind a new book, "Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin's Guide to a Happy Life" (Andrews McMeel, $9.99). The tips include:

• Adaptation is survival.

• Work with nature.

• Learn to be still.

• A day at the beach can cure a vast array of ailmentment

• The meek sleep alone.

And our personal fave: "Guano happens."

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By Seattle Times

2008-04-24T09:02:00.004-05:00

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Sur la Table produces its first in a series of cookbooks

By CeCe Sullivan
Seattle Times Food staff

Sur la Table began its march into culinary history in 1972, when founder Shirley Collins opened her small store at the Pike Place Market. Every nook and cranny was filled with the cooking tools we never knew we needed until we put them to use in our own kitchens.

Although Collins sold the company in 1995 to a group of private investors, including the Behnke family and Freeman Spogli, her heritage of quality and customer service has continued to influence it.

Now, 36 years after the original shop opened its doors, Sur la Table, which includes 67 stores nationwide, has produced its first in a series of cookbooks, "Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients and Recipes" by Sur la Table with Marie Simmons ($35, Andrews McMeel Publishing). Two other books, "The Art & Soul of Baking" and "A Cook's Guide to Knives," will be published this fall.

"Things Cooks Love" begins with an extensive list of kitchen basics divided into four subcategories: cookware, knives, tools and small appliances. It's a go-to guide for everything from cast-iron skillets to balloon whisks.

One section highlights the pots, pans and cookers that can be placed in the oven and on the stove. So, for instance, a short essay on clay cookers provides tips for using the pots as well as their care and cleaning, and accompanying recipes inspire further experimentations.

Kathy Tierney, chief executive officer of Sur la Table, said the concept for the cookbook series began over three years ago. "When I first started here, I was struck by the passion and knowledge of cooking inside of the company." A series of cookbooks seemed like the logical next step in promoting the company's brand, which has always been to educate and inspire customers about the art of cooking. Indeed, it's the curiosity of the stores' patrons that drives the desire to seek out the best in cookware and kitchen tools.

The book's third section, "The Well-Stocked Global Kitchen," is a response to the desire of world travelers looking for more information on multicultural cuisines. So, whether your culinary spirit is captured by the couscoussières or glazed terra-cotta tagines of Morocco, or the classic, domed cataplanas of Iberia, readers will find a passion for discovery to equal their own.

The writing and recipe-testing for "Things Cooks Love" was a yearlong "labor of love," said Tierney. Marie Simmons, an award-winning cookbook writer and columnist living in California, was a natural fit to spearhead the project, having taught in Sur la Table's cooking-class program. The recipes are easy to follow, plus tips and serving suggestions offer further guidance. Gorgeous color photographs by Ben Fink add their own distinctive style to the book. Tierney said the goal is to publish two to three cookbooks a year. But she stresses that each will happen only if the company's mission of education and quality is fulfilled.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By Toledo (OH) Blade

2008-04-24T08:43:00.002-05:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons is reviewed by food editor Kathie Smith in the Toledo (OH) Blade

Article published April 22, 2008

Perfect pair: Wedding season and cookware

I'm keenly aware of cooking equipment for two reasons spring cleaning and the fact that my daughter was married seven weeks ago. Recent shopping for bridal shower and wedding gifts found me in the cookware aisles.

Spring cleaning reminds me of the cooking equipment that has been pushed to the back of my cupboards. There's the grill pan I haven't used in years. It splatters too much when I cook with it; the only exception is making panini sandwiches, which work nicely on the grids, provided you use a weight to press the sandwich down.

I hesitate to reveal that I rarely use the 4 or 6-quart pot with the pasta insert, which can double as a steamer insert. But thanks to author Marie Simmons, who teamed up with Sur La Table in Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. (Andrews McMeel, $35), I'm inspired to steam beets in my pasta pot/insert. Ms. Simmons writes that steaming preserves the firm texture and rich flavor of beets better than boiling does - I usually boil or roast beets. Cooked and sliced beets are a wonderful addition to salads. Other foods that can be steamed are artichokes, broccoli, corn on the cob, carrots, and cauliflower. Use a steamer for shellfish, reheating rice, tamales, and lobster.

Among the newest pieces of equipment is the stove-top smoker. It consists of a pan with a sturdy handle that stays cool, a tray with a rack that sits on top of a small inside pan that holds the wood chips (about 2 tablespoons), and either a sliding lid or a removable lid that can double as a roasting pan. It's a piece of equipment I do not own, because I have devised my own stove-top smoker using my Corning Ware Dutch oven, rack, and aluminum foil when I make Tea-Smoked Chicken.

