Go Cards!

If you're pulling for the Arizona Cardinals in this year's Superbowl, then here's a little extra help in creating the ultimate Superbowl Party Spread.

Tastes & Treasures, a cool little story-filled cookbook from the Historical League of Tempe, is actually loaded with simple yet impressive recipes like Halibut with Penne and Basil Pesto. Obviously, this dish should be saved for another night, but here are some party ideas and recipes that are sure to impress guests and keep the crowd cheering.

Tamales Tamales Tamales. Serve different kinds of tamales, like Green Tamales and Homemade Chicken Tamales and let guests select their own toppings like Ancho Cilantro Vinaigrette or Cherry Chipotle Sauce.Other delicious entertaining options include:
Wild Game Chili
Duck Cakes with Spicy Nopales Salsa
Mexican Bean Dip (recipe follows)
Cowboy Caviar

Mexican Bean Dip
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded white Cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper or jalapeno chile, chopped
1/2 cup sliced black olives

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the beans over the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch quiche dish or pie plate. Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning mix in a bowl and spread over the beans. Sprinkle with the cheeses. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with the tomato, bell pepper and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.

Recipes Worth Sharing on QVC

This morning, Sheila Thomas presented her compilation cookbook, Recipes Worth Sharing on QVC and their stock (all 4,000 copies) SOLD OUT within three minutes!!!!

Sheila did so great and the food she prepared looked amazing. Way to shine, Sheila!

Check the video out here:
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.F05879.desc.Recipes-Worth-Sharing-from-Favorite-Recipes-Press

Easy Dips for Superbowl Smarties

These two dips are from Peeling the Wild Onion, which won 2nd Place in the Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards' national competition.

In the spirit of Superbowl Parties, and the fact that you always need to have a good dip recipe on-hand, here are two to try!

Texas Caviar
Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) can white corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons salsa
1 tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1 tablespoon hot red pepper sauce
Handful of chopped cilantro

Directions
Combine the corn, black-eyed peas, salsa, tomato, bell pepper, onion, dressing, hot red pepper sauce and cilantro in a bowl and mix well. Let stand for a few hours for the flavors to blend before serving.

Yields 6 to 8 servings


Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese
1 (12-ounce) bottle ranch or blue cheese salad dressing(I'm loving the sound of this already)
2 cups diced celery
2 to 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 (5-ounce) bottle hot sauce
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby jack cheese

Directions
Combine the cream cheese, salad dressing and celery in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until smooth, stirring constantly. Stir in the shredded chicken and hot sauce. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes. Stir the melted cheese thoroughly into the dip.

Serve with crackers, veggie sticks, chips.....a spoon!

Yields 15 to 20 servings

2008 Tabasco Awards

Every year the McIlhenny peeps, the saucy ones who make the even spicier Tabasco Sauce products, issue the Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards.

This year, Favorite Recipes Press has five titles on the list of awards recipients.

Peeling the Wild Onion from the Junior League of Chicago of Chicago, IL earned second place in the national competition. This modern cookbook with its chic design also draws on the Windy City’s historic roots, as Chicago means “wild onion” in local Native American culture. With recipes organized by the four seasons that are so intensely experienced in Chicago, this book is a culinary trip through the great city.

A Thyme to Entertain: Menus & Traditions of Annapolis from the Junior League of Annapolis, Inc. of Annapolis, MD earned third place in the national competition. Loaded with amazing local recipes and highlighted by symbolic watercolor graphics throughout, this is a genuine community cookbook because it inspires the reader to experience Annapolis and surrounding areas firsthand. Upon pouring over its pages, one can’t resist the desire to spend an afternoon in a Chesapeake Bay vineyard, or to enjoy a crab feast and then stroll through the historic bay town of Annapolis.

Sunny Days, Balmy Nights – Entertaining Miami Style from the Young Patronesses of the Opera of Miami, FL earned the Southern regional award. Talk about serving up culture: this book is a fun, colorful, and diverse culinary trip to paradise. Sunny Days, Balmy Nights offers up summer year-round with its tropical influences, tastes of Cuba, tons of brilliant entertaining ideas, and wonderful recipes for savoring seafood.

California Mosaic from the Junior League of Pasadena of Pasadena, CA earned the West regional award. California is truly a geographical mosaic, from its people and their histories and cultures, to the diverse landscapes and cities. California Mosaic celebrates this flavorful existence with a beautiful selection of recipes that are like taking a trip around the world.

Stir Ups, which the Junior Welfare League of Enid of Enid, OK published in 1982, was one of two books inducted into the honorable Walter S. McIlhenny Hall of Fame. Stir Ups was honored for having sold more than 100,000 copies.

All of the books except Sunny Days, Balmy Nights are available online at The Cookbook Marketplace: www.cookbookmarketplace.com.

