bookie & cookie

We’ve reached the point in the year when I start reading picture books in earnest – because the holidays are coming! It feels ridiculous to type that sentence in AUGUST of all months, when school hasn’t even started up again yet, but it’s true. By the time December rolls around, the gifts must already be selected and ordered so that they arrive on time. I’m happy to report that Blanca Gómez's new picture book Bookie & Cookie is a strong contender to gift to the young ones in your life, or to check out from your local library. After all, it combines two of the best simple pleasures in life: books and baking cookies!

Even the best friendships have rough moments, but a true friend will always find a way to compromise (especially when cookies are involved!) – a scrumptious and clever read-aloud by the illustrator of Very Good Hats and Besos for Baby.

Bookie and Cookie are best friends. They love to spend time together, reading books and snacking on treats. But whenever this happens, it’s always at Cookie’s home . . . until the day when Bookie insists on getting together at his home instead. Cookie refuses: He doesn’t want to try something new. And now Bookie and Cookie are both alone, and the activities they used to enjoy together aren’t nearly as much fun. Can the two buddies each try something new for the sake of their friendship?

Bookie and Cookie are best friends, but they have an unconventional living situation. Bookie lives in the left-hand page of the book, and Cookie lives in the right-hand page. And when they hang out together, they are always in/on Cookie’s page. Bookie would like Cookie to come visit, but he refuses! He doesn’t like change. How will these best friends finally resolve their conflict? Page is synonymous with house in this delightfully-illustrated book about compromise and the power of friendship. It celebrates the delicious pairing of cookies and books while teaching gentle lessons about conflict-resolution, and the only thing that would make it more my speed is if it somehow worked in ice coffee as well, lol.

Gómez's text is the sort of metanarrative that is delightful to book lovers – the characters acknowledge the spatiality of the book! Vocabulary-wise, the text is simple and sparse enough for early readers, so the book will appeal in both the read-aloud era and into independent reading. It also has a few useful messages: that conflict hurts both parties, compromise is necessary to maintain meaningful friendships, and being afraid of change will keep you from a life full of adventures. Gómez conveys this message in fairly equal amounts of narration and dialogue between Bookie and Cookie. Parents and caregivers will laugh (or cry, depending on the day!) when reading the familiar interplay between the characters: “I don’t like what I don’t know.” “How can you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?” “I don’t know, but I know it’s true.” And of course, young children may see themselves reflected in some of the stubborn resistance to flexibility that Cookie displays. There are kinder emotions discussed as well, such as gifting cookies, reading together, and eventually adventuring outside the book. 

The art is simple, with figures and furniture in a crayon box full of bright colors against a white background, which will appeal to the intended audience. Gómez's flat, rounded characters have nearly perfect circles for heads, distinctive hats, and a few straight lines indicating their hair. The geometric shapes and figures call to mind cut paper art, and the book’s delightful details (the book titles and cookie containers move around and correspond to what’s happening in the story) will invite commentary and rereads to check – are items changing and moving from one page to the next? These clever Easter eggs encourage interactivity and engagement.

In all, Bookie & Cookie is a brief and rainbow-bright picture book sure to delight book-loving adults and the young children they read to.

Recommended for: read alouds and independent reading, and anyone who appreciates a well-designed and artful picture book experience. 

 

Bookie & Cookie will release from Rocky Pond Books (Penguin Random House) on September 3, 2024. 

 

Fine print: I received a final copy of the text from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for this post.

chef's kiss

One of my favorite bookish surprises is to find out that whatever I’m reading has recipes included in it. Not a cookbook, mind (though those are great too!), but a novel or a graphic novel with recipes after each chapter or at the end of the story. Going into it, I didn’t know that graphic novel Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez, Danica Brine, Hank Jones, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou would be one of these books. What I did know? Cooking plot, romance, gay protagonist, and I saw the cute, piggy cupid on the front cover – and that was more than enough to sell me on this title. I’m so glad it did! And I’ll be checking out the recipes too.

Watch things start to really heat up in the kitchen in this sweet, queer, new adult graphic novel!

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. He’s actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he’s got the culinary skills to stay on full-time. But it’s only temporary…right?

When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear.

Ben and his friends have just finished up college, and they are living together while figuring out what happens next: more schooling, job hunting, first job woes, etc. Ben, an English major, is not having any luck applying to jobs that might use his degree – and he’s feeling a little desperate one day when he sees a “Help Wanted” sign at a restaurant. Then it turns out that staff member Liam is hot, Ben gets to use his cooking skills, and (most) of the staff is nice… could this be the thing he’s meant to do? A gourmet food-loving pig will decide his fate, and Ben will have to wrestle with disappointed parents, friend conflict… and maybe dating too, if he’s lucky.

One of the lovely bits of Chef’s Kiss is that the side characters, Ben’s friends and coworkers, all have real moments in the story, from nonsensically talking about a bong decorated like Vlad the Impaler amid a friend negotiation, to a quick moment of asking someone to celebrate you transforming from surprise, to misunderstanding, to hurt when folks aren’t on the same page. I appreciated the healthy resolution of those moments. It may not have resulted in the most drama-filled plot, but it is excellent modeling for readers, and that’s okay to have sometimes! I also appreciated the conversation throughout the book about “what’s next” after college, and the affirmation that it’s okay not to know. So not only was this a cute and satisfying book, I felt that it was rewarding, too. I’m looking forward to putting it in my classroom library.

