Diana Lamb

“Dinner is where the magic happens in the kitchen.”  Kris Carr

If you are looking for quick, balanced dinner recipes with less waste and easy cleanup, then definitely check out “Everyday Dinners” by Jessica Merchant. One of the secrets to Jessica’s kitchen success is her easy 10 minute meal prep. You can learn all about the time-saving technique plus her tips for making veggies more enticing to picky eaters. Speaking of vegetables, Jessica supplies an abundant variety of vegetarian dishes. To start, there is Crispy Orange Cauliflower with Coconut Rice. Cheater’s Tomato Pie uses a trio of grated cheeses and fresh basil leaves atop a golden, flaky puff pastry crust. Smoky BBQ Baked Black Beans Burgers smothered in guacamole, sliced red onion and micro greens, or a bowl of hearty Tuscan Cheese Tortellini Soup would be a welcome addition to a meatless Monday dinner rotation. For meat lovers, Jessica shares her recipes for fragrant Lemon Butter Chicken, Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken with colorful bell peppers, red onion, and scallions, One-Pot Sausage, Greens, and Beans Pasta, kid-friendly Chicken and Bacon Ranch Puff Pastry Pizza, and lastly, Honey Dijon Pretzel-Crusted Salmon.

There are loads of delicious-looking recipes on the web and within cookbooks that require a long list of ingredients and a fair amount of time to make. However, at the end of the day, most of us are tired and just want our final meal to have a short ingredient list, with clear instructions and for it to taste great. America’s Test Kitchen is here to help with their latest book, “Five Ingredient Dinners.” With over 100 recipes to try, like Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Snow Peas, Loaded Sweet Potatoes, Skillet Tortellini with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes, Cod with Cilantro Rice, Refried Bean and Cheese Melts, Grilled Flank Steak with Zucchini and Spicy Honey Butter, you may be adding lots of new meals to your dinnertime rotation. For a post-turkey leftovers option, try the Thanksgiving-ish Calzones baked with two kinds of cheese and dried cranberries.

Does the idea of spending less time in the kitchen preparing homemade dinners without sacrificing flavor appeal to you? If it does, then you’ll want to check out Jenna Helwig’s book, “Bare Minimum Dinners.” Her easy recipes and strategies can help you save time with shopping, preparing, and cleaning up. If time is scarce, then you’ll appreciate Cauliflower and Chickpea Tikka Masala, Enchilada Bowls, and Short Cut Salmon Burgers. All of these dishes and more can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. If quick cleanup is a must, one pot or pan recipes for Skillet Pizza, One-Pan Pierogi Supper, and Baked Chicken with Artichokes and Feta may be the answer. There is one chapter devoted to Instant Pot and Slow-Cooker dinners. They include Instant Pot Pork and Bean Burritos, Instant Pot Turkey Chili, Slow-Cooker Beef Ragu, and Slow-Cooker Big Batch Lasagna.

In her latest book, “Sheet Cake,” award-winning author and baking instructor Abigail Johnson Dodge reveals her easy-to-follow techniques for turning a simple half sheet cake into a fancier rolled or triple-layer cake. The sweet and spicy aromas of autumn will fill your kitchen when you bake Pumpkin-Ginger Cream Cheese Cake, Cinnamon-Bun Swirl Cake sprinkled with toasted pecans and cinnamon chips, or a Rolled Maple Walnut Cake filled with Vanilla Mascarpone Cream Frosting. Apples receive the star treatment in Cinnamon-Apple Upside-Downer Cake with a layer of gooey brown sugar, butter, and fresh apples. Apple butter, apple brandy and apple compote come together to make a fantastic triple-layer Brandy Apple Cake. Fall never tasted so good!

It’s August and time for refreshing iced drinks, cold salads, poolside fun, and air conditioning. It’s also time for our hard-working ovens to take a vacation. All the recipes mentioned in this article will utilize the stovetop or barbecue when cooking is required. With this in mind, we will try to keep the food simple, fun, and not too fancy.

Elizabeth Heiskell welcomes you with Southern hospitality and dishes from the Delta region in her third cookbook, “Come On Over!” Many of Elizabeth’s recipes feature seafood, like Butter-Poached Shrimp with Tomatoes and Basil over Angel Hair Pasta, Crabmeat Maison, Seaside Shrimp, and Smoked Tuna Dip. Cold Salads to try might be Shaved Carrot and Walnut, Mediterranean Chopped, and BLTA salad. Garden cucumbers can be used in Chicken and Ranch Wraps, Bread and Butter Pickles, and Cold Cucumber Dip. Other Southern-inspired specialties are Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho, Pimento Cheese-Stuffed Burgers, Fireside Dip, and Summer Beer.

