For your bedside or your stoveside, this hilarious and captivating journey through some of the strangest food experiences, past and present, is divided into three levels of escalating difficulty. Whether you're ready to gild your breakfast sausages with gold, re-create the Last Supper, or cook a whole pig in an underground fire pit, this book takes it all on with gusto and little regard for what one might call decency.Gastronaut answers questions like: • what foods make us fart? • how do you make your own moonshine? • is it possible to teach grandmas to suck eggs? • how would you stage a bacchanalian orgy in the comfort of your own home? Here is the perfect book for people who are fascinated by the wilder side of food and who, every now and then, want to show off their penchant for the extreme. THE GASTRONAUT'S CREED Food will consume 16 percent of my life. That life is too precious to waste; therefore: • I resolve, whenever possible, to transform food from fuel into love, power, adventure, poetry, sex, or drama. • I will never turn down the opportunity to taste or cook something new. • I will never forget: canapés are evil. • I will remember that culinary disaster does not necessarily equal failure. • I will always keep a jar of pesto to hand in case of the latter.

    Look good and feel great all year round with this practical step-by- step guide to introducing juices and smoothies into your life.

    Turn to the corresponding page to discover its country of origin, common uses, and season of harvest.This practical guide includes more than 200 full-color photographs of the world's most popular fruits and vegetables, cross-referenced to in-depth descriptions and selection tips. Step-by-step preparation directions tell you whether the item must be peeled, washed, trimmed, or blanched. Grocery shopping--and dinner--will never be the same again!

    And this welcome guide will help them do it with more than four hundred easy-to-follow recipes from stocks and sauces to vegetables and tender meats, and even elegant desserts like cr�me br�l�e--plus tips on selecting and safely using pressure cookers. This authoritative compendium offers a modern take on a tried-and-true method, with recipes that prove that less cooking time doesn't mean less delicious. Who knew cooking could relieve so much pressure?"A must-have for any first-time pressure cooker user with a family that includes young children. I don't know many cookbooks that adapt themselves to a baby's needs but this one does, and superbly too." --Pressure Cooker Pros, "Best Pressure Cooker Cookbooks"

    When you're married to Noma's Rene Redzepi you never know who might drop by for dinner...So Nadine Redzepi has developed a stripped-down repertoire of starters, mains, and desserts that can always accommodate a few more at the table, presenting them in a stylish yet relaxed way that makes guests feel like family--and makes family feel special every single day. Gone are the days when the cook is expected to labor alone in the kitchen while family or guests wait for their meal. In the Redzepi home everyone gravitates toward the kitchen to socialize, help, or graze on tasty bites while dinner is prepared, and Nadine wouldn't have it any other way.Her culinary mantra - pair the very best ingredients with restaurant-inflected techniques that make the most of out their inherent flavors -- puts deliciousness at home well within reach for cooks of all levels. In Nadine's confident hands, weeknight mainstays like tomato bruschetta, pan-seared pork chops, slow-roasted salmon, or dark, fudgy brownies feel new again. Each recipe is studded with tips to help cooks build confidence and expertise as they cook, as well as restaurant-ready techniques that contribute precision, flavor, and plate appeal to even down-to-earth preparations. With a newfound mastery of essential building blocks like homemade mayonnaise and beurre blanc, a flavorful tomato sauce, or a genius do-it-all cake batter that can be reinvented in a myriad of ways, creating showstoppers like White Asparagus with Truffle Sauce; Rotini with Spicy Chicken Liver Sauce; or a decadent Giant Macaron Cake - just as Nadine does on a daily basis--soon becomes second nature.Downtime is a celebration of the joys of cooking well -and making it look easy while you do it, an aspirational guide for any cook ready to take their home cooking to the next level without sacrificing ease or enjoyment in the process.

    And it's not that you can't--it's that you don't. It's that we've been wrecked by cooking shows with their millions of complicated steps and crazy-ass ingredients. Ingredients you can't find, let alone pronounce. That's not how I want to cook. I want to eat well, but I don't want it to take a year. Who's making stuff like 'Truffled Peruvian Mountain Squab with Chilled Framboise Foam' anyway? "So this book is about food that's big in taste and small in effort. Just great-tasting stuff with no fancy techniques and definitely no over-the-top ingredients, as in everything-comes-from-a-regular-supermarket--cool concept, huh? It's just a bunch of recipes you'll easily be able to make and enjoy."--From Sam the Cooking GuyLook inside for great recipes like these:• One Dank Tomato Pie • "Whatever" Spring Rolls • Five-Minute Stir-Fry Noodles • O.F.R.B.P.J.G.O. • Awww Nuts! • BBQ Chicken Pizza • Halloween Chicken Chili • Fridge Fried Rice • Sam's Sticky Sweet BBQ Ribs • Stuffed Burgers • Pesto BBQ Shrimp • Chili Salmon • Motor Home Meatballs • Spicy-ish Sausage Pasta • The Great Potato Cake • Brussels Sprouts You'll Actually Eat • (Fake) Creme Brulee • Chocolate Toffee Matzoh  • Peanut Butter Ice-Cream Cup Things

    No wine snobbery here. This book�1/2s style is relaxed and conversational, serving up information without intimidating its reader. Arranged alphabetically, nearly 4,000 entries include innumerable details on grape varieties; wine styles; wine-growing regions; wine label terms; winemaking techniques; how to buy, store, and serve wine; how to have a wine tasting; wine-testing terms; sizes and styles of glassware, wine bottles, and wine openers; ordering wine in a restaurant; opening and serving wine at home; temperatures for serving wine; and much more. This book is the only A-to-Z wine reference that offers phonetic pronunciations. It boasts a totally revised and expanded appendix enhanced with charts, line art, and sample labels. Praise for the previous edition came from many food and dining authorities: �1/2�1/2an invaluable, user-friendly reference. I learned something from the very first page I turned to, and keep learning as I keep turning.�1/2 �1/2William Rice, Food and Wine Columnist, Chicago Tribune . . . �1/2A great reference! . . . excellent and accurate source for both wine professionals and those involved with wine purely for the love of it.�1/2 �1/2Jacques Pepin, cookbook author and TV chef