I remember that last summer I needed a food mill, a useful gadget for purees. You won't get a foamy gazpacho (a common issue when using a food processor) if you use a food mill. And, a potato ricer makes great mashed potatoes. Each of these pieces of equipment are great gifts for wedding showers and weddings. Then there are the specialty kitchens which are popular with 20-and-30-somethings. Their culinary tastes provide ideas for gift giving. The Asian Pantry alls for a bamboo steamer, rice cooker, and sushi tools (very big among 30-somethings). To make sushi rolls, you need the rice paddle and the bamboo mat.

The Mexican Kitchen calls for a molcajete (mortar) and the tejolote (pestle). A stove-top pepper roaster, terra-cotta bakeware, and a tortilla press are great gifts for any couple who love Mexican food.

Francophiles will appreciate a chinois, a conical sieve that is used for pureeing soups, vegetables, or fruits. A crepe pan is a frying pan with low sides and an easy-to-grasp long, narrow handle. Fondue pots have become an international social ritual with the idea of sharing a communal dish. I love my gratin dish for baking classic gratin recipes topped with a creamy sauce, buttered crumbs, and/or cheese.

The Indian Kitchen calls for the cast-iron karahi, which can be used in the oven and for deep-frying dishes such as zucchini blossoms and corn fritters. The tawa is an iron griddle with slightly raised sides used to roast spices, cook flatbreads, and grill small batches of kebabs. The Italian Kitchen needs a mattone, a round, glazed terra-cotta dish with a heavy disk-like lid that weights down the chicken as it cooks. A pasta machine, pizza stone, pizzelle maker, and risotto pan make classic dishes.

The Spanish or Iberian Kitchen needs a paella pan, and the Moroccan Kitchen needs a tagine, the glazed terra-cotta cookware with the teepee-shaped conical lid. Kitchen toys make us happy. It's even better when we use them.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By Publisher's Weekly

2008-04-22T08:49:00.003-05:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.

Sur la Table with Marie Simmons, photos by Ben Fink. Andrews McMeel, $35 (336p) ISBN 978-0-7407-6976-4

This globe-trotting collection from the Seattle-based cookware chain Sur la Table uses cooking equipment as its inspiration. Authored by Simmons, who writes for Food & Wine and Cooking Light, this book recognizes that having “the most suitable tool” is critical to fun and successful food preparation. In the opening chapters, Simmons outlines the basic items a home cook should stock, like a peeler and whisk, before moving on to more sophisticated tools, e.g., a karahi (an Indian wok) and mattone (an Italian terra cotta press). From there, the book is organized by implement: a recipe for a chef’s torch, for example, is Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes with Bubbling Mozzarella; a pommes anna pan produces, well, Pommes Anna with Herbs and Mushrooms. The recipes appeal to a new cook with their precision, so homemade crepes or fresh sushi will seem accessible, especially with the most suitable tool at hand.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6552502.html?q=things+cooks+love

You Can Prevent Global Warming (and Save Money!)

2008-04-18T10:49:00.017-05:00

Just in time for Earth Day!

Read the reviews on LibraryThing.com

If you follow just the no-cost and low-cost tips in You Can Prevent Global Warming (and Save Money!): 51 Easy Ways (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $12.99), you will save over $2,000 and prevent the emission of 25,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year! The book contains 51 topics, but there are actually hundreds of tips and suggestions within the book that will help you address this global problem.

Whether you are one of the nearly three-quarters of Americans who consider themselves environmentalists or you're interested in practical ways you can save money each year, these straightforward tips will make this one of the most important and useful books on your bookshelf.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed In San Francisco Chronicle

2008-04-16T10:00:00.005-05:00

Cook's Books: Kitchen emporiums share tips, tools

Amanda Gold, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table have distinct personalities, though both offer myriad toys for the serious and beginner cook. Both have recently released comprehensive cookbooks - equally different - that explore not only the various tools and gadgets that grace the shelves of the stores, but also instructions on specific techniques.

It's fairly common to find hefty tomes that function like culinary school textbooks, with "how-to's" on everything from creating aspic to turning potatoes. The two new books, however, have been expertly streamlined to include only the most up-to-date tips, kitchen tricks and recipes.

'Things Cooks Love'

"Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes," spearheaded by the kitchen specialty store Sur La Table, is a more abstract approach to navigating a stocked kitchen. While all the necessary information is there for novices and pros alike, this book is clearly targeted to a more seasoned chef.

