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Archive for the ‘Cookbook Reviews’ Category

Garlic Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil and a Review and Giveaway of The No Potato Passover

Posted in Appetizers, Cookbook Reviews, Giveaways, Healthy, Holiday, Passover, Sides, Super-Easy, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 13, 2013 | 176 Comments »

spaghetti squash 1

With Passover coming, everyone I know is scrambling for recipes and ideas. I don’t know about you, but when I think Passover, I think potatoes. And when I think of the day after Passover, I think about being intensely sick and tired of potatoes. And that’s why I think everyone celebrating passover can appreciate The No Potato Passover by Aviva Kanoff. Read what I thought of it, then enter below for one of two chances to win a copy!

At a First Glance:
First I was all, “no way I want to go through an entire Passover without a potato.” But as I read through the cookbook, I was impressed with the idea. Sure I’m going to eat potatoes. But this book has some refreshing ideas of recipes that can supplement all those potatoes!

When you first open the book the first thing you notice is how colorful and fun looking this book is. Every page has a colorful border and a picture (or two!) in addition to the recipe!

This book has the full range of recipes, from salads, soups and sides, to mains including meat and poultry, and even dairy dishes. And of course dessert! All kosher for passover, and not a potato in sight!

Some Features I Liked:
This book is colorful and fun looking, and features a picture for every recipe.

What I liked about the recipes in this book is that they are simple, approachable and doable. This isn’t a book full of fancy recipes to look at and admire, but practical recipes to cook this Passover.

In addition to the food photos in this book, there are a bunch of breathtakingly beautiful travel photos from around the world, taken by the author herself. They serve not only to visually enhance this book, but to take you with the author on a journey to new flavors, regions and cuisines.

The lack of potatoes (and obviously grains) means that the book features lighter fare than your average Passover food, which is always a big bonus in my book.

 

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait To Try:

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup: I love butternut squash, and I love it in soup, but now I need to try it roasted in soup!

Salt and Pepper “Noodle” Kugel: made with spaghetti squash, so it’s lighter and healthier than regular noodle kugel!

Cajun Carrot Fries: These look like sweet potato fries, but they are actually a veggie!

Parsnip Mash: think mashed potatoes, but again – made with a vegetable! Add some sauteed onions and I am *in*!

Who This Cookbook is For:

This is a fun cookbook and a great alternative for people who are making passover, and who’s customs allow for processed ingredients.

Additionally, as this is a passover, the majority of the recipes in it are gluten free (with the exceptions of a couple of recipes which use matzah meal) so this is a great year round option for people who are gluten free.

Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:

If your Passover customs don’t allow for processed ingredients from the stores, you will find that most of the recipes in this book won’t work for you. The book also relies on quinoa for many recipes, so if your customs don’t allow for that, many recipes in this book won’t be right for you.

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

Firstly, as mentioned above, the book relies on a lot of ingredients that are processed and due to my family’s customs, off limits to me.

I also found that a lot of recipes relied on store bought ingredients such as “imitation soy sauce” and “imitation mustard” or manischewitz boxed cake mix as a short cut instead of developing the flavors organically.

Lastly, because I always discuss the photography in the books I review, I found the food photos in this book disappointing. While the travel photos are beautiful, the food pictures have a more amateur look to them, lending the book a less professional look than some others I have reviewed.

In Conclusion:

This is a fun and colorful cookbook with great (and light!) alternatives to the standard heavy passover fare, and it’s a good option for people who are either gluten free or cooking for passover and have less restrictive customs.

Want to win a copy? Scroll past the recipe for your chance to win one of TWO copies!

spaghetti squash 2

Garlic Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil
Adapted from The No Potato Passover

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, sliced into half rings

3-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked, peeled and shredded*

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

10 basil leaves or 5 frozen basil cubes

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion slices and sautee on a medium flame until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sautee for an additional couple of minutes.

Add the spaghetti squash, tomatoes and basil. Sautee for about 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

*To cook spaghetti squash: poke holes in it with a large knife, then place whole in a pan and bake at 350 for an hour to an hour and a half, until it’s tender when you pierce it with a fork. Allow to cool, then cut in half, scrape out the seeds, and shred.

spaghetti squash 3

Giveaway Details!

For your chance to win one of two copies of The No Potato Passover:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

You can enter as many of the following as you wish:

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what you like to eat on passover that doesn’t include any potatoes!

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry #6 – Follow Overtime Cook on Instagram and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, March 20th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Prize can be shipped within the USA.

Giveaway is sponsored by the author.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of this book, but all opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone for stopping by! Come back soon, I have some really amazing recipes coming up, including a sweet treat for passover! -Miriam

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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad and a Review and Giveaway of Passover Made Easy

Posted in Appetizers, Cookbook Reviews, Giveaways, Healthy, Holiday, Salads, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on March 3, 2013 | 277 Comments »

butternut squash salad onOvertimeCook

I know that nobody really wants to think about the imminent arrival of the Passover holiday, but face it, friends. Passover is coming. The good news is that today I am reviewing a cookbook that aims to make Passover cooking easy. I know, it sounds too good to be true. But this book proves that it can be done!

Passover Made Easy is a brand new book, written by the fabulous duo of Leah Schapira (or Fresh & Easy fame) and Victoria Dweck, food editor of a number of top kosher magazines, including the one I write for. The book is a project of CookKosher.Com, and actually features about a third of the recipes by a number of the members, myself included! Leah and Victoria took the recipes, tweaked them and triple tested them, then compiled them into one gorgeous book at a very affordable price! So read what I thought about the book, then scroll down for details on how to win a copy…oh, and a recipe for one of my favorite salad recipes ever!

At a first glance:

The book is visually gorgeous. The pictures are bright and modern, and beautifully styled, the graphics are amazing, and the whole layout is fun and inviting and makes you want to just dig in!

