Friday, January 23, 2009

Goulash and Picking Pickles or Sky Juice and Flying Fish

Goulash and Picking Pickles: An almost boomer growing up in rural Wisconsin with recipes from Grandma and other Relatives

Author: Louise Mae Hoffmann

Goulash and Picking Pickles Read about life in the 1950's through Louise's eyes. Learn about siblings, four of them; Cousins, over 40 of them, and ice skating on the natural pond in her back yard. Louise ends each chapter by sharing recipes from her grandmother and other family and friends. Did JFK win the Wisconsin primary in 1961? And how did Senator Kennedy happen to visit Washington High School in New London, and thus change a young student's perception of politics? What's it like being the teacher's kid? Louise had her father as her teacher for all eight grades in a one-room school. Was more, or less, expected of her? And how does a teacher's kid earn money in the country? Picking pickles, strawberries, raspberries and in the winter selling roses. Those roses were waxed and made by her mother. Is country living more charming or boring than city life? Louise enjoyed walks in the woods and bicycle rides on country roads, but really longed to see big city lights. Having a chance to spend a summer in Chicago Louise was totally flabbergasted to find out that the family whose children she was babysitting were vacationing in rural Wisconsin! She couldn't imagine what they would find exciting about rural life.



Book about: Nashville Brewing Tennessee or Healing Foods for Natural Health

Sky Juice and Flying Fish: Tastes Of A Continent

Author: Jessica B Harris

Savor the food, flavor, rhythm, and romance of the Caribbean.

A truly authentic guide to down-home traditional Caribbean cooking, the kind you'd find at roadside stands, Sky Juice and Flying Fish captures the feel of the Islands, bringing the blue-green sea, the tropical breeze, and the exotic scents of the Caribbean into the American kitchen.

A culinary history of each of the Islands provides the perfect introduction to the 150 mouth-watering recipes for appetizers and soups, entrees, side dishes, and desserts, all featuring the distinctly exotic seasonings—ginger, garlic, chili, coconut, curries, and rum—of the Caribbean.

Begin your meal with plantain chips and a rum-spiked 'ti-punch. Go on to Bajan Fried Chicken from Barbados, complemented by a banana-ginger chutney and served with Jamaican Rice and Peas. Finish up with a sumptuous coconut pudding.

A glossary lists ingredients from achiote (small reddish berries) to z'yeux noirs (black-eyed peas), which can be found in grocery stores, Caribbean markets, or through the mail-order source list provided in the appendix.

Publishers Weekly

Harris ( Hot Stuff: A Cookbook in Praise of the Piquant ) offers an enthusiastic and enticing introduction to the lively array of cuisines found in the Caribbean islands. Combining research with observations from her own experiences, she explores the ``culinary quirks'' of different islands (turtle steak can be sampled in the Cayman Islands, and while peas and rice are ``laughingly referred to as the Jamaican coat of arms,'' curried goat is a local specialty) and supplies a useful glossary of ingredients and utensils. Dishes range from appetizers to desserts, and one can taste bacalaitos (codfish fritters) from Puerto Rico, fricasseed chicken from Saint Kitts or breadfruit stuffed with onion and tomato from Jamaica. Most of the recipes are simple enough to encourage readers to try unfamiliar dishes, although several contain at least one unusual, specialty-store ingredient, such as the Scotch bonnet-type chile in soupe aux pois rouges (kidney bean soup). Harris suggests substitutions for some uncommon items, such as Cascadura (a mudfish found near Trinidad); cooks who can't locate the fish can substitute shrimp to make a flavorful curry. (Feb.)

Library Journal

Harris is the author of Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons ( LJ 5/15/89), a collection of African-inspired New World dishes, and Hot Stuff: A Cookbook in Praise of the Piquant ( LJ 8/85); now she turns to the traditional dishes of the Caribbean islands. Her lively text is well written and informative, and she provides historical background and an excellent glossary as well as an assortment of recipes both simple and sophisticated. Once again, she includes many unusual dishes not found in other books on the topic, such as Dunstan Harris's Island Cooking ( LJ 12/1/88) and John DeMers's Caribbean Cooking ( LJ 3/ 15/89). Highly recommended.



Table of Contents:

Contents

Introduction

A Culinary History of the Caribbean

Creole Feast: An Island-By-Island Look At Caribbean Cooking

Ingredients and Utensils: A Glossary

Appetizers

Soups

Sauces, Condiments, and Seasonings

Vegetables and Salads

Main Dishes

Breads and Baked Goods

Desserts and Sweets

Beverages

Index

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