If you watch HGTV’s show “The Kitchen,” then you will be acquainted with the authors of these next two cookbooks. First, Jeff Mauro also invites you to “Come On Over” and sample some of the 111 recipes offered in his inaugural cookbook. If you are in the mood for snack foods and nibbles, then do try a handful or three of Pancetta and Parm Popcorn, The Most Addictive Sweet and Salty Nut Snack, Crispy Plantain Chips, and Smoked BBQ Cheddar Crackers. It will be worth firing up the grill for Takeout-Style Chinese Spare Ribs, Smoked Cauliflower “Butt,” Reverse-Seared Rib Eyes, Roasted Mexican Street Corn Salad, and Grilled Pineapple Guacamole. Sandwiches can be a quick and simple summertime meal. Jeff’s recommendations include Jalapeno Pepper Grilled Cheese, Juiciest Turkey Burgers Ever, The Sloppy Lo, and Mauro’s Muffuletta.

Finally, Katie Lee Beigel keeps it simple with her latest book, “It’s Not Complicated.” Katie begins by offering a selection of cool cocktails like a Lillet Fizz poured over frozen grapes, Mango Mexican Mule, Amalfi Spritz, Cosmo Americano, and Iced Peach Bourbon Lemonade. Lemon Caper Deviled Eggs, Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates, Fig and Pepita Goat Cheese Log plus Tomato Bruschetta would pair nicely with the above drinks. Pasta can also serve as a light summertime meal like Spaghetti with Clams, Lemon Pasta, and Spaghetti with Zucchini. For something cold and sweet, Katie has a No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake, Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream Bonbons, Chocolate Pudding, and fresh Strawberry Ice Cream.

For more summertime recipes, check out “How to Grill Vegetables” by Steve Raichlen, “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ” by Rodney Scott, “Everyday Barbecue” by Myron Mixon, “Good Housekeeping Super Salads” by Good Housekeeping, “Food52 Mighty Salads” by Amanda Hesser, and “Ice Pop Joy” by Anni Daulter.

“So, if I’m cooking, I’ll be steaming vegetables, making some nice salad, that kind of stuff.”

– Paul McCartney

Open-Faced Pesto Melts, Easy Cheesy Lasagna, Pinto Bean Tostadas, Rice and Lentil Burgers, Fruit Juice Gummies and No-Bake Brownie Bites await you in “Vegetarian Family Cookbook” by Kristen Wood. You can sneak more fruits and veggies in while serving flavorful snacks like Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip with apple slices, Banana Oatmeal Bars, Baked Broccoli Tots plus Chickpea and Zucchini Nuggets dipped in Rosemary Honey Mustard Sauce. Picky eaters of all ages will find much to like among these 100 meat-free dishes.

Saving time while creating delicious food is the theme of these next two cookbooks. First up is “Speedy Bosh!” by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. In it, they will show you how to take advantage of common kitchen appliances, ready-made ingredients and their wealth of kitchen hacks to quickly and efficiently get yummy dishes on the table in 30 minutes or less. Now, it’s possible to make Teriyaki Tempeh, Deep, Dark Smoky Chili, and Happy Chick’n Parmo without spending hours in the kitchen. For dessert, there’s Red Velvet Sorbet, Blueberry Cheesecake Shake and Creamy Lime Pie.

Secondly, is Ally Lazare’s “Plant-Based Diet in 30 Minutes.” Her focus is on creating quick and tasty vegan food that is low in salt, sugar and saturated fat. Ally gives us a dozen breakfast ideas to fuel our mornings like Zucchini-Carrot Oatmeal Muffins, Pumpkin Spice Scones, Pancake Tray, Two Ways plus Very Berry Smoothie and Go Green Smoothie. For lunch and dinner there’s Buffalo Ranch Pasta Salad, Egg-Roll-in-a-Bowl Stir Fry, Seven-Layer Burritos, Greek Veggie Bowls with Hummus and Crab Cake Burgers using chickpeas and hearts of palm.

Cafe Gratitude is a popular plant-based restaurant with six locations serving Southern California. Since 2008, the executive chef, Seizan Dreux Ellis has been creating fresh, whole-food-inspired vegan fare to enthusiastic diners. Now, home chefs can replicate their favorite restaurant dishes from his new cookbook, “Love is Served.” Here is a sampling of what’s inside: Honeydew Melon and Cucumber Gazpacho with Spicy Pepitas, Indian Curry Bowl, Tempeh Caesar Wrap, Pad Thai Kelp Noodles and Hawaiian Pizza with an Ancient Grain Crust. To satisfy that sweet tooth, indulge in some Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar, decadent Black Lava Cake with Caramel Sauce, Key Lime Pie and chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

“What I’ve enjoyed most, though, is meeting people who have a real interest in food and sharing ideas with them. Good food is a global thing and I find that there is always something new and amazing to learn – I love it!” Jamie Oliver

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, located in New York City’s Chinatown, has been serving up delicious plates of dim sum with steaming cups of tea for over a century. Traditional favorites like Roast Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao), Scallion Pancakes and Spring Rolls now share the table with new flavor innovations like Sweet Potato Kale Wontons, Chorizo Potato Dumplings and Chinese Chopped Cheese Dumplings. More taste bud teasers to make are Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage, Garlic Eggplant Noodles, Walnut Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Pork Chops and Moon Cookies. History, stories and 75 recipes are seamlessly brought together in Wilson Tang’s “The Nom Wah Cookbook.”