 

As with any graphic novel, the art plays a huge role. Danica Brine’s line art and Hank Jones’ color feel like a cross between manga and traditional superhero comics styling, and it is of course beautiful! The focus on each page is definitely on the clean lines and dialogue. I think this is the most text-heavy graphic novel I’ve read in a while. As a result, I got a sense of each character’s voice, which was a good thing. I also loved the art in the back matter, including the illustrated recipes (of course!) for Mushroom Ricotta Tart and Butternut Squash Soup.

 

The only thing I take issue with about this book is that the back cover (e.g. the publisher) calls it a romance. I think it is more of a coming-of-age story, with a little bit of incidental romance along the way. I say that because it doesn’t feel as though the romance is the POINT of the book – instead, the point is settling into adulthood, figuring out what you want to do, doing your best, and showing up for the people around you. Also, the romantic bits are quite innocent, so it definitely feels sweet in a YA kind of way. And none of this is a real criticism! I think the story and art are lovely and they don’t need a heavier romantic element. I just tried to think of a quibble and found one, don’t mind me, lol.

 

In all, Chef’s Kiss is an adorable, light read with: a satisfying conclusion, notes on healthy friend and family relationships, a hilarious pig character (and I do mean character), recipes at the end (!), and a sprinkling of romance. 

 

Recommended for: fans of Bloom, Our Dining Table, Check, Please!, and other food-themed graphic novels and manga, and those looking for sweet LGBTQ+ reads with a similar wholesome- and friendly-feel to Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper.

 

This review is part of Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg of The Intrepid Reader. Click to learn more about Weekend Cooking.

almond thumbprint cookies with jam

I’m in upstate New York for the month of July with extended family, and one of the joys of that (aside from cooler weather, doggie cuddles, and lake swimming!) is staying just 45 minutes from my grandmother, Cynthia, who is now 102! She’s currently in assisted living, but with both of us vaccinated, I’ve been able to visit. Last week I couldn’t see her because of a virtual class during daylight hours, so I’m going to see her today, and I tried a new recipe for jam thumbprint cookies to brighten up a rainy week.

 

Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Jam (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

 

INGREDEINTS

 

4 ounces almonds (any kind), ground, OR almond meal
2/3 cup sugar, plus extra 1/3 cup, for rolling dough
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 generous teaspoon vanilla extract
Jam, any kind (I made basic strawberry jam over Memorial Day, so I used that)

 

DIRECTIONS

 

If using whole or chopped almonds, grind them into a fine powder (I do this either in a food processor or a coffee grinder). Add almond meal/ground almonds, sugar, flour, and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in butter, egg, and vanilla extract until incorporated. Scoop and mold dough into a large ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

 

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Move ball of dough back to countertop and uncover. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough into your hand, squeeze to help the dough adhere, and roll between your palms into a smooth ball. Drop each ball of dough into small bowl filled with the remaining sugar. Rotate/roll until dough is coated on all sides, and place on one of the baking sheets. Because you’ll be chilling the dough one more time before baking, you don’t need to worry about spacing at this point. Discard remaining sugar.

 

 

Make an indentation in center of each ball using your thumb, index finger, or the rounded end of a wooden spoon. If dough cracks, let it warm a little more, or nudge it back into place. Return the cookies to the refrigerator (20-25 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) to chill.

 

 

Move racks to the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Take cookies out of the fridge or freezer and fill with jam up to the edges of the indentation. If jam is too dense or stiff, put 2-3 tablespoons in a small bowl in the microwave for 15 seconds. Warm jam should be easier to work with! Space filled cookies 2 inches apart, moving some to the second baking sheet.

 

Bake 11-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets. Makes 24-36 cookies, depending on size.

 

After never making them before in my life, I’ve made jam thumbprint cookies twice this summer. The first time I made them, I used a recipe that called for all flour and additional corn starch. While they looked fabulous and disappeared quickly at the party I took them to, I didn’t love the taste of so much starch. Naturally, I went looking for an alternative. Deb of Smitten Kitchen posts reliably good recipes, so I adapted hers a bit for my own needs. The result may be more rustic and less perfect, but they taste MUCH better than my first effort, and they melt in your mouth. If you don’t mind cracks here and there in your cookies, these will be a hit! They’re still visually stunning, and they taste delicious!

 

This recipe post is part of Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg of The Intrepid Reader. Learn more about Weekend Cooking here.

our dining table

When I’m too busy to think, my optimal reading choices (if I can muster up the energy!) are: graphic novels, novellas, and short stories. My reading in 2020 so far has consisted of: 4 novellas and 2 graphic novels. I think that tells you all you need to know about how the month has gone! The graphic novel I finished this morning, Mita Ori’s Our Dining Table, was a delightful escape from reality. It also made me ravenously hungry for ramen. Luckily, there’s a ramen shop down the street…

Eating around other people is a struggle for salaryman Yutaka, despite his talent for cooking. All that changes when he meets Minoru and Tane—two brothers, many years apart in age—who ask him to teach them how to make his delicious food! It’s not long before Yutaka finds himself falling hard for the meals they share together—and falling in love!

Our Dining Table follows the solitary Yutaka, a young man who is a talented cook but doesn’t like to eat with others due to past trauma. When he bumps into the adorable Tane and his older brother Minoru at the park during his lunch hour, he is charmed by their relationship. Four-year-old Tane, in turn, is obsessed with Yutaka’s homemade food.  So begins an association, and then a relationship, first based on a shared love of food… that eventually leads to love love.