The first in the "Things Cooks Love" series features bold-colored, glossy photos and scattered quotes culled from other books that add an elegant and personal touch.

Organized by gadget rather than technique or ingredient, each section begins with an encyclopedic explanation of that tool, followed by usage tips and care instructions.

Readers will appreciate the paragraphs labeled "alternatives," which give useful substitutions for those who love to cook but might not want to shell out the extra dough for something they'd use only on rare occasions.

Under mortar and pestle, for example, the following advice is given: "If you enjoy cooking, the mortar and pestle will be a pleasurable extension of your craft. But if you simply need to get the job done, plug in your food processor or blender." It's inherently understood that we can't all be gadget-holics.

"Things Cooks Love" is packed with more complex recipes than most basic cookbooks. Coconut and curry lamb stew with green beans and potatoes, for example, is listed as just one of the dishes that can be made with a Karahi - a wok-like pan with high sides used in Indian cooking.

"Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes," by Marie Simmons and Sur La Table (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008; 342 pages, $35).

Pearls Before Swine Creator Interview in Kansas City Star

2008-04-15T15:18:00.010-05:00

‘Pearls Before Swine’ creator Stephan Pastis finds life is a croc

By WARD W. TRIPLETT III

The Kansas City Star, April 14, 2008

It has been almost six years since Stephan Pastis gave up practicing law to draw pigs and rats and dumb crocodiles in the comic strip “Pearls Before Swine.”

He still has no objections.

“Talk to any litigation lawyer, and 99 out of 100 all have some ‘out’ plan,” Pastis said. “When I said I was leaving, my colleagues at the firm looked at me like a cellmate must look at someone about to go over the wall. It was, ‘You go, brother.’ No one ever questioned me.

“You know how you have to work 40 years of your life? Well, 50 the way things are going now,” he says. “I feel like I’ve stolen the last six years. The profession has its bad points, sure, but it’s like complaining about the lines at Disneyland. Why? Shut up. You’re still at Disneyland.”

Pastis’ personal Disneyland of characters is on display daily in more than 450 newspapers, including this one. Pastis has twice won cartoonist of the year from the National Cartoonists Society. His work between January 2005 and August 2006 is showcased in his third treasury, The Crass Menagerie ($16.99; Andrews McMeel), released earlier this month.

While collections of strips aren’t key to a cartoonist’s survival, they do serve as safekeeping for fans. Pastis said he sees the collections as a record of the strip that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

“Newspapers are read and thrown away; people forget about them,” he said. “(Collections are) another way for people to see the strip. I’ve had people write me who say they just happened to see (the book) at a Borders or Barnes & Noble, looked through it, liked it and bought it, and their newspaper didn’t even carry it. And it can be fortunate, incomewise, if you sell enough of them. I must be doing OK. At least they keep giving me new book contracts.”

NEW Lynne McAdoo, vice president of sales for books for Kansas City-based Andrews McMeel, said Crass is already in the top three among humor books.

“In a relatively short amount of time, he has jumped to the top of the charts in terms of cartoon sellers,” she said.

McAdoo believes that’s due to the wide appeal of the strip. It has the talking animals, which the kids relate to. But the characters often engage in cynical behavior adults identify with.

“Most importantly, the strip is funny,” she said, “Which definitely helps.”

Pastis has some extra fun with his treasuries by adding commentaries to many of them. Sometimes he’ll mock his own drawing ability (“I can’t draw anything round … not too good about squares either. It’s a pretty big world of limitations”), note how characters evolved (the early crocs used to drop all “R’s” from their speech) or point out how human characters are renditions of friends. Pastis can tell from his e-mail that the commentary is the most popular element of the books, and he got the idea from a simple work habit.

“When I draw, I turn on the commentary of a DVD I’ve seen,” he said. “I’ve gone through all of the commentaries from ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ ‘The Office,’ ‘Extras,’ and I’m making my way through ‘Seinfeld’ now. That (running commentary) is what I had in mind (for the books).”

He’ll also deal with the occasional controversies. A popular strip involved tiny crocs that burst out of Easter eggs and surprised Zebra in bed. Zebra crushed them, but not before one told him to “love you enemy.” The original, which appears in the back of the book under “Not Ready for Prime Time Strips,” had the croc quo-ting from a tiny Bible.