Once I flipped through the book a bit, I was amazed at how none of the recipes screamed Passover. This sure isn’t your bubby’s passover cookbook! There’s a really wide variety of recipes in this book- it even features a brunch and dairy section. (I always thought of that category with regard to passover as scrambled eggs. But no, this book features recipes like Banana French Toast and Matzahroni and Cheese!

Some Features I Liked:

You all know how much photography in cookbooks is important to me, and this book fulfills my expectations in a *big* way. Not only does every recipe have a beautifully photographed picture to go with it, but there are step by step pictures to guide you through the process of things like plating the Potato and Flanken Kugel, a delicious dish that doesn’t usually look very nice on the plate.

Another thing I loved about the book were the cute little anecdotes and stories that come with each recipe. I have to admit that both of the authors are good friends, so I felt like I could hear them talking to me as I read these little stories. But that’s how this cookbook is – it invites you into their kitchens to make Passover together with them.

I’m not a big wine gal (I know!) but for those who are, there are wine pairings alongside many of these recipes.

Due to the vastly varied customs within the Jewish community regarding which ingredients are acceptable for Passover, some of the recipes feature ingredients that some may not use. However, the book features a Replacement Index of substitutions you can make if your customs don’t allow for all of the ingredients. As someone with rather restrictive customs for Passover, I found this feature especially useful!

The beginning features a very useful section of Passover building block recipes, including crepes, passover crumbs and homemade mayo. (They even made a fabulous video demonstrating the process!)

Most importantly, I loved the variety of ideas and flavors in this book. The biggest challenge for me, every year, on Passover, is to make foods that don’t all taste and look the same. With this book at my disposal, I know I won’t face that challenge this year!

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

Brisket Eggrolls: Do I really need to say anything else?? I had (non-passover) at Abigails a while back, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. But the idea of making a Passover version of such a delicious dish is mind-bogglingly awesome. This is so going on my menu this year.

Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup: We’ve all established how much I love soup, but this one sounds totally different. I might not be able to wait for passover to make this one!

Sweet Potato Pepper Steak: my family doesn’t love the traditional pepper steak, but this looks like a recipe they could really get behind!

Pecan Pie with Cookie Crust: everyone loves pecan pie during the year. I am so excited to try this passover version!

Who This Cookbook is For:

Anyone who is cooking for passover this year and needs a fresh batch of ideas will find this cookbook ultra useful!

Who This Cookbook isn’t For:

Obviously this book is for passover recipes, so if you either aren’t celebrating passover, or are going away (or not cooking for any other reason) this book isn’t for you.

On a smaller scale, people with certain dietary restrictions such as no sugar, nuts or eggs will find a lot of recipes in this book are problematic for them. (But then again, most passover recipes will be a problem for you, so that’s not so much about this book as it is about passover cookbooks in general.)

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

My main complaint about this book is that there are a number of recipes that I can’t make due to my restrictive Passover customs. As I mentioned, there’s an index of helpful substitutions, but there will still be some recipes I can’t make.

My other issue with this book is that a bunch of the recipes do require an extra step or two, but again, I think that’s more of a complaint about Passover cookbooks and recipes than this book specifically, because there are so many things you can’t buy, so they require extra steps to make them.

Conclusion:

This is an innovative, exciting, fun and totally beautiful book that everyone who is cooking for passover should own. Not cooking for passover this year? Consider this as a gift for your hosts – that way everyone reaps the benefits!

butternut squash salad 2

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Sugar ‘n Spice Nuts:

Adapted from Passover Made Easy

Ingredients:

for the roasted butternut squash

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

for the sugar ‘n spice nuts:

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon oil

for the shallot dressing:

1 medium shallot

1/4 cup oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

to assemble salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 green apple, diced

Instructions:

for roasted butternut squash:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the butternut squash cubes with the oil, salt, pepper and sugar.

Bake at 475 for about 30 minutes, until the cubes are tender and cooked through.

for sugar ‘n spice nuts:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine nuts, sugar, spices and oil on tray.

Bake at 300 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

for shallot dressing:

combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a tall container and blend with a hand blender until smooth.

to assemble salad:

Combine lettuce, diced apple and butternut squash in a bowl. Toss with the dressing and top with nuts.

Enjoy!

butternut squash salad 3

Giveaway Details!

For your chance to win a copy of Passover Made Easy:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what is your favorite passover dish!

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, March 11th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Prize can be shipped within the US and Canada.

Giveaway is sponsored by the publisher.

Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy of this book, and one of my recipes is featured in it. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by folks! Come back soon, I have some more great recipes up my sleeve! -Miriam

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Soft Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies and a Review and Giveaway of Pure Vanilla

Posted in Cookbook Reviews, Cookies, Dessert, Giveaways, Holiday, purim, tagged , , , , , , on February 14, 2013 | 144 Comments »

Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies 2

I know it’s been a while since I did a book review, but this one is super fun, and I love this recipe for Purim (or pretty much any time. Ever.) The frosting is vanilla flavored, but add in some food coloring to match your color scheme and you’re all set.

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a giveaway of this book!


Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever is a super fun and creative book that aims to change your impression of vanilla from a minor side ingredient to a star of the show. Here’s what I thought of it.
At a First Glance:
I never thought of vanilla as such a starring ingredient before. To me, vanilla means no other flavor. But this book spotlights it in the most amazing ways! There’s a breakfast section, a cake section, a cookie section and a candy section. Pretty much every kind of sweet treat…highlighting vanilla!

Some Features I Liked:
This book features lots of recipes, but also tips, tricks and even history surrounding the amazing flavor of vanilla which I enjoyed reading.
This is a beautifully done, hard covered book with clearly laid out recipes and gorgeous pictures. It’s an all-around pleasure to read and enjoy!
Most importantly, this book has an astonishing variety of recipes featuring vanilla in all it’s forms.

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait To Try:
Twinkie Bundt Cake: we all know that I adore bundt cakes, but the cream filling on this one is calling my name…loudly!

Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes: because there’s no such thing as “good enough” when it comes to a vanilla cupcake!

