Review: The Clean Plates Cookbook Simple Recipes for Healthy, Sustainable, and Delicious Eating by Jared Koch with Jill Silverman Hough

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Jared Koch's first book, Clean Plates Manhattan, demystified "clean eating" and mapped out healthy restaurant options all over New York. Continuing in the extremely timely topic of eating clean, organic, and well, his second book, The Clean Plates Cookbook, offers sensible, sustainable, and healthful home cooking for anyone interested in integrating good foods into their lives. It shows readers how to shop for the best ingredients no matter what their diet (omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans can all "eat clean") and how to prepare food that's simple and delicious. Tips and inspiration from chefs and nutrition experts appear throughout the book, and the invaluable resources section breaks down the recipes by category and offers more of his clear and useful shopping guides.
Clean eating is anything but boring: recipes cover beverages, breakfasts, snacks, inventive entrées, and desserts with things like Quinoa Carrot Muffins, Cracked Wheat Sushi, Wild Mushroom Gratin, Lamb Tikka Masala, and Cocoa Cherry Brownies.
Jared Koch is a health coach, nutritional consultant, and the author and publisher of Clean Plates Manhattan, a guidebook that has sold 20,000 copies in two years. Koch and the Clean Plates web site have been featured in multiple mainstream press outlets, including ABC News, NBC New York, Good Day NY, Martha Stewart, and Good Morning America Health. Koch is also a sought-after speaker, including engagements at Google, MTV, Sony, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Wellpoint Insurance, Time Warner, and Whole Foods. Clean Plates has been endorsed by numerous well-known doctors and celebrities, including Deepak Chopra, Mark Hyman, Dean Ornish, and Mariel Hemmingway.
Jill Silverman Hough is a cookbook author, food and wine writer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor. She's written 100 Perfect Pairings: Small Plates to Enjoy with Wines You Love and 100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love. Other book projects include developing the recipes for Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, a New York Times bestseller.

MY TAKE:

There are plenty of healthy-eating cookbooks and books out there, so what makes this different from the rest?

In The Clean Plates Cookbook, we get not only recipes, but an introduction to healthy eating and healthy living.

The biggest difference that I noticed between this book and other books I've read that advocated healthy eating is the fact that the author specifically mentions that a healthy diet that works for one person might not work for another. That is, one person can go on a vegan diet but another person might not be able to go on the same diet without feeling sluggish or not at optimum condition.

Different types of healthy ingredients are also discussed so you learn more about their benefits. The recipes on the book are very creative and healthy, although I think the ingredients aren't as easy to find, especially for those in areas where there aren't any health food stores or organic markets.

Thanks to NetGalley and Running Press for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Clean Plates Cookbook is on December 25, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. A specific diet isn't forced on you.
2. You learn about a variety of healthy ingredients.
3. There are plenty of creative and yummy-looking recipes.

THE BAD:

1. Some people may have a hard time finding ingredients.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

My friends like to tease that I have a "salt tooth" in contrast to most people's "sweet tooth."

READ IT IF:

1. You believe that there isn't a particular diet that works for everyone.
2. You want to try an organic diet.
3. You want to try new and healthy recipes.

RATING:


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Review: The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook Inside the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants of Mad Men by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