Pastis said he gets maybe 35-40 e-mails per day about his strip, and he has learned that mentioning Jesus or religion will get people going. He received nearly 2,500 e-mails — and a letter from the Turkish ambassador — when he had a Turkish guest character a few years ago.

“On the big ones, I didn’t see it coming,” he said. “The perception of the younger cartoonists is we like to throw stones just to throw stones, but the truth is less cool. The strip is drawn six months in advance. They go out, and it just hits some nerve.

“I’ve learned to stay away (from certain subjects). Now I use kind of a sliding scale. If I think it’s funny enough … if the funny factor is really high, then I’ll go with it even if it might offend. If it’s not that funny, I won’t bother with it. But you never really know what will get someone upset.

“The funny thing is, the angrier you get about a comic … the sooner you’re going to lose that argument,” Pastis said. “At some point you have to realize it’s pen-and-ink doodles of animals that don’t really exist. Why are you getting this upset about that?”

Pastis has his own sounding board at home. His son Thomas, 10, and daughter Julia, 6, are also the first people to see a completed strip.

“One: I figure if a 10-year-old can understand it, then it must be OK,” Pastis said. “Two: I don’t want to be hypocritical. If I don’t want to show it to my own kids, I shouldn’t show it to anybody else’s. Now I don’t always explain it to them …”

Thomas has also developed an interest in comics in general, though Pastis sounded only half-proud of that.

“He’s not reading mine … he’s reading ‘FoxTrot,’ which makes me glad because that’s a smart, funny strip,” Pastis says. “But he’s still reading ‘Garfield,’ too. That makes me sad.”

ROLL CALL
Rat: The cynic

Pig: Sweet and humble

Zebra: Smart and vigilant

Crocs: Hungry and dumb

The Pastis treatment

Fans of “Pearls Before Swine” are familiar with the strip’s parody of older strips. And while “Pearls” fans enjoy it, fans of the older strips don’t always enjoy being the subject of the parody.

Case in point: Rat’s concierge job had Ted Forth from “Sally Forth” asking Rat to set up an interesting evening away from his “emasculating” wife. “Pearls” creator Stephan Pastis said he received an intensely angry note from a woman who insisted he had sullied the Forth name and owed its cartoonist an apology.

Truth be told, Pastis contacted Francesco Marciuliano late last fall, told him he planned to make fun of his strip and asked him if he’d help by making some mention of “Pearls” in the “Forth” strip. Marciuliano, whom he had never met before that note, surprised him by timing a strip to the same day (March 27) that had Ted in a hotel, telling Sally he had just talked to the concierge.

“I forwarded the e-mail to (Marciuliano) saying, ‘Hey, this woman thinks I owe you a big apology and, well, you’re not going to get it.’ I CC’d her with it, and he explained to her that he was in on it.”

Fans of “The Family Circus,” “Zits” and “Baby Blues” have seen their characters get the Pastis treatment too and usually don’t respond well. But for the record, “Family Circus” fans, author Bil Keane has been asked to write the introduction to Pastis’ next book — despite Pastis’ plans to imperil little Billy twice in the next few months.

Join Things Cooks Love Author Marie Simmons for Book Signings & Cooking Classes

2008-04-11T13:56:00.002-05:00

CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF SUR LA TABLE’S FIRST COOKBOOK “THINGS COOKS LOVE: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.”

Sur La Table Welcomes Cookbook Author Marie Simmons for National Book Signings and Cooking Classes

SEATTLE, WA (April 10, 2008) – Sur La Table, the premier retailer for creative cooking and artful entertaining, will welcome cookbook author Marie Simmons for book signings and cooking classes at select Sur La Table locations throughout the country. Here is a chance to meet the author of Things Cooks Love, which has received rave reviews from Bon Appetit, the Associated Press and Publisher’s Weekly. The Associated Press said about this book, “Now there's a cookbook to help you put all those must-have items to use. Marie Simmons' latest, "Things Cooks Love," was written with gear-loving foodies in mind.” During the book signing events Simmons will sign copies of Sur La Table’s new cookbook, Things Cooks Love. Customers should contact their local store to make arrangements for the book signing events and the cooking classes.

Sign up for one of our classes with author, Marie Simmons, for a first-hand experience in learning about five international cooking tools, as she makes five of the cookbook’s finest recipes. Along with being a food writer and award-winning cookbook author, Marie is also a popular cooking teacher, ensuring that this class will be educational, entertaining and delicious. This fun and informative cooking class menu features Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp – Clam Pork Sausage and Bacon Stew – Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Moroccan Spices – Chicken Shrimp and Chorizo Paella – Jicama and Carrot Slaw with Fresh Pineapple and Cilantro while exploring beautiful cookware featured in the cookbook Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. Class participants will span the globe with delicious recipes and simple techniques that make the most of the Portuguese cataplana, the French cocotte, the Spanish paella pan and more.

