On the Market.

Keep those chamomile blooms from your herb garden! Not only do they make a relaxing tea - my favorite blend is 50% dried chamomile blossoms and 50% dried lemongrass steeped for five minutes - but they’re great for cooking too! Here’s a little recipe compliments of Blossom Farm for Chamomile Tea Cookies.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried chamomile flowers
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop the chamomile blossoms and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour and chamomile flowers. Drop by small teaspoonfuls on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Back 9-10 minutes.

A great place to purchase organically grown, dried herbs in bulk is Mountain Rose Herbs.

Another delightful recipe made from market fresh ingredients.

Recipe courtesy of Blossom Farm.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon white wine vinegar
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup maple sugar or honey
Lavender thyme sprigs

Instructions:
Thoroughly wash 3 wine bottles. Divide fruit and thyme sprigs among the bottles. Warm vinegar in a stainless steal pot to 100 degrees. Pour maple sugar or honey into warm vinegar, stirring well. Using a funnel fill bottles with warm vinegar mixture. Cork the bottles. Label and store in cool dark place for at least 1 week before using. Keeps up to 8 months.

Article courtesy of FamilyCorner.com.

With summer comes berries, fresh berries on the vine that is. So what to do with the bushels full of ripe blackberries and raspberries you’ve harvested? Below you’ll find a few delicious recipes, the method for canning these plump, delectable fruits, and how to freeze for later use.

Canning

This method applies to all berries, with the exception of strawberries. Yield: 3/4 to 1 1/2 pounds, processing time approximately 10 minutes.

For firm berries, add about 1/2 cup sugar to one quart fruit in a pan; bring to a boil, shaking the pan to prevent sticking; pack hot; cover with hot syrup.

For soft berries, fill jar with raw fruit; shake down; cover with hot syrup or berry juice.

Syrup for canning:
Light — 2 cups sugar, 4 cups water — yields 5 cups
Medium — 3 cups sugar, 4 cups water — yields 5 1/2 cups
Heavy — 4 3/4 cups sugar, 4 cups water — yields 6 1/2 cups

Freezing

Happily, berries can be frozen successfully. You can pack your fruit without a sweetener if you wish to eat the fruit raw when partially thawed or if you plan to use it in pies or other cooked dishes. But you’ll find that most fruits will taste better and retain their shapes best if some sugar or syrup is added. You can add sugar directly to the fruit before freezing by gently mixing the two together with a spatula until fruit juices flow and sugar dissolves (usually about 1 part sugar to 4 to 5 parts fruit by weight). You can also pack the berries in syrup before freezing by using the syrup recipes above. Place berries into container or storage bag and pour cold syrup over the top of the fruit. Leave 1/2 - 3/4 head space in containers, squeeze all excess air out of storage bags, then freeze. Use within 3 months.

Making Fruit Leather

This age-old process couldn’t be simpler. The lightly sweetened purees of fruits and berries, spread in thin layers and left in the sun, dry into translucent sheets of fruit that are chewy and good. Here’s how you can make your own fruit leathers.

Setting Up:
You need only a smooth level surface, such as a table; a place to put it in full sun; and a roll of clear plastic wrap. Tear off strips of the wrap, stretch it across the drying surface, and fasten with cellophane tape. To keep the fruit clean while drying, stretch a sheet of cheesecloth over it; you can secure it to two 2 by 4-inch boards on either side, taking care to keep it from touching the puree.

Preparing Fruit: Wash fruit and prepare each as directed below; it should be fully ripe. Cut away any blemishes; then measure (up to 5 pints for any one batch). Add sugar and heat as directed. Remove from heat and whirl (part at a time, if necessary) in a blender or put through a food mill or wire strainer; cool to lukewarm. Pour puree onto prepared surface and spread to 1/2 inch thick (a full 5-pint batch covers a 30-inch-long strip of 12-inch-wide plastic film).

Remove stems and measure whole berries; use 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar for each cup raspberries (1 cup for 5 pints), or 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar for each cup blackberries (1 1/2 cups sugar for 5 pints). Boil berries, stirring, until liquid appears syrupy; then put through a food mill or wire strainer to remove some of the seeds; spread the berries about 3/16 inch thick.

