Maple Syrup Cookbook

 

Maple Syrup Cookbook
Written by: Ken Haedrich

About the Book

Maple Syrup Cookbook has convinced thousands of readers that maple syrup makes everything taste better. Now, the revised third edition of this classic cookbook features full-color photographs and a dozen of the author’s favorite new recipes. In all, the book now offers more than 100 ways to enjoy maple syrup at every meal, including Buttermilk Corn Cakes, Banana Crêpes with Maple Rum Sauce (perfect for brunch), Maple Cream Scones, Lacy Sweet-Potato Patties, Maple Bacon Strata, Curried Pumpkin-Apple Soup, Creamy Maple Fondue, Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts, Orange-Maple Wings, Beet and Pear Relish, Maple-Roasted Root Vegetables, Steamed Brown Bread, Maple Onion Marmalade, Hot & Spicy Shrimp Kabobs, Chicken with Maple-Mustard Glaze, and Crispy Maple Spareribs. There are barbecue sauces and salad dressings and dozens of tempting desserts, from Almond Bars and Coffee Chip Cookies to Maple Apple Pie, Maple Pecan Pie, Maple-Ginger Ice Cream, and much more. There’s even a recipe for Maple Bread-and-Butter Pickles. This is a treasure chest of delightful recipes you’ll turn to again and again.

My Thoughts

I was born and raised in Quebec - the place on earth where you can find maple syrup practically everywhere!  After all Quebec is the province in Canada that produces about 9 million gallons of the maple syrup every year.

Maple syrup was part of my growing up in numerous ways - from breakfast with French bread, supper with homemade crêpes to dessert with the famous maple syrup pie my mom made on a regular basis (One of the best pie ever! Not to be confused with the sugar pie in any way.).  My mother's side of the family used to have a little maple syrup production on the land they owned.   I also remember visiting sugar bush places numerous times while growing up.  Once we had children, we went to a private sugar bush to see how maple syrup was done thanks to a co-worker of my husband who also owned a farm with one on it.

But let's get back to the book.   Most people will associate maple syrup with sweets like breakfast or dessert.  But did you know that you can use maple syrup pretty much in any kind of meal of side dish?

In this stunning cookbook which is all about maple syrup, you will find recipes for breakfast and desserts for sure but also much more than just that.  Here is a bird's eye view of the table of content:

• Maple from Tree to Table: In this section, you will learn more about maple syrup, how it is produced, how it is graded and its taste and how does it fit in your kitchen.
• Maple Mornings - Breakfast Classics, Breakfast Sweets, Breakfast Savories, and Breakfast Extras.
• Beyond Breakfast - Soups & Starters, Salads & Sauces, Vegetables & Sides, Main Dishes.
• Maple Sweets - Bars, Cookies & Candy, Pies & Cakes, Pudding & More.

Below are two of the recipes found in the cookbook.   You must admit that there looks delicious!

Nowadays, I have cut drastically on sugar intake in my diet but I will admit to you that every once in a while a bit of maple syrup is enjoyed by yours truly.   Maple Syrup is definitively part of my life and will continue to add a bit of sweet in my meals just to tease my taste buds.  Having this recipe book will help to diversify the recipes using maple syrup.

Maple Syrup Cookbook is available for purchase at your favorite bookstore, even on Amazon.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Storey Publishing for sending me this book for review purposes.  I was not monetarily compensated for this review.  Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.  All opinion expressed here are only my own.

How to Instant Pot

How to Instant Pot
Written by Daniel Shumski
Published at Workman

About the book

Master the revolutionary appliance that is changing the way we cook!

The only Instant Pot cookbook that is organized by function, How to Instant Pot is both a guide to understanding the Instant Pot basics and a foodie’s creative collection of over 100 recipes specially crafted to take advantage of the Instant Pot’s many virtues, from cooking perfect risotto in six minutes, no stirring required, to five kinds of yogurt, to creating one-hour killer chili and soups from scratch, using dried beans.

Here’s how to make incredible hands-off meals like Ziti and Italian Sausage, Maple-Mustard Pork Shoulder, and Korean-Style Short Ribs, plus plenty of sides, breakfasts, and desserts. In addition to a set of recipes for each function and master recipes with three variations each, there are surprising shortcuts—basics like quick pickles, perfect hard-boiled eggs, and a 30-minute “baked” potato. It’s the essential purchase for every instant pot owner.