First of all, I have to give a shout-out to the Cybils, because if I hadn’t been on the graphic novel award committee in 2018, I never would have added myself to the Seven Seas (a manga publisher) email newsletter. And then I never would have heard of Our Dining Table, which is, for the record, ADORABLE. My interest was piqued by this book because: food + graphic novel = instant yes. THEN I saw that it also featured an LGBTQ+ romance, and I was like, yes, okay, let’s GO. One of my favorite books of 2019 (Bloom) was another graphic novel that mixed food and love. It also has the CUTEST cover? So really, I was primed to be enchanted by this book.

And then, it had the gall to be just… super sweet?? With good pacing, great art, and moments of light angst that pulled my heartstrings??? Ugh, yeah, it was wonderful. And satisfying. Even if I am still hungry. Ha!

But yeah, let’s dig in to what I liked so much about it. There was the food, of course – Yutaka ingratiates himself to (and integrates into) the Ueda family recipe by recipe. First he shows them how he makes rice, and then onigiri, and then curry... and in turn they accept him unquestioningly and show him their own recipes. The mentions of food don’t break up the narrative, but they sound (and look!) mouth-wateringly good.

The increasing intimacy between Minoru and Yutaka is also played exactly right. Their relationship is sweet, slow-moving, and comes along with growing trust and interruptions from a certain excitable younger brother. Each of them open up, bit by bit, to the other, and yes it may be idealized but it’s so delightful. This book was a joy to while away an hour with, and I can already tell I’ll want to pick it up again.

Also, the art! I don’t read many manga style graphic novels, but as far as I can tell the black on white line art was fairly standard for the genre. HOWEVER, I feel attacked by how cute Tane was. Like Studio Ghibli cute. Every time he was excited (which was nearly always) his eyes got even more enormous and it was unsustainably adorable! I also thought Mita Ori’s use of texture and patterns was excellent – and of course the panels featuring food were incredible. I remain impressed overall, but the art was really special.

In conclusion: if anything in my review struck a chord, you should read this book, preferably with some snacks nearby. It’s adorable (have I used that word enough?), and it’ll make you hungry and happy all at once.

Recommended for: readers who like gentle, quiet love stories, à la Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau’s young adult graphic novel Bloom, fans of light manga, and those intrigued by graphic novels about food.

Interested in reading other posts about food? Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

bloom

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: First Second publishes great graphic novels. I consistently adore their titles (Check, Please! Shattered Warrior! The Prince and the Dressmaker!), so it’s no surprise that I was looking forward to Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau’s Bloom as soon as I heard about it. Umm, also, it ticks several of my “favorite things” boxes?? A of all, it’s a book about cute boys working in a bakery, and B of all, it is a sweet LGBTQ+ romance with lots of heart. Oh gosh, I loved it a lot.

Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band—if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away over rising dough and hot ovens. But while interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easygoing guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of bread, love is ready to bloom . . . that is, if Ari doesn’t ruin everything.

Writer Kevin Panetta and artist Savanna Ganucheau concoct a delicious recipe of intricately illustrated baking scenes and blushing young love, in which the choices we make can have terrible consequences, but the people who love us can help us grow.

Ari has just finished high school and is looking forward to moving to the big city with his band. Meanwhile, he’s trying to manage his family’s expectation that he’ll keep working at the family bakery. To assuage his guilt, he settles on the idea of hiring a replacement for himself, and that’s how he meets Hector Gallea, in town from Birmingham to close up his grandmother’s house. Hector’s steady presence and love of baking draws Ari in bit by bit… but will it be enough to keep him in tiny East Beach, or will his big city dreams take precedence? Ari will find out this and more over one fateful Maryland summer…  

You know how there are stories that just feel like food for the soul? They may make you cry a little, but they mostly fill you up with that bubbly, content feeling of that-was-just-what-I-needed? Bloom is one of those stories. Panetta and Ganucheau have collaborated to create a beautiful book, and luckily it’s a *good* one too.

Things I liked (get ready, there are many): Ari’s family is part of the story. Young adult and children’s lit gets dinged a lot for having absent parents to build plot, so it’s absolutely wonderful to see whole family and realistic parent-kid relationships in books. Conflict in Bloom builds out of differing expectations for Ari’s future: his dad wants him to help out in the struggling family bakery, and he wants to follow his friends out into the unknown. To add to that, Ari’s family is solidly working class, and not sure if their business will survive. There’s no college-bound future here, and I can’t think of the last YA book I read that included a family like Ari’s, where economic uncertainty is part of the story.

I also really loved how Ari’s relationship with his high school/band friends played out. It was authentic in a little-tough-to-watch kind of way. Those moments when you realize you’ve outgrown your friends, or they’ve outgrown you, or maybe you were never really friends to begin with? Super poignant. The title of the book really points out what’s happening here: not only a sweet love story, but a real growing up and turning your face to the sunshine kind of maturing. And it’s illustrated to match! I adored that certain panels (no spoilers!) had flowers creeping over the edges.

Speaking of illustration, Ganucheau really hit it out of the park. I mean, gosh, it’s a gorgeous book. And the two-toned illustrations in shades of teal really worked in a way I wasn’t expecting. And the baking collages! *heart eyes* What can I say, I am a sucker for cute boys + baked goods.