In New York and San Francisco cookbook signings and launch parties for the book will be held at the SoHo and Ferry Building Sur La Table stores. Recipes created by a stellar list of chefs utilizing Staub products and an exclusive wine tasting with wines from the C. Donatiello Winery will be featured. Featured chefs from New York include: Fabio Trabochhi, Fiamma; Andrew Carmellini, A Voce; Michael Psilakis, Anthos, Kefi and Mia Dona. In San Francisco the featured chefs are Roland Passot, La Folie and Left Bank; Gerald Hirigoyen, Piperade and Bocadillos; Traci Des Jardins, Jardinière, Acme Chophouse and Mijita.

The following details are for book signing events and cooking classes for each location:

NEW YORK
• New York, NY • SoHo • 75 Spring Street (corner of Spring and Crosby) • Phone 212.966.3375
Launch Party and Book Signing: Tuesday, April 22, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

ILLINOIS
• Naperville, IL • Main Street Promenade • 55 South Main Street • Phone 630.428.1110
Book Signing: Wednesday, April 23, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Wednesday, April 23, 6:30 PM

CALIFORNIA
• San Francisco, CA • Ferry Building Marketplace • One Ferry Building • Phone 415.262.9970
Launch Party and Book Signing: Friday, April 25, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
• San Francisco, CA • 77 Maiden Lane • Phone 415.732.7900
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Tuesday, May 6, 6:30 PM
• Santa Rosa, CA • Montgomery Village • 2323 Magowan Drive • Phone 707.566.9820
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Wednesday, May 7, 6:30 PM
• Los Gatos, CA • Old Town Center • 23 University Avenue • Phone 408.395.6946
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Thursday, May 8, 6:30 PM
• Los Angeles, CA • Farmer’s Market • 6333 West Third Street • Phone 323.954.9190
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Tuesday, May 13, 6:30 PM
• Newport Beach, CA • Corona del Mar Plaza • 832 Avocado Avenue • Phone 949.640.0200
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Wednesday, May 14, 6:30 PM
• Carlsbad, CA • Forum at Carlsbad • 1915 Calle Barcelona • Phone 760.635.1316
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Thursday, May 15, 6:30 PM

WASHINGTON
• Kirkland, WA • 90 Central Way • Phone 425.827.1331
Book Signing: Monday, April 28, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Monday, April 28, 6:30 PM

OREGON
• Portland, OR • Brewery Blocks • 1102 NW Couch Street • Phone 503.295.9679
Book Signing: Wednesday, April 30, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Wednesday, April 30, 6:30 PM

TEXAS
• Dallas, TX • 4527 Travis Street • Phone 214.219.4401
Book Signing: Friday, May 2, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Friday, May 2, 6:30 PM
• Houston, TX • River Oaks Shopping Center • 1996 West Gray • Phone 713.533.0400
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Saturday, May 3, 10:30 AM

VIRGINIA
• Arlington, VA • Pentagon Row • 1101 South Joyce Street • Phone 703.414.3580
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 PM
• Richmond, VA • Stoy Point Fashion Park • 9200 Stony Point Parkway • Phone 804.272.7094
Tools of the Global Kitchen Cooking Class: Thursday, June 12, 6:30 PM
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ABOUT THE COOKBOOK

The consensus among cooks is that the dividing line between having fun in the kitchen and not having fun in the kitchen is whether you have the most suitable tool for the job. Having the right equipment makes cooking easier, and the results often taste better. Unlike any other book on the market, THINGS COOKS LOVE: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. , the first in a series of titles by trusted culinary authority Sur La Table, champions the kitchenware that cooks of all levels are passionate about. Whether it’s the gorgeous new copper pot you have received as a gift, a rice cooker you have always wanted to try, or your grandmother’s well-aged cast-iron skillet, this book celebrates the deep connection between cooks and the cookware they love.

Recognizing that a beloved cooking collection is the foundation for good food, THINGS COOKS LOVE is more than a reference tool or collection of recipes, it is a cook’s book. It is for everyone who has not only a passion and enthusiasm for all things culinary, but also a sense of adventure. And just as your kitchen equipment can last a lifetime, this book will serve cooks well time-and-again as they continue to expand their recipe repertoire and cookware collection.