UNOFFICIAL AND UNAUTHORIZED
Dine like Draper and Drink like Sterling with More Than 70 Recipes from the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants Seen on Mad Men
Ever wish you could mix an Old Fashioned just the way Don Draper likes it? Or prepare Oysters Rockefeller and a martini the way they did fifty years ago at one of Roger Sterling’s favorite haunts, The Grand Central Oyster Bar? Ever wonder how Joan Harris manages to prepare a perfect crown roast in her tiny apartment kitchen? Or about the connection between Jackie Kennedy’s 1962 White House tour and Betty Draper’s Valentine’s Day room service order?
The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook serves up more than 70 recipes to satisfy a Mad Men appetite! From the tables of Manhattan’s most legendary restaurants and bars to the Drapers’ Around the World dinner, this book is your entree to the culinary world of Man Men-era New York.
Packed with period detail, The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook provides invaluable historical and cultural context for the food and drink featured in the show, tips on throwing a successful ’60s cocktail party, and even a guide to favored Mad Men hangouts. Every recipe inside is authentic to the time.
Whether you’re planning a Mad Men-themed dinner party, need to mix up some authentic Mad Men cocktails, or just can’t get enough of the show itself, this is your essential resource, a guide to all foods and drinks Mad Men. So hang up your coat, pour yourself a cocktail, and get ready to dine like Draper and drink like Sterling with The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook.
Includes a color photo insert of 16 dishes, plus additional black and white photos and other images of bars, restaurants, and food advertisements from the 1960s.
Sample Recipes:
* Playboy Whiskey Sour
* Sardi’s Steak Tartar
* Connie’s Waldorf Salad
* Sal’s Spaghetti and Meatballs
* Pat Nixon’s Date Nut Bread
* Lindy’s Cherry Cheesecake

MY TAKE:

I worked in an advertising agency before so Mad Men interested me, even though I haven't actually gotten around to watching an episode yet. It's a good thing you don't really need to know a lot about the show in order to enjoy this book.

The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook features recipes for food that were either eaten by the characters or were served in the restaurants they visited. Before each recipe, you get a short description of the episode and scene wherein the food was shown.

What I liked about the book was the fact that each recipe, restaurant and food seemed so well-researched and we get a lot of background information, but it's delivered in an interesting way. So really, this book is part Mad Men and '60s guide and part cookbook. For someone who hadn't been born yet during the '60s, I really got a sense of what life was like then, and what the restaurants were like and how the advertising world was back in the days of the Madison Avenue men.

As for the recipes, they were divided into Cocktails, Appetizers, Salads, Main Courses and Desserts. I'm not one for cocktails, but everything in the book looks good. My mom made vinaigrette using the recipe found in the book and she seemed to like it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Smart Pop for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. You get recipes, a Mad Men recap and a history lesson with pretty much each recipe.
2. Some restaurants actually gave their own recipes.
3. Everything seems well-researched.

THE BAD:

1. A lot of the recipes, except for the cocktails, need a lot of ingredients.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Today, the Waldorf Salad served at Waldorf-Astoria includes chopped black truffle shavings and candied walnut halves.

READ IT IF:

1. You're a fan of Mad Men.
2. You like the '60s and the recipes from that era.
3. You are planning on throwing a '60s-themed party.

RATING:


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Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Any variety of whiskey made in Ireland will suffice, hence the name "Irish Coffee."

Review: The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Santa Claus’s daughter sets out to break a curse and free a magical kingdom
Though few mortals know his secret, Nicholas is more than a jolly red-suited man who visits children all over the world on Christmas Eve—he is also the king of Forever, Land of the Immortals. Each year he gets letters from millions of boys and girls, and helps make their Christmas wishes come true. But one year, a special little boy from New York City asks something Nicholas has never been asked before: “What do you wish for Christmas, Santa?” With that simple question, a magical story unfolds. Nicholas answers that his only wish is for a child. And soon the immortal people of the kingdom celebrate the arrival of Holly Claus, the princess of Forever and the first child to grace its ground. But their happiness is dashed when an evil sorcerer places a spell on the infant, turning her heart to ice and freezing her kingdom in time. Many years later, just in time for Christmas Eve, Holly travels to New York, intent upon saving Christmas and freeing the land of Forever. Holly will make this the most magical—and memorable—Christmas the world has ever seen. This ebook features a note from Brittney Ryan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

MY TAKE:

Christmas books are usually formulaic so it's nice to find a book that has something new.

In The Legend of Holly Claus, Nicholas and his wife have a daughter Holly. However, Holly is put under a spell by Herrikhan and the kingdom of Forever is frozen with her.

I liked that there was a new spin on the Santa Claus legend. The first half of the story was a little bit boring to me since it reminded me of fairy tales such as Sleeping Beauty. The action picked up when Holly arrived in New York City. The scenes set in the toy shop where my favorites in the entire book. Holly's ability to create dream dolls was a nice touch too. The bad guy in the story is quite easy to identify, though, especially if you pay attention to the names of the characters.