Changing Face of Community Cookbooks

Midtown Magazine of Raleigh, NC, wrote a great article on "The Changing Face of Community Cookbooks" and it features two of FRP's clients and their books.

1.) The Junior League of Raleigh's You're Invited
2.) Ravenscroft School's Excellent Courses








The article points out that a book like Excellent Courses both preserves the school's legacy and traditions and raises funds in a meaningful manner.

The article also makes a good point that community cookbooks are "snapshots" of local communities. They are user-friendly, with recipes that range from easy to more elaborate.

What's significant is that community cookbooks have become refined collections of local culinary cultures, thanks to publishers like Favorite Recipes Press, who helps community groups create cookbooks that are very professional and legit because they are created through a rigorous process of recipe selection and testing, creative design, manufacturing, etc.

Favorite Recipes Press has a distribution division too, which is called The Cookbook Marketplace and is loaded with community cookbooks. There are monthly deals and discounts too: check it out!

Vanilla Honey Butter

There's something perfect about a couple smooth scoops of vanilla ice cream after a light dinner.

An avid vanilla-fan, I was ignorant to the ways of Nielsen Massey Vanillas until I discovered their cookbook, A Century of Flavor, that Favorite Recipes Press helped produce. Apparently, this company has been creating amazing, really pure and intense vanilla flavors since 1907.

They released this cookbook to celebrate their centennial, and every single recipe sound amazing.

The Fresh Basil-Tomato Soup with Vanilla calls for their Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract.

The Creamy Vanilla Sweet Potatoes calls for their Tahitian Pure Vanilla Extract; Salmon with Vanilla Balsamic Marinade.

There is even a Delicious Vanilla Honey Butter. Holy cow.

Delicious Vanilla Honey Butter

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 tablespoons sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

1.) Combine the butter, confectioners' sugar, honey and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat using an electric mixer until creamy.

2.) Use on pancakes, waffles, cornbread, biscuits, muffins, popovers or scones.
OR JUST EAT STRAIGHT OFF THE SPOON BECAUSE IT'S THAT GOOD.

Superbowl XLII - Eat like a Steeler

When I was a wee little thing I overheard adults talking about a Superbowl Party. I had no idea what such an event entailed, but if there was a party, I was pretty sure I should be invited. I asked said adults if there was, indeed, bowling to look forward to at said party. Despite the heckling that ensued, I attended and greatly enjoyed my first Superbowl Party that year, and have reveled in them ever since.

Although I have always been disappointed there's never any bowling involved.

So it looks like the Steelers and Cardinals are to face off in Superbowl XLII. (While I rather dislike the Steelers, I'm quite pleased that 37-year-old Kurt Warner and the Cardinals have rallied to make it this far. I love this sort of comeback story: this is what sports are all about!)

I'm perusing some books from Pennsylvania and Arizona. While FRP hasn't published anything out of Pittsburgh (Steelers...don't take my distaste for your team personally...we're totally game to do a cookbook of all Roethlisberger's favorites if you are...), we do have a couple of books from the state, including the Main Line Classics....so I'm putting together a little Superbowl Party Spread for each team.



We'll start with a Steeler's Menu. From the looks of things...they eat rather hearty...


For beverages, the Football Punch in Entertaining Thoughts (JL of the Lehigh Valley) and the Beer Margaritas in Main Line Entertains (Saturday Club) sound like fun times...the Beer Margaritas are a fascinating concept: like a 2-for-1....delicious.


For snacky-snacks, I'd whip up the following:

- Bambini (Main Line Classics)

- Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears (Main Line Entertains...sound fancy but are really easy)

- Greek Six Layer Dip (Main Line Entertains)

- Spicy Sausage Bites (Entertaining Thoughts)

- Pesto Cheescake (Entertaining Thoughts)

I'll list a couple of the recipes in-full...shoot me an e-mail if you want the others that I haven't listed....OR....just get a copy of these cookbooks for keeps at The Cookbook Marketplace. They're all great for home cooking and entertaining and offer a hefty taste of Pennsylvania.

Beer Margaritas
Ingredients
Juice of 2 limes
Margarita salt
2 Corona beers, chilled
1/2 cup good quality tequila
1/2 cup thawed frozen limeade concentrate
Lime wedges (garnish)

Directions
Moisten the rim of 4 margarita glasses with the lime juice and press into salt to coat. Mix the beers, tequila and limeade concentrate in a pitcher. Pour into the glasses and garnish each with a lime wedge.
Serves 4


Spicy Sausage Bites
Ingredients
2 pounds spicy sausage
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions
1.) Combine the sausage, beaten egg, bread crumbs and sage in a large bowl and mix until well blended. Shape into 48 +/- balls. Brown the sausage balls in a large skillet over high heat. Remove from heat and drain.
2.) Combine the ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the sausage balls.
3.) Simmer, covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes. You may also place in a covered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

*You could also make ahead and simmer in a crock pot....would be transportable if you're going to a party too....
***You could also add a bunch of minced garlic to the meat balls to really spice these up...can't ever have too much garlic....