On the note of baked goods, there’s a recipe at the end! If you can finish this book without wanting to go whip something up in the kitchen, you can safely say you have a will of iron! So it’s very convenient that there’s one just at the end, how nice and thank you v. much to the authors. Also p.s. I adored the nods to Hector’s Samoan and the Kyrkos family’s Greek backgrounds with the food they made. Ugh, I loved all of it. I think you will too.

So if you’ve ever swooned over a fictional boy throwing bags of flour over his shoulder (and I know you all have – don’t lie to me! Peeta from The Hunger Games happened, we all remember that right??), and/or just want to read an adorable slow-burn romance with lots of flirting and blushing, this is the book for you.

Recommended for: fans of Check, Please! and Heartstopper, and anyone who likes comics about finding yourself and finding your way, with a little romance baked in.

Fine print: I received an ARC of this title for review from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for this post.

thank you, omu!

Thanksgiving may now be past in the United States, but there’s no end date on sharing, giving thanks, and giving back. Author-illustrator Oge Mora’s debut picture book Thank You, Omu! is a gorgeous soon-to-be classic. It is perfect for year-round reading, and holiday gifting.

In this remarkable author-illustrator debut that’s perfect for fans of Last Stop on Market Street and Extra Yarn as well as for the Thanksgiving season, a generous woman is rewarded by her community.

Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu’s delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself?

Debut author-illustrator Oge Mora brings to life a heartwarming story of sharing and community in colorful cut-paper designs as luscious as Omu’s stew, with an extra serving of love. An author’s note explains that “Omu” (pronounced AH-moo) means “queen” in the Igbo language of her parents, but growing up, she used it to mean “Grandma.” This book was inspired by the strong female role models in Oge Mora’s life.

The thick red stew that Omu is making will surely be the best dinner that she has ever eaten. It smells wonderful and the taste test promises great things. However, when she sits down to read while she waits, the scent of her stew draws others to her door – first a little boy, then a police officer, then a hot dog vendor, and so on! After a day spent sharing a bowl with everyone who asks, Omu is left without any stew for her own dinner. Soon a knock on her door reveals everyone with whom she shared her meal, there this time to give, and not take.

Mora’s story is full of good cheer – generosity, hospitality, sharing food, and sharing company. It’s a simple story, but an evocative one, and it serves as a sort of modern parable. Omu’s unselfish giving prompts others not only to enjoy what they take, but also to give back themselves. It portrays an ideal, but one that is always worth sharing in hard times.

Other themes/things to love about the story: giving thanks when you can’t contribute things, making community, kindness to strangers, and a new plan or situation being even better than the old one because of a gratitude, and a full heart.

And the art! The art is *kisses fingers* fantastic. Truly classic picture book material, reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats’ work, including perennial favorite The Snowy Day. Mora’s cut paper artwork utilizes painted and patterned paper, some clipped from books or maps. She also uses markers, acrylics, and more. It’s a mixed media wonderland. The endpapers are the city street grid rendered in blocky cut paper squares. The wafting scent of the stew is illustrated by rising steam that reaches farther and farther in the city. A mix of cut paper lettering and type make for evocative text setting – readers will know when to emphasize certain words to make the story sing. I can’t praise the art and design enough – they are truly special.

In all, Thank You, Omu! is an artful, food- and community-themed picture book with a diverse cast of characters and gorgeous, vibrant cut paper art. It belongs in every picture book collection.

Recommended for: any and every reader ages 3 and up, and especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas storytimes, though the messages of sharing and caring are necessary and important all the year long.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

good morning, neighbor + apple-raisin cake

Does reading about food make you hungry? Sometimes (often) I will salivate over a meal I’ve come across in a novel. So obviously, the only option left is to make it. I once stopped reading Neil Gaiman’s Stardust mid-book to bake bread, and I learned to make cinnamon rolls (and other treats!) because of their descriptions in Robin McKinley’s Sunshine. Last year I made dinosaur cookies after reading Cookiesaurus Rex. My latest picture book read, Good Morning, Neighbor by Davide Cali and illustrated by Maria Dek, inspired me to make an apple-raisin cake.

A mouse decides one morning to make an omelet, but needs an egg, and sets out to find one. On his search, he eventually finds everything needed to bake a cake, including apples, flour, and sugar, but also those most precious ingredients—community and friends, from a hedgehog to an owl to a raccoon—and learns about the unexpected gifts of asking for what you need and sharing what you have.

A mouse wants to make an omelet but doesn't have an egg. That is how this adventure begins! Mouse visits various animal neighbors asking for an egg, but instead gathers all of the ingredients for an apple-raisin cake. In the end, a bat has an egg, an owl has an oven, and a cake is baked! But... who will get a slice? Ideas are important contributions, and the animals agree that sharing is the order of the day.  

Good Morning, Neighbor is a story about asking your community for help, sharing the results of a group project (in this case, baking a cake), and being fair to everyone who contributed—all great lessons for little readers and their adults. The messages are "baked in," so to speak (see what I did there?), and all of the talk of cake is enough to make you want to bake your own (as I did), and reflect on the story. Reading + baking would be a fun, parent/grandparent/friendly adult-kid activity this autumn.