Vanilla Bean Marshmallows: I’ve been wanting to try my hand at marshmallows for a while -and these look fabulous.

Vanilla Cloud Cake: the author says everyone who tastes this cake proclaims it’s the best they’ve ever had. How can I not try it for myself?

Who This Cookbook is For:
This is a really fun book with lots of great ideas for anybody who enjoys baking and being creative in the kitchen.
And while everyone can enjoy these delicious recipes, this book is especially good for anyone who doesn’t like (love?) chocolate. For the rest of us, yes. People like that exist. I’ve met them.

Who This Cookbook isn’t For:
Firstly, people with special dietary needs such as gluten or sugar free will not find many suitable recipes in this book.
Also, if you’re looking for an all-around dessert cookbook, this isn’t your best option. While there’s a wide variety of ideas, they mostly have the same flavor.

What I Didn’t Like About this Cookbook:
As I’ve written so many times in the past, this is a niche cookbook, which by default means there are limitations. In this case, (obviously) everything is vanilla flavored.
Another thing (which I know I’ve mentioned many times before as well) is that many of the recipes don’t have pictures. Call me spoiled, but especially with some of the more visual recipes that’s important to me.
Lastly, while I’m okay with it, some people may not find these recipes very easy or quick.

Lastly, many of the recipes in this book use forms of vanilla which are either hard to get, expensive, or both. The author does include a substitution chart, but for some recipes she specifies that subs aren’t a good idea.

Conclusion:

This book is fun, interesting, creative and most importantly, has a bunch of great looking recipes! If you love to bake, consider purchasing it …or buy it for the baker in your life as a gift!

And here’s a recipe from the book. I am not sure what to say about this other than it’s delicious. And it so elevates the “plain” sugar cookie with all of the intense vanilla flavor!

Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies 3

Big Soft Vanilla Sugar Cookies:

Adapted from Pure Vanilla

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons corn syrup

Instructions:

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter/margarine and vanilla until creamy. Add the sugar and beat on high until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and corn syrup until blended. Reduce mixer speed to medium and beat in the oil mixture. Beat until fully combined.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually mix in the flour, beating until just combined.

Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm, at least two hours (up to overnight).

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and bake as follows (depending on the size cookie you desire.)

For extra large cookies: scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Bake 3 per sheet for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are just turning pale gold around the edges.

For regular sized cookies (pictured here) : scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop. Bake 9 cookies per sheet for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are just turning pale gold around the edges.

Remove cookies from the oven and set aside to cool.

Vanilla Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk or soy milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste*

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together all ingredients until fluffy. Frost the cooled cookies. Top with sprinkles or colored sugar, if desired.

*Note: if you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can sub additional vanilla extract, though the taste won’t be quite the same. You may need to reduce the milk by a teaspoon or two to make up for the extra liquid.

Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies 1

And now, the giveaway!

For your chance to win a copy of Pure Vanilla:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what flavor you would like to see an entire cookbook of!

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Thursday, February 22nd. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Prize can be shipped within the US and Canada.

Giveaway is sponsored by the publisher.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me for review by the publisher. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

Thanks all for stopping by! Good luck with the giveaway and enjoy the cookies! Have a fabulous weekend and come back soon! Next week I have some super delicious treats to share with you all! -Miriam

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Personalized Letter Cookies and a Review and Giveaway of Decorating Cookies

Posted in Cookbook Reviews, Cookies, Dessert, Giveaways, Party, Tutorial/How-To, tagged , , , , , , on December 19, 2012 | 144 Comments »

Giveaway Closed!

I am totally excited about the book I am reviewing (and giving away!) today! I usually review ordinary cookbooks, but today I am reviewing something kind of different. Because of that, I am not going to do my regular set of cookbook review questions, but let me tell you about this fabulous book.

I still remember the first time I discovered Bridget Edward’s blog. My jaw dropped open further and further as I clicked for another page, and another. The woman is insanely talented, and has the most fabulous cookie decorating ideas! When I heard she was coming out with a book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And this book didn’t disappoint.

Decorating Cookies starts out with a section on cookie decorating supplies, such as icing tips and squeeze bottles, moves on to specialty decorating supplies, such as gel paste food colors and luster dust, then moves on to royal icing basics such as outlining, flooding, piping straight lines and making dots.

Next the book has a section with recipes for cookies and royal icing. I have always used plain old cookies for decorating, but thanks to Bridget I am thinking that my next set of decorated cookies will be chocolate hazelnut flavored. Or key lime pie flavored. Or maybe gingerbread flavored. I just love these options!

After the recipes, there’s a trouble shooting section where the author elaborates on various problems people have when decorating cookies.

And then the book goes on to the main event, which is the step by step guides to creating 60 gorgeous cookie designs. One of the many fabulous things about this book is the pictorial index in the front, where instead of just naming the cookie styles, there’s a small picture of each one, to make it easy to find the one that fits your situation.

The book starts with some fairly simple designs, like sparkly heart cookies, then moves on to more complex designs like cherry blossom cookies and beer and hot dog cookies(!). There are cookie designs for various occasions such as adorable crayons and rulers the first day of school (or the last?). I am totally in love with the edible coupon cookies, which would be the ultimate party favor!

photo (15)

You kinda knew a picture of these was coming, right?!

Who this book is for: I think this is an absolutely fabulous book for anyone who is either a cookie decorator, or wants to learn to decorate cookies. As I have mentioned, this book really includes all of the information, recipes and overall guidance a person needs to get started on their cookie decorating journey.

Who this book isn’t for: I think it’s obvious, but this book is really only for people who want to decorate cookies. Sure, there are a couple of recipes in the beginning of the book, but you won’t be buying this book for those few recipes. Also, this book has excellent and clear directions, but I do think a certain level of patience and ability is required as a prerequisite to making really professional looking cookies. While there are menorah cookies in this book, I do want to point out to my Jewish readers that a number of the cookie styles of for non Jewish holidays and events, particularly Christmas.