Did you pass Home Ec?

It's ironic that high schools across the nation cut home ec classes, primarily during the '70s and '80s, presumably as a result of the women's lib. movement.

This situation is ironic because, while some argued these courses placed gender stereotypes on young women, I would argue that these courses taught principles and skills that students could carry with them into multi-billion dollar industries (fashion; textiles; interior design; the food industry; etc.).

Regardless, it looks like home ec courses are making a comeback - at least for grown-ups.

If you can't find a home ec course at a local community college, you can create your own at home with these classic cookbooks - Favorite Recipes of Home Economics Teachers.

Back in the '60s, when home ec courses were in their prime, home ec teachers from across the nation submitted their favorite recipes to publishers, Favorite Recipes Press, to compile this series of books that includes Casseroles, Meats, Vegetables, Salads and Desserts. Each book has more than 2,000 recipes and each recipe cites the contributor, so you're likely to recognize your home town or little towns nearbye. Pretty neat-o.

You can get the entire set or singles from the set at The Cookbook Marketplace.

And then there's this...

And might I just say, I'm really thankful that my mother didn't take a crock pot of this variety to church potlucks....

"Yes kids, that is Richard Petty on the crockpot.

No, we can't go to the race today! We gots to go to church!"

Quick! Get out your slow cooker!

Apparently some 80% of American kitchens own a slow cooker.

At least that's what Candy Sagon cites in her Wash. Times article expressing her newfound love of the slow cooker.

While Sagon is just realizing all the fabulous benefits of these otherwise awkward kitchen appliances, I grew up loving it when Mom would pull her short, squatty, avocado green KitchenAid slow cooker out, usually on the weekends, and cook a good stew or roast.

I always wondered what possessed Mom to buy that crock pot in that avocado green color. I suppose it was a nice accent to our kitchen's bright yellow Formica and burnt orange-and-gold plaid wallpaper. I freaking loved that kitchen.



I also loved Sunday church picnics where all the women would pack in their crock pots. Some were gold; others that late-70s yellow; some had rustic-looking pears and other fruits painted on the outside....even though no one ever cooked a pear in a crock pot.


Crock pots, or slow cookers, are all bright & shiny stainless steel now, but slow cooker meals are still the best because you can throw whatever you want into the mix: veggies, meat; add some spices and a little liquid of really any variety (a friend's mother always used Coca-Cola because it sweetened the meat....they were from the south...), plug it in, and hours later your house smells like a spicy, meaty heaven.



Most old-school community cookbooks are loaded with some pretty great slow cooker recipes that are easy and will make cheap meals. Recipes Worth Sharing is a cookbook that claims to have some of the "best" recipes from decades of community cookbooks. This one's for the Slow-Cooker Pot Roast. The recipe is fool-proof and the roast makes really great leftovers for cold sandwiches.





Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
1 (3-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 onion, sliced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (use creole mustard if you want an extra kick)
1 bay leaf
8 small red potatoes
8 carrots, peeled and quartered (or just throw a bunch of the little baby carrots into the mix)
3 ribs celery, chopped

Directions
Cut the roast into halves and make small slits in the top of each half. Insert a garlic slice into each slit. Coat the roast with a mixture of the flour, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil. Place the roast in a 6-quart slow cooker and add the wine and onion. Mix the tomato sauce, brown sugar, oregano, prepared horseradish, prepared mustard, and bay leaf in a bowl and pour rover the roast. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and cook, covered, on low for 8 hours. Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Recipe originally published in Tables of Content, from the Junior League of Birmingham, AL.

One of Nashville's best-kept secrets

If you ever venture to Nashville and want an authentic local experience that will deliver music and food that won't let you down, hit up the Family Wash in historic East Nashville.

You do have to venture a bit off the beaten path, but why else would you travel? The Wash is unpretentious and filled with random fun: odd books on the bar; those dolls you put in water and they grow; weird dolls, etc. Their menu is wonderful: can't go wrong with a thing that's on it. The high octane beer selection is an indulgence as well...just hold on tight when you stand up after sampling a couple...

But, the real treat is the Shepherd's Pie that's as big as your head. Order it with extra garlic and eat the whole thing yourself.

Also, try to go on a night when David Peterson is playing: Peterson is a good old boy who plays great bluegrass and sometimes wears overalls because they are comfortable, and not because they are cool, presumably.

If you can't make it down to East Nashville, at least treat yourself to a Shepherd's Pie at home. While this recipe says it makes 4 to 6 servings, I'd pretend like I was at The Wash if I were you, and I'd eat the whole thing myself.