Mouse's travels from neighbor to neighbor grow with every page as he adds another animal to his entourage. The repetition of each animal involved during each stage of the egg search is a child-friendly device, but may weary adults by the end. Otherwise, the prose is unexceptionable, and even includes a funny aside on the last page. This book is made to be read aloud, and the illustrations pored over.

Speaking of the illustrations! Maria Dek's watercolors are the absolute star of the book. The quirky designs have a cute/eccentric vibe with lots of little forest-y details. My favorite page spreads were those with closeups where an animal almost covered the page, and showed them in their home environment. The book design is also top-notch, with text placement, size, and weight varying based on the action. In all, a visual feast of a book (I will keep going with these food puns until someone yells "Put a fork in it!").

Recommended for: anyone looking for read aloud books about sharing, baking, or being a good neighbor for the 3-6 year old set, and picture book fans with an eye for art and design.

And now... cake!

Apple-Raisin Cake (adapted from this Better Homes & Gardens recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup apple juice or sweet wine (I used Moscato di Asti)

3/4 cup raisins

2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 egg whites

1/3 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

In a small saucepan heat 1 cup apple juice or sweet wine just until simmering. Remove from heat. Add raisins; let stand for at least 20 minutes. Drain well, discarding liquid.

In a medium bowl combine apple slices, the 1 tablespoon sugar, the lemon juice, and ginger. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the melted butter, egg yolks, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed about 2 minutes or until thick and light yellow (I did this with a handheld mixer). Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, beating just until combined. Set aside.

If reusing the beaters, wash thoroughly (I did this next bit in my KitchenAid). In a separate medium bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed just until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Stir about one-third of the beaten egg whites into the flour mixture to lighten. Fold the remaining egg whites into flour mixture. Drizzle the 1/3 cup honey over batter; fold in until combined.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared springform pan, spreading evenly. Top with half of the apple mixture. Spoon the remaining batter over apples, spreading to cover apples. Top the batter with the remaining apple mixture (discard any lemon juice remaining in bowl). Arrange raisins over apples.

Bake for 35 to 55 minutes or until top of cake is evenly golden brown (the time is quite variable because the original recipe called for 35-40 minutes, but my cake took around 55 – I did the toothpick test). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes (center may dip slightly). Loosen and remove sides of springform pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, split with friends, or eat a slice for a decadent breakfast treat – this is a versatile, and delicious, recipe!

Recommended for: an autumnal treat to share with friends and neighbors (obviously!), an ambitious weekday night if you want to be the star of the dinner table, or a simple-ish but impressive weekend/dinner party dessert.  Also would be especially good after an Italian family-style meal (the recipe is adapted from a torta di mele).

Interested in other food related recipes? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

Fine print: I received a copy of the picture book for review consideration from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for this post.

cookiesaurus rex

As an occasional baker and a fan of children's books, I knew I had to check out this picture book. It is only September (and not even chilly out yet!), but I'm already thinking about the winter holidays, frosting cookies, and warm mugs of chocolate and cider. If you bake and will have any small children at hand this winter, Amy Fellner Dominy and Nate Evans’ picture book Cookiesaurus Rex, illustrated by A.G. Ford is a fun read-aloud pick. 

As soon as Cookiesaurus Rex comes out of the oven, he declares that he is King of All Cookies. He should be frosted before all of the standard-shaped cookies, in a nice bright green. But the other cookies are getting sprinkles, or shiny stars, or even gumdrops . . . WAIT ONE STINKIN’ STOMPIN’ MINUTE! Cookiesaurus wants a do-over. Problem is, he might not end up with the kind of “do” he wants. Readers will love the funny back-and-forth between this cheeky cookie and the hand that frosts him. See who gets his licks in at the end!

Cookiesaurus Rex is looking forward to be decorated, but that excitement quickly turns to frustration when he sees his fellow cookies decorated with stars and sprinkles while he only has simple green icing and a black top hat. So Cookiesaurus decides to go rogue – except he doesn't get quite the revenge he wanted. He's decorated as a dinosaur ballerina, a duck, a baby (complete with chocolate chip poo!) instead. In between those episodes he decorates himself as a ninja and a superhero, only for it all to be wiped away. In the end he goes hog wild with decorations and declares himself the King of All Cookies - but there's a catch!

Cookiesaurus Rex is engaging and silly fun, with a cookie main character full of attitude. The dialogue will make kids laugh and adults smile, and the content (and ideas for decoration) would make it the perfect complement or preview to a cookie decorating session. In fact, I was inspired to buy a T. Rex cookie cutter myself and try my hand at recreating some of Cookiesaurus' looks. Unfortunately, I didn't use icing tools so it ended up a little sloppy!

Of course, you don't have to wait for winter to have a cookie-baking and -decorating session, and there's no hint of holiday affiliation in the book itself, so this title works for everyone and year-round fun. Cookiesaurus' antics are sure to amuse and inspire all who read the book.

In all, Cookiesaurus Rex is a fun, sassy picture book suitable for all ages, and especially for bakers and their minions.

Recommended for: fans of baking, cookies, dinosaurs and dialogue-heavy picture books (the ones you do voices with!).