The Drying:
It may take 20 to 24 hours to dry, depending on the fruit and the sun’s heat. By the end of the first day it should be dry enough that you can loosen tape, slip a baking sheet underneath, and carry it inside; return to sun the next morning. When firm to touch, try peeling the fruit sheet off the plastic. It is sufficiently dry when the whole sheet can be pulled off the plastic without puree adhering. (Don’t leave in sun longer than needed.) In humid climates, you may need to finish the drying indoors. Set the sheets of fruit on pans in a 140-150 degree (F) oven and leave oven door slightly open.

Storing:
Roll up sheets of fruit leather, while on plastic film, then cover that with more plastic and seal tightly. Color and flavor keep well about one month at room temperature, four months in refrigerator, or one year if frozen.

Many of the recipes included here call for raspberry or blackberry jam. To make your own jam is quite simple. Here’s how:

Easy Raspberry Jam

Ingredients:
3 cups raspberries
3 cups sugar

Instructions:
Mash berries in a saucepan and stir in sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and beat with a wire whip or mixer for 6 minutes. Pour into jars and allow to cool. If not canning, keep stored in refrigerator.

Some recipes to enjoy with your over abundance of jam!

Blackberry Jam Cake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup blackberry jam
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, cinnamon, and allspice. Dissolve soda in buttermilk, stirring well. Cream butter or margarine and sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, beating mixture well. Mix flour mixture into the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blackberry jam. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely. Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, butter or margarine, and vanilla. Beat until mixture is smooth. Spoon over cooled cake.

Old Fashioned Blackberry Spice Cake

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each, ground: cloves, nutmeg, ginger 1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups blackberry jam
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating well after each addition, beginning and ending with flour. Beat in jam. Stir in nuts by hand.

Pour batter evenly into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans; turn out onto wire racks. Cool completely. Use a 7 minute frosting or a cream cheese icing with this cake. Caramel frosting is good too.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 egg yolk

NOTE: This makes a LOT of cookies! You can cut this dough in half, use one half, and freeze the other for another time.

Instructions:
Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Press thumb into centers of cookies, making deep indentations. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Remove from oven, and with 1/3 cup red raspberry preserves* fill indentations. Bake 5 minutes; immediately remove and cool cookies on racks.

*You can vary this recipe by using different strawberry, mixed berry and boysenberry all with excellent results.

Raspberry Meringue Bars

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter — cut in pieces
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups red raspberry jam
1 cup chopped nuts
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 cup flaked coconut

Instructions:
In large bowl of mixer, beat together the first 6 ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat mixture on the bottom and 1-inch up sides of a buttered 9×13-inch pan. Bake at 350 F. for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Spoon red raspberry jam mixed with 1 cup chopped nuts evenly on crust. Beat the egg whites until foamy; slowly add the 1 cup sugar and continue beating till meringue is thick. Fold in the coconut until blended well. Spread meringue evenly over all and bake at 350 F. for about 30 minutes or until meringue is dry and lightly browned. Cover pan with foil and allow to cool. To serve, cut in 1-1/2″ squares.

About the Author: Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. She is also the owner of familycorner.com magazine.

Blueberries, raspberries, and lavender are all in season.  And if you’re lucky you have a few of these planted in your own yard so you can use the freshest ingredients. If not, then pick them up at the Roanoke City Market. Then enjoy a nice evening in the hot tub with this creative margarita!

Recipe courtesy of Purple Haze Lavender.

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 cup tequila
1/3 - 1/2 cup blue curacao or other orange flavor liqueur
3/4 - 1 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 - 1/3 cup lime juice
1 1/2 - 2 cuts frozen unsweetened raspberries
1 1/2 - 2 cuts frozen unsweetened blueberries
3-4 ice cubes
1 t. lavender

Instructions:
In a blender, combine the tequila, curacao, coconut milk and lime juice. Cover and turn to high speed, then gradually add berries and ice. Whirl until smooth and slushy. Pour into glasses. You can rub glass rims with lime and dip the rim in lavender sugar or salt. Add a lavender sprig for garnish!

If your garden looks like mine, then you have lavender in full bloom right now. Here’s a great recipe for cheesecake that utilizes fresh lavender.

