Any Bitch Can Cook
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
Crazy Love Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
Crazy Love Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
Chan, senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, Calif., offers a radical call for evangelicals to consider and emulate in this debut guide to living crazy for God. Chan’s own life compels him to live with urgency, and with good reason. His mother died giving birth to him, his stepmother died when he was nine, and his dad when he was 12. As a pastor, Chan says that conducting weekly funerals for people younger than himself has likewise sobered him to life’s unexpectedness and frailty. Chan writes with infectious exuberance, challenging Christians to take the Bible seriously. He describes at length the sorry state of lukewarm Christians who strive for a life characterized by control, safety and an absence of suffering. In stark contrast, the book offers real-life accounts of believers who have given all—time, money, health, even their lives—in obedience to Christ’s call.Chan also recounts his own attempts to live crazy by significantly downsizing his home and giving away his resources to the poor.Earnest Christians will find valuable take-home lessons from Chan’s excellent book. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Crazy Is A Good Thing
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan is a book written by a pastor who feels life must be lived urgently. He has conducted many funerals for people who are younger than him. He wants Christians to take the Bible seriously. He feels Christians today are just lukewarm when it comes to their religion and the Bible itself.
After you read this book it may be a good time to consider reading my book entitled “The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers, a Message for Everyone” (See Profile Above)
5 Stars excellent
what a great portriat of what the christian life should look like! francis chan lives out this life and shows that it is all possible!
5 Stars Lukewarm
This is a powerful book! Chan describes the lukewarm christian in a practical way, to help us see for ourselves how this describes what most of us are, lukewarm!
5 Stars life-changing
I love CRAZY LOVE!! Can’t recommend it highly enough — and there’s a DVD, to facilitate group studies. Wish I had extra copies to hand out, so no one would have an excuse not to read this one.
5 Stars Christian reality that hurts so good…
For those that are looking for a book to remind them of what a good christian they are, keep looking. Crazy Love is a eye-opening reminder of how much more we have to do as Christians. It will make you think of what else you need to do as you move forward on your journey. I read this book in three nights, and would recommend it to anyone who needs a good “kick in the pants” reminder to stop patting yourself on the back for how great you think you are, and how to create a crazy loving relationship with God. (This would also be a great read for a book club or Sunday School discussion)! Five Stars…
How to Cook Everything Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition 2 000 Simple Recipes for Great Food
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
Today’s favorite kitchen companion—revised and better than ever.
Mark Bittman’s award-winning How to Cook Everything has helped countless home cooks discover the rewards of simple cooking. Now the ultimate cookbook has been revised and expanded (almost half the material is new), making it absolutely indispensable for anyone who cooks—or wants to. With Bittman’s straightforward instructions and advice, you’ll make crowd-pleasing food using fresh, natural ingredients; simple techniques; and basic equipment. Even better, you’ll discover how to relax and enjoy yourself in the kitchen as you prepare delicious meals for every occasion.
“A week doesn’t go by where I don’t pull How to Cook Everything down from the shelf, so I am thrilled there’s a new, revised edition. My original is falling apart!”
—Al Roker
“This new generation of How to Cook Everything makes my ‘desert island’ cookbook choice jacked up and simply universal. I’ll now bequeath my cookbooks to a collector; I need only this one.”
—Mario Batali
“Mark Bittman has done the impossible, improving upon his now-classic How to Cook Everything. If you need know-how, here’s where to find it.”
—Bobby Flay
“Mark Bittman is a great cook and an incredible teacher. In this second edition, Mark has fine-tuned the original, making this book a must for every kitchen.”
—Jean-Georges Vongerichten
“Throw away all your old recipes and buy How to Cook Everything. Mark Bittman’s recipes are foolproof, easy, and more modern than any others.”
—Isaac Mizrahi
“Generous, thorough, reliable, and necessary, How to Cook Everything is an indispensable reference for both experienced and beginner cooks.”
—Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook
“I learned how to cook from How to Cook Everything in a way that gives me the freedom to be creative. This new edition will be my gift to new couples or for a housewarming; if you have this book, you don’t really need any others.”
—Lisa Loeb, singer/songwriter
Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from How to Cook Everything
• Grilled or Broiled Chicken Kebabs
• Roasted Shrimp with Herb Sauce
• Warm Spicy Greens with Bacon and Eggs
• Author Tip: 7 Ways to Vary Chicken Kebabs [PDF]
10 Reasons You Need the New How to Cook Everything (even if you already have the original)
1. The 2000+ simple recipes will make cooking at home easier, so you can spend less and eat better.
2. With 1,446 new recipes and variations such as Beer-and-Butter Chicken Wings, Roasted Corn Chowder, BLT Salad, Paella with Chicken and Chorizo, Caramelized French Toast, and Popcorn Brittle, this book provides a whole new array of recipes.