One final thing I want to point out about the book is both a good thing. The book is amazing in terms of inspiring creativity for your own cookie creations, as well as learning techniques to apply toward your cookie designs. However, I do think that some people (who are perhaps less creatively inclined) will have a hard time veering from the exact designs in this book.

In Conclusion: If you want to learn to decorate cookies, or improve on your cookie decorating skills, buy this book. Simple.

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a chance to win this book!

_______________________________________

Now, for a life changing decorator’s cookie recipe!

Why life changing, you ask? Simple. This dough does not need to be refrigerated before being rolled out! If you aren’t as excited as I am by that prospect, you obviously never found yourself staying up way too late for your dough to chill so you could bake cookies. Oh, and everyone was super impressed by how delicious these were, even just plain!

Personalized Letter Cookies 1

Vanilla Almond Sugar Cookies (for decorating):

Adapted from Decorating Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, cold and cut in chunks

1 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter or margarine and sugar until combined and fluffy.

Beat in the egg and extracts, beating until combined.

Add the flour mixture, one third at a time, mixing on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut as many shapes as you can with your desired cookie cutter, and carefully transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet. Reroll the scraps to cut out more cookies.

For best results, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes at this point to help them maintain their shape during baking. (I did some with and some without, and those without were okay.)

Remove cookies from the freezer and immediately bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes. It can be a bit more or less, depending on size and thickness of the cookies. Set aside to cool completely before decorating.

Repeat with remaining dough, until all dough has been used.

_______________________________________________

Now, let’s talk decorating! I didn’t do one of Bridget’s patterns from her book, but she inspired me to get creative and create these personalized name cookies. I made these for a charity event for an organization called RCCS, but you can customize these completely, by changing the shapes, colors and letters you use. These are a lot easier than they look…thanks to fondant!

Two tips to working with fondant: it will get sticky, so roll with confectioner’s sugar- not flour! Also, use a plastic fondant roller rather than a wooden rolling pin for the smoothest look.

Now, lets talk about how to make these cookies. First, chose a cookie cutter, any cookie cutter. Bake up a batch of these delicious cookies shaped to your liking. Next, choose a base fondant color. I picked white, to show the primary colors nicely, but you can pick whatever fits your theme/color scheme. Roll out the fondant really thin (about an 8th of an inch) and cut it out using the same cookie cutter you used for the cookies. This will form a fondant top for the cookies that is exactly the same shape.

Personalized Letter Cookies 2

Use a food safe paintbrush to paint light corn syrup thinly over the entire surface of the cookie. Carefully smooth the fondant topper over your cookie, pressing slightly to adhere. Put it aside to set.

Personalized Letter Cookies 3

Meanwhile, prepare your letters. (Or designs. Or whatever.) First, choose a color that will work nicely with your theme, color scheme and base color of your cookie. My party has a primary color scheme, and a “twister” theme, so I chose primary colored circles. You will need to find a good size and shaped cookie cutter for the letters. My cookies were really small, so I brainstormed and raided my decorating box and came up with the fat end of a Wilton 1M piping tip. It worked perfectly as a fondant cutter, and the size was exactly perfect.

Roll out your colored fondant, the same as you did with the base color. Cut the smaller shapes (circles, in this case) out of it. You can choose to use a number of colors, like I did here.

Personalized Letter Cookies 4

Next, mix together equal parts food coloring and clear flavor extract, then dip a stamp, or in this case I used another fondant cutter, in the mixture. Press very gently into the circle. If using a cutter, you have to be extra careful to make sure you don’t cut through. Set aside the circles to dry completely.

Again, using the paintbrush and corn syrup, paint the back of the circle, then press it onto the fondant topped cookie and press to stick it on.

Some ideas to customize this:

- Spell out a message for a party

-Spell out a name or initials of a birthday kid

-Spell out a couple’s initials with a heart in the middle

Personalized Letter Cookies 5

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Now- for the giveaway! For your chance to win Decorating Cookies Giveaway now closed!

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me about something fun you have decorated.

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Thursday, December 27th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Giveaway is open to residents of the continental US.

Giveaway is sponsored by the publisher.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: The publisher sent me a copy of this book to review, free of charge, and is also sponsoring the giveaway. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

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Mushroom Beef Sliders and a Review and Giveaway of CHIC Made Simple

Posted in Appetizers, Cookbook Reviews, Giveaways, Healthy, Main Courses, Meat, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 2, 2012 | 161 Comments »

Giveaway Closed!

mushroom beef sliders

I’m super excited to be reviewing another fabulous and hot new kosher cookbook, CHIC Made Simple. The author, Esther Deutch, actually writes for the same magazine as me, Ami Living’s Whisk magazine. Oddly enough, I didn’t meet her until Kosher Fest, when we practically bumped into each-other. “You’re Overtime Cook?!” She exclaimed. “I am such a fan.” Well. After an introduction like that, I couldn’t wait to see her beautiful cookbook and try some of the recipes.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41lCGFECi8L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

At a First Glance:

CHIC Made Simple is beautiful. And I am not talking simply about the pictures (which are really nice!). This book is big, hard covered, and really nice all around. Every page has a recipe and a full page picture. Every picture is beautiful, the lighting, the coloring, and most importantly, the styling.

Some Features I liked:

This book isn’t just a book of recipes, it’s a book of fabulous food ideas. Say you don’t feel like making the Mushroom and Bell Pepper Lettuce Salad, you see a beautiful picture of salad arranged in a row of martini glasses, and the inspiration is there for your next party, whichever salad you want to make!

On each page, next to the recipe, there’s a box with some information about the recipe. On some pages, there’s an interesting tidbit about the ingredients (did you know delmonico steak isn’t a specific cut of meat, rather the name for the most prized cut on hand?). On some pages there’s a personal story about the author’s son and how much he enjoyed that particular cookie recipe. On other pages, there’s some advice about working with the ingredients in the recipes, and some have humorous anecdotes, such as the author’s friend texting her that she was dreaming about the salad recipe. In some cookbooks, I feel like the introductions to the recipes are very contrived, but in the case of CHIC I actually enjoyed reading all of them.

