Foodie Mom Gifts

What to get a foodie mom for Mother's Day? There 's a slew of gadgets and gewgaws along with some sweet and savory treats as well. Some may prefer cooking classes or cookbooks too. The question is which one is the best gift?Get one?Or get them all?

Every mom would like a Keurig coffee maker if she doesn't have one already? The machine does make great individual cups of coffee and there are so many K-Cups flavors to choose from. There are even hot cocoa and a variety of teas to choose from too. Another nice gift is the cup carousel , a kind of tree that holds the various coffees and teas.This comes in small or large and is perfect for that mom who likes to vary her hot  drinks through the day,.Keurig also has come out with a cold drink dispenser too where moms can enjoy their favorite chilled sodas and iced teas through the day.One gift any foodie mom needs is a good knife that cuts everything. Farberware sells these in bright colors like turquoise and purple at all sorts of stores including some groceries such as Stop & Shop.. This is my favorite gadget/utensil and I use it for everything from slicing bread and veggies  to cutting meat .Keep in mind that a new set of kitchen knives are always appreciated because they'll always be in use. True mom foodies would appreciate a mini butter churner or how about a garlic grater with accompanying oil dish.For fun give foodie dice, wooden die with foods, seasons and seasonings printed on them. Any meal can  literally be  a roll of the dice .If mom loves shaved ice then get her the Hamilton Beach Ice Shaver  to create  refreshing mounds and slushy drinks.

Cooking classes are always fun for the foodie mom.They not only broaden her knowledge but let her meet like minded home chefs. Stores such as Sur La Table have cooking classes in some of their stores and sign up is easy.Restaurants such as Ninety Acres in Peapack, New Jersey has extensive courses  in cooking but also in  cocktail making and wine tasting. Mothers wanting to expand their baking and frosting skills would appreciate classes that would expand their skills. Some larger cities like New York, San Francisco and Boston offer dessert courses in such specifics as Italian desserts such as cannoli and biscotti and chocolate classes where they learn how to make pot de creme and  ganache cake. There are also chocolatier classes too where bonbons and truffle making are learned.. There are some chefs that can come to the house and give mom a private lesson or two. This can be costly however an alternative is asking a chef from her favorite restaurant to come over and showing how to cook her favorite restaurant dishes.Aunts and grandmas can be included in this too for a customized at home cooking class that spans generations.

What to get a foodie mom? Anything and everything . Surprise her with foodie dice or a cake decorating class. Have her take a wine course or buy her a good Farberware knife or butter churner. She'll love them all!

Gluten Free Slow Cooking

Gluten free cooking can be a bit labor intensive however there's a brand new cookbook that can help. It's chock full of delicious and fun slow cooker recipes that range from breakfasts to dinners, from snacks to desserts. Even those without celiac disease would enjoy the many dishes that can be made.

Hope Comerford, author of A Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Adventure blog, decided to put all her recipes into one fantastic cookbook, The Gluten Free Slow Cooker (Fair Winds Publishers).It is a great book for those with gluten allergies who not only want variety but also freedom from the kitchen. Ms. Comerford starts off with advice about what kind of slow cooker to have.There are also tips for novices such as buying cheaper cuts of meat because slow cooking tenderizes out the toughness along with no peeking which can affect cooking. She also recommends buying crock pot liners because these keep the crock pot form becoming messy,If those can;t be found then use non cooking spray which makes cleaning up afterwards a dream. Ms. Comerford has written an extensive list for a gluten free pantry. It is a practical one  with name brand ingredients such as Mrs. Dash Seasonings along with fresh fruit and produce. She is also one for using short cuts such as frozen vegetables and gluten free cake mixes to make prepping just that much simpler.

The recipes are fun as well as being tasty. Breakfasts start with frittatas rich with tomatoes and avocados,and onions, spiked with hot sauce. There are fun oatmeals such as banana bread oatmeal made with bananas and  brown sugar and cinnamon roll oatmeal which is Cinnabon in a bowl. I love the chapter called Starters And Snacks They'll Want To Attack, especially the recipes for pizza dip and the ones for   Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and Chili Lime Wings. Soups are hearty and healthy, with recipes for cabbage and lentil soups.There are main meals such as apple and onion pork loin and cranberry glazed turkey breast that  can be made at lunchtime and forgotten until dinnertime.There is a yummy and easy eggplant  Parmesan casserole, chock full of eggplant, Parmesan cheese  and a jar of instant sauce.Sides are also included such as brown sugar mashed sweet potatoes, redolent with butter and brown sugar and white wine mushrooms , slow cooked with wine, chicken stock and a variety of herbs. Desserts are amazing, and Ms. Comerford includes sauces such as caramel and strawberry orange, perfect on ice creams or custards. There are also easy to make pumpkin  and Irish cream brownies made with gluten free chocolate cake mix which also goes into the slow cooked chocolate lava cake.