Cookiesaurus Rex will be released by Disney-Hyperion on September 26^th, 2017.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

Fine print: I received an advance copy of this title for review consideration. I did not receive any compensation for this post.

home baked

Here’s where I am with baking: it started as therapy, then it was a creative outlet, then it became part of “who Cecelia is (especially at parties).” Now I my goal is to find new, exciting, unfamiliar things to make – basically, to challenge myself. And as much as I love getting recommendations from friends or seeing what the New York Times cooking section has on offer, the recipes rarely surprise me. So it’s a good thing that I won an Abrams Instagram contest and a handful of new-to-me cookbooks.  Yvette van Boven’s Home Baked has been surprising me since January, and it has been the jump-start I needed to get out of my baking comfort zone.

Food stylist and cook Yvette van Boven has offered delicious seasonal recipes in Home Made, Home Made Summer, and HomeMade Winter that highlight the fresh produce available throughout the year. In her much-anticipated follow-up, Home Baked, she celebrates the art of baking.

Complete with her signature illustrations and scenic photographs of Ireland and Paris, Home Baked is a beautiful collection of van Boven’s favorite baked goods—warm bread from the oven, sweet banana bread, a gooey cinnamon and caramel pull-apart loaf, rich chocolate cake, shortbread cookies, and more. And alongside these beautiful images of delicious treats, van Boven provides step- by-step instructions for how to make them in your own home. And she leaves no one out—working with different types of flours (including gluten-free) so there is something for everyone to bake. Her inviting voice, easy-to-follow recipes, and beautiful photographs make Home Baked a staple for every kitchen and lovely enough to show off in other rooms as well.

Talented cook, artist, and food stylist Yvette van Boven tackles home baking in a gorgeously–conceived and –executed cookbook.  Van Boven introduces a range of Irish, Dutch and French recipes (and some that are a mix or none of those three!) under the headings of Viennoiserie (breakfast pastries), Bread, Pound Cake, Bars and Slices, Cookies, Pie, Birthday Cakes, Pâtisserie and “Do Not Forget the Dog,” aka recipes for canine companions.

Home Baked provides a fresh take on baking inspired by van Boven’s personal preferences, changes to diet, and special occasions, all with a homey feel (and most importantly, reproducible by the home baker!). Some of the European-influenced recipes may be familiar to North American bakers, but van Boven includes detail about why certain ingredients are included that was new to this reader.  In addition, all of the recipes are labeled if they are wheat-free, gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free or refined sugars-free, which is very useful for anyone dealing with dietary restrictions.

The overall presentation of this cookbook is one of its best features (what, you thought it was just a book of recipes?!).  Along with gorgeous photos of the food, its pages are filled with watercolor-washed backgrounds, lovely full-page spreads of photographs of Irish and French landscapes, and hand-inked recipe illustrations.  It’s a cookbook that can double as a coffee table art book (and I don’t know that I’ve ever thought of a cookbook that way before!).

Now that I’ve done the official “review” things, I can give you my honest feedback on the book, right?  Well, it’s great.  I found it both an inspiration and a bit of a learning experience.  Van Boven makes all of her recipes in a convection oven, and the majority of the goodies don’t call for expensive kitchenware. I used more eggs and lemon zest in baking than ever before, experimented with oven times, substituted ingredients, and liked the results. Who knew? I thoroughly tested (read: enjoyed) the cookbook by baking that gorgeous cake on the cover (Super-Light Lemon Poppy Seed Cake), the Cherry Cream Pie with Raspberry-Campari Sauce, the Far Breton Aux Pruneaux, and two kinds of cookies.  All of the recipes turned out well and won major kudos from friends.

One minor nit: I found a couple of recipes that either had ingredients or amounts transposed or misspelled, or that were missing bit of the recipe.  For a book so beautiful, it’s a shame that they didn’t do just one more copyedit.

In the preface, Yvette van Boven writes that “Baking will not only make you very happy; it will make you beloved.” Home Baked is a homey, accessible homage to baking, a breath of fresh air, and its recipes prove the author right.

Recommended for: home bakers who want to round out their baking game with European-inspired delicacies, and anyone who can appreciate a beautifully constructed book.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth FishReads’ Weekend Cooking!

Fine print: I received this book from the publisher as a prize in an Instagram contest.  I did not receive any compensation for this post.

soft rye pretzels

It’s fall! I love fall.  So many good things happen during this season: Foliage changes color, back-to-school items go on clearance (I am ADDICTED to school/office supplies), it gets cool enough to break out my ridiculous scarf collection, and hockey season starts up again.  While I’m enjoying all of the above, I got a seasonal cold last week and have spent the weekend resting (and coughing) rather than going to the pumpkin patch.

BUT! Yesterday I mustered just enough energy to try out a new recipe (for the first time in forever!), and so this lovely autumn weekend doesn’t seem like a total loss.  I’m going to be honest with you: This baking experiment happened because back when I was recipe-testing the Fika cookbook, I bought a LARGE bag of rye flour.  And I didn’t know what to do with the generous amount left over. Cue: Me (for the past 2-3 months), doing random internet searches for rye + recipe + [fill in the blank]. 

When I saw an Instagram photo of pretzels yesterday, a light went off.  I could picture rye preztels.  Lo and behold… the New York Times had a recipe!  I’m not going to copy it out here because I didn’t change anything substantial, but here’s the link.  My only advice is to follow all of the instructions, especially when they include words like “gently.”  Also, add the baking soda to the boiling water SLOWLY. 

For my first attempt at pretzels, I think it went really well.  Let me tell you how well: When these came out of the oven I immediately ate 3, and my roommates devoured a couple apiece. Short story: They’re definitely crowd pleasers, and perfect for these cooler days when heartier snacks are the key to happiness.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be making them again.