I also enjoyed the creativity of this books. While there are some old standbys like Penne a la Vodka and Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies, there were a lot of recipes that made me mutter that’s a really good idea to myself. Some were even good enough that I chided myself with a why didn’t I think of that? Esther uses a lot of interesting a new ingredients, and combines lots of others in way I wouldn’t have imagined, and the results of mouthwatering and beautiful.

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

Although I don’t usually do this, I took pictures of the recipe’s photo in the book, to give you a taste of the beautiful styling!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Cajun or Garlic Basil Mayo:

sweet potatoes

I love sweet potatoes, and am beyond excited to try the amazing looking dipping sauces! Also, how amazing is that way of serving fries for a party? Suddenly they look elegant!

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip:

dip

I love dips of all sorts. Also, I love eggplant dip, and I love red pepper dip. This is totally happening soon.

Grilled Chicken Satay with Peanut Butter Barbecue Sauce:

grilled chicken

It’s no secret that I am a total grilled chicken fan. Also I love peanut butter, so that barbecue sauce sounds completely out of this world. Also, I feel like a broken record but how amazing is that for serving simple grilled chicken at a party?!

Creamy Tomato Vodka Soup:

vodka soup

This recipe is super clever. It’s a favorite pasta dish turned soup. I might just make this one for my family’s Hanukka party!

Apple Rose Custard Turnovers:

apple rose custard

Ok, you all know that I am a sucker for beautiful desserts. Well how pretty is this one? PS: it uses pre-made puff pastry, so it’s not too hard to make!

Who This Cookbook Is For:

CHIC Made Simple is a great option for any cook, specifically a Kosher cook, who enjoys to create delicious food that also looks great. It is particularly a good option for anyone who frequently hosts parties, and wants to really take things to the next level.

CHIC Made Simple is also a good option for anyone who feels bored with their recipes, and wants to spice things up with lots of creative ideas.

Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:

This book has a lot of recipes that are more elaborate than your average dinner time quick and simple favorite, so it’s not the greatest option for people who are simply looking for that type of recipe.

The book doesn’t really cater to any special diets, so if you are gluten-free, sugar-free, carb-free, etc, this book will have a lot of recipes that you won’t be making.

Also, the book is a Kosher cookbook, and some of the recipes are more traditional Kosher recipes (or cool takes on it, like Gefilte Fish Sushi) and might not be of interest to a non Kosher Cook.

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

The book is called CHIC made simple, but I think it delivers a lot more on the chic promise than the simple promise. Some recipes are indeed simple, but lots of recipes are more complicated recipes.

The other main issue I had with this cookbook is the photography. While the majority of the pictures are beautiful, they weren’t all taken by the same photographer, so there was a slightly disjointed feel to the book. To be fair, this is something that I, as a (novice) food photographer, notice much more than most readers would, but still, it’s an issue I had.

And lastly, as I often mention in cookbook reviews, there weren’t many dietetic recipes in this book. Again, this is a personal preference coming from a perpetual dieter, but it’s something to be aware of.

Conclusion:

CHIC made simple is a gorgeous cookbook with beautiful pictures and creative ideas, both in ingredients and serving.

I don’t think this is a book I’ll pull out when I need a quick and easy supper idea, but you can bet I will turn to this book every time I make a party, cook for a holiday, or even need to impress a guest.

Want to win a copy of CHIC Made Simple? Scroll down past the recipe for your chance!

mushroom beef sliders 2

Let’s talk a bit about this recipe. I chose it because it looked delicious, and also because it so perfectly illustrates the cool ideas in this book. When I first saw the picture, I was like, ok, a slider. Yawn. But then I looked closer. And noticed that the “bun” wasn’t a bun at all, but a mushroom. Brilliant, right? Also a great option for an appetizer when you have gluten free folks around!

Mushroom Beef Sliders:

Adapted from CHIC Made Simple.

Ingredients:

for the mushroom “buns:”

34-40 mushrooms

1 1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

kosher salt

black pepper

for the sliders:

1 pound ground beef (I used lean ground beef)

1 teaspoon ground dries rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used whole wheat)

15 mushroom stems, from mushroom buns, finely minced

optional garnishes to assemble:

barbecue sauce

fresh basil leaves

2-3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

fresh rosemary sprigs, to garnish

Instructions:

For mushroom buns:

Preheat oven to 350. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, set aside about 15 of them, and discard the rest.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Place the mushrooms on the pan. Drizzle them with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

While the buns are baking, prepare the sliders.

Heat a grill or grill pan, or oil in a frying pan to medium-low heat.

Mix together all of the ingredients for the sliders until combined. Form small patties, about the size of the mushrooms. Grill or fry until cooked through at the level of done-ness you prefer. Remove from pan.

When the sliders and mushrooms are done, assemble them. Spread barbecue sauce on the inside of each mushroom. Place a slice of tomato on top of a mushroom. Layer it with a slider and a basil leaf if using. Top with another mushroom. Stick a rosemary sprig through the entire thing, both for decoration and to keep it together.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

mushroom beef sliders

And now…for the giveaway! Please read the directions carefully. All entries must be made through a comment on the blog in order to be counted. Multiple entries in one comment will only count once!

To enter the giveaway for a copy of CHIC Made Simple:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me about a dish you have made/served at a party or event that was very popular.

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Saturday, December 8th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Giveaway is open to residents of North America.

Giveaway is sponsored by the author.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: The author sent me a copy of this book to review, free of charge, and is also sponsoring the giveaway. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

Thanks folks for stopping by! Come back soon for a Chanukah dessert! PS- did you check out my dessert recipes in Ami magazine yet? No? Well don’t miss this issue…I made funnel cakes. And peanut butter fudge! -Miriam

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Yemenite Beef Soup and a Review and Giveaway of Kosher By Design Cooking Coach

Posted in Cookbook Reviews, Meat, Snacks, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 21, 2012 | 136 Comments »

Giveaway Closed!

