Diana Lamb

This time around, a potluck of new cookbooks is selected for your perusal. Inside each book, there is a little something for most everyone to enjoy. Happy adventurous eating!

Valerie Bertinelli’s latest cookbook “Indulge” is an invitation for us to enjoy what we eat as if it is a special occasion. She shares stories and life lessons in her warm and friendly style alongside a nostalgic collection of much-loved recipes. These include Maple Pecan Scones, Sausage and Olive Cheese Bites, Beverly Hills Chopped Salad, Mom’s Hero, Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Herb Bread Crumbs, and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with a scoop of No-Churn Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream.

Brining, drying, smoking, pickling, curing, and freezing are some of the methods cooks use to preserve a variety of foods at their peak of flavor. These larder-building techniques and more can be found within the pages of “Cured” by Steve McHugh. Steve also includes 150 recipes to try such as Chipotle Marmalade Chicken Wings, Baked Rice with Shrimp and Chorizo, Kimchi Bloody Mary, Freezer Yeast Dough, plus Brown Butter Lemonade Blondies.

Alyse Whitney is elevating our party dip spread with her cookbook, “Big Dip Energy.” Inside the pages of this colorful and fun book are 88 sweet and savory recipes along with lists of recommended dippers both store-bought and homemade. Trade up your onion, bean, and ranch dips for Cincinnati Chili Dip, Green Goddess Hummus, Pizza Your Way Dip, and Spicy California Roll Guacamole. Graham crackers, shortbread cookies, and waffle cone pieces can be used to scoop up a bite or ten of Strawberry Shortcake Dip, Holy Cannoli Dip, chocolatey Dirt Pudding Dip, and Whipped Peanut Butter Cup Dip.

At Sugar Taco, an LA plant-based restaurant, diners are treated to Mexican food favorites that are bursting with traditional flavors and free of any animal ingredients. Some popular dishes are Carne Asada Fries, Al Pastor Bowl, Jackfruit Barbacoa Tacos, Gorditas and Cinnamon Sugar-Coated Churros. To cool the heat of a spicy bite, there are refreshing drinks like Passion Fruit Margaritas, Palomas, creamy Horchatas, and Watermelon Agua Fresca. Now, you can replicate these dishes and more from their new cookbook “Sugar Taco at Home” by Jayde Nicole, Nia Gatica Campos, and Alan Campos.

This year, Spring officially begins on March 19. In honor of the upcoming longer days, warmer temperatures, and spring garden veggies, Smiley Library is ready with new cookbooks filled with fresh recipes for now and the months ahead.

Back by popular demand, Jamie Oliver presents a second five-ingredients cookbook. This time, Jamie has gathered a collection of warm and inviting flavors from a much-loved region in “5 Ingredients Mediterranean.” Busy home cooks will appreciate that each recipe uses five simple ingredients, has a short list of instructions accompanied by a photo of the finished dish, and underneath, a small snapshot of each ingredient. In 20 minutes, sourdough bread, shrimp, garlic cloves, cannellini beans and harissa become a Tunisian bowl of harissa beans topped with garlicky shrimp and croutons. More sunny dishes include Lemon-Tzatziki Chicken, Moroccan-Inspired Pasta, Croatian Muscles, A Really French Salad, and Epic Tomato Bread. Puff Pastry is put to good use as a flaky holder for fresh lemon curd with raspberries and also as a bottom layer of an apple tart with apricot jam, almonds, and vanilla ice cream.

Ravinder Bhogal’s new cookbook, “Comfort and Joy,” showcases the variety of delicious flavors that can be found in vegetarian dishes. Sink your teeth into crispy nuggets of Korean Fried Cauliflower coated in a spicy chili sauce. Hot Cheese and Corn Dip with Jalapeno Relish can be served with toasted sourdough or tortilla chips. More tempting international recipes to try would be Green Goddess Dhal with Preserved Lemon, Baby Eggplant and New Potatoes cooked in a Sweet and Sour Nut Paste, plus Lasagna of Roasted Squash, Kale and Walnuts. For a refreshing dessert, Vegan Pina Colada Trifle with Tapioca Custard will cool your tongue after a spicy meal.

There is no shortage of delicious Asian umami flavors awaiting your taste buds inside the pages of “Oodles and Oodles of Vegan Noodles” by Cheynese Khachane. Creamy Coconut-Curry Ramen makes for a warm and comforting meal with just the right balance of spices. Other familiar noodle dishes you might enjoy are Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, and Vietnamese Pho. As the weather continues to heat up, Cheynese offers a selection of cold noodle soups and salads that are quick to make and fun to eat like Cold Noodle Soup with Kimchi, Cellophane Noodle Salad garnished with fresh tomato slices, and Cold Peanut Butter Noodles.