Recommended for: fans of pretzels, and any occasion that calls for hearty finger food.

Interested in other food-related recipes? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking.

the truth about twinkie pie

Are you looking for a book as cute and sweet on the inside as its title and cover suggests?  Kat Yeh’s The Truth About Twinkie Pie is it.  I don’t pick up books in the contemporary genre much anymore, but I made an exception in this case.  The lure of a middle grade story that incorporated baking and cooking combined with the adorable art and book design = too much for me to resist.

Take two sisters making it on their own: brainy twelve-year-old GiGi (short for Galileo Galilei, a name she never says out loud) and junior-high-dropout-turned-hairstylist DiDi (short for Delta Dawn). Add a million dollars in prize money from a national cooking contest and a move from the trailer parks of South Carolina to the Gold Coast of New York. Mix in a fancy new school, new friends and enemies, a first crush, and a generous sprinkling of family secrets.

That's the recipe for The Truth About Twinkie Pie, a voice-driven middle grade debut about the true meaning of family and friendship.

GiGi and her sister DiDi (yes, those names are short for something and there’s a fun story to go with) move up north when DiDi wins a nation-wide recipe contest and a million dollars.  GiGi isn’t sure why they need to start over in a new town, but she’s excited (and a little scared) about the prospect of her fancy new school and making friends for the first time.  Luckily, GiGi’s habit of telling the truth helps her find a place and a community, even if one of her new schoolmates seems set against her on principle.  While she’s learning lessons about friendship at school, there’s trouble brewing at home.  GiGi is brave, but she’s also human, and there’s only so much that holding your head high can do when your world goes topsy-turvy.

Let’s talk characters.  Confident GiGi has to overcome a few obstacles throughout the book, but the first one is her status as a southern transplant in a rich northern town.  A lot of the story’s tension revolves around the contrast between GiGi’s experiences and sense of “normal” and the other characters’.  Family secrets and the growing pains of friendship make up the rest of the plot. GiGi’s distinctive voice (and the funny stories she tells in it) sell the setting, the plot, and the relationships between the characters.  It is the best part of the book.  

Another fun bit: DiDi and GiGi’s family recipes at the end of every chapter.  These look like tried-and-true Southern specialties, often with simple (processed!), easy-to-find ingredients.  I love that Yeh weaves in stories and describes the appropriate time to serve a certain dish (determined by mood or special occasion), so that they are truly part of the story, rather than addendums to the chapter.  I’m not usually a Twinkie sort of person, but I may have to make an exception and try Twinkie Pie!

This story deals with some heavy topics, but it’s not a tragedy by any means.  It’s not all sweetness and light, but it’s hope-full, and GiGi herself has a cheerful, colorful personality.  She delights in knowing and seeing the good in those around her (most of the time – she’s not perfect!), so the tone is never dark. 

The way that a certain young character’s revelation is handled near the end of the book could be counted a weakness.  It isn’t unpacked or discussed, and I think young readers might miss it completely, though adults will certainly clue in.  It is something that deserves more time.  The only way that treatment makes sense to me is if Yeh is planning to write companion novel, but I haven’t heard anything of that nature.

In all, The Truth About Twinkie Pie is a sweet story filled with recipes, family secrets, growing up, and figuring out how you’ll end up who you want to be.

Recommended for: fans of Lisa Graff’s A Tangle of Knots, those who like their food and literature served together, and anyone who appreciates character-driven middle grade fiction.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

kolaches

One of my friends has started a bit of a tradition. She plans a big party for a specific occasion or theme. I ask what I can bring. She gives me a baking project. I make something new-to-me and find out what 20 random taste-testers (ahem, partygoers!) think of that item. In the end, we both win! Oh, and the parties are usually fun too.

Last year for her Texas Independence Day party Leigh had me make sausage and cheese bites. This year she suggested kolaches. Which I had never heard of before.  Turns out, they’re very popular at Texas potlucks (for good reason). They’re like little homemade Hot Pockets^®, except 20 times more delicious.

Kolaches (adapted from a Homemade Mamas recipe)

INGREDIENTS

Dough
1 packet of active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 teaspoon for proofing the yeast
3/4 cup warm milk

4 cups of all-purpose flour
3 eggs (2 for dough, 1 for egg wash)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon of salt

Filling

14 oz. to 1 lb. of skinless Polish sausage, fully cooked

8 oz. shredded cheese (I used a Mexican cheese blend)

Pepperoncini or jalapeño peppers, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Proof the yeast by adding the contents of the yeast packet to a very warm 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar (I always do this in my liquid measuring cup).  Yeast should start rising/bubbling within five minutes. Once you’re sure you’ve got an active batch, combine yeast, warm milk, the rest of the sugar and one cup of flour in a large bowl. Cover and let it rise for at least 30 minutes (or until doubled in size).

In a small bowl beat the 2 eggs, then add the 1/2 cup of melted butter and salt and blend well. Add the egg mixture to the yeast mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Amount of flour for the right dough consistency may vary, and you may need to knead it in with your hands. You want to end up with soft, slightly sticky dough.

Knead dough for about 10 minutes either on a well-floured surface or in the bowl (adding more flour as necessary). Place dough in a well-greased bowl – I used a liberal coating of olive oil to do the trick. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. The original recipe said that would take about an hour, but I let it rise for three hours while I watched a playoff hockey game and it was fine.