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about my thoughts on the new cookbook by Susie Fishbein, Kosher By Design Cooking Coach, and I am excited to finally share my thoughts on this fabulous cookbook with you. I should start by mentioning that if you aren’t a kosher cook, don’t stop reading. Susie’s ideas are amazing, and you don’t have to keep kosher to appreciate them!

At a first glance:

As is the case with all of Susie’s previous books, this is a visually beautiful book. I opened it up and marveled at the absolute wealth of information. The book promises to be more than just a list of recipes, and it certainly delivered. Each chapter starts with a “game plan” section which includes a whole ton of information on things that will be useful to the chapter. The book starts with information such as how to hold a knife, the correct way to dice an onion, and useful things to always keep in your pantry. As you get to each section, the game plan gives you information on how to plate an appetizer nicely, how to score a duck breast to sear it, information on cleaning and storing lettuce, and a pictorial guide to pretty much every cut of meat in the world. You would think that a more experienced cook wouldn’t have much to learn from this, but the information is comprehensive enough that there’s something for everyone to learn.

Some Features I Liked:

Firstly, I love the “playbook” section. The idea is simple. Rather than serve leftovers of the same dish, use a component in a creative way to create a new dish. For example, if you have leftover glaze from making Miso Glazed Eggplant, use it as a marinade for fish. Or, make extra dipping sauce when you cook up the amazing looking Grean Bean and Asparagus Fries, and dip chicken fingers into it. Cook once, eat twice…it’s something every cook can appreciate!

Next, I love Susie’s creativity. Those who own some of her previous cookbooks know what I am talking about. This isn’t “just another cookbook,” rather, it’s a book full of fabulous ideas, interesting flavor combinations, and lots of new ways to spice up your standard fare.

As mentioned above, I love the section before each chapter with full color illustrations of all the practical advice you could want when cooking. Think of it as a master cooking instructor at your side while you prepare Hot and Crispy Chicken with Mango Slaw. Less daunting with all that info there for you, is what I’m saying!

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait To Try:

Whew. This list is seriously long!

Orange Teriyaki Steak Salad: Seriously making this soon. Maybe tonight. I love asian flavors, especially in salad, and this one looks fabulous!

Cornish Hen in Port and Chocolate Sauce: How fabulous does that sound? Cornish hens are so elegant, and the sauce sounds divine. Totally making this next time I need to impress people.

Crustless Meat and Onion Pie: I think this recipe is more up my alley than anything else in the book. It’s delicious and comfort-food(ish) but it’s pretty and a beautiful presentation. And it sounds just plain dee-lish-us!

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Bisque: I actually want to make pretty much every soup in this book (have I mentioned how I love soup??) but this one looks so hearty and comforting. Imagine having that when you come home from a long day of work on a cold winter night?

Cajun Quinoa: This was going to be the recipe I wound up posting. But then I made soup, so I have this on my to-make-very-soon list. Aside from how delicious it sounds, it’s molded into a bundt pan for a gorgeous presentation! Well, hello favorite type of cake turned healthy side dish!

And lastly…chocolate. peanut. butter. molten. cakes. Excuse me while I wipe this drool off my keyboard.

Who This Cookbook is For:

This is a great all-around cookbook for both kosher and non-kosher cooks. Anyone who enjoys cooking, enjoys new flavors, and enjoys getting creative in the kitchen would really enjoy the book.

Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:

Anyone who has a pretty limited palate, or is cooking for people with limited palates (read: kids) will find that there are a lot of unusual ingredients, which might stop you from making some of the recipes. I’m not saying you should write the book off completely, but it’s something to take into account.

Another bunch of people who might not find this book quite as useful are those with special dietary needs. For example, while some of the recipes happen to be gluten-free, there are lots of recipes that do contain glutinous ingredients. I found, when looking for a recipe to try out, that many of them have sugar, something I try to stay clear of when dieting.

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

It’s a case of both good and bad- the innovative recipes and unusual ingredients mean that there are recipes that are a little too far out of my comfort zone. Also, some of the recipes require ingredients may be hard to get, or at very least, not something you have on hand.

This is more of a personal thing, because I am trying hard to diet now, but a lot of the recipes use ingredients that aren’t very healthy. A lot of recipes have thus been bookmarked for holidays and special occasions. Again, it’s a personal thing, and this isn’t sold as a diet cookbook, so there wasn’t much of an expectation of super healthy recipes here.

Conclusion:

Any cook who enjoys cooking, wants to learn more about both technique and flavors, and is looking for creative new recipes will enjoy this book.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: it’s Giveaway Time!

To enter the giveaway for Kosher By Design Cooking Coach

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this post telling me new flavor, ingredient or recipe you have recently discovered.

For Additional Entries:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and tweet about the giveaway. Leave a comment telling me that you did this.

Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and post about this giveaway. Leave a comment telling me that you did this.

Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and pin an image from this post. Leave a comment telling me that you did this.

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Thursday, November 29th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Giveaway is open to residents of the US.

Giveaway is sponsored by Artscroll

Disclaimer: Artscroll hosted me at a launch party for this book, provided me with a review copy, and is sponsoring the giveaway. My opinions, as well as my complete awe at meeting the author are completely my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you are going to buy it, consider buying it through me and giving me a few pennies. ;)

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And now, who wants a recipe?

Let’s talk about Yemenite Beef Soup. It’s something I frequently ate at a neighborhood restaurant when growing up, so the second I saw it in this book, I knew I would be making a batch. This didn’t disappoint the childhood memories. It was even better, more delicious and richer than the soup I remember. Plus, it’s totally a meal in one pot, which is always a plus for me. Make this.

Yemenite Beef Soup

Adapted slightly from Kosher By Design Cooking Coach

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 – 2 pounds beef marrow bones

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat cubes

1 onion, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

2 teaspoons hawaij spice mixture (see here for more information)

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 carrots, peeled and cut in rounds

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2-3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut in large chunks

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the marrow bones and stir to brown them. Add the beef cubes, stir, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the meat and bones are somewhat browned.

