French Women and The Food They Cook

By Anna Dantoni - American women seem obsessed with their French counterparts – what they eat, how thin they are, how they flirt, where they shop and how they manage to tie a silk scarf in 20 glamorous different ways. A new book called The Bonne Femme Cook Book by Wini Moranville promises to demystify the recipe part of the French mystique. You’re on your own with the scarf thing. The author aims to bring 250 authentic...

Write That Cookbook!

By Marsha Fottler - When my friend Stewart Stearns retired from a long and illustrious career as head of our local community foundation, he surrendered to the serious surgery he had been putting off. While he was recovering (and dealing with the attending boredom of healing), another friend and fellow foundation professional visited him and suggested he organize his recipes and do something with them. He thought the idea...

Edible Gifts for Any Occasion

By Anna Dantoni - Martha Stewart’s show on the Hallmark Channel is apparently being canceled because of low ratings. What are home cooks looking for creative culinary crafts to do? Well, there’s a new book that could come to you rescue. It’s called Gourmet Gifts by Dinah Corley with lovely (and useful) color photographs by Alison Shaw. The softcover book includes 100 recipes that when wrapped and boxed are meant for...

New Year, New Food Trends

By Chef Judi Gallagher - Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s to a 2012 that’s filled with family, friends and food. While I certainly have a reserve of favorite recipes and restaurant dishes that I make and order time and time again, I also find that there’s nothing more exciting than plotting out new culinary trends. So here are the items that I and other food experts are predicting will be big in 2012. Share your own...

Holiday Appetizers and Small Plates

By Marsha Fottler - Everybody nibbles and noshes during the holiday season – chips and dip, hot canapes, small plates and sharing platters representing recipes from all over the globe and from all cultures. It’s the way modern foodies enjoy getting together with family and friends to create food memories in an informal party atmosphere. There’s a new book out called 750 Best Appetizers by Judith Finlayson and Chef...

Understanding American Politics Through Gardens

By Lynn Harding - The richly crafted new book – Founding Gardeners, The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation – written by Andrea Wulf, tells the story of the founding of America through the language of the farmer. The land becomes her metaphor for the young country. Wulf chooses patriarchs George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison to impart her thesis that the ...