While dough is rising, prepare the filling. Slice the sausage lengthwise, then chop into smaller pieces. Mix together the sausage, cheese and diced peppers in a medium bowl and set aside.

After dough has risen, punch it down. Now you’re ready for kolache construction! Pull off egg-sized pieces, and using your hands, flatten them out into disks, about four inches in diameter. Place 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the disk, and close the dough around the filling. Pinch dough shut and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Beat the third egg in a small bowl. Before you place the kolaches in the oven, brush tops with egg wash. Bake for 13 to 18 minutes. Tops should be lightly golden brown when done. Let cool for five minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to cooling rack. Wait 10 minutes, then enjoy! Makes 24 kolaches.

Real talk time: This recipe is flipping delicious. It was a huge hit at the party. It was also somewhat stressful to make (for me, because I don’t usually bother with bread dough). I had to schedule in time for dough to rise, and my first two packets of yeast were duds. So I was running behind, I had other plans during the day, and I ended up leaving the dough to rise on my counter for three hours. Oops! Luckily, it all worked out. Another confession: I used Papa John’s pepperoncini peppers left over from the delivery boxes the night before, because I’m lazy. But hey, that bite of spice was perfect.

In all, this is a major crowd-pleaser of a recipe. And the ingredients are easy to source. It may become one I pull out for special occasions when I’m away from my own kitchen (Christmas, Thanksgiving & the 4^th of July, hmmm?), because while it’s not exactly simple, it’s uncomplicated and delicious. And technically, it’s finger food.

Recommended for: parties, and any other occasion when you want to wow the crowd with savory finger food.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

princess decomposia and count spatula

You might take a quick glance at the cover of this graphic novel and think, “What is Cecelia doing, reviewing a gothic tale on Valentine’s Day?! She has her holidays mixed up.”  Bear with me for half a second!  The tagline on the cover is actually “Who says romance is dead?” and if you look closely, that vampire has hearts for eyes.  Unlikely as it may seem, this is actually the perfect read for the occasion.  Andi Watson’s Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula is all-around adorable and very, very sweet.

Princess Decomposia is overworked and underappreciated.  

This princess of the underworld has plenty of her own work to do but always seems to find herself doing her layabout father's job, as well. The king doesn't feel quite well, you see. Ever. So the princess is left scurrying through the halls, dodging her mummy, werewolf, and ghost subjects, always running behind and always buried under a ton of paperwork. Oh, and her father just fired the chef, so now she has to hire a new cook as well. 

Luckily for Princess Decomposia, she makes a good hire in Count Spatula, the vampire chef with a sweet tooth. He's a charming go-getter of a blood-sucker, and pretty soon the two young ghouls become friends. And then...more than friends? Maybe eventually, but first Princess Decomposia has to sort out her life. And with Count Spatula at her side, you can be sure she'll succeed.  

Andi Watson (Glister, Gum Girl) brings his signature gothy-cute sensibility to this very sweet and mildly spooky tale of friendship, family, and management training for the undead.

Princess Decomposia does the work of the kingdom while her invalid father King Wulfrun spends each day in bed.  Running a kingdom is hard (and hungry) work!  When the castle cook resigns without notice on the day before the werewolf delegation is due for dinner, Princess Decomposia (Dee for short) is thrown for a loop.  Luckily for Dee, vampire chef Count Spatula is an applicant for the new opening. The Count brings a certain flair for the experimental to the castle and the Princess’ life – but will it last?  Duty may yet trump romance (and baked goods)…

The plot is fairly simple: overworked girl meets new boy, the status quo changes, people react, girl makes a decision, there’s a revelation!, and with a little bit of work, the characters get a happily ever after.  As you might be able to tell from the title and cover art, this is all done in a tongue-in-cheek fictional paranormal kingdom, where the scullery maid is a clove of garlic and the zombie head of state makes boring dinner conversation.  Half the fun is seeing what sort of monster will make an appearance next, and what role they will play in the story.  The combination of subtle and overt humor is delightful.

Of course, with a character named Count Spatula, there are cooking- and baking-related adventures.  The Count doesn’t have the references of some applicants, but he is adept at caring for people (or monsters, in this case) and whipping up fantastical desserts in short order.  His unique take on Lemon Drizzle Cake looked crazy/good, and the Mud Monster Cake made me laugh out loud.  I find myself craving these fictional sweets as I read.  A mouth-watering problem, to be sure.

The art, with a few exceptions, is almost all arranged in 5 or 6 small panels per page, and done exclusively in black and white.  This is perfect for the ghoulish characters (who would mostly be black and white, anyway!), but at some points a proliferation of bones in one illustration or another would confuse my eye a bit – not enough contrast.  The style is cute and unfussy for what are usually grim, horrible creatures, and I loved that juxtaposition.  The art seems to invite the reader to laugh at or imagine the daily lives of traditional scary monsters, and that’s just fun, you know? 

In all, this graphic novel is a pleasure to read.  It’s quick, all-ages appropriate, and highlights the themes of asking for help when you need it, doing what you can to fix things when you make a mistake, and (of course) the joys of baking.

Recommended for: fans of both paranormal fantasy and graphic novels, and anyone looking for a brief, adorable read.

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula will be released on February 24, 2015 by First Second Books (Macmillan).

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

Fine print: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. I did not receive any compensation for this post.