Sugar Sugar by Kimberly "Momma" Reiner and "Momma" Jenna Sanz-Agero

Title:  Sugar Sugar

Authors:  Kimberly "Momma" Reiner and "Momma" Jenna Sanez-Agero

Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing

Publication Date:  25 October 2011

Pages:  312

Source:  NetGalley

ISBN:  9781449403584

My Review:

According to these two ladies, "Every Recipe has a Story"  and what a great story this compilation tells!  From the selection of recipes offered here, the story is that food should be fun and delicious and make you happy to eat it!  I love this book!  It has the best selection of sweets you will find anywhere.  The names of the recipes will crack you up.  For instance one of the Chapters is called, "Better Than Nooky Cookies."  The first recipe in that section is the 'Boobie' cookie, which looks delicious.  But, there are 16 more cookie recipes to tempt you in that one chapter.  Another chapter is titled, "Cakes to Diet For." There are some real doozies in this chapter, such as the, 'Everything But the Hummingbird Cake,'   'Strawberry Celebration Cake,' and 14 more that are as equally tantalizing as these two .  The  "Tarts and Pies Worth the Lies," is a wonderful chapter with 13 pie and tart recipes.   I could not decide which recipe looked the most appealing, as I want to make them all!  There is a 'Chocolate Puddin Pie, '  'Vanilla Puddin Pie,' 'Cooks and Kooks Key Lime Pie,' along with several others that will make your mouth water. In the "Cool Bars and Summer stars," chapter, there are 11 wonderful recipes such as 'Blueberry Buckle' and 'Peach Queen Cobbler'.  The last chapter is "Candy and Creative Confections." which has 10 recipes that includes 'Seaside Toffee,' 'Whoopie Pies,' 'Magic Marshmallow Puffs,' and 'Church Windows.'    If you love sweets, you need this book.  I think it is one of the best dessert books to hit the shelves in a long time.  I have pre ordered mine from Amazon and can't wait to get it!

This is a photo of the Blueberry Buckle from Sugar Sugar

Everything but the Hummingbird Cake

Kentucky Jam Cake

Boobie Cookies

Buffalo Chip Cookies

Vanilla Puddin Pie

Church Windows

Cutie Pies by Dani Cone

Title:  Cutie Pies

Author;  Dani Cone

Sub Title:  40 Sweet, Savory, and Adorable Recipes

Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing

Publication Date:27 September 2011

Source:  NetGalley

Pages:  161

My Review:

Even though I am reviewing this from a copy through NetGalley, I have pre ordered this book so that I can have a copy of my very own.  I have to admit that the cover photograph sold me on the book before I was able to see what was between the covers.  Once I got a look, I was n ot disappointed.  It contains 40 recipes adn I want to make them all.  Dani Cone's Grandma Molly's favorite saying was, "Be good, Do Well." I believe that is a wonderful saying and it is something we should all strive for.  This book is a culmination of Dani's search for the perfect pie and I believe her Grandma Molly would be proud of her, because this book is a great tribute to the pie.  Not only is there perfect pies, but there is a perfect crust for just about anyone.  She incudes The All Butter crust, The Graham Cracker Crust,  a vegan crust, and a Gluten Free Crust.  The pies include, Pettit pies, Pie Jar Pies, Flipside Pies, whole pies  and Pie Pops. Here are the names of a few of the sweet pies:  Lemon Blueberry Pie Jars, Cran Apple Flipsides, Peanut Butter n Jelly Pie, Coconut Cream Petit pie, and Cherry Almond Pie Pops.  Some of the savory pies are Good Ole Mac N Cheese, Garlic Potato  and Chive and Seet Potato Flipsides.  There is a pie here for everyone!

Plum Gorgeous by Romney Steele

Title:  Plum Gorgeous

Author:  Romney Steele

Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing

Publication Date:  19 July 2011

Pages:  193

Source:  NetGalley

ISBN:  9781449402402

My Review

In Romney Steele's own words, she describes this book as, "Plum Gorgeous is surely a book about the sensuous and enchanting nature of fruit and what to do with it in the kitchen.  But, more than that, it's about the pleasures and joys of the table..."

This Beautiful book has so many mouth watering recipes.  Not only are there great recipes using plums, but there are numerous other fruit recipes included.  Some of the fruits included are Plums(of course), Apples, Apricots, Oranges, Lemons, Quince, Cherries, Peaches, Figs, Pears, Rhubarb, etc.

The recipes that I want to try are :  1.  Rasberry, Rhubarb Jam, 2.  Spiced Plums, 3. Cherry Clafoutis, 4.  Fresh Peach Gelato, 5.  Rustic Fruit Gallette, 6.  Plum Gorgeous Tart, 7.  Slow cooked Apple Butter, 8.  French Apple Tart, 9.  Honey lime Peaches with Creme Fraiche, 10.  Fig Relish and Ham Sandwiches, and last but certainly not least, 11.  Blenheim Apricot Jam(part of the inspiration behind the book)  Actually those are just a few of the wonderful treats inside this book.  There are many more recipes that sound equally delicious.

It was important to Romney Steele to write a Beautiful book about food, and she certainly has achieved that with this cookbook.  She encourages the cooks to play with the recipes and make them their own.  Part of her inspiration came from her Uncle Kaffe Fassett.  He is famous for his beautiful books and works of art in the knitting and Quilting world.  In Plum gorgeous, I believe Romney Steele has managed to give us the same beauty with fruit that Kaffe Fassett gives us with textiles.  I highly recommend this book especially for the upcoming fall season and the bounty of fruit that comes with it.

