Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Save Superfruits: (Top 20 Fruits Packed with Nutrients and Phytochemicals, Best Ways to Eat Fruits for Maximum Nutrition, and 75 Simple and Delicious Recipes for Overall Wellness)


The new book titled Superfruits is truly excellent. Dr. Paul Gross presents five criteria to analyze whole fruits. Using those criteria, he then ranks the top twenty which he calls Superfruits. Each of the twenty is described in detail including practical ways to get each Superfruit into your diet. Major research topics involving the Superfruits are treated in such a way that they are easily understood--if the reader desires more information, the book contains a reference section for that purpose. Every chapter contains highlighted sections with titles like Science Behind It and Myth Buster that add spice to the main focus of the chapter. This book is so well written it is a pleasure to read.Get more detail about Superfruits: (Top 20 Fruits Packed with Nutrients and Phytochemicals, Best Ways to Eat Fruits for Maximum Nutrition, and 75 Simple and Delicious Recipes for Overall Wellness).

Monday, July 30, 2012

Discount Drink to Your Health: Delicious Juices, Teas, Soups, and Smoothies That Help You Look and Feel Great


This book has visually beautiful photos of the fruit, vegetables, and recipes. It explains all the health benefits of each fruit, vegetable, and nuts. I kept this book on my shelf and refer back to it whenever we have an illness in our family.

I have tried the Nero's Nectar to help clear phlegm congestion for a sinus infection and sore throat. It had helped tremendously for me and cleared up in 2 days.

This book is definitely worth it for me to keep on my bookshelf for great health.Get more detail about Drink to Your Health: Delicious Juices, Teas, Soups, and Smoothies That Help You Look and Feel Great.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Cheapest A Double Scotch: How Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet Became Global Icons


A excellent book that details the rise of two major figures in the Scotch Whisky business and the rise of their companies to be major players in the Scotch Whisky trade today.Detailed enough for the historian and written entertainingly enough for anyone who wants to enjoy a good read without compromising facts for brevity.Get more detail about A Double Scotch: How Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet Became Global Icons.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Cheap French Wine (Eyewitness Companion)


This DK guide provides some excellent background on French wine-growing regions and the individual wines that they produce. Each section on the regions includes examples of notable vineyards and their products. Happily, the book does not stint from warning readers off some wines that are not up to their hype or cost.

The book includes some basic suggestions on how to read a label, how to appreciate wine, how to build a cellar, etc. but the guide's strongest suit is the commentary on regions and their individual wines. This is slim enough to carry along if you are doing a wine tour in France and includes reasonably good maps of the regions that provide logical itineraries for tasting stops.

There are more comprehensive works on French wines--literally encyclopedias--but the DK French Wine guide is a fine basic work on the subject and probably not more than most of need. Get more detail about French Wine (Eyewitness Companion).

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Monday, July 23, 2012

Buy Untrodden Grapes


This was almost too good to be true -- a new book and FAR less than what I would have paid in a book store.Get more detail about Untrodden Grapes.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Purchase Burgundy and Its Wines


Provided a good introduction and overview to the various areas of Burgundy. It included a history of winemaking in the regions as well as specifics on the characteristics of the wines from each region.Get more detail about Burgundy and Its Wines.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Order German Wheat Beer (Classic Beer Style Series)


This book was published in 1992, you can get just about anything these days as far as ingredients, and equipment is so much better. With that said, the history and text on Weizen bier is excellent. Take note the line about "never" put a lemon slice or any other fruit in your weiss bier, it would be an insult to the Bavarian brewer, prost to that one Eric ! Of the many times I've been to Germany only in the recent past have the bar tenders been offering a lemon slice due to the demand of tourists. Read this book and learn about a great bier.Get more detail about German Wheat Beer (Classic Beer Style Series).

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Where To Buy This Food, That Wine


This is an awesome book. Anyone can use it. These ladies prove that there is no such thing as a professional when it comes to wine. They explain, quite clearly, the beauties of wine, it history, the making and handling of it, it's serving and complimentary food. All anyone needs to know. If you stick to this you too can become the best of food/wine pairers without having to become a chef at a swanky, overpriced resturaunt that thinks it takes a $100 dollor bottle of wine to compliment your nut encrusted salmon or tart...

I purchsed the book, 'what to drink with what you eat' and was left even more confused. This book, This Food, That Wine has cleared everything up in one reading. I am absolutely grateful to these ladies and everyone involved. If you can purchase this book, do so. Do not hesitate. If you have never owned a book like this and want to get into wines to serve with your dinners, this is the only book you should have. Anything else, especially the aforementioned book, will leave you devastatingly and unnecesarily, confused. No more internet searching, no more book buying, it is ALL here.

Again, my compliments to the publishers, writers and anyone else who worked on this great production.