Uncover the pot and add the diced onions, garlic, hawaij and tomato paste. Stir to distribute evenly and cook for about 5 minutes to deepen the tomato flavor. Add the carrots and stock.

Cover the pot and simmer on a low flame for one hour.

Add the potatoes, cover the soup again and cook for an additional hour.

Discard the bones and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Hope y’all try this soup- it’s too delicious not to! Good luck with the giveaway! Oh, and happy Thanksgiving! -Miriam

PS: I totally forgot to announce the winner of my last giveaway!

The lucky winner was Shaindy, who won for following me on twitter! An awesome cookbook is on the way to your house Shaindy.

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Kosher By Design Cooking Coach: Release Party and First Impressions

Posted in Cookbook Reviews, tagged , , , on November 12, 2012 | 7 Comments »

If you keep kosher, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that you have heard of Susie Fishbein. If you don’t keep kosher, I’m going to introduced you to the woman who revolutionized the kosher food world and just published her eighth amazing cookbook.

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Gavriel Sanders, PR guy for Artscroll introduces Susie

A couple of weeks ago, Artscroll publishers and Pomegranate market hosted an amazing event which I was privileged enough to attend. In celebration of the release of Susie’s
eighth book, as well as the ten year anniversary of her first book, they held a media event with Susie as the guest of honor and star of the show.

In order to explain just how exciting it was to attend this event, you have to realize that I grew up on Susie’s cookbooks. Everyone I know has at least a couple of her books, and no holiday meal is complete without at least one of her recipes. And it isn’t just us. Susie Fishbein has sold over 400,000 cookbooks, appeared on national TV, and been called the “Jewish Martha Stewart.” Meeting her was amazing, and not only because everyone I know was green with envy over the opportunity.

As an aside, when I walked into Pomegranate and into the media area, I immediately knew who the other bloggers were because we were the ones sporting big clunky cameras. It was super fun meeting Melinda, Hindy, Shelly, Sarah, Chanie, Ali, Melissa, Tamar, and Levana, to name a few.

After a gorgeous buffet courtesy of the folks at pomegranate, Susie began to talk about her journey across eight cookbooks and her decision to write a cooking manual, as opposed to another cookbook. She talked about how she has been giving cooking demos constantly over the last ten years, and how she found, while talking to participants, that people are dependent to the point of being crippled on following recipes. And so she set out to write a book that would change that. In her newest book, every chapter starts out with a wealth of information about the ingredients and cooking methods you will be using.

When browning ground turkey, Susie explains, brown it whole to maximize the surface available for browning and caramelizing.

Then Susie started her food demo, throwing in little tips and tricks as she showed us how to make her Turkey Taco Eggrolls. After she demoed the Eggrolls themselves, Susie talked about the idea behind another amazing feature in her cookbook. After traveling overseas and returning early on Friday morning, Susie’s daughter kindly offered to cook the Shabbat meals. For an appetizer, they were served a delicious meat-stuffed portobello mushroom. When Susie inquired how the filling was made, her daughter laughed and said she found the mixture in the freezer. Yep, that’s right. It was the filling for the eggrolls!

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Susie is wealth of knowledge and experience!

That’s when inspiration struck, and Susie decided to add a “playbook” section to the new book. For many of the recipes, it lists ideas of things you can do to either repurpose leftovers so your family will never know, or intentionally double one part of a recipe in order to make something completely different with it. In case anyone in the audience had doubts about the practicality or usefulness of this section, waiters started bringing out plates with samples of the egg rolls, the stuffed mushroom, and a third dish which Susie demoed which basically involved tossing the filling with pasta. All three were divine, and totally going to be made in my kitchen.

Probably the worst food photo I ever took, but here ya go: filling with penne, filling baked in a mushroom and the original eggroll filling.

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After that, we all had the opportunity to ask Susie questions. It brought up a lot of interesting information about her rigorous recipe testing process, her experience on the changes to both the cookbook and kosher food scene over the last number of years, and her cooking inspiration. I asked Susie about a difficult situation I experience as a food writer: how do you handle the question of “what went wrong with my recipe?” Unsurprisingly, Susie didn’t have much of an answer for me, because the only true answer is “I can’t know because I wasn’t there.” However, it was clear from the reaction of many other people in the room that its something all food writers deal with.

She was completely friendly and personable during the Q&A!

Once the Q&A was over, we had the opportunity to take pictures with Susie and have out cookbooks signed. Hindy of Confident Cook was kind enough to take an iPhone picture of me when I had my turn.

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Me and Susie, the queen of Kosher food writers. No Biggie. Yeah RIGHT.

I may or may not have texted that picture to everyone who I know to be a huge Susie Fishbein fan to make them jealous.

During the long ride home, I perused the cookbook, which is as beautifully done as all of Susie’s previous books. I isn’t expect to learn so much, considering that I’m fairly educated on all things food, but I really learned a lot. There are a ton of pictures of things like how to spatchcock a chicken or what various dice sizes mean. The recipes are unique and interesting, and I’m excited to get cooking and post a full cookbook review shortly!

PS: if you don’t keep kosher and you’re still reading, trust me. This book is totally for you as well. You do not need to keep kosher to appreciate Susie’s creative ideas and delicious recipes.

PPS: I have a copy of the book to giveaway as well, so come back soon!

PPPS: Now I am just doing this to mess with you.

PPPPS: Oh. Right. I meant to say come back soon because I have a fabulously delicious and completely healthy recipe to share with you soon. Then some sweets, because…because I’m me. And you know you can’t resist.

Disclaimer: the event was sponsored by Artscroll publishers and Pomegranate supermarket. I was given a review copy of the book as well a swag bag of some products Susie recommends. All opinions are my own.

Thanks for stopping by! -Miriam

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Cinnamon Sugar Scones and a review and giveaway of Mini Treats and Handheld Sweets

Posted in Breakfast, Cookbook Reviews, Dessert, Giveaways, tagged , , , , , , on November 8, 2012 | 129 Comments »

Giveaway Closed!