Recipe courtesy of Blossom Farm.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup pastry flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, separated
4 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
2/3 cup white wine
3 Tablespoons fresh lavender, chopped
2+1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups mascarpone cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper.

Sift together flour and cornstarch and set aside.

Whip the 2 separated egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks and reserve. Warm 4 eggs in their shells in hot water for 2 minutes. Whip the 4 eggs with the 2 separated yolks plus additional yolk on high speed with sugar and vanilla until think and pale. Fold in flour, and then fold in whites in 2 additions.

Spread batter evenly onto baking pan and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool.

Line sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment and cut a disc of sponge cake to line the bottom.

Filling: Heat white wine with lavender to infuse the flavour.

Strain out lavender (or leave in for colour).

Soften gelatin in 2 Tablespoons cold water and set aside.

Over a pot of simmering water, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and wine until doubled in volume and whisk leaves a ribbon when you lift it.

Remove from heat and stir in gelatin.

Whisk in mascarpone cheese and pour into springform pan. Chill for 4 hours before unmolding.

To Assemble: Remove springform pan and parchment. Sides can be coated with graham crumbs or left plain and tied with a ribbon for a special occasion. Garnish top with fresh lavender flowers or berries. Serve.

This is a no-bake cheesecake - the light scent of lavender is matched in texture by an almost mousse-like cheesecake filling.

Here are the upcoming classes being offered at Hotel Roanoke:

July 27th - Discovering Spain.
Please join us as we take a culinary tour of Spain. This class will cover some of the traditional recipes of the country such as Paella and Chimichurra. We will also talk about the history of the food and sample some Spanish wines to go along with the foods.

August 17th - Cooking with Wines.
Take a closer look at pairing food with wine and how to prepare dishes with the right wine. This class will focus on some classic and not so classic recipes that you can, with a little time and love, prepare at home. We will also sample a variety of wines and talk about how to use them in cooking and what to look for when pairing wine with food.

There are also classes being scheduled for September and October.

Classes meet on these dates from 1-5 p.m. at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. Cost is $85 person and must be secured with a credit card. A $30 cancellation fee will apply to reservations canceled within three days before the class. A minimum of eight people will be required to hold each class.

To register, call the Regency Room at 540-985-5900 or visit HotelRoanoke.com for more information.

(Photo by M. Adam Kendall.)

Wild flowers and weeds aren’t just a nuisance. They are actually useful as well. They can be used in recipes that both detoxify and invigorate your body. Weeds like chickweed, dandelions, stinging nettle, violets, and wild onion and garlic are all both delicious and nutritious. Read Take a Walk on the Wild Weed Side for more on these wild plants and recipes for dishes like Nettle Tea with Lemon Balm and Mint, Favorite Wilted Greens, Spring Tonic Salsa Verde, Spring Green Soup, Wild Greens Omelet, and Spring Harbinger Salad.

Now that asparagus is in season you’re sure to be looking for all the different ways you can cook it. Peggy Gebauer provides one such option in her cookbook “Country Home Favorites.” The cookbook is available for sale on the Roanoke City Market for just $5 while supplies last.

Asparagus and Walnut Pasta

Ingredients:
1 (4.7 ounce) pkg. angel hair pasta

2 c. water

1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes (packed without oil, chopped)

3/4 lb. fresh asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (from Sumdat Farm Market.)

1/4 c. chopped walnuts (Julia Light has her home grown black walnuts for sale.)

1 T. butter

Juice & zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Stir sun-dried tomatoes into water with pasta. Add asparagus pieces to pasta the last two minutes of cooking time. Drain well. Place on serving platter and lightly toss with walnuts and lemon juice and lemon zest. Serve hot with French crusty rolls!

So the other night it was my turn to make dinner as it was Adam’s turn to take Cody to soccer practice. It was also the end of the pay period which meant the pantry was down to zero. The only thing left was spaghetti and Adam generally is not fond of the stuff. He tolerates it only because me and the boy like it. So, I decided to do something a little different from the norm and make baked spaghetti. Truth be told I’m not the best of cooks. I’d also never made baked spaghetti before because I always hated it as a kid. But I gave it go anyway working with what I had and creating my own recipe off a basic one I found on the internet. And, better yet, it includes products from the Roanoke City Market!