I recommend this book in a heart beat.Get more detail about This Food, That Wine.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Shop For Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine: The Folklore and Art of Appalachian Cooking (10th Anniversary Edition)


I am a proud daughter of south of the Mason-Dixon line. I have loved reading this book to get in touch with both my heritage, and the history of my area. The book begins with an interesting and detailed overview of the history of the rural southeast (Appalachian mountain area), and segues into information about the cultural roots of the cooking and lifestyle in this region. The book is by turns nostalgic and harshly honest about the sometimes-brutal, sometimes-beautiful lifestyle of days gone by in the most rural areas of our country. The recipes are excellent, though perhaps less heart-healthy than this day and age allows for. I recommend this book to anyone with a soft spot in their hearts for homestyle southern cooking, or who has a hankering to go back to the mountains.Get more detail about Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine: The Folklore and Art of Appalachian Cooking (10th Anniversary Edition).

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Organic, Shaken and Stirred: Hip Highballs, Modern Martinis, and Other Totally Green Cocktails


I enjoy cocktail recipe books with attractive photos and whimsical formatting. My wife and I entertain a lot and I like to leave these books at our bar so our guests can experiment with fun new drinks. We've had very good success with books like Dark Spirits: 200 Classy Concoctions Starring Bourbon, Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey, Rum and More--our guests have had fun with these recipes.

"Organic, Shaken and Stirred" caught my eye with it's colorful images and attractive print, but the recipes are downright impractical. I appreciate committing to organic foods and drinks; our family has noticed a big improvement in our children's skin since we switched to organic milk. I'm having trouble with the recipes in this book though. The ingredients are either unavailable or unaffordable. This breaks two of my personal rules for entertaining: "keep it simple" and "don't break the bank".

Setting these biases aside, I give Paul Abercrombe full credit for compiling a collection of incredibly creative drinks. He is also very thorough in providing overview information besides the recipes themselves. For example, he includes an entire section called "Ice 101" where he discusses options for providing the perfect ice for your drinks.

All in all, he's done a very good job with this collection of organic cocktails. I'm afraid the target audience is fairly narrow (and doesn't include me), but he hits that target right in the bullseye.Get more detail about Organic, Shaken and Stirred: Hip Highballs, Modern Martinis, and Other Totally Green Cocktails.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Zero Proof Cocktails: Alcohol-Free Beverages for Every Occasion Review


This pretty little recipe book is meant for two main audiences: those who don't like the taste of alcohol (some of us are quite sensitive to it), and those who can't drink it (for example, those whose religions forbid it). This way, those who find themselves longing for the intricate and interesting taste experiences that alcohol drinkers can enjoy can get in on the fun. Some of the recipes are meant to duplicate the flavors of existing drinks or alcohols for people who can't drink alcohol but enjoy it, while other recipes are simply meant to be delicious drinks in their own right rather than knock-offs of existing cocktails. Some drinks come with suggestions for substituting in alcohol for those who want to make two drink versions for their drinking and non-drinking guests. For those people who can't touch a drop of alcohol, there are great tips to help you watch out for "hidden" alcohol content in some ingredients you might otherwise think to use.

When I think of "cocktails" I tend to think of things like margaritas and martinis, but Liz Scott has taken a much wider view on the term! She has divided her book into five types of drinks: elixirs and aperitifs, martinis and party cocktails, mealtime libations, dessert drinks, and nightcaps. She includes a foreword on ingredients and equipment that's quite thorough, even addressing things like the fact that "alcohol-free" wine and beer can legally contain up to 0.5% of alcohol--an important detail for those for whom alcohol is a matter of prohibition, not taste. Many of the recipes come with gorgeous photographs that will certainly whet your appetite!

Elixirs and aperitifs are meant as before-dinner drinks, and were originally created as medicinal beverages. Many of them include herbal ingredients, and the recipes in this chapter are surprising and diverse. Even though I don't like the taste of alcohol and thus knew the serious mock-alcohols wouldn't be my favorite drinks, I could tell by the taste of the one we made (a mock sherry) that it was good, just not my thing.

The "mocktails" in the martini & party cocktails chapter are imaginative and fun! Whether you prefer mojitos, margaritas, or coladas, in orange, mango, lime, or pineapple, you'll find something in here to whet your appetite. There's a variation on a champagne cocktail in here that's just divine.

Mealtime libations are designed, much the way wine is chosen, to complement certain foods or meals. Want some non-alcoholic mimosas to go with brunch? You've got `em! A white tea infusion makes an alternative to white wine, and a dry grape grigio is designed to pair with poultry. The strawberry white sangria is so good I could make that recipe alone over and over. If you'd normally serve a Zinfandel, try the pomegranate-based "pom zinfandel."

Of course plenty of the drinks in the preceding chapters would make fine desserts, but Zero-Proof Cocktails goes one better with an entire chapter of specific dessert drinks. How about hopscotch eggnog (it uses butterscotch syrup in place of schnapps), or a toasted almond cordial?