3. The many new techniques covered in this edition will help you to expand your repertoire of kitchen skills to include frosting a cake, grinding your own chili powder, or even de-boning a quail.
4. Your husband, wife, brother, sister, son, daughter, or best friend needs a little help in the kitchen (okay, maybe a lot). The new How to Cook Everything contains more expert advice like “12 Must-Have Kitchen Tools,” “Super-Easy 3-Ingredient Soups,” and “The Basics of Cutting.”
5. You trust Bittman’s no-nonsense opinions and can’t wait to read the thousands of new ones packed into this edition. He’ll even help you to select the best inexpensive fish (ex. mackerel is versatile, tasty, healthy, and plentiful; tilapia can taste kinda muddy).
6. The index of “Essential Recipes” points you to Bittman’s favorite dishes in each chapter, so there’s less reason to be intimidated by all those recipes.
7. There are more helpful lists in the new How to Cook Everything than ever before. Bittman shows how to jack up the basics with easy ideas like “4 Ways to Thicken a Sauce”, and “Infinite Ways to Season or Serve Any Grilled or Broiled Chicken Dish.”
8. With this edition’s brand new charts, it’s absurdly easy to look up the cooking times for grains, heat factor for chiles, and other need-to-know information about everything from herbs and spices to flour and noodles.
9. You know it’s cheap, easy, and fast to serve your family boneless chicken breasts every week, but sometimes you run out of ideas. That’s why you really need all the new recipes, variations, and other suggestions for chicken breasts like “11 More Ways to Vary Grilled or Broiled Boneless Chicken.”
10. There are plenty of new illustrations which incorporate more detail than many photos. They’ll show you how to use a pastry bag, how to eat crabs, and even how to puree soup using an immersion blender (it’s is way less messy than a regular blender).
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Go-to Cookbook
I recieved this book as a gift, and I absolutely love it. Simple, straightforward, and I never bother putting it away. Many recipes are healthy, and everything I’ve tried is very delicious.
Some of my friends have the original, and the only major difference I’ve found is that the Big Red Book does not have drink recipes… small price to pay for perfection.
5 Stars The Complete Book!
I am in my 60s and have done my fair share of cooking. But this book is wonderful! It explains every step and the whys. Great recipes that are not complicated but taste like gourmet! I am thorougly enjoying it. I haven’t looked up anything yet that wasn’t in the book.
5 Stars How to Cook Everything is the Best
This is a great book that gives you lots of ideas about how to prepare great meals simply and easily. My husband loves everything I have ever made from this book.
I particularly like the bread recipes. I stopped baking bread years ago and this got me back to doing it again.
5 Stars A little bit of everything
Different opinions on cooking, but that’s what it’s all about. Nice to have another perspective to work from. From the recipes I have tried, top notch!
5 Stars Incredibly useful
I have been a fan of Mark Bittman’s NYT columns for a long time. I recently bought this book, and have to say that it is the single most comprehensive and useful cookbook I have ever seen. I am an experienced cook, but, even so, it is great to have a resource to turn to for even basic information on cooking a great pot roast. This would be the best cookbook for someone who has just moved into their own house or apartment — it can take the place of entire shelf full of single purpose cookbooks.
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food
Author of a dozen bestselling cookbooks and beloved columnist for The New York Times (”The Minimalist”), Chef Mark Bittman bookends his award-winning modern classic, How to Cook Everything, with How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian the ultimate one-stop resource for meatless meals. Refreshingly straightforward and filled with illustrated recipes, this is a book that puts vegetarian cuisine within the reach of every home cook. You’ll want to spend countless days in the kitchen with Bittman’s latest culinary treasure.