I’m so excited to be reviewing a new cookbook today. Not just any book, but one that I’m totally nuts over. No jokes. I think the author, Abigail Dodge is my soul sister, because how perfectly me is a cookbook called “Mini Treats and Handheld Sweets?” Not only it it a cookbook full of glorious desserts, but they’re mini, and pretty much every recipe in this book is right up my alley. Lets discuss this, shall we?

At a First Glance:
My first reaction when flipping through this book was “ohmygosh I want to make everything.” The book is a treasure trove of delicious recipes that are either totally out of the box, or a brand new twist on an old favorite. (Why make carrot cupcakes when you can make carrot cone cakes? See what I mean?)

Some Features I Like:
The author of this book is a highly experienced and accomplished baker, and she shares her vast knowledge throughout the pages of this book with nuggets of useful information tucked into the margins of the pages.
Another great thing is that Ms. Dodge offers twists to switch up the recipes. Think of these ideas as bonus recipes!
When choosing a recipe to try, I purposely chose something that I’d never made before (scones) to see how the instructions are for someone who is more of a novice baker. And they were great – I was able to follow them very easily and the recipe was super clear.

The book is divided by section, and has an amazing variety: Cookies, Mini Pies, Mini Cakes and Whoopie Pies, Bite Sized Treats, Frozen Treats and Candy. That pretty much covers all of the important things in life, doesn’t it?

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

Nutella Dulche de Leche Dumplings: I really don’t think this needs an explanation. Oh my.

Zesty Lemon Cake Bites: Think cake balls, but instead of frosting you use lemon curd. Pure genius.

Double Espresso Whoopie Pies: because the only thing better than espresso is double espresso. Especially when you bake it in a cookie.

Mini Mocha Roll Cakes: These may just be the next thing on my “to bake” list. I’m sure they’re gorgeous, but then there’s the part where they’re the perfect mix of gorgeous and just plain adorable.

Who This Cookbook is For:
This book is chock full of dessert recipes of every sort, and thus is a great option for bakers everywhere!
Specifically, this is a great book for people who enjoy baking and are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative recipes.
Also, if you frequently bake for parties with a buffet/dessert table type layout, this is THE book for you. Everything in this book is perfect for a dessert table (except the frozen treats, I guess). Jewish readers: I have a kiddush in mind here.

Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:
This is probably pretty obvious, but I’m gonna say it anyway. This is a dessert cookbook, and not for people to reference for general cooking. (Duh)
Although the book includes several recipes that are gluten free or even paleo, the majority of the recipes aren’t going to work for people with special dietary needs, such as gluten free, sugar free, fat free, etc.

What I Didn’t like About this Cookbook:
As I write about every niche cookbook I review, this book is limited. It’s amazingly diverse in terms of recipes within the hand-held sweets category, but you won’t find recipes for things like layer cakes or fruit crumbles. The goal is to have recipes that can all be eaten without a fork, but that means there are categories of desserts it doesn’t include. (This wasn’t much of a problem for me, because the type of desserts this book includes are exactly the types I enjoy making.)
My main issue with this book is that there simply aren’t enough pictures. Don’t get me wrong. The pictures in this book are beautiful. And I know I constantly kvetch that cookbooks don’t have enough pictures, but with desserts like this one I feel like pictures are more of a necessity. Some of the recipes are very visual, and a picture would do wonders in convincing me to try it (or even notice it!).

Conclusion:
This book has a ton of really interesting recipes, and is a great option for anyone who enjoys baking gorgeous treats.

________________

Does this sound like a book you’d like to own? I thought so! Well you might just be in luck, because the publisher has kindly offered to give a copy to one lucky OvertimeCook reader!

Giveaway Details:

To enter the giveaway:
Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite mini treat is!
For Additional Entries: Each entry requires its own comment!

Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and tweet about the giveaway. Leave a comment telling me that you did this.
Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and post about this giveaway. Leave a comment telling me that you did this.
Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and pin an image from this post. Leave a comment telling me that you did this.

Giveaway Details:
Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, November 14th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.
Giveaway is open to residents of the US.
Prize is sponsored by Taunton Press.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book for review by the publisher, Taunton Press. They are also sponsoring the giveaway. All of the opinions as well as my love of cookies are completely my own.

And now, lets discuss scones. I honestly never baked or tasted a scone before this. And my darn diet means I still haven’t tasted a scone. Here’s what I can tell you. I brought them to work, and everyone went nuts over them. All day people were calling, emailing and coming up to my desk saying “I heard you have amazing scones, any left?” Of course there weren’t. They were demolished quickly.

Cinnamon Sugar Scones:

Adapted slightly from Mini Treats and Handheld Sweets

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) butter or margarine, cubed and chilled

1/2 cup half and half*

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or lightly grease) and set aside.

Cube the butter and chill well.

Whisk together the half and half, egg and vanilla and put in fridge until ready for use.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the chilled butter/margarine cubes, using 2 knives, a pastry cutter or pulses in the food processor. Cut until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about pea sized.

Pour the egg mixture over the flour, and use a spatula to stir and fold it in until it forms a shaggy dough. There will be some flour remaining. Scrape the dough onto the counter and knead it a few times until the dough is evenly moist and holds together. Do not overwork the dough or it will mess up the texture of the scones.

Shape the dough into a rectangle approximately 8×4 inches. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into three long strips, then each strip into 6 pieces. Place the pieces approximately 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Prepare the topping: combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place melted butter or margarine in another bowl. As soon as the scones are cool enough to handle, one by one, dip each scone into the melted butter, then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place back on the tray. Serve warm or room temperature.

Enjoy!

*Note about the half and half: if making these non-dairy, use 2 Tablespoons of melted margarine then fill the measuring cup with milk substitute. I used soy milk here.

Hope you all love these scones- and make sure to enter to win this fabulous book! Have a great weekend! – Miriam

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