ABOUT MARIE SIMMONS

Marie Simmons is an award-winning cookbook author, popular cooking teacher and established food writer. Her work has appeared in dozens of magazines, including Food & Wine, Cooking Light and EatingWell; she’s written a monthly column in Bon Appétit for fifteen years, as well as articles for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and the Contra Costa Times. The author of eighteen cookbooks, including two James Beard award winners and a Julia Child award winner, Marie has taught classes at cooking schools nationwide and lives in the Bay Area.

ABOUT SUR LA TABLE

Sur La Table provides inspiration, tools and techniques for those who wish to enhance their lives through creative cooking and artful entertaining. Sur La Table’s comprehensive selection of products includes tools from around the world to prepare any cuisine as well as beautiful dishes, linens and glasses to create a striking presentation. Sur La Table also broadens knowledge of food and culture through its cooking class program. Sur La Table shops the world for new products providing the unexpected and a sense of discovery, whether you step into one of its stores nationwide, open the pages of its catalog, or visit surlatable.com.

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**Editor’s Note: Complimentary cooking classes are available to media upon request. All class information should be verified with Razonia McClellan razonia@razoniapr.com prior to publication. Sur La Table does not guarantee correct class information without prior verification **

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By Gourmet News

2008-04-11T13:06:00.004-05:00

Sur la Table taps cookbook author to pen kitchenware- centric cookbook
(April 11, 2008)

SEATTLE--Noted cookbook author Marie Simmons and Sur La Table, based here, have teamed up to create the kitchenware-centric cookbook, Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes. Published by Andrew McMeel Publishing, it will be released April 22.

The 325-page book is divided into three sections--Essential Cookware and Tools, Cooking with Kitchen Essentials and Globe Trotting Cooking Essentials. The book starts off with a list of must-have items--all the cookware, gadgets, knives and appliances needed for a well-stocked basic kitchen. Then additional specialty items needed for a "well stocked global kitchen" such as a cataplana for Portugese cooking, karahi used in Indian cooking and bamboo steamer used in Asian preparations, are listed.

"Cooking is fun and can be a pure pleasure if you have the right tools," Simmons said. And this book also tells cooks what to do with them. While managing the Berkeley, Calif., store and culinary program, Sur La Table's Doralece Dullaghan saw the same look again and again on first-time customers' faces. Dullaghan, who is now director of strategic partnerships, described the overwhelmed look as the "Oh-my-god expression. What is all this stuff?" What do I do with this?"

It's the first of three cookbooks for the kitchenware retailer. The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet with Sur La Table, and the third, A Cook's Guide to Knives by Sarah Jay with Sur La Table, will be released this fall.

http://www.gourmetnews.com/index.php?p=article&id=gn2008043DBYcT

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By AP Food Editor

2008-04-07T09:58:00.005-05:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.
by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons

The following review by Associated Press Food Editor J.M. Hirsch moved on the wire on Friday, April 4:

Most foodies have done it at one point or another. You see and simply must buy some new or unusual widget or gizmo for the kitchen. It doesn't matter that you don't like rice; that paella pan is coming home. Now there's a cookbook to help you put all those must-have items to use. Marie Simmons' latest, "Things Cooks Love," was written with gear-loving foodies in mind. Organized by cuisine, the book introduces tools and appliances from the common to the esoteric, then offers tips for using and caring for the items, as well as recipes for putting them to work. With the chef's torch, for example, Simmons take the reader beyond the obvious creme brulee. She suggests using it to brown goat cheese for salads or mozzarella over roasted asparagus and tomatoes. The chapters also detail the basic ingredients of each cuisine, a huge help if you're wondering what you'll need to stock up on now that you own a karahi (a wok-like pan from India). However, flipping through this book, which was written in conjunction with kitchen tool company Sur la Table, is a bit dangerous.
You could, for example, realize how vacuous life has been without, say, a couscoussiere.

Chris Regan, Author of Mass Historia On Not Just Another Cable News Show

2008-04-04T15:42:00.004-05:00

Chris Regan, author of Mass Historia: 365 Days of Historical Facts and (Mostly) Fictions will be a featured regular in the new CNN Headline News program, Not Just Another Cable News Show.

The show premieres April 5th at 7pm, 9pm and midnight EST and repeats on April 6 at the same time.