This recipe is from the book, Beyond One Square Mile,
from the Junior League of Bronxville.


Horseradish Mashed Potato Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
7 or 8 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
3 to 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped (what the hell is a parsnip?)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 pounds ground lamb or beef
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
(this recipe calls for no garlic, which means you get to add as much as you'd like!!!)

Directions
1.) Combine the potatoes with enough cold salted water to generously cover in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender; drain. Mash the potatoes in a bowl, adding the milk during the mashing process. Stir in the horseradish and season with salt and pepper.
2.) Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the parsnips, carrots, onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper (and all the garlic you might want...). Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Crumble the lamb/beef into the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently; drain, if desired. Sprinkle the flour over the lamb mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix well. Discard the bay leaf.
3.) Spoon the lamb mixture into a greased shallow medium baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes, spreading to the edge. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with the chives.

Chicken Pot Pies

Heck yes I was a chubby kid.

A chubby kid who loved nothing more than a delicious Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie.

My grandmother always kept a couple of the frozen versions in her freezer for the special weekends I'd go stay with her

(my grandfather had passed, so Grandma lived through her kids and spoiled her grandkids rotten).

At 300+ calories a whack, there's no way in the world I'd eat one of those things now! But I can remember how deliciously salty and rich they were.

I also remember eating the whole damned thing.

Ahh, to be a kid again.

Come to find out, Don Callender, the son of ol' Miss Marie, passed away last week. I'm supposing it was under his leadership that his mother's pot pies were turned into take-home frozen conveniences. He was a "Food Entrepreneur." When I was six, I would have called him a genius.

Favorite Recipes Press in the news...

Jennifer Justus, food writer of The Tennessean, compiled a great article that highlighted community cookbooks as timeless regional and cultural artifacts, as well as the role Favorite Recipes Press has played in helping non-profits and community groups create these cookbooks since 1961.

Justus says, "When it comes to recipes loaded with more memories than butter, the slick cookbooks of celebrity chefs can hardly compare to the versions from community groups and churches. When it comes to recipes loaded with more memories than butter, the slick cookbooks of celebrity chefs can hardly compare to the versions from community groups and churches."

We couldn't agree more.

How to lose those pantry items you never use...

I enjoyed this article from Mark Bittman this morning, titled "Fresh Start for a New Year? Let's Begin in the Kitchen."



Bittman, The Minimalist, offers some refreshingly simple ideas for what to throw out and what to keep. He says bouillon cubes are "OUT" and offers a simple suggestion for how to make your own tasty stock.



My fave suggestion Bittman offers is to make your own salad dressings instead of buying them for $4 a whack at the grocery - fabulous.



But while the items on Bittman's "OUT" list may not be as '09' as you or your pantry would like, I'm guessing your cookbook collection has a great selection of ideas on what to do with the bread crumbs, dried parsley and basil, and tomato paste in a can, which all made the "OUT" list.



The CASSEROLES edition of the Favorite Recipes of Home Economics Teachers vintage cookbook set has more than 2,000 classic recipes that call for everything but the kitchen sink. The beauty of casseroles, especially the casserole recipes in this book, is they don't have wild ingredient lists yet you can usually throw anything into them and get a good result. They also make a good amount of food and you can chow on yummy leftovers, possibly while standing in front of the fridge with a fork in hand, for a day or two.

Resolution to keep: Eat more salad

I try to hit the salad bar consistently after the holidays as my pants continue to get tighter but my appetite won't shrink.

Iceberg can get a little boring though, so I mix a variety of different healthy options in with my greens.

Lately I've been devouring spinach + strawberries + blue cheese + chopped walnuts with a light raspberry vinaigrette of some sort.

This recipe from Holly Clegg's latest cookbook, Gulf Coast Favorites, takes spinach up another notch. Clegg worked with America's Wetland Foundation on this book, and a portion of the proceeds from sales will go to the Foundation and support their ongoing efforts of protecting America's Gulf Coast and wetlands. Pretty good deal.

With only 77 calories per serving, this salad serves up great flavor and the prosciutto and spinach are perfectly filling.

Spinach Salad with Candied Spicy Pecans
Ingredients
2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
2 peaches or nectarines, sliced (or kiwi, berries, or any seasonal fruit....I used oranges!)
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
Citrus Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Candied Spicy Pecans

Directions
1.) In a salad bowl, combine all ingredients and toss with Citrus Vinaigrette.
2.) Sprinkle with Candied Spicy Pecans. Serve immediately.

CITRUS VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.) In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.

CANDIED SPICY PECANS
Ingredients
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Salt to taste
1/3 cup pecan halves, rinsed, drained

Directions
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2.) In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, except pecans.
3.) Add pecans, tossing to coat well. Transfer pecans to prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.) Remove from oven and immediately scrape sugar mixture and pecans onto a plate to cool. Coarsely chop before serving.