Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Fascinating for any gardener

I love to garden.  Whether it be flowers or food, I love to watch something grow and produce.  I must admit that flower gardening produces much more favorable results for me than does my attempt to grow vegetables and fruits.  I have always blamed the trees in the yards next to mine which don't allow enough light to shine in my vegetable garden or suck the nutrients right out of my carefully composted soil but is that the whole story?  Maybe not.

The Mix & Match Guide to Companion Planting arrived today and I have already looked at it cover to cover. After a brief "lesson" on gardening how-to, the book is primarily a resource helping you decide what plants to put together and which ones are better left planted in different pots or gardens because they just don't get along.  Each main crop is coded with it needs and then you can flip through the pages (divided into three "cards" each) to find an above ground companion which will support the main crop's needs above ground as well as a below ground companion that gives the plant what it needs at the root system.  If you follow the recommendations, the author claims you will have fewer pests and disease and therefore increase the quantity of home grown fruits and vegetables you can put on your table.

The book is hard bound making it durable but the pages are spiral bound making it simple to keep open and flip the pages until you find just the right companion plants. Now if I could just get more sun in my backyard!  However, I think pot gardening might just be worth a try this year.  I'm excited to add this to my gardening book collection.

I did receive this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to leave a positive review.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook

What better way to enjoy the company of friends and good food than with a potluck?  Share the load of cooking and have all kinds of delicious new foods to taste. This is one cookbook that will give you the tools and inspiration you need to organize a regular potluck and fix something delicious to share.  The premise of the whole cookbook is to prepare dishes within the season it is harvested so it is broken down by month.  For example, when those tomatoes begin to ripen in July, fix tomato dishes.  Fall brings on the root vegetables and apples so October uses those and cole weather crops.  December is devoted to special gifts from the kitchen in perfect time for holiday giving. The author also shares stories and special tips such as how to reduce waste, canning your bounty, and how to set up and create your own Third Thursday potluck (or whatever day your choose).

I look forward to trying many more of these recipes.  Thus far, most ingredients are in my pantry and the ones that aren't have been relatively inexpensive.  It only makes sense to cook what is in season, thereby avoiding all the imported foods so I am anxious to give it a try. The illustrations in the form of photos are nicely done and not displayed so fancy that you will be intimidated to try the recipe.  All 150 recipes are nicely indexed.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to write a positive review.  Available beginning June 17, 2014.

The Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook: Recipes and Stories to Celebrate the Bounty of the Moment

The Chopped Cookbook

The Chopped Cookbook, based on The Food Network's program Chopped, helps you put together dishes with what you currently have in your cabinet and encourages the chef in you to be a bit brave and try something unexpected or different in your cooking. The book gives you a brief education about what makes a great dish before diving into the recipes which include chicken dishes, pasta, eggs, seafood, salads and dressings, vegetables, dessert.....just about every aspect of your meal.

The Chopped Cookbook is colorful and nicely illustrated.  While I have never watched the show, using the cookbook makes me want to check it out. My "concerns"?  My copy has some wavy pages if you look at the top and bottom of the book. Perhaps that is an anomaly but I would check it out in the bookstore rather purchase on-line if using for a gift.   It is almost as if water damaged but it isn't because the top and bottom are the only places you can see the slight wave.  I would also like for it to have been bound in a way that makes it easier to use at the counter without a book easel.  Another concern is the fact that the book claims to use pantry staples and an occasional curveball ingredient to create the dishes.   I found that I had all the ingredients to very few recipes and, in most cases, lacked more than one ingredient. I have always felt I had a fairly well-stocked pantry but not according to these recipes.  It is those ingredients that you only use a small portion of that I hate to purchase for a new untried recipe.  Having to do so makes me a bit hesitant to try some of the recipes.  Most are fairly simple to create and require less than ten ingredients including seasonings. While it does provide some interesting dish ideas, it won't replace my favorite cookbooks.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way obligated to leave a positive review.

The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You've Got to Cook Something Great