Vogue Features Apron by Apronisms and The Apron Book Author EllynAnne Geisel

2008-03-19T14:45:00.011-05:00

The Smoochie, an apron designed by EllynAnne Geisel, author of The Apron Book and Apronisms, is in the March issue of Vogue.

View the Vogue layout (The Smoochie is the apron covered with red lips)

More about Apronisms

More about The Apron Book

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. Reviewed in April Bon Appétit

2008-03-07T14:01:00.003-06:00

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons is reviewed in the April issue of Bon Appétit :

With plenty of user-friendly recipes and cookware tips, Sur La Table’s book by Marie Simmons incorporates delicious basics for all levels. Simmons, a James Beard Award-winning author and longtime Bon Appetit contributor, gives approachable advice home cooks can count on.

Mod Mex on The Today Show

2008-03-05T15:59:00.004-06:00

Mod Mex author and Dos Caminos chef Scott Linquist was featured on “The Today Show” on Monday, March 3rd.

To view a video of the appearance click here.

Shoes, Chocs, Bags, and Frocks Featured in Women’s Wear Daily

2008-03-04T16:16:00.002-06:00

Shoes, Chocs, Bags, and Frocks and an interview with author Edward Monkton is featured in Women’s Wear Daily on Monday, March 3rd.

Pearls Before Swine creator Stephan Pastis On The Big Idea

2008-03-03T11:01:00.003-06:00

Pearls Before Swine creator Stephan Pastis will appear Monday, March 3, on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch ( CNBC @ 10:00 PM EST ) . Stephan will highlight his new book The Crass Managerie.

March Issue of The Costco Connection Reviews Things Cooks Love

2008-02-29T09:04:00.003-06:00

The March issue of The Costco Connection includes a book preview of Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons:

This is the first in a series of books from trusted culinary supplier Sur La Table. It speaks to the love that cooks of all levels feel for their tools. Whether you are passionate about a gorgeous copper pot, a rice cooker or your grandmother’s well-aged, cast-iron skillet, award-winning author Simmons provides inspiration to make the best use of your cookware, along with delectable recipes to enhance the experience, using the freshest ingredients available.

Things Cooks Love Featured in Publishers Weekly

2008-02-26T14:37:00.007-06:00

Things Cooks Love and Sur La Table’s cookbook series with Andrews McMeel Publishing are featured in the February 25 issue of Publishers Weekly.

Andrews McMeel Publishes Sur La Table Books

by Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 2/25/2008

With about 70 stores nationwide, Sur La Table is the second-largest specialty cookware retailer in the U.S., after Williams-Sonoma, which has about 250 stores. Both companies have strengths and weaknesses, but one recent development will level the playing field somewhat: Sur La Table will follow Williams-Sonoma’s lead and begin selling its first-ever series of branded books this spring. Andrews McMeel bought the rights at auction and plans three books in 2008 and four in 2009.The books, all jacketed hardcovers with lay-flat bindings, will be sold in all Sur La Table stores as well as in bookstores, warehouse clubs and grocery stores (though they won’t be sold at Williams-Sonoma). Kirsty Melville, executive v-p and publisher of Andrews McMeel, said she had been looking to expand the company’s cookbook publishing program since she arrived two years ago from Ten Speed Press. “The underlying theme to all of the books will appeal to cooks who have a passion for cooking. Sur La Table is known as a place that is a trusted authority in the culinary world. We’re trying to build on that [reputation].”

The first book in the series is Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes by Marie Simmons, pubbing in April with a 125,000-copy first printing. It gives detailed descriptions of the items on the shelves in a typical Sur La Table store—roasting pans, cast-iron skillets, fondue pots, etc.—along with recipes that use the items. For each book in the series, the writer collaborates with editors from Sur La Table and Andrews McMeel.

Other books in the series include The Art and Soul of Baking (Oct.) and Knives Cooks Love (Nov.), plus four as-yet-untitled books in 2009. Despite the obvious connection between the books and cooking utensils, Melville said so far there are no plans to sell the two together. However, she said Sur La Table will promote Things Cooks Love next to some of the equipment used in the book.

Sur La Table sells cookbooks from a variety of publishers at its stores and will continue to do so, as it makes room for its own books on the shelves.

--Publishers Weekly, February 25, 2008

Apronisms — New from EllynAnne Geisel

2008-02-22T15:03:00.004-06:00

Apronisms: Pocket Wisdom for Every Day

With features on CBS's Sunday Morning and NPR's All Things Considered, EllynAnne Geisel raises the apron to cult status. This little book asserts, "You can never have too many aprons or too many memories." Apron anecdotes and aphorisms merge with quotes, photographs, and memories to offer down-home-spun, no-nonsense wisdom that is tinged with humor. For ultimate giftability, the book's case wrap mimics fabric.