My Thoughts

The world has been wild about the new kitchen appliance known as the Instant Pot – websites, reviews, social media and much more are talking constantly about this “must have” item in a kitchen.  It is particularly popular during the Christmas season when sales pops out everywhere for the various models offered on the market.  

But when you open the box and take your Instant Pot out the first thing that comes to your mind is often “how the heck am I suppose to use this now?”.   So you google and read about using the Instant Pot.  You try your first meal and it is a disaster (let’s face it dear reader getting use to the Instant Pot is a learning curve!).   Do not worry anymore because the book How to Instant Pot will provide all the help you need to successfully make dinner to your family.

The book contains six chapters that will guide you in using the Instant Pot to almost its full capacity.

Chapter 1 will cover all the basics about using the Instant Pot.  It will allow you to discover the equipment and how to set it up, explains the functionality of the buttons, decorticate the LCD readout so you can understand it, explain to you how to convert your favorite recipes into an Instant Pot recipe, as well as show you how to clean your machine.

The following chapters will present you with tips and tricks as well as recipes for the following functionality of the Instant Pot: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice maker, yogurt maker and steamer.  

What I particularly like about this recipe book is that a huge majority of the recipes are accompanied by a stunning photograph of what the meal look like.   I really like seeing the end result before making a recipe.   What can I say I am a visual person!  The recipes will give you the total time to make it, the active time of the Instant Pot, the yield of the recipe as well as ingredients and directions.  You will also see icons near the title of the recipes.  These icons indicated if the meal is vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, if the recipe can be doubled, as well as if the recipe can be done in 30 minutes or 60 minutes (or less).   You can also find some quick fix recipes as well as  1,2,3 recipes which allow you to swap some ingredients.   As you can see there is a lot of potential for this recipe book and the kitchen appliance known as the Instant Pot.

If you plan to purchase an Instant Pot in a near future, consider getting this cookbook to guide you in the usage of your new kitchen appliance.

How to Instant Pot is available for purchase at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

The Beginner’s Guide to Dehydrating Food

The Beginner’s Guide to Dehydrating Food – How to Preserve All Your Favorite Vegetable, Fruits, Meats, and Herbs
Written by Teresa Marrone
Published at Storey Publishing

About the book

This essential companion for putting your food dehydrator to work features instructions and techniques for drying all the most popular fruits and vegetables, along with meat and herbs. You’ll learn to dry fruits and vegetables at their peak, giving you an easy and economical way to stock your pantry with apple rings, mango slices, banana chips, dried soup beans, tomatoes, and much more for year-round enjoyment. In addition, drying guidelines for specialty items like meat jerky, fruit leather, dried herb and spice mixtures, backpacking meals, and even baby food round out this friendly handbook.

My Thoughts

We have purchased a stackable-tray dehydrator a few years ago.  Our goal was to be more versatile in storing food and explore the possibility of dehydrating food.   We didn’t know how to do it properly and got discouraged…  We kept the dehydrator and used it sporadically when drying nuts which make them crunchier.  But when I stumbled on this book my interest in using the dehydrator more often and for a variety of food got sparked again.   I was delighted to receive this book to review and was not disappointed with what it had to offer.

The book is divided into three parts.  Part One will introduce you to the techniques for drying food at home and the different methods and equipment that can be used. Part Two will show you how to dehydrate the fruits and vegetables, the herbs and spices as well as meat and poultry.   This section will go through detailed explanation for each food included like mangoes, or watermelon, asparagus or peas and so on.   For each food item presented in this book, you will learn how to prepare it, how to verify if the dehydration is done, how much it will yield, how to use it.  You will also discover which drying methods are the best for the food in question.

The third section of the book will encourage you to make the most of your dehydrator.  You will learn how to make leather or candied fruits.  You will also have a whole chapters with recipes using the food you have dehydrated.

You do not need a dehydrator to make this book a great reference in your kitchen.  Why?  Because the author also gives instruction on hos to dehydrate using your beloved oven or in the case of herbs, how to dry them in the air.

