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Southern (Indian) Thanksgiving

Yum Community — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:30:42 -0800

This story was written by member courtneyd and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community.

For a few years now I've wanted to try to marry the traditional Southern Indian food my husband grew up enjoying with Thanksgiving as I know it (Southern girl with a love of spice and heat). So this year I did a trial run of a tandoori-style turkey made in the oven.

By next year I hope to build my own tandoor, or at least grill this guy, because it needs a little more heat to crisp up properly. Even so, the meal turned out great! Tandoori turkey, tamarind gravy, creamed saag, masala mashed potatoes, and Whole Foods' naan, which has a slight dinner roll texture, so it works out perfectly for this blended meal. The tamarind gravy was an original creation (that I cannot believe turned out properly, it was sooooo good), and the other recipes were either inspired by or taken directly from The Food of India from Whitecap Books. I love their "food of" series, and my husband is impressed with the Indian recipes.

For the turkey, I followed the instructions from November's Martha Stewart Living to spatchcock a turkey and cooked according to their instructions after marinating for about 7 hours. Not including the marinade time, this meal came together in about 2 hours on a Friday night. Also, we discovered New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc complements Indian food perfectly.

To get her recipes for this Southern Indian feast, keep reading.

How Many Kitchen Tips? Try 834!

YumSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 08:01:18 -0700

The folks at Cook's Illustrated really know their way around a kitchen. Not only do they have great recipes and fantastic ideas, but they've got an assortment of kitchen tips too. In fact they've got 834 of them and lucky for us they've put them in their book 834 Kitchen Quick Tips. The tips are laid out alphabetically and cover everything from almond paste (how to soften) to zucchini (how to seed). The hints inside (like spraying your knife with nonstick cooking spray before chopping sticky dried fruit) are quite clever and a book like this will be a great reference in your kitchen. I personally found the tips fun to read, and think it's going to become the gift I give at housewarmings!

Healthy Book Alert: New Good Food

FitSugar — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:00:00 -0800

If you own tons of cookbooks, but somehow just never manage to cook yourself a meal, then New Good Food might be the book you need to get a homemade meal on the table. Margaret M. Wittenberg, who is not only a self proclaimed avid cook, a VP for Whole Foods, and authority on natural and organic foods as well as sustainability, wrote this book to inspire cooking.

Let me preface this explanation of New Good Food by telling you that it is not a cookbook; it contains no recipes. This book is more like a very readable and thorough encyclopedia of ingredients. While there are no recipes, the book contains many important basics like: how long to cook whole, dried fava beans (one and a half to two hours), the ratio of barley to water for cooking (one to three), and the burn point for flax seed oil (it shouldn’t be heated at all). Basically, if you have a question or need a cooking suggestion for almost any food, you really need look no further than New Good Food. The index is great. Be warned though, if you love food photography, this book contains no images. The cover photo is lovely, but the book is just the food facts.

I keep my copy of New Good Food nestled between my favorite cookbooks. It is not only a great resource, but inspirational as well. You can buy it directly from the publisher Ten Speed Press. I have also seen shoppers buying the book with their groceries at Whole Foods, so check for it there as well.

Happy reading, cooking and eating!

Summer Reading: Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:31:39 -0700

When I think of August, I think of lazy afternoons sitting around trying to catch up on my summer reading. For some of us summer reading means chick lit or memoirs, but for me it means cookbooks and food adventures. In fact, I believe that some cookbooks are actually worth crawling into bed with! That's why, for the entire month of August, we'll spotlight a cookbook or food related book each day.

To start things off, I thought I'd share one of my favorite cookbooks with you. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison (of Greens fame) is one of those books that really is for everyone - even the most avid meat eater can find something useful and interesting in this book. It's laid out alphabetically, is often called the vegetarian Joy of Cooking, and the recipes are clear, concise and easy to follow. This book makes for an amazing house-warming gift, but personally I think it's worth it just for the veggie tortilla soup...

Summer Reading: On Food and Cooking

YumSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:03:31 -0700

When I told YumJimmy that we were spotlighting a new book every day in August, he told me to make sure that I mentioned Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. When it was first published over 20 years ago, it instantly became a success. Many people even consider it to be like an encyclopedia. The classic publication was recently revised and updated - in fact almost every page was rewritten - and the result is a fascinating read. It's another book that will help you learn how to cook, as opposed to just being able to regurgitate recipes. If you're looking for lovely prose and a effortless read, this isn't the tome for you, but if you're looking for something that will really help you take your cooking to the next level then I highly recommend it. It's a must for any culinary student, but I think anyone interested in the why and how will find it fascinating as well.