“Come Hungry” by Melissa Ben-Ishay is packed with easy-to-make meals centered around ingredients bursting with color, freshness, and flavor. Melissa gives us a bountiful selection of 21 different salads to put into rotation now and for the warmer months ahead. Consider sampling Joe’s Honey Chicken Salad with angel hair pasta, red peppers, and crispy air fryer chicken, Shaved (think ribbons) Carrot and Zucchini Salad, Green Goddess Salad, plus Supermarket Slaw with a quick dressing containing store-bought pesto and sour cream. To balance out all this fresh veggie goodness, do indulge your sweet tooth with some Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake, S’mores Fudge, or Peanut Butter Banana Bread.

Today is the last day of 2023 and what better way to celebrate the close of this year and welcome 2024 than indulging in a selection of our latest dessert books. Cheers!

“I’ll Bring the Cake” by Mandy Merriman presents 100 artistically decorated multi-tiered cakes for every occasion or just because. Many flavors are inspired by beverages, seasonal fruit, cookies, and candies. Some examples would be Shamrock Shake Cake with Vanilla Mint Buttercream, Horchata Cake, Circus Animal Cookie Cake, Lemon Blackberry Poppy Seed Cake, and Twix Cake. If you love all the flavors but not the three-tier fuss, Mandy’s recipes can be made using 9×13, Bundt, and cupcake pans. Best of all, every single creation begins with a box of cake mix!

Explore the delectable world of chocolate desserts from Italy within the pages of “The Chocolate Spoon.” Learn how to make authentic Italian treats such as Dulce de Leche Brownies, Cinnamon Cannoli with Ganache and Cocoa Beans, Chocolate Gelato, and Chocolate, Custard, and Raspberry “Tiramisu.” For fans of hot chocolate, do indulge in a cup of Bicerin which is a classic beverage made with espresso, dark chocolate, and whipped cream.

“Snacking Bakes” by Yossy Arefi is filled with easy small batch bakes to quickly satisfy your desire for something sweet to eat. One 8×8 or 9-inch round pan is what you need to bake Frosted Lemon-Lime Sugar Cookie Bars, Pink Cookie Bars, Mocha Banana Cake, Apricot Coconut Cake, and Chewy Cocoa Brownies. The cookie recipes yield from 12 Almond Thumbprints to 24 Chocolate Chip Crispy Rangers. Each cookie recipe can be baked all at once on one or two baking sheets. As a bonus, Yossy provides three Sundae Sauce recipes. These sauces, along with a scoop of ice cream, can turn a simple snacking bake into a fancy dessert.

For more delicious treats to make and share (or not), turn to “Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy” by Danielle Kartes, Nancy Silverton’s “The Cookie That Changed My Life,” “Bake Your Heart Out” by Dan Langan, and “Baking Yesteryear” by B. Dylan Hollis.

We at Smiley Public Library wish you and yours a safe and very Happy New Year!

The season of holiday parties and celebrations has arrived! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve will be here before you know it. Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time or you are looking for a new appetizer recipe to bring to the office holiday party, Smiley Library can provide you with lots of entertaining ideas, tips, and recipes for an enjoyable holiday season.

First-time and veteran holiday gathering hosts will appreciate the wise advice and practical information given in the form of flow charts, timelines, check lists, and menu ideas designed to ease those pre-party jitters. Turn to “Eatertainment” by Sebastien and Sheila Centner, “The Dinner Party Project” by Natasha Feldman, and “Company” by Amy Thielen so you can reap the benefits of their expertise and enjoy your own party.

The holidays are a traditional time to bring out tried and true family recipes. There are certain dishes that must be present, otherwise the meal isn’t complete. For Miranda Lambert’s family, they look forward to having Nonnie’s Thanksgiving dressing, sweet potato casserole, giblet gravy, and pumpkin spice coffee creamer. Miranda shares these family treasures and many more recipes plus family stories in her new book, “Y’all Eat Yet?”

Fun, creative, easy to eat, and perfectly portioned bites are a few of the ways to describe a platter of appetizers. “Brilliant Bites” by Maegan Brown presents an array of 75 festive finger foods suitable for your next gathering. Some of her holiday-themed appetizers include noodle wrapped mummy meatballs, colorful monster cookie balls, no-bake pumpkin pie bites, Thanksgiving cracker bites that resemble turkeys and cornucopias, and chocolaty midnight kiss cookie bites coated in sparkling sugar.