Elizabeth Orsini’s (Grilled Teriyaki) Tofu Broccoli Salad and cookbook review: From Garden to Grill

#CiderMillPress #ElizabethOrsini #FromGardentoGrill

Summer grilling season has arrived! I’ve been playing in a great produce-centered grilling book,  From Garden to Grill: Over 250 Vegetable-based Recipes for Every Grill Master. My review of the book is below, but first I wanted to share a terrific grilled teriyaki tofu and broccoli dinner with you. This recipe is vegan, but the book itself is vegetarian with a lot of suggestions of how to make recipes vegan, paleo, gluten-free, or how to add meat. It’s delicious and super filling, so no side dishes are required. Perfect dinner on the patio. You just need a few string lights overhead and icy Pellegrino, lemon cucumber water, or lovely white wine to go with it.

If you’re new to tofu, a nice dish is all about the drain. Cut it into chunks as the recipe instructs, wrap it in a lot of paper towel, set a plate on it, and set a big can on that and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Or, I sometimes cheat, and just stick it in my panini press for the same amount of time. Saves, paper, too. Niiice. In this recipe, I threaded the tofu on soaked skewers, so I’d have less to turn on the grill. 

Hot Summer Night recipe and Cookbook review: Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State by David Alan

I have an absolute favorite cocktail book and it really shines in the summer, Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State. The author, David Alan, is a legend in Texas. If you go down to Franklin BBQ in Austin, you’ll see a sandwich up on the board, called the Tipsy Texan and it was created for David. I still haven’t tried that. Because brisket. And ribs. Nice excuse to drive back down, don’t you think?! Anyway, this cocktail book is amazing. Truly. There are so many complex fruit drinks in there that are perfection out in the hot sun. A huge thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me share the recipe for Hot Summer Night with you! It’s the best cocktail I’ve ever had. Lemon lovers, meet your new favorite drink! If you hug me later, no need to explain. I’ll know you tried it. 😉 I’ll get to my review of the book in a minute, but first, let’s get back to that cocktail!

Marcela Valladolid’s Creamy Beer Shrimp–Stuffed Poblano Chiles recipe and Cookbook review: Casa Marcela: Recipes and Food Stories of My Life in the Californias by Marcela Valladolid

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Mexican cookbooks, Casa Marcela: Recipes and Food Stories of My Life in the Californias. It has a special place in my heart because she demystified tamales for me. I hadn’t even realized sweet tamales were a thing, and then I saw her pineapple tamales. The whole book is filled with special dishes. Tons of produce. Fresh seafood. Oozy cheese. Yeah, I love it. I’ll get to the review afterwards, so you can get a glimpse of what it offers, but first I wanted to share her recipe for Creamy Beer Shrimp–Stuffed Poblano Chiles with you. Shrimp sautéed with garlic and arbol chiles, then simmered in dark lager and heavy cream, with some cheese stirred in at the end. You need to try this! A huge thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for letting me share the recipe with you.

Cornbread with Sage Honey Butter recipe and Cookbook review: The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem by Marcus Samuelsson

I love roadtrips. Last summer, we did two weeks from Manhattan to Bar Harbor, Maine. It was all the incredible food, museums, and hiking a girl could want.

In Manhattan, we decided to take a day exploring Central Park, starting at the southern end, and working up to the northern end where Harlem begins. I like to call it urban hiking. If you get to the very middle of the northern end (Some maps and signs say Lenox Avenue and some say Malcolm X Blvd – same thing) and keep walking another 16 blocks north (corner of 126th), you hit an amazing restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem. (There’s a subway stop right across from the restaurant if walking’s not your jam or if you’re using a cab, it’s 310 Lenox Ave.) It’s Marcus Samuelsson’s place, and it oozes cool and everything’s delicious. I picked up a baseball cap there, and couldn’t seem to put it away the rest of the trip. What can I say?! It loves hiking!

Summit of Cadillac Mountain. Acadia National Park. Bar Harbor, ME

Stephen King’s house. Bangor, ME.

I fell in love with the book, The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem, first. Everything was wonderful, but his cornbread was the best cornbread I’d ever had. There are a lot of cornbread recipes I love, but his really stands out. A huge thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for letting me share it with you. Don’t skip the sage honey butter in the notes! Who knew that sage belonged in honey butter? Marcus did. And it does. My review of the book is right after the recipe.

 

 

Red Wine Pasta recipe and Cookbook review: Bring It!: Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining by Ali Rosen

Red wine pasta. You actually cook the pasta in a full bottle of wine in a wide shallow skillet and it absorbs it perfectly. I didn’t even know that was possible. My family loved it, but can you even imagine bringing that to your next GNO, barbecue, or book club meeting?! <My husband just asked what a GNO was. Sorry. Girls’ Night Out.> It’s ridiculously easy. My husband could make it, and he’s only vaguely aware of where the kitchen is in our house. The color is stunning. And it’s just as delicious as you’re hoping it would be reading this. A huge thanks to Running Press for letting me share the recipe with you!

My review of the book is right after the recipe, but the whole book is summertime effortless. You’ll be out in the sunshine instead of the kitchen in no time. Bring It!: Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining will help you bring on the hanging out. But let’s get back to that pasta!

Poppy Seed Danish recipe and Cookbook Review: Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge by Trine Hahnemann

I grew up in Wisconsin. People know about the cheese, beer, and bratwurst. Scandinavian bakeries are a really big deal there, too. Everyone’s got strong opinions about which bakery is the absolute best to get kringle and Danishes for holidays, gatherings, and weekends. Oh, I miss those bakeries! When I have a craving, I love to make them at home now. One of my favorite Scandinavian cookbooks is Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge by Trine Hahnemann. A huge thank you to Quadrille for letting me share her recipe for Poppy Seed Danishes with you! They are so delicious! (And yeah, she has a recipe for Kringle in there, too!) My review of the book is right after the recipe. Amazing book.

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Hearty (gluten-free) Multigrain Bread recipe and Cookbook Review: No-Fail Gluten-Free Bread Baking: Classic Bread Recipes for the Texture and Flavor You Love by Pamela Ellgen

This is for all of my gluten-free friends. I love feeding people. We eat everything in this house. But I LOVE to have solid books on hand to be able to accommodate friends when they show up, and whip up deliciousness for different dietary needs. I was very pleasantly surprised by this book, (My Amazon affiliate link) No-Fail Gluten-Free Bread Baking: Classic Bread Recipes for the Texture and Flavor You Love. The Kindle version is out today, and the paperback version comes out on 5/22. She’s got a recipe for Hearty Multigrain Bread that I love. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, filled with gorgeous, strong multigrain flavor. It actually added something to my BLT. The kids and my husband loved it, too. The texture is a bit different, but oh that flavor! I think it wants to become an avocado toast next. A huge thanks to Callisto Publishers for letting me share the recipe with you so that you can taste the book! My review of the book with Amazon links comes right after the recipe.

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Andy Ricker’s recipe for YAM MAMA: Instant-noodle salad and Cookbook review: Pok Pok The Drinking Food of Thailand by Andy Ricker with JJ Goode.

I picked up a copy of Andy Ricker with JJ Goode’s first book, Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand, about 6 months ago, and loved it. It requires you to go on an ingredient hunting adventure, but once you’ve got it all home, it’s beyond worth it! The flavors are off the charts! They just came out with their second book, POK POK The Drinking Food of Thailand: A Cookbook, and it’s fantastic!

A huge thanks to Ten Speed Press for letting me share the recipe for Instant-noodle salad with you so that you can taste the book! My kids love this one. My reviews of the books with my thoughts and pics of the dishes I tried are below the recipe.

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