5 Questions for Mark Bittman
Q. What motivated you to write a comprehensive cookbook of vegetarian recipes right now?
A: What motivated me–several years ago–was seeing the handwriting on the wall: That although being a principled, all-or-nothing vegetarian was not a course of action that would ever likely inspire the majority of Americans, the days of all-meat-all-the-time (or, to be slightly less extreme, of a diet heavily dependent on meat) could not go on. Averaging a consumption of two pounds a week or more of meat (as Americans do) is not sustainable, either for the earth or our planet. And, as more and more of us realize this, I thought it was important to develop a cookbook along the lines of How to Cook Everything, but without meat, fish, or poultry. Needless to say, there
Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly P S
April 15, 2009 by Cooking Lessons · Leave a Comment
Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly P S
Most diners believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. The truth is more brutal. More likely, writes Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, that elegant three-star concoction is the collaborative effort of a team of “wacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts, and psychopaths,” in all likelihood pierced or tattooed and incapable of uttering a sentence without an expletive or a foreign phrase. Such is the muscular view of the culinary trenches from one who’s been groveling in them, with obvious sadomasochistic pleasure, for more than 20 years. CIA-trained Bourdain, currently the executive chef of the celebrated Les Halles, wrote two culinary mysteries before his first (and infamous) New Yorker essay launched this frank confessional about the lusty and larcenous real lives of cooks and restaurateurs. He is obscenely eloquent, unapologetically opinionated, and a damn fine storyteller–a Jack Kerouac of the kitchen. Those without the stomach for this kind of joyride should note his opening caveat: “There will be horror stories. Heavy drinking, drugs, screwing in the dry-goods area, unappetizing industry-wide practices. Talking about why you probably shouldn’t order fish on a Monday, why those who favor well-done get the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, and why seafood frittata is not a wise brunch selection…. But I’m simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I’ve seen it.” –Sumi Hahn
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great Read
Love this Book. I have read 2 books from cover to cover in my life and this one is great. I am a Chef myself and related to it. Great for people in the business and for people who are curious to know what its like.
5 Stars If you really want to know what goes on in fine dining…
This book really spoke to me. I’ve worked in kitchens for years and somehow or another this book completely bypassed me until recently. I was so happy to find it. I could really relate. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys not only a good book but also wants to know more about how a restaurant is really run.
3 Stars Didn’t tell me what I really wanted to know
Written by a chef working 17-hour days in a New York restaurant (when did he find the time?), this memoir supposedly exposes the “culinary underbelly.” I found it entertaining enough, but I wanted to know how a restaurant really works. Bourdain never really got his teeth into that. Instead, it was an amusing anecdote, an exaggeration designed to impress, an inside joke for his friends on each page. I thought 90 percent was faulty memory or just plain embellishment. And at the end, I didn’t know much more than when I started, other than that professional chefs look down on those of us who want to learn more about the restaurant business. But I will be fair: I did learn a few things, and I was moderately entertained.
4 Stars Great Read!!!
Anthony Bourdain is an excellent writer. If you are easily offended by drug references, sex, drugs and rock-and-roll, too bad! I couldn’t put this book down.
4 Stars Flavorful
My credentials for reviewing “Kitchen Confidential” are these: I cook, I eat out at restaurants, I watch and savor “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel, I think whoever developed Food Network is a genius.
There’s something intoxicating about all the food being prepared on television, from “Top Chef” to “Iron Chef,” from staid PBS cooking shows to Guy Fieri’s endless road tripping on the Triple D.
I watched about twenty episodes of “No Reservations” before I picked up “Kitchen Confidential,” so it was easy to hear Bourdain’s voice as the memoir flowed.
Among all of the food personalities out there—Flay, Battali, Fieri, Brown, DeLaurentis, Ray, Oliver, on an on—Tony is the best. Why? He’s got demons. He’s wry, occasionally bitter, sardonic, witty and just wants to enjoy life. It’s about the food, but it’s also about the moments that food creates. He’s willing to try almost anything. Almost. But it isn’t just the food. It’s the people.
OK, it’s also cool that he references The Ramones and The Cramps. He’s a rocker.
“Kitchen Confidential” shows you the roots of some of the demons Bourdain references on “No Reservations.” He’s a warts-and-all guy. The shooting galleries and self-loathing are all in the book–the highs and lows of the food biz. The book starts strong and loses some of its focus with some of the more slice-and-dice minor essays, but anybody who is thinking about opening a restaurant will want to spend the few hours it takes to read the whole thing, particularly the parts about ordering food, cooking food, hiring staff, firing staff, poaching staff (from other restaurants) and all many other aspects of running an eating establishment. (News flash: it isn’t just about the recipes and the quality of the food.)
“Kitchen Confidential” is driven by that colorful Bourdain voice and endless cheerleading for the new next big thing in flavor.
“Do all these horrifying assertions frighten you? Should you stop eating out? Wipe yourself down with antiseptic towelettes every time you pass a restaurant? No way. Like I said before, your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride. Sure, it’s a “play you pay” sort of an adventure, but you knew that already, every time you ever ordered a taco or dirty-water hot dog. If you’re willing to risk some slight lower GI distress for one of those Italian sweet sausages at the street fair, or for a slice of pizza you just know has been sitting on the board for an hour or two, why not take a chance on the good stuff? All the great developments of classical cuisine, the first guys to eat sweetbreads, to try unpasteurized Stilton, to discover what snails actually taste good with enough garlic butter, these were daredevils, innovators and desperados.”
I’d say Anthony Bourdain is pretty much all three.