Here’s what I used:

12 oz. Heartland Naturals Spaghetti

1 lb. Sandy River Pork Hot Sausage (Grab some on the Roanoke City Market on Saturdays.)

24 oz. Jar Bertolli Five Cheese Spaghetti Sauce with Asiago and Fontina Cheeses (For a “wetter” spaghetti use an extra half to full jar of sauce.)

Dash of Red Pepper Flakes

Dash of Fresh Oregano and Basil (Purchase an herb pot from Rolling Meadows Farms for fresh herbs all year.)

Dash of Garlic Powder

3 scallions, chopped

Parmesan cheese

Sargento Swiss Cheese Slices

Here’s how I made it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the sausage in a pan adding scallions about halfway through. In the meantime, bring water to a bowl and cook spaghetti 11 minutes. Drain both spaghetti and sausage.

Add spices to taste to sausage and mix well. Then combine spaghetti, sausage, and sauce in bowl and mix well. Pour into a 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly. Cover the spaghetti with parmesan cheese, then go back and cover the dish with a package of swiss cheese slices.

Bake 30 - 35 minutes or until heated through.

The result?

My husband liked it, Cody liked it, and I actually liked it! It was a little spicy which made it extra tasty and was great leftover the next day!

By Arleen M. Kaptur

Fresh ruby red strawberries give your taste buds a treat. The juice is sweet and tantalizing. Even the aroma of fresh berries excites the palate and prepares the way for a great adventure in eating.

Try some of these recipes as you partake of a fruit that is luscious, beautiful in color, and heavenly in any menu plan. ENJOY!

BASKET OF FRUIT

2 cups fresh, hulled strawberries

1 cantaloupe

1 pineapple

2 cups blueberries

3 kiwi fruit

1 banana

2 oranges

Sauce:

1 egg

1 tbs. lime juice

1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed please

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

Prepare
the sauce: Beat the egg. Place in a pan with the lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir gently for 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Remove the rind from the cantaloupe, and cut into bite-size pieces. Do the same with the pineapple, kiwi fruit, banana (dipped in a little lemon juice to avoid discoloration), and oranges. Wash the strawberries before they are hulled.

Wash the blueberries in cold water. Place in a clear glass bowl so your guests can admire the colors. Pour the sauce
over the fruit but do not stir. Allow to stand for 2-1/2 hours before serving. Stir very gently just before serving.

***********************

LAYERED STRAWBERRY DESSERT

2 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/2 tbs. strawberry “jello” powder

1 cup cold water

1 3/4 cups cold milk

1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding

5 cups cubed angel food cake

2 1/2 cups whipped heavy cream

In a pan combine the “jello” powder, sugar and cornstarch. Slowly add the water and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil, cook, stirring constantly, until syrup has thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the strawberry slices and set aside.

In a mixer, combine the cold milk and the pudding mix. Beat on low for 2 1/2 minutes, until thickened. Set aside.

In a clear glass bowl (to allow the colors to show) place half of the angel food cubes. Also pour one-half of the pudding over the cubes, then one-half of the strawberry mixture, topped with one-half of the whipped heavy cream. Repeat the process. Garnish with slivers of chocolate.

Your guests will feel the luxury with every bite.

**********************

FRUITY SUMMER DESSERT

1 pkg. white cake mix

1/2 cup strawberry preserves (not jelly or jam)

12 strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

1-2 fresh peaches, sliced thinly

1 cup peach preserves

1/2 cup whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 13/x9/2”pan. Prepare white cake mix per package
instructions and bake.

Split cake in half horizontally. Place bottom cake layer on serving plate. Spread this layer with strawberry preserves. Place top layer of cake over strawberry preserves. Score the top of the cake with knife to mark 24 servings. Alternate fresh strawberries with peach slices on alternate blocks. (Quilt design)

Heat the peach preserves and strain. Brush the fruit with the warmed glaze. Garnish with whipped topping and curled chocolate strip.