Gluten free cooking doesn't have to be a chore. Thanks to The Gluten Free Slow Cooker  celiac sufferers can have tasty meals and treats without any work at all. It ' all down to a slow cooker and this great cookbook.

A Guide For The Gluten Free Life

Like any other disease, celiac disease is no laughing matter.It can cripple a person's life along with restricting diet and eating choices. Happily there is a new cookbook that can ease it as well as making life tasty again.

Healthier Gluten Free  (Fair Winds Press) by Lisa Howard is  the must have  cookbook for those with gluten allergies. Ms Howard is a cooking instructor who firmly advises in using fresh ingredients in recipes. The book is an extension of her philosophy with her suggestions in the first few chapters. What is unusual about the book is that it also has the history of celiac disease  and a clear definition of what it is.Many cookbooks devoted to gluten free tend to omit the facts about celiac and even wheat allergies . Ms. Howard explains what it is and how it can be avoided. Another plus is the list of alternative flours  home chefs can use in both savory and sweet baking and cooking. She also recommends home grinding flours too.Gluten free baking comes with many advantages, namely there's no need to roll out dough or kneading . The dough can simply be spoon dropped onto baking sheets or patted into baking tins, There is a page devoted to ingredients, about what to buy and what to avoid, especially canned foods that could carry the risk of BPA or bisphenol A . There are also pages devoted to the different types of dairy products from milk to buttermilk,

Even those without celiac disease will love the recipes and the variety.The second half of the book is chock full of them and they're divided into breakfasts,sandwiches, salads and pilafs, meals, appetizers and desserts. Sophisticated noshers will love savory herbed  buttermilk potato waffles amped up with Italian herbs along with Brie and pear quesadillas. Pizza lovers will go mad for the lamb pizza with a crust made from ancient grains such as teff and amaranth  and a topping of ground lamb, tomato sauce and spices,There is a Parmesan fish and chips, with the classic dish being coated in cheese and almond flour instead of the traditional batter.Almond flour also figures in the breaded chicken finger recipe along with crnmeal. They're served with a honey mustard dip with a Greek yogurt base.There's a tasty brown rice pasta Baked Mac and cheese ,made more flavorful with the addition of green onions. Usually gluten free desserts can be poor substitutes for the real thing. Not here. There is peach swirled cheesecake along with chocolate angel food cake with smashed raspberry glaze.Holiday favorites such as  a crustless pecan pie and pumpkin pie with a teff and pecan crust are also included as are biscottis and gingersnaps. Ms Howard also includes ice cream too, with recipes including buttermilk and coconut milk.

Healthier Gluten Free is the cookbook for home chefs and families suffering from celiac disease.It is chock full of great advice and great recipes.With ot home chefs can create a diet of delicious foods, free from headaches of allergies and restrictions.,

Eat And Lose Weight

Imagine if you could eat anything, from waffles to pizza  and lose tons of weight . You would think  it's not possible but it is.A new cookbook :shows how you can. have your cake and eat it too, alongside of yummy cupcakes, tacos and other fun foods. Best of all this diet is guaranteed to shed pounds.

Popular blogger Audrey John gives foodies and home chefs the cookbook Lose Weight By Eating (Harper Collins Publishers) a phenomenal and fun cookbook about  making and baking without preservatives , using only fresh and nutritious ingredients. A  few years ago Ms. John was 275 pounds , thanks to a diet of frozen, prepackaged and fast foods. She changed her lifestyle by cooking and baking favorites from scratch. The result was a new chef, 150 lighter and a few dollars richer. She was even able to save money by recreating homemade versions of hamburgers, tacos and cupcakes.It resulted in an instantly popular blog which led to this book. The recipes are easy enough for the most novice of home chefs. and the recipes are divided into really fun chapters like Comfort Foods and Pizza Pizza. What I like about the book is the write in food log that readers can use to write down. what they've eaten as well as calorie count followed by the amount of fat, fiber and carbohydrates.Ms. Johns also includes a guide to the perfect salad as well as sections on exercise along with drinking more water. The book also contains a menu guide to help with planning a week's meals.