“Chaat” by Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy introduces us to the wide variety of prepared foods available on-the-go in India. Chaat is described as “The sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, creamy, hot and cold snacks – street food, really – found in Indian markets, train stations, and home kitchens.” Some drinks and dishes may be familiar such as curry, chutney, samosas, chai and the sweet yogurt drink called Lassi. Maneet provides the base recipe for this refreshing beverage and a variety of flavor ideas including mango, strawberry and brewed espresso. New and tempting chaat to try might be Vada Pav (Potato Fritter Sandwich), Lemon Rice, Brinjal Achaar (Eggplant Pickles) and Jhal Muri (Puffed Rice with Peanuts, Chickpeas and Vegetables.) Maneet has gathered recipes from all over her home country so you can experience a taste of India in your home kitchen.

Sabrina Ghayour, author of “Persiana” invites us back to her table for more Middle Eastern-inspired recipes with “Simply: Easy Everyday Dishes.” Sabrina serves up tasty food you’ll want to add to your weekly meal rotation. For instance, Pomegranate Molasses and Honey-Glazed Meatballs, Harissa Chicken Noodle Lettuce Cups, Lamb, Cumin, Cilantro and Chile Kebabs, Ultimate Falafels plus Crispy Cod Wraps with Salsa and Harissa Lime Mayo. When it’s too hot to cook, Tomato & Peanut Salad with Tamarind Ginger and Honey Dressing, Pear, Chickpea and Green Leaf Salad with Maple Harissa Dressing and Strawberry, Soft Goat Cheese and Pistachio Salad are cool and refreshing ideas to keep in mind.

“The Chilean Kitchen” by Pilar Hernandez and Eileen Smith gives us 75 traditional recipes from this South American country. Chileans are very fond of bread whether it is the flaky container for savory fillings like Caramelized Onion or Beef Empanadas, sweetened for dessert as in Sweet Christmas Bread or a filled basket of Quick Skillet Bread on the table at mealtime. Hearty soups and stews are also favored and go well with bread like Potato-Squash Stew with Beef, Brothy Seafood Soup loaded with fresh mussels, shrimp, calamari and whitefish, Creamy Chickpea Soup and Grilled Steak Soup. Chile is known for its wines so this cookbook would not be complete without a few spirited drinks such as Chilean White Sangria with ripe sliced strawberries, Mulled Red Wine and finally, Earthquake Cocktail.

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” Charles M. Schulz

A 9x13x2” baking dish is the only pan you’ll need to make every sweet recipe in Edd Kimber’s latest book, “One Tin Bakes.” For those of you who may not know, Edd Kimber is a British baker, food writer and the winner of the first Great British Bake Off competition. With this book, home bakers can create Raspberry Cheesecake Streusel Squares, Peanut Butter Brookies, ‘Coffee’ Coffee Cake with an espresso swirl and Apple Fritter Monkey Bread. Chocolate lovers will want to bake Edd’s favorite dessert which is the Milk Chocolate Caramel Sheet Cake sprinkled with nuts and cacao nibs.

On the front cover of this next book is a gorgeous layer cake adorned with multi-colored pastel buttercream flowers. It is the first of many luscious cakes, cupcakes and other confectionery delights in Bobbie Lloyd’s “The Magnolia Bakery Handbook.” Bobbie is very generous with her baking knowledge, instructions and techniques so that home bakers have opportunity to achieve picture-worthy results. Besides dazzling cakes, there are cookies, bars, muffins, scones and a chapter dedicated to banana pudding. This pudding chapter features flavor combinations such as Java Chip Banana, Peanut Butter Banana, Salted Caramel Banana and Pumpkin-Gingersnap Banana Pudding.

Of all desserts, ice cream is the most accommodating and versatile. A scoop dresses up a serving of cake or pie, it can be sandwiched between two cookies, doused in hot fudge or scooped into a waffle cone and eaten before it melts. Rose Levy Beranbaum, who is best known for her baking books, has confessed her love for ice cream. “Rose’s Ice Cream Bliss” contains the secrets for making super creamy frozen desserts without any iciness. Flavors range from the familiar vanilla, strawberry, and cookies ‘n’ cream to the more unique Silken Black Sesame, Turkish Stretchy and Red Wine ice cream.

If you were to choose a favorite pie, what would it be? Maybe it’s banana cream, chocolate silk, pecan or deep dish apple. Whichever it is, you’ll find it and many more within Ken Haedrich’s book, “Pie Academy.” Creating a pie crust from scratch is easy when you follow Ken’s clear and simple directions provided at the beginning of the book. There are 25 different pie doughs including crumb crusts that don’t involve a rolling pin. For variety, there are 255 delicious fillings to place in those crusts like Blueberry-Peach, Maple Pumpkin, Sour Cream-Blackberry, Snickers Brownie and Coffee Mud Pie with an Oreo Crust. January 23^rd was National Pie Day. However, it’s not too late to make one in honor of Pi Day on March 14^th.

These cookbooks and many more are available now through A.K. Smiley Public Library’s “Books-To-Go” program. For more information, please visit our website at www.akspl.org or call 909-798-7565.