Must Read: Pestos, Tapenades, & Spreads

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:48 -0800

Much like PartySugar, I'll be paying special attention to the oft-neglected starters when I host this year's Thanksgiving meal. I've not yet determined what they'll be: should I serve soup? Dip in a bread bowl? So I am excited for a new book, Pestos, Tapenades, & Spreads ($17) by Stacey Printz, which offers up an array of spreads to serve when entertaining on the run. Were its offerings worthy of being on the Thanksgiving table? Find out when you read more.

Start Giving Thanks Early This Year

babysugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:00:55 -0800

The turkey is cooked, the gravy is steaming and the cranberries are waiting to pop. Just before families dig into their fruitful feast, they sit down to give thanks for the past year's blessings. Instead of waiting until the end of the month, start a new family tradition and have everyone start writing down things they are thankful for at the dinner table every night leading up to the festivities. Hand out a pen and piece of paper to each person. After they write (or in wee cases - dictate) have them toss the papers into one bucket to be read at the holiday family gathering. It is sure to provide a warm and fuzzy moment for everyone when weeks full of thanksgivings are read aloud at the table. Take it a step further and save the scraps in a book that can be cherished every year.

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions? Join our The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar Community and share your tips! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Sugar Bits - Gwyneth Paltrow to Write Cook Book

PopSugarUK — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:00:00 -0800

Gwyneth Paltrow will publish her first cook book next year, My Father's Daughter. It will focus on "the importance of togetherness at mealtime, emphasising that cooking for your family is the ultimate expression of love" and won't include macrobiotic. - Telegraph
Jade Goody has been given some hope after learning that her cancer has spread, as she starts a two-month course of Hycamtin, a new "miracle drug". - The Sun
Jonathan Ross is donating his copy of the first Spider-Man adventure, worth at least £40,000, to help raise funds for Comic Relief. - Mirror
Etta James has denounced President Obama and said she "can't stand" Beyonce, who is "going to get her ass whipped" for singing "At Last" at Barack Obama's inauguration. - PopSugar
The Official Charts Company has launched a new chart for "purely classical" music to join its long-running combined classical chart, which requires 60% of an album to be classical. Katherine Jenkins's Sacred Arias would qualify for the combined but not the new "pure" chart. - BBC
The celebrities taking part in Let's Dance For Comic Relief include comedians Jo Brand, Paddy McGuinness, Dick and Dom, Keith Lemon and Robert Webb; Dragons' Den's Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden; and Blue Peter's Tim Vincent, Anthea Turner, Mark Curry, Diane-Louise Jordan, Peter Duncan, Peter Purves, Janet Ellis and Helen Skelton. Anton Du Beke will be in charge and Claudia Winkleman and Steve Jones will host. It starts on 21 February and will run for four weeks. - ITN

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YumSugar Gift Guide: Books for Cooks

YumSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:13:39 -0800

My sister is a big reader - she always seems to have her nose shoved into a book - that is starting to develop a larger interest in cooking. That's why this year I'm thinking about getting her one of the many wonderful cookbooks and memoirs that have recently hit the shelves. If you've got a reader in your family - or someone who just loves cookbooks - take note, there are some great gifts to be found. One of my top choices is Cooking by James Peterson; it is an impressive tome with over 1500 color photos and is a fantastic reference for any cook. However, if your bookworm is more book and less cook, you may want to try The Amateur Gourmet, a charming book that's difficult to put down. Scroll through for more gift ideas, including one for a Deluxe Cookbook Holder.

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food ($14.97)	Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter ($16.47)
The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop, and Table Hop... ($16.50)	My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals ($26.37)
Deluxe Cookbook Holder ($29.99)	Cooking by James Peterson ($32)

Let's Dish: What's Your Favorite Cookbook of All Time?

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:50:01 -0700

Since I just quizzed your knowledge of classic cooking works, I figured I'd go full circle: Whether it's battered and old or trendy and new, I'm curious to know what your most beloved kitchen book is. I have so many, it's hard to pick, but among them, I love the Bon Appétit Cookbook for its exhaustive collection of American recipes, and Ten by Sheila Lukins for its thoroughly tested instructions, as well as On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. Even though the last isn't technically a cookbook, it's a great resource for understanding the chemical interactions between food ingredients, and the science behind various cooking methods.

What are your favorite cookbooks?