The recipes will satisfy anyone, There are giant  breakfast cookies made with applesauce, which Ms.Johns uses as a butter substitute, These are  chock full of oatmeal and brown sugar along with cranberries and almonds. These would be perfect for any pajama party or family brunch. Egg lovers will relish the stuffed breakfast burritos and scrambles.Pizza, usually a dieter's no-no is made healthier thanks to using low calorie turkey sausage and all kinds of fresh veggies. Holiday cooking is included here for  healthier and cheaper dinners.Maple syrup is used instead of sugar and almond milk is preferred to regular milk for lower calorie feasts.It starts with recipes for a perfectly brined and roasted turkey with creamy mashed potatoes. This last is rich in flavor but low in calories thanks to the addition of almond milk and Greek yogurt. There is also a holiday ham glazed with cherry jam and ginger beer..For  weeknight dinners there's the healthy vegetable lasagna and cheddar stuffed turkey burgers.  The chapter on comfort foods has such great dishes as skinny chicken pot pie,manly beer chili and crispy fried pork chops desserts include strawberry shortcake cupcakes, orange creamsicles and chocolate bananas on a stick. Wash these down with Ms. John's  take on homemade blueberry orange sodas, and low calorie lattes.

Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too. You can also have pizza and creamsicles, soda and cookies, thanks to this great new cookbook. Treat yourself to Lose Weight by Eating and enjoy favorite foods and drinks without any guilt

Livening Up Everyday Meats

Chicken and port have become everyday occurrences in our daily diets. The problem is that everyday can become boring very quickly. The solution? Pair them with interesting vegetables or make them in interesting ways to liven up dinner. They'll go from boring to exciting in no time.

Melissa Clark and David Tanis know this and wrote about chicken and pork respectively in their Wednesday columns in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Ms. Clark paired chicken with artichokes for her A Good Appetite.This is the season for chokes  and they're wonderful made any way thanks to their inherent sweetness. Unfortunately they are a bit thorny to deal with , due to theie sharp tipped leathery tips. Ms. Clark removes all of  these to reveal the tender heart and the surrounding core of baby leaves which are good braised in a mix of olive oil, chile, white wine and herbs. The chicken is cut up, bones and all and seared first for about six minutes .It's taken out and  then the artichokes and garlic are then put in to cook.Tomatoes and red pepper flakes are added along with wine , olives and rosemary branches. Butter is then added after everything has been oven simmered for half an hour. Ms Clark warns that the chicken skin will lose its' crispness. To remedy this she recommends adding a dusting of Parmesan cheese and quick cook under the broiler. It is a saucy dish so make sure there's a crusty baguette served with it.

Chicken can also be used in David Tanis' satay recipe  from his A City Kitchen column. He uses pork  though in this Thai inspired dish. Satay is an Asian version of shish kebob but instead of using thick chunks of meat, the pieces are thinner and flatter.They should be cut as rectangles in order to lie flat on the skewers. Doing such will allow the satays to cook quickly, just a few minutes per each side. Mr Tanis recommends using the pork shoulder because of the marbling in it with the fat giving the pieces more flavor . Satays are meant to be grilled and , even a small hibachi one can do the job nicely. Even an indoor grill or broiler can do if the weather doesn't cooperate.What makes satays so appealing is the marinade. Mr. Tanis uses one that is highly spiced with cumin, and coriander along with ginger and cayenne for heat. Lemongrass and coconut milk, the mainstays of Thai cuisine , is also added as are fish and soy sauce. The meat pieces are marinated for at least thirty minutes and at the most overnight, the last a must for a more flavorful taste.There is also a fiery cucumber relish made from Japanese or Persian cukes to complement then.Of course there is peanut dipping sauce. - a have to have with the dish. Again , most of the ingredients from the marinade is mixed with pulsed dry roasted peanuts.

Chicken and pork are versatile meats that can be made a variety of ways. Try chicken with artichoke hearts for a  sweet and mellow dinner. Pork can be made into a fun  Thai inspired dish.Try both for a departure from the ordinary.

A Hometown Dream

Most chefs, especially when they attain celebrity status , leave their hometowns and roots for good. Not so for Art Smth, a chef and baker from northern Florida.He moved back to his home town , after a glittering career. Why? His heart is there and so are his plans for the next step in his career.