************************

STRAWBERRY BAVARIAN CREME ELEGANTE

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 1/4 cups cold milk, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

strawberry cream

Using a 6-cup ring mold - lightly oil. Drain the strawberry slices, but keep the liquid. Add water to the strawberry juice to equal 3/4 cup. Sprinkle gelatin over the liquid and let stand for 3 mins. Refrigerate the drained berries.

In pan, combine the sugar, chocolate chips and 1/2 cups milk. Cook gently over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is very smooth and hot. Add the gelatin mixture, stirring constantly, until gelatin is completely dissolved and the entire mixture is integrated.
Remove from heat, add remaining milk and vanilla. Pour into bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hr.

Check to see if mixture mounds when dropped from spoon. If not, continue keeping in refrigerate and repeat checking.

Using a mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff; fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared mold and refrigerate 3 hrs. Unmold and garnish with strawberry cream.

Creme: 1/2 pint cold heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2-3 drops red food coloring

Mash refrigerated strawberries. Using mixer, beat whipping cream and vanilla until stiff. Fold in mashed strawberries and red food coloring. (Use enough coloring to give a pretty pink hue to the mixture.)

*************************

STRAWBERRY SYRUP

(For pancakes or ice cream)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 cups mashed fresh strawberries, that have been washed, hulled and sliced In
a pan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Slowly add the mashed
strawberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered,
stirring constantly, for 8-10 mins. Syrup can be refrigerated.
However you serve strawberries celebrate their color, and flavor to bring added excitement to any meal menu.

©Arleen M. Kaptur March 2002

(Excerpt from Strawberry/Chocolate Recipes by Arleen M. Kaptur)

About the author:
Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, cookbooks, and the novel: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES

Websites:
http://www.arleenssite.com
http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com
http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/
http://www.topica.com/lists.simpleliving

***********************************************************

Recommended Recipe Books:

Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World by Lisa Lillien

From the Publisher

Do you want to eat burgers, chocolate cake, frozen margaritas, fudge, and French fries–and still fit into your pants? Is life not worth living without brownies and onion rings? Do you want a surefire way to tame your cravings? From breakfast ideas and chopped salads to guilt-free junk food and cocktails, Hungry Girl recipes taste great but are low in fat and calories. Check it out!

* Eggs Bene-Chick: 183 calories
* Bring on the Breakfast Pizza: 127 calories
* Ooey Gooey Chili Cheese Nachos: 216 calories
* Big Bopper Burger Stopper: 202 calories
* Dreamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge: 65 calories
* Lord of the Onion Rings: 153 calories
* Rockin’ Tuna Melt: 212 calories
* 7-Layer Burrito Blitz: 277 calories
* I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie: 113 calories
* Cookie-rific Ice Cream Freeze: 160 calories
*
With easy instructions, simple steps, and hilariously fun facts and figures, Hungry Girl recipes are as fun to read as they are to make!

And when you’re not in your kitchen, check out HG’s 10 mini survival guides, plus tips ‘n tricks that’ll help you make smarter food choices anywhere, anytime!

Cooking the Realage Way: Turn Back Your Biological Clock with More than 80 Delicious and Easy Recipes by Michael F. Roizen, John La Puma, John LA Puma

From the Publisher

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of RealAge^® and coauthor of You: The Owner’s Manual shows you how to
cook your way to a younger you.

In his RealAge^® books, Dr. Michael F. Roizen proved that incorporating simple changes to your lifestyle can take years off your biological age and leave you looking and feeling younger. In Cooking the RealAge^® Way, he and nutritionist and professional chef Dr. John La Puma show you how you can create RealAge-smart and energy-rich meals that are as
delicious as they are healthy.

Cooking the RealAge^® Way includes more than 80 savory recipes, from asparagus frittata with smoked salmon to a chocolate strawberry sundae, as well as tricks and techniques to help you maintain your RealAge lifestyle, from stocking
your pantry to tips on eating out and preparing time-friendly meals. It’s the ultimate guide to eating and feeling younger—without sacrificing great taste.

Desserts By the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever by Sherry Yard, Wolfgang Puck, Ron Manville

From the Publisher

Spago’s pastry chef to the stars and author of the James Beard Award-winning Secrets of Baking shares the recipes that propelled her to the top of her profession.