Praise for Apples for Jam

2008-02-19T11:08:00.004-06:00

Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook: A rainbow of recipes awaits

“Exuberant and colorful” – New York Times Magazine

“Apples for Jam is a book that gets under your skin. It beckons you, and seduces you to pick it up.” – KQED San Francisco, CA

“A lovely quilt snuggled softly against your cheek.” - Times Herald-Record, Hudson Valley, NY

“A vibrant and charming collection” - Tucson Citizen, Tucson, AZ

“The charming drawings and homey, evocative photographs along with the well chosen selection of recipes make for a beautiful and personal cookbook. Apples for Jam is a thoroughly original and enjoyable family cookbook.” - CookbooksWeLove.com

“Like Nigella Lawson, Nigel Slater and a handful of others, Tess Kiros is more than a recipe writer... Kiros conjures up the atmosphere which lifts her homey foods –fish pie, tomato lasagna, hamburger patties—from the humble to the exceptional.” – The Cookbook Store, Toronto, On

“Tessa Kiros is set to be the culinary world's latest star.” – Red magazine, London, UK
“Apples for Jam” is made for anyone who loves to play with children while encouraging their imaginations and expanding their palates. - The Register – Guard, Eugene, Oregon

The author, Tessa Kiros, of Finnish and Greek heritage, leads her readers into a joyous and fulfilling world of preparing and eating food... Check out this delightful and very festive cook book. - Silvia Lehrer, Dan’s Papers, The Hamptons, Long Island

Library Journal Reviews Things Cooks Love

2008-02-15T09:29:00.003-06:00

The February 15 issue of Library Journal includes a starred review of
Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons:

The first Sur La Table shop, stocked with high-end kitchen equipment, opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the early 1970s, and today there are more than 55 stores across the country. The company’s first book, with cookbook author and food writer Marie Simmons, presents information on cookware of all sorts, along with dozens of appetizing recipes from a wide range of cuisines. The first section covers equipment for the “basic kitchen,” followed by a chapter on the “well-stocked global kitchen,” with more esoteric cookware. The second section focuses on 25 or so essential pots, pans, and handheld tools, with recipes that show off the equipment to its advantage. The third section offers delicious recipes grouped by cuisine, from Asian to Iberian to Moroccan; each of these chapters opens with a guide to special ingredients. Burt Wolf’s encyclopedic New Cooks’ Catalogue covers more equipment in more detail, but the recipes set the Sur La Table book apart. Highly recommended.

Praise for Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

2008-02-07T09:17:00.000-06:00

Praise for Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

Every mouthwatering recipe...is a tribute to healthy, humane, and delicious eating. This remarkable cookbook makes it a snap for veteran vegans and beginners alike to enjoy gourmet meatless cuisine in less time than it takes to order a pizza.
--PETA, which named Quick-Fix Vegetarian the Best New Cookbook of 2007

If you think being vegetarian is boring, then read this book! It’s full of mouth-watering recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, making it a perfect introduction to vegetarian living.
--TheVegetarianChannel.com

Thankfully, Robin Robertson understands that recipes don’t need to be complicated, voluminous or inaccessible to be delicious....The simplicity of the 150 recipes is what makes them perfect.
--VegNews Magazine

Vegetarian cooking has never been easier — or more delicious. Quick-Fix Vegetarian is the answer for busy families who are looking for healthy food, fast.
-- Soulveggie.com

People who rarely cook but wish they could put more time into homemade meals will find Quick-Fix Vegetarian a genuine treasure.
-- Vegparadise.com

Quick-Fix Vegetarian’s soups are outstanding...as tasty as they are easy.
--South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Complete without being too long, healthy without being inedible, time-saving without cutting corners on nutrition....It establishes Robin Robertson’s expertise...as a writer and teacher about vegetarian food.
--Savvyvegetarian.com

Most people live a hectic lifestyle these days, and any quick-and-easy vegetarian cookbook is greatly appreciated.
--Vegetarian Journal

Pearls Before Swine Creator Appeared On The Big Idea

2008-02-04T13:43:00.000-06:00

Pearls Before Swine creator Stephan Pastis appeared on The Big Idea with Danny Deutsch on Wednesday, February 6th.