Joe Yonan's New Book: Eat Your Vegetables

While I was back at home in Boston I found a great event to go to, Joe Yonan, the Food and Travel editor for theWashington Post, held a book reading and signing event at the Trident Booksellers and Cafe. Yonan recently released his second book Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook. While I appreciate good food, between my Mom's great cooking and the opportunity to dine at any of DC's fabulous restaurants, I have found it difficult to cook for myself as a college student. Not only am I trying to stick to a healthy diet, but I also want to make affordable and  delicious dishes. 

Cookbook Review -- The Leafy Greens Cookbook

If you've been to a farmers market lately or belong to a CSA, you've no doubt got some greens that you haven't cooked with before.  While you can sauté and serve practically any green, you're  probably wondering what to do with at least some of them -- we've all been told to eat more leafy greens and it's a shame to pass them up when they're fresh and local.  The Leafy Greens Cookbook by Kathryn Anible can help sort out the confusion.

Cookbook Review: The Art of Cake Pops

By:  Jennifer Duff

Capital Cooking Contributor

So, let me just preface this by saying, I am not a great baker.  I love to eat sweets, cakes and a great deal of chocolate.  But, I generally stay away from baking for two reasons -- it is too precise (I refuse to "level with a knife") and it tends to be lengthy and intricate.  I guess it comes down to the fact that I don't have the patience for it. 

Cookbook Review -- Recipe Rehab

By:  Tom Natan

A lot of TV food and cooking shows focus on comfort foods these days, with new and not-so-new ways to make your old favorites.  Some of them have an Italian twist, some French, and some Southern.  But when you get down to it, there's plenty of meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti on TV everywhere you turn.  

Cookbook Review: The Yankee Chef

By: Michelle Hershman

I liked the look of this cookbook as soon as I opened it. Sure, it was a little bigger and heavier than I usually prefer, but it had a fun layout with tons of recipes, notes, pictures and stories. It’s the kind of cookbook you can read. The assortment of Yankee recipes gives you a feel for the Northeast while the side notes teach you about the history of the region and its food. For instance, I learned that, contrary to today, lobsters were once a poor man’s meal because they were so abundant on the New England coast. They were actually used as fertilizer and indentured servants stipulated in their contracts that they were to be fed lobster no more than once a week by their employers. Most people nowadays would love to get lobster once a month, if not once a week.

Cookbook Review: 150 Best Desserts in a Jar

If you're anything like me, you probably have a host of plastic containers, glass jars of all shapes and sizes and random lids tucked in the nooks and crannies of your basement, garage or pantry. 

Cookbook Review: The Complete Guide to Naturally Gluten-Free Foods

By: Michelle Hershman

I was super excited to receive The Complete Guide to Naturally Gluten-Free Foods cookbook. I have a family member who is gluten intolerant so having this cookbook on hand makes my life so much easier. But, even if that wasn’t a factor, I would still be psyched for this book. It’s amazing.

Cookbook Review: What’s Cooking in the Okavango Delta?

By: Michelle Hershman

I was dreading writing this review because I hate giving bad reviews. I know, as a book reviewer, I need to get over that, but I still feel guilty providing negative feedback. Unfortunately, after reading the What’s Cooking in the Okavango Delta? cookbook, I really have no choice. I have almost nothing redeeming to say about this book.

Cookbook Review: Slow Cooker Desserts

By: Michelle Hershman

Just like most of America, I am totally hooked into the slow cooker craze. Set it and forget it? I love that! Pour a bunch of ingredients into a pot in the morning and they turn into a delicious chili or stew eight hours later? Amazing. But, I just cannot get on board with the Slow Cooker Desserts cookbook by Jonnie Downing. It doesn’t make sense to me. Why would anyone wait four hours for brownies when you can put the same ingredients in a baking dish, pop  that dish into the oven, and – voila! – brownies are ready in under 30 minutes.

CookBook Review: Clean Eating for Busy Families

By: Michelle Hershman

I was very excited to receive the Clean Eating for Busy Families cookbook. I try to eat healthy at least 75 percent of the time (the other 25 percent is open for pizza and nachos), and I’ve always been interested in the concept of “clean eating.”  If you’ve never heard about clean eating, it’s a diet program that focuses on whole, minimally processed foods. That means healthy, home-cooked dinners and no takeout! The author, Michelle Dudash, a registered dietitian  understands that it can be hard to cook a “clean” meal night after night, especially if you’re a busy mom. That’s why most of the recipes in her book take 30 minutes or less.