I wanted to try something new – no nuts this time…   A friend had given us some rhubarb and there was quite a bit of it.  I quickly checked in the book and rhubarb did have some instructions.  So I followed the instruction on how to cut my rhubarb stalks.  And programmed the dehydrator to dry it.

It took between 6-10 hours to dry the pieces of rhubarb.

Once dried, you can store it in jar for future use.  You can rehydrate them for sauces, pies, or other cooked dishes by simply pouring boiling water using the ratio suggested in the book.  

What I particularly like about this book is that for each food item presented in it, you can visualize the before and after because a picture is include for each.    That way you know exactly what to expect when drying your food.   It is a great book to own if you like doing these kind of things.   I think it has tremendous potential for any household.   I am looking forward to use this book more often during the fall season.   It can be very useful as well if you decide to purchase riper than usual fruits and vegetables from the market at a reduce price.   We often take advantage of this for peppers or avocados.   Having this book opens up new possibilities for us.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Pulse Revolution

Pulse Revolution
Published at DK Canada

About the book

With 150 delicious recipes, you can revolutionize your diet with pulses, the powerful plant-based proteins that are full of heart-healthy benefits.

Discover the power of pulses—lentils, dry peas, beans, and chickpeas—and draw on culinary traditions from around the world to create healthy meals. The 150 vegetarian recipes are nutritious and satisfying, and have flexible options for vegans and meat-eaters.

Try a meat-based twist on the White Bean Coconut Curry, flex the Red Lentil Lasagna for vegan diets, or whip up a batch of Black Bean Brownies that anybody will enjoy. Pulse Revolution has something to offer everyone, from meat-loving omnivores to dairy-free vegans. The book includes:

   • 150 vegetarian recipes flexed to more than 400 ideas with their vegan and meat-based variations.
   • Clear photos of many of the final meals.
   • Pulse profiles that highlight the preparation, cooking, and nutrition of each pulse featured in the book.
   • A "Pulse Exchange" feature that gives readers flexible pulse swaps they can use in recipes.
   • Wide selection of dishes from breakfast to dinner plus desserts.
   • Innovative recipes from around the world support the UN's 2016 International Year of Pulses.

Our thoughts

The main reason why I decided to review this book is because we know people who are vegetarian/vegan and we wanted to have them over for supper.   When I received the book I was a bit overwhelmed because I desired so much to make a good meal for them.   But we are not vegetarian and we decided to find something that would be good for both vegan and non-vegan foodie.   We went with tacos – chicken for some of us and beans for others.   I based my beans tacos on the recipe of spiced lentil tacos.

This cookbook will unlock the mystery of vegetarian or vegan cooking.   It will provide you all the guidelines to cook a fabulous vegetarian or vegan meal to your guests or yourself.

The book will provide plenty of information on how to prepare vegetarian/vegan meals, what kind of beans to use and so on.  It will introduce you to all the lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas, and flours that can be use to cook these meals.   It contains numerous recipes for a wide variety of meals like breakfasts, brunch, snacks, spreads, soups, stews, salads, sides, patties, tacos, sandwiches, braises, curries, bakes dishes, casseroles, and desserts.   Each recipes also has the nutritional value of the meal.  You will also find numerous photos throughout the book which presents some of the recipes in it. 

This book is perfect for creating delicious meals for your friends and family who have decided to follow the vegetarian/vegan way of life.  It would also be a great book for you if you desire to eat more vegetarian or vegan. 

And in case you are wondering our meal was delicious – beans and chicken tacos.    As for me I would lie to try out the black beans brownies sometime soon since they look so delicious!

Pulse Revolution is available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com. 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for allowing me to promote these books. I was not monetarily compensated for this post . Please note that the post was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Cupcakes & Mini Cakes

Cupcakes & Mini Cakes – more than 100 recipes for little cakes & cake pops
Published at DK Canada

About the book

With over 100 recipes for little cakes and cake pops, this delicious cookbook is sure to satisfy. The perfect step by step guide to creating delights and indulgent creamy bites, tasty truffles and breakfast brownies, this book covers all the essential techniques - from simply making to decorating cakes for every occasion.

• Features over 200 full colour photographs
• Visual recipe choosers group cakes by themes for easy inspiration

My Thoughts

I recently received this fun cookbook from DK Canada.   Turn out that it became really handy when two of my kids had to do something for their leaders.  They decided to work together and make cupcakes for them.   They picked a fun little recipe for their sweet tooth.  