Night after night at Spago in Beverly Hills, Sherry Yard dazzles the powerful, rich, and famous with incredible desserts. Her marvelous confections have won over patrons from Madonna to Frank Sinatra. Now the country’s premier pastry chef reveals the recipes that have made her a star in her own right and won her two coveted James Beard Awards.

Desserts by the Yard begins with inspirations from Yard’s childhood, such as My Favorite White Birthday Cake with Chocolate and Butter Fudge Frosting, and culminates in the spectacular creations she makes every year for the Academy Awards. Included here are some of Yard’s most famous recipes: the slinky crème brûlée she perfected when she worked at New York’s Rainbow Room, the coffeecake that made Campton Place Hotel San Francisco’s most popular breakfast spot, and the souffléed crème fraîche pancakes with strawberry sauce she learned in Vienna. Don’t miss the chocolate caramel tart that Hugh Grant loves, former President Clinton’s favorite oatmeal raisin cookies, or the treat that made actress Suzanne Pleshette exclaim, “Bitch! You’re gonna make me fat!”

Desserts don’t get easier than Yard’s No-Bake Cheesecake, more decadent than Chocolate Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Gelato, or more holiday-perfect than Triple Silken Pumpkin Pie. In sidebars to each recipe, Yard shares tricks and techniques along with hilarious anecdotes that show her pluck, determination, andgenerosity.

Infused: 100+ Recipes for Infused Liqueurs and Cocktails by Susan Elia Elia MacNeal

From the Publisher

Infused liqueurs are the hot new ingredients for cocktails. With more than 30 infusions plus dozens of drinks to use them in, Infused combines spirits like vodka and rum with fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices to create superior liqueurs. Take the Gibson and give it a kick with Onion Vodka. Cool down with Watermelon Martinis on warm summer days, or get the heat going with Hot Mint Chocolate spiked with Mind Vodka, a perfect antidote to cold winter nights. Many infusions pair with multiple recipes: herb-infused vodkas enliven both the Rosemary Martini and the Strawberry Basil Martini. Chocolate Vodka is the indulgence in the Chocolate Martini, Brandy Alexander, and the Grasshopper. The versatility of each infusion
makes giving a bottle of homemade liqueur a unique gift for any drink connoisseur. With tips on how to shake, stir, and chill, and enough recipes and ideas to reinvent any party, this colorful little book is the ultimate infusion of fun.

A Passion for Ice Cream: 95 Recipes for Fabulous Desserts by Emily Luchetti

From the Publisher

Anybody who loves ice cream knows there’s nothing better than a scoopful of homemade. Nothing, that is, except star pastry chef Emily Luchetti’s fabulous recipes for making your own. This gorgeous cookbook doesn’t just have all the crowd-pleasers, it’s bursting with flavors you’ll never find in the store. Even better, because sometimes a spoon just isn’t accompaniment enough, there’s a host of beautiful dessert recipes featuring ice cream in all its lusciousness. There’s chocolate, strawberry, and butter pecan; there’s orange-cardamom, root beer granita, and pomegranate sorbet. There’s
popsicles, floats, and parfaits. And then there’s Coffee Meringues with Coconut Ice Cream; Blackberry Sorbet Filled Peaches; and Chocolate Crepes with Peppermint Ice Cream. But wait…There’s Shortcake and Rum Raisin Ice Cream Sandwiches; Sauternes Ice Cream and Apricot Sherbet Cake; and Chocolate Cupcakes Stuffed with Pistachio Ice Cream.
Aficionados needn’t worry if their tastebuds are more deluxe than their ice cream maker because all of these treats can be made with a modest handcrank model or the fanciest machine. And to top it all off, there’s a chapter on making sauces from scratch and a handy chart that lists the ice cream flavors alphabetically for easy reference. The reason homemade ice cream tastes so much better than store-bought is because you use fresher ingedients and less air. That means it’s richer,
creamier, and tongue-tingling with flavor. The reason Emily’s recipes taste so good is because she’s a genius when it comes to desserts. If proof were needed, ice-cream fans need look no further than these mmm, mmm, mmm, melt-in-your-mouth recipes.