Since nightcaps are meant to help one sleep or aid in post-dinner digestion, you'll find both mock versions of traditional nightcaps (such as spiced apple brandywine, which of course doesn't have any real wine in it) and a few originals. The almond roca buona notte is simple and heavenly, much like a cup of warm milk. There's a sweet ginger tummy tea, and even a catnip tisane!

The only difficulty is that the recipes do call for many unusual ingredients. There is, however, a listing of resource websites in the back of the book that will definitely help. I found blood orange bitters at Williams-Sonoma, and sparkling grape juice in the Kosher aisle at the grocery store. Our local Whole Foods Market had the no-sugar-added white grape juice. Other recipes call for exotic fresh fruits or juices, flavor syrups, or teas, but as long as you're willing to order a few ingredients online you should be fine.Get more detail about Zero Proof Cocktails: Alcohol-Free Beverages for Every Occasion.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Moon Northern California Wine Country (Moon Handbooks) Immediately


This is a great book for those wondering where to go and what to do in the wine country, and also a pretty good resource for winetasting in general. I've lived in Northern California for most of my life and always wondered where to go. I was sick of going to the same 3-4 wineries in Napa every year. So I bought this book. It does a great job of describing the history and general feel for wine regions I had heard of but didn't know anything about - such as Carneros, Dry Creek, Russian River, Anderson Valley, and Santa Cruz. The author is apparently a wine-writer, which comes through in this book. For example, he explains the difference between organic and biodynamic wine making and recommends wineries that do both. He also discusses the art of winetasting at great length, which I found helpful. When he lists a winery, he mentions the wines that the winery is known for and suggests tasting certain wines. There is a glossary with dozens of winetasting terms. He has some useful suggested itineraries. We enjoyed the "Classic Cabernets" and "Pleasures of Pinot" self-tours. And the book's maps are useful. Even though I usually use my car's GPS unit to find wineries and restaurants, some of the addresses aren't in my maps so I have to rely on the maps in the book, which are pretty accurate. The maps are also useful to plan an itinerary. One word of caution - I would double check the hours of wineries, even though they are listed in the book, because they seem to change. Same goes for the restaurants. But otherwise its a great book.Get more detail about Moon Northern California Wine Country (Moon Handbooks).

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Beachbum Berry's Grog Log Best Quality


Looking at all the other reviews for the Grog Log, I see nothing but five stars awarded to this nifty little book, and I am not going to break with precedent.

For the uninitiated, "tropical", "exotic" or "tiki" drinks are part of a subgenre that the more snobby elements of the cocktail world would refer to as kitsch. A succesful mainstream cocktail book presents itself as emmaculately as a James Bond tuxedo (see Dale DeGroff). A successful tiki drink book on the other hand presents itself as a hawaiian shirt. The hook however, is that a good tiki drink is no less sophisticated as a mainstream cocktail...and truth be told...it is usually more complex.

Unlike some of the other tropical drink recipe books, Grog Log is no frothy collection of colorful cocktail photos with some syrup-heavy recipes thrown in. Instead, like good tiki bartenders, Jeff Berry along with Annene Kaye have created a sophisticated concoction. Grog Log is equal parts (1) overview of the tiki drink movement, (2) reproduction of the uniquely crude, tacky, and delightful visual style of the classic tiki bar era, and (3) substantive recipes of the drinks themselves. This last element sets this book apart from others as "THE" authority on tiki drinks (along with its companion volume "Intoxica").

For the most part, to fully appreciate these recipes, you need to have a taste for rum and preferably a liking (or love) of citrus fruits. Fear not, because after sampling an authentic Mai Tai, it is hard not to meet both requirements.

Finally, at the time I write this, the book appears to be out of print and is fetching some high prices in the used market. Again fear not: as an FYI, Beachbum Berry states on his website that: "Our publisher plans to reprint the Grog Log [and Taboo Table] this summer." Get more detail about Beachbum Berry's Grog Log.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Little Black Book Of Beer (Little Black Books) Get it now!


The Little Black Book Of Beer has brief sections on beer history, advice about tasting, and a section on beer styles. In the section of styles, Cullen gives a couple paragraphs on characteristics and 4-5 specific beers you might want to try.

The book is the size of a large memo pad. I can see giving it as a gift to someone along with a mixed selection of craft beers. Anyone already knowledgeable about microbrews/imports won't find anything useful here. Get more detail about The Little Black Book Of Beer (Little Black Books).

Monday, July 2, 2012

California Wine Country: The Most Beautiful Wineries, Vineyards, and Destinations Buy Now


I bought this book for my mother for Christmas. She wanted a picture book about the wine country in CA so she could paint some of the scenes. She had just visited my sister in S.F. and loved every minute of her visit. She LOVES this book. It contains beautiful photographs of Northern California and she looks forward to painting many pictures.Get more detail about California Wine Country: The Most Beautiful Wineries, Vineyards, and Destinations.