This cookbook is easy to use and contains pictures to allow you to visualize the end result of a recipe.   The table of contents can quickly bring you to the recipe chooser, the techniques, the cupcakes and muffins recipes, the mini cakes and cake pops recipes, the mini bakes and bars recipes and finally the patisserie and tarts recipes.  Each recipe is clearly detailed with the ingredients and the steps to execute it.

So as I mentioned, my sons had to bless their Awana leaders in a special way.  The year is almost finished and the volunteers are helping the kids to work hard on their books.    Both my boys have done amazing this year each winning at the Awana Quizzing.  Jérémy and his team won the first place for their book while Dominic and his team won second place.

So to thank their leaders, they decided to make cupcakes.   The recipe that they picked is the Cherry and Coconut Cupcakes.   Here`s the recipe.

Ingredients:

4 oz Maraschino cherries
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup shredded coconut, plus extra for springkling
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
a few drops of pink food coloring (optional)

For the icing:
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar. sifted
4 tsp milk
a few drops of pink food coloring
scant shredded coconut
12 Maraschino cherries.

How to make:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line the pan with 12 baking cups.  Wash, dry, and quarter the cherries.
2. Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, coconut, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and beat well with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the quartered cherries.  Add a few drops of pink food coloring and beat briefly again.
3. Spoon the mixture into the baking cups and bake for about 15 minutes or until well risen, golden, and the centers spring back when lightly pressed.   Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. For the icing, beat the butter in a bowl.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and milk until soft and fluffy.  Beat in a few drops of pink food coloring.  Pipe or spoon the icing on top of the cupcakes and top each with a sprinkling of shredded coconut and a Maraschino cherry.

This morning, after having done part of the homeschool assignments, they started on the cupcakes. 

Jérémy putting ingredients in the mixer.

We added the cherries at some point.

Whatcha doing Dominic?

Ready to be bake – I love the color of these cupcakes…. wish I could have one because I LOVE Maraschino cherries!

All baked and smelling yumy!

Decorating time…

And here’s the final result – a delicious cupcake that unfortunately mom can’t even taste.   I’m sure their Awana leaders will enjoy them!

To be honest, they have done everything themselves.  They followed the recipe and knew what to do at each step.   It was very easy to let them do this while I was helping their younger sister with her reading.   I am impressed on how easy it was for them to follow the recipe and that they didn’t have to ask for help at any point in time.

Tonight, they are bringing their cupcakes…..   as for me I am hoping that they will redo the recipe in a near future.  Maybe I should go get some Maraschino cherries to replenish our cupboards because they finished the container that we had.   

Cupcakes & Mini Cakes is available for purchase at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Yan-Kit’s Classic Chinese Cookbook

Yan-Kit’s Classic Chinese Cookbook
By Yan-Kit So
Published at DK Canada

About the cookbook

Learn to cook traditional Chinese food with this extensive collection of authentic Chinese recipes from Chinese cookery expert Yan-kit So. Dim-sum, dumplings, Cantonese food — you name it — this classic book has every recipe and cooking method you need to prepare delicious, authentic Chinese food.

With thirty years as a favorite in home kitchens everywhere, Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cookbook is a staple for cooking traditional Chinese food. Now this bestselling cookbook is reborn with wonderful photography that makes cooking Chinese food recipes understandable and simple. Even inexperienced cooks can find easy recipes in this complete collection, and more experienced chefs will find plenty to challenge and delight them as well.

Step-by-step instructions, tips and techniques, and complete menu ideas make Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cookbook inviting for home cooks of all skill levels: Find a new favorite dim-sum recipe, learn a great technique for dumplings, or polish your proficiency in the art of delicious Cantonese food. Yan-Kit's proficiency and expertise in cooking authentic Chinese food makes her the ideal chef to begin a journey into cooking Chinese food, and a trusted ally in guiding you in more expert Chinese dishes.

My Thoughts

The past three weeks, we have studied China with other families at our Homeschool Coop.   We had fun activities to learn more about the country and what makes it so different than Canada.

The older kids had a project that lasted three weeks – making a salt dough map of the country of China.

The finalized maps looked like this.

 

Meanwhile, the younger kids were doing a variety of activities. They made their Ming Plates.