Kim Severson profiled and interviewed this amazing chef/baker in today's New York Times Food section. Chef Smith came from Jasper,a small, sleepy southern town  located not far from the Georgia border. He has cooked for the Obamas as well as for Oprah Winfrey, two Florida governors and even the British royal family.His children have received formal baptismal blessings from the Pope . His friends include Lady Gaga and Jeb Bush. One would think he'd want to open up restaurants and bakeries in the glittery celebrity chef worlds of New York,LA or even Miami however that's not Chef Smith's dream. It is one where his hometown of Jasper is revived . There was only a phosphate factory and a nursery home along with being the birthplace of the writer Lillian Smith, known for writing the controversial book, Strange Fruit. Jasper is located in Hamilton county, one of  Florida's poorest counties.It' s a forgotten or ignored town  - as tourists drive by it to see Disney World three hours south of it.That's all about to change. The sleepy southern town is about to get enthusiastically shaken awake.

Chef Smith has big plans for Jasper which will certainly put it on any foodie's map.It involves Disney , an enterprise that has boosted the state's tourists revenues for decades.The resort is letting him open his two hundred seat restaurant Homecoming : Florida Kitchen And Southern Shine where it specializes in farm to fork cuisine.It's design  was inspired by turn of the century Floridian architecture. The menu is pure Southern too as well as trendy , deviled eggs,  chicken and dumplings and kale salad with walnuts and Georgia cheese.Of course there will be Southern cakes such as the classic hummingbird cake, twelve layer ones, Key lime pound cakes and moonshine cakes. The last is a tribute to his grandfather ,a moonshiner, however the cake is a sweet moist one made with fruit, The cakes will be baked in what is now a closed complex that once housed jai alai and poker room. Once was a mecca for local gamblers will now become the future of a commercial  bakery that will be selling a taste of the South to all of America.Not only will it sell cakes at an on site bakery but also a country store that sells organic produce.Lucikly he has Florida heiress Margie Geddes along with Jasper native Susan Levin Turner to help.

Some celebrity chefs conveniently forget where they came from, Not Chef Smith . He is going back to Jasper to put it on the culinary map.

Six Minute Meals

Can a hot delicious meal be made in six minutes? Yes! Thanks to a brand new cookbook that shows how to make any kind a meal in six minutes . The recipes are not only fast but fun. What's best of all it that anything can be made in no time from veggies to desserts, from breakfasts to dinners.

The author of this amazing book is Irish chef, Stuart O'Keefe,from Nenagh in central Ireland who is  now living in California. His book, The Quick Six Fix (William Morrow Imprint) is not only a blend of interesting So Cal and Irish influenced food but also a great tip book about pantry organization. I love his advice in the first chapters, especially the must have and nice to have lists.There is also a recipe key with symbols. My favorite is the stop sign that indicates stop and clean whatever pan , pot or utensil was used. Doing such also makes for a much quicker clean up afterwards although it will take more than six minutes to clean up everything. Chef O'Keefe also  has a 3X symbol on the recipes too. He gently but firmly urges home chefs to read the recipe three times before executing it as well as the included tips. Doing such will make the recipe more understood and will not result in any bad surprises like overcooking or under cooking later on.This is perfect for novices  who are just  getting the hang of cooking.The man ingredients in every recipe, from breakfast to dessert are emphasized in blue caps. This helps in writing out the grocery list for the recipe.Also recipes that can be whole meals are indicated by a fork, knife and spoon sign.

The recipes are fun and easy , along with being an homage to Chef O'Keefe's Irish roots and family. There are spins on his mother's chicken soup and bangers and leek mash . His Aunt Derry's recipe for raspberry custard is on there too. Chef O'Keefe's new life in Southern California is seen in the recipes of Speedy Gonzales eggs and a variety of breakfast smoothies. The recipes are divided into categories from breakfast to meats , chicken, pork and fish to salads and breakfasts. Wing lovers will enjoy Chef O'Keefe's Buffalo chicken wings with Maytag blue cheese dipping sauce.It's roasted wings with name brand Frank's hot cayenne sauce and a homemade blue cheese dip.There is the easy and elegant Thirteen Spice chicken with creme fraiche. The thirteen spices come from Old Bay Seasoning. Home chefs wanting something exotic will love Pork Curry In A Hurry while beef fans will love Port Marinated skirt steak with roasted grape tomatoes. The sides are amazing too and would be good on their own. Brussels sprouts get special treatment with the addition of chorizo  sausages while oven roasted fingerling potatoes get amped up with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and thyme.Desserts are wonderful, from a chocolate- y spin on the classic Eton Mess to a decadent updating of the classic s'more with giant chocolate chip cookies subbing in for the graham crackers.

Thanks to The Quick Six Fix is a great cookbook for busy home chefs who want to cook a satisfying meal in no time. There's a variety of delicious dishes that get them out of the kitchen and at the table. in no time. It's a quick cook with interesting recipes.