As for the characters, my favorite characters are Holly's friends Empy, Tundra, Lexie and Euphemia. I also liked Mr. Carroll, but not as much as you don't get to learn as much about him. As for Holly, she was an okay character for me. Sometimes I liked her, but other times, she annoyed me, particularly when she would go against her instincts.

I really liked the illustrations and coloring for this book, though, especially since the old-school, Norman Rockwell-esque illustrations match the era of the story quite well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Young Readers for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a refreshing change from the usual Christmas stories.
2. There are interesting characters.
3. The worldbuilding is great.

THE BAD:

1. The ending is predictable and a little corny and romantic.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Another platter, with roasted meat laid in tempting slices under a savory sauce, and yet another piled high with delicate fruit, completed the meal.

READ IT IF:

1. You're looking for a nostalgic Christmas read.
2. You want to read a Christmas story to your kids wherein you can get a little romance too.
3. You like new takes on old classics.

RATING:


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In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

Kid in Chief by Paul Maguire, illustrated by Katy Betz
Food for a Fish: The Whopping Story of Jonah and the Whale by 
Kelly Pulley
Good News of Great Joy: The Amazing Story of Jesus' Birth by 
Kelly Pulley

Review: Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, brining home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

MY TAKE:

I found this book fascinating but also kind of unnerving.

In Uses for Boys, Anna turns to boys to fill the loneliness inside her. When she finally finds a boy who is practically perfect, everything feels perfect, until it isn't.

The first thing that surprised me about this book was the writing style. I expected a traditional YA narrative. Uses for Boys is still done in prose, but the style is very poetic and lyrical. I happen to like that style so it was  a pleasant surprise for me.

You really feel for Anna throughout the book. She's so broken and doesn't know any better because that life is all she's known. I was happy to see some growth in her midway through the book, although her promiscuity did put me off a bit.

This book is heavy on the sex and sexual activity, though, so if you aren't fond of things like that in your YA novel, especially if things that border on sexual abuse bother you, you might not like this book.

The book feels very real, though, and I think a lot of girls will see a little bit of themselves in Anna.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC. Publication date of Uses for Boys is on January 15, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. Anna is interesting.
2. A lot of girls may be able to relate to Anna, if not because of her experiences, then because of her hopes.
3. It can help girls stay hopeful.

THE BAD:

1. The writing style may not work well for everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

We each carry a dish to the dining room, mashed potatoes with bits of skin; a crusty steak cut in long strips, showing red in the middle; green beans with bell peppers, everything in rough heavy dishes.

READ IT IF:

1. You like YA novels that are a little bit more adult.
2. You like poetic writing styles.
3. You like dark YA novels.

RATING:


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Review: Cozy Classics: Moby Dick by Holman Wang and Jack Wang

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Give a kid a classic! Cozy Classics is a new board book series presenting well-loved stories through 12 child-friendly words and 12 needle-felted illustrations. Moby Dick is a high seas adventure about one man’s quest to find the whale who took his leg, and one of the world’s most beloved classics. Now this classic can be shared with children of any age.

MY TAKE:

I was curious to see how Moby Dick could work as a board book for little kids.

In Cozy Classics: Moby Dick, the classic is told through illustrations and select words.

I was quite surprised to see just one word for each illustration. At first I thought that the first few pages were just a way for kids to identify the words which will be used in the actual story. As it turns out, the entire book is composed of just one word per page, with the illustration showing what that word is in relation to the Moby Dick story. Strangely enough, in just those few words and illustrations, you actually do get the main bits of the story. It's kind of like having flash cards but the flash cards tell a story.

The approach seems a little unusual, but it works. Younger kids will enjoy the illustrations and they'll get to learn new words too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Smith Publicity for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. The felt illustrations are very cute.
2. The flashcard-style storytelling works.
3. Kids will be able to understand the basics of Moby Dick.

THE BAD:

1. You don't actually get to read the Moby Dick story.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

sailor

READ IT IF:

1. Your child is too young to read children's books on his/her own.
2. Your child has a short attention span.
3. Your child likes felt or stuffed toys.

RATING:


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