Plum Blackberry Sorbet

1# plums, pitted and chopped

1 cup blackberries or black currants

1/2 cup sugar

1TBS Cassis

1 tsp lemon juice

Simmer plums with blackberries, sugar and about 1/4 cup water in small saucepan over low heat until soft and pulpy, about 5-10 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then puree and press through a seive to remove seeds and skin.  You should have about 2 cups puree.  Stir in the Cassis and lemon juice to taste.  Chill thouroughly, then churn in an ice cream freezer.  Freeze until hardened, about 1 hour.

On a Stick by Matt Armendariz and Corn Dog Recipe

This book is awesome!  It has so many recipes that I want to try.  I did make the Corn Dogs and sharing the recipe below.  The other things I want to try, (not in any order) are, Deep Fried Ravioli, Breakfast Pancake Dogs, Chicken and Waffles, Deep Fried Mac 'n' Cheese, Fish and Chips, Fried Mozzarella, Fried Pickles, Moletes, and the last one I will mention is called 'Son in Law Eggs' and hmm you woulf need to see the picture, but they look like a male private part!  These are just a few of the ones that look good to me, but there are many more  even dessert on a stick such as Frozen Elvis and S'mores!

Here are my corndogs!  Though not as pretty as the ones in the book, they were delicious!

Corn Dogs
4 wooden skewers
1 qt vegetable oil(i used sunflower oil)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2TBS sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup whole  milk
1 egg
4 jumbo hot dogs(I used Ballpark Angus low fat)
ketchup and yellow mustard for dipping

Preheat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium high heat.
Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Stir in milk and egg and whisk gently until combined.  Once oil reaches 360 degrees, thread hot dogs onto skewers.  Dip each in batter, rolling until fully coated, and quickly drop entire stick into oil.  Fry 2 at a time for 4-5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels .  Repeat for remaining corn dogs.  Serve warm, accompanied by ketchu[ and mustard.

You can use all types of sticks and this photo shows a few ideas.

                                                         Deep Fried Mac 'n' Cheese

                                                             Deep Fried Ravioli

                                                               Fish and Chips

Spaghetti and Meatballs

                                                            Margarita Jell-O Shots

I hope you enjoyed peeking into this book.  It really is one of my alltime favorites!

Sugar Baby By Gesine Bullock-Prado

;Sugar Baby: Confections, Candies, Cakes & Other Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Sugar by Gesine Bullock-Prado
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been patiently waiting for this book and now that it is hear I realize that it was worth the wait!  I want to make every recipe in this one!  The structure is different from her first book, in that it does not weave the recipes into a story. Most of the  the recipes can be made on top of your stove and they all include my favorite ingredient-Sugar!  Also, there are many photos of Gesine and photos of all of the finished recipes.  I plan to make all of the recipes, but I am going to start with the Rock Candy, G's Gelee Shots (made with champagne), Vanilla Pastry Cream, Perfect Passion Fruit Parfait, Vanilla Pecan Swirl Tea Cake, and Cotton Candy!!!


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Happy Birthday Holly!!!!!!

This great plate came from my favorite gift place-Etsy!  The seller is Little Miss Artypants and you can visit her store atwww.etsy.com/shop/littlemissartypants.  Holly loved it.  I also made Nainamo bars for her.  I used this recipe www.joyofbaking.com/NanaimoBars.html.  This is a great recipe and if you would like to make them, I highly recommend these!

I truly hope that Holly has a great Birthday!  She is one of my most favorite people in the world! She is such a wonderful friend and I am so thankful to have her in my life!  I hope she has at least 100 more birthdays to celebrate!

Paula Dean's Strawberry Shortcake

Oops! Did I do that? Sorry Cooper!

Now, I admit that mine doesn't look as good as Paula's does, but I betcha it tastes just as good.  This stuff was YuuuuuuMMMMyyyyy! You can find Paula's version here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/  and it is  so easy.

Ingredients

-1 large angel food cake

For the Custard:

-1 (8ounce) package cream cheese, softened

-1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

-1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

For the glaze:

-1cup sugar

-3 Tbs cornstarch

-3 TBS strawberry gelatin (recommended Jell-o)

-1 cup water

-2 cups fresh strawberries, cut in half or quarters depending on the size

-Whole fresh strawberries and mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

Slice cake, using a serrated knife, horizontally into 3 equal layers.

For the Custard:

Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and whipped topping in a bowl; set aside.

For the glaze:

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin; add water.  Cook stirring over medium heat until thick.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.  Fold in strawberries.

For Assembly:

Place 1 layer of cake in a large clear bowl.  Top with a layer of glaze, following by a layer of custard mixture.  Repeat layering in this manner for remaining cake, glaze and custard.  Top with 3 strawberries and fresh mint leaves.

Cracker Barrel Apple Crisp

This is the Perfect Cool Weather Dessert!

It is easy and delicious!

The ingredients include a jar of Fried Apples, and a 16 oz. bag of Kari Lee's Apple Crisp mix purchased at Cracker Barrel Restaurant. www.crackerbarrel.com/ you will also need 1 stick of butter.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, place one jar of Fried Apples in a buttered 8"-9" pan.  Combine dry ingredients with cool butter. Mix with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle mixture over apples. Bake 50-60 minutes or until it is golden brown and bubbly.  Serve Warm with ice cream or whipped topping.

This tastes like ooey gooey  caramel apples and is so very good with vanilla ice cream.