 

They learned to write in Chinese.

They had fun to do a giant panda craft after learning about the animal.

And they worked all together in building the Great Wall of China.

Dominic helped with the fried rice and meal lesson.

The kids learned to eat with chopsticks.

And we performed a Dragon Dance.

These three weeks were amazing and the kids learned quite a bit about China.

To conclude our tour of China, we had decided to do a potluck – each families had to bring a Chinese meal to share.   This cookbook arrived at just the right time and I immediately explored it to determine which meal I would bring.  The table of contents is pretty much self-explaining and will provide quick access the the following sections: Ingredients, Equipment, Techniques, Recipes divided in specific groups like hors d’oeuvres, soups and fire pots, fish and seafood, poultry and eggs, meat, vegetables, rice/noodles/dumplings, and desserts as well as Regional Menus which includes regional Chinese cooking, Northern or Peking menu recipes, Eastern or Shanghai menu recipes, Western or Szechwan menu recipes, Southern or Cantonese menu recipes, as well as a mixed regional menu recipes. 

The book contains plenty of images and step-by-steps instructions which will help you do some of the recipes in the book.

I have decided to do the Sweet and Sour Pork recipe found at page 130.  This recipe serves 4 to 6 people if you include 2 or 3 other dishes.   Due to the fact that we were numerous at the coop, I doubled the recipe in hopes that we would have enough for everyone.  However, I will admit that I took whole-wheat flour instead of the potato flour, I forgot the egg, and I didn’t have any Worcestershire sauce….  Also, I have not deep-fried the pork due to time constraint.

Ingredients:

1 LB lean pork belly, skinned and trimmed of excess of fat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thin soy sauce
1/2 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons cornstarch
peanut or corn oil for deep-frying
2 1/2 tablespoons peanut or corn oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, skinned and roughly chopped
1 green pepper, halved, seeded, and diced
4 ounces canned pineapple chunks, drained, juice reserved

For the sauce
2 teaspoons potato flour
4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
3 tablespoons rice or wine vinegar
4 to 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1) Cut the pork into pieces about 1 by 1 1/4 by 3/4 inches.  Put into a bowl.
2) Add the salt and soy sauce and let marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.  Stir in the egg to coat thoroughly.
3) Dredge the pork, piece by piece, with the cornstarch, making sure it is evenly coated.  It is not necessary to use up all the cornstarch.
4) Half fill a wok or deep fryer with oil, heat to a temperature of 350F or until a cube of stale bread browns in 60 seconds.   Add the pork and deep-fry for about 1 minute in 1 or 2 batches; separate the pieces with a pair of chopsticks or a wooden spoon if they stick together.  Drain on paper towels.  This step can be done ahead of time.
5) Prepare the sauce.  In a bowl, dissolve the potato flour in the water and pineapple juice.   Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, soy sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to blend. (This can be made in advance.)
6) Heat a frying pan or sauce pan (unless you have another wok) until hot.  Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil and swirl it around.   Add the garlic and onion, stir a few times and then add the green pepper.  Stir-fry for about 2 minutes over medium heat and season with salt, if desired.   Add the pineapple chunks.  Pour in the well-stirred sauce and bring to a boil slowly, stirring constantly.
7) Reheat the oil for deep-frying to a higher temperature, 375F, or until a cube of stale bread browns in 50 seconds.  Add the pork and again deep-fry in one batch for about 2 or 3 minutes, to ensure that the outside is crisp and golden without the pork inside getting dry.  Drain on paper towels and transfer to a warm serving plate.  Reheat the sweet and sour sauce and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  This prevents the sauce from being gluey.  Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the pork.  Serve immediately.

Note:  When reheated, sweet and sour pork will be soggy but it will still taste good.

The meal was delicious and we had a wide variety of plates to choose from.   Everyone made a huge effort to bring something Chinese and authentic.  

This recipe book is packed with wonderful recipes from China and I plan to try out other recipes in the weeks and months to come.  Having a Chinese grocery store near our home is helpful to find the ingredients that wouldn’t be at the normal grocery store for sure.  If you want to expand your repertoire of recipes for your family and friends, consider getting Yan-Kit’s Classic Chinese Cookbook.  

Yan-Kit’s Classic Chinese Cookbook is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.