    With 150 recipes, Bayless offers you the key to unforgettable parties that will have guests clamoring for repeat invitations. There are recipes for small-dish snacking (Mushroom Ceviche, Devilish Shrimp), dynamic cocktails to get the party started (Champagne Margarita, Sizzling Mojito), and Bayless’s signature takes on Mexican street food (Grilled Pork Tacos al Pastor, Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas). Live-fire grilled fish and meat dishes like the “Brava” Steak with “Lazy” Salsa will draw friends and family to the glow of open flames. And if you’re going to throw a truly epic celebration, you’ll need a killer finale like Frontera Grill’s Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars or Dark Chocolate–Chile Ice Cream.Fiesta at Rick’s offers 150 diverse preparations organized into easy-to-follow chapters. But it’s far more than a collection of recipes. With four complete, can’t-miss menus for parties ranging from a Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party for 12 to a Classic Mexican Mole Fiesta for 24, Bayless has all your friends covered. Each of these parties has a complete game plan, from a thought-out time line with advance shopping and preparation to a fiesta playlist. Whether a first-time entertainer or a seasoned veteran, anyone can learn from the helpful sidebars, which cover topics such as how to shuck oysters, the perfect avocado for guacamole, and the best way to pick out fresh fish for ceviche preparations. Bayless breaks down the timeless building blocks that make up authentic Mexican food, explaining the value of fresh tortillas and providing surprisingly simple instructions for making your own Mexican Fresh Cheese.Bayless’s entertaining blueprint eliminates the guesswork, so you can let your inspiration run free. Companion to seasons six and seven of Rick’s Public Television series Mexico—One Plate at a Time, Fiesta at Rick’s is required reading for everyone who loves opening their home to friends and good times.

    Arellano’s fascinating narrative combines history, cultural criticism, food writing, personal anecdotes, and Jesus on a tortilla. In seemingly every decade for over a century, America has tried new culinary trends from south of the border, loved them, and demanded the next big thing. As a result, Mexican food dominates American palates to the tune of billions of dollars in sales per year, from canned refried beans to tortilla wraps and ballpark nachos. It’s a little-known history, one that’s crept up on this country and left us better for it.

    Part culinary history, part cultural commentary, Vanilla tells the remarkable story of the world's most popular flavor and scent. The Spanish considered vanilla the ultimate aphrodisiac, the Totonac Indians called it the fruit of the gods, and the Aztecs taxed the Mayans in vanilla beans, using the beans as currency. Today, vanilla is in our coffee, our perfume, tea, home products, body lotion, and just about anything imaginable. Patricia Rain explores the incredibly diverse effect of vanilla on the worlds of food, medicine, psychology, and even politics. She intertwines the fields of cultural anthropology, botany, folklore, and economics, tracing the marvelous path of vanilla throughout world history. Vanilla shows how the impact and marketing of this ubiquitous little bean over the last eight hundred years saved the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Tahiti, put Madagascar on the map, drove the success of the great Parisian perfume houses and Europe's confection industry, and spurred trade routes across the Indian Ocean. Rain examines the rich history of vanilla with exacting detail and discusses its current role in our lives and the modern retail world, where the "vanilla boom" has caused the prices of many common consumer items to skyrocket. Filled with fascinating insights, quirky characters, trivia, and even recipes, this beautifully written book is perfect for vanilla lovers, history buffs, and anyone interested in a real-life captivating story.

    Check out the culinary creativity in the Carolinas where you’ll find traditional smoked pork barbecue alongside Southern favorites made with fresh, local produce. Explore the restaurant kitchens of Atlanta and Nashville where the chefs aren’t shy about fusing comfort food standards with international flair and unexpected techniques. Join food and drink writer Chris Chamberlain for access to the South’s best recipes and the kitchens where they were developed. In The Southern Foodie, Chamberlain explores the South’s culinary culture with favorites such as: Jalapeño-and-Cheese-Stuffed Grit Cakes from Mason’s Grill, Baton Rouge, LARoasted Heirloom Pumpkin with Mulled Sorghum Glaze from Capitol Grille, Nashville, TNCountry Ham Fritters from Proof on Main, Louisville, KYBlue Crab Cheesecake from Old Firehouse Restaurant, Hollywood, SCApricot Fried Pies from Penguin Ed’s Bar-B-Q, Fayetteville, AR  The Southern Foodie you where the South eats and how to create those distinct flavors at home. You’re sure to rediscover old favorites and get a closer look at the delicious new traditions in Southern cuisine.

    Surrender all of your notions about barbecue. Forget everything you've ever learned about cooking with charcoal and fire. It is all wrong. Get it right with the "Five Easy Lessons" program, which includes over 130 recipes and step-by-step instructions for setting up and cooking low and slow on a Weber Smokey Mountain, an offset smoker, or a kettle grill. This program is guided by a singular philosophy: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Do exactly as Gary says, don't even think about opening the lid before it's time, and you will learn:What gear you do and, more importantly, don't needExactly how to start and maintain a proper fire (without lighter fluid)All about marinades, brines, and rubsTo use your senses and trust your instincts (instead of thermometers)How to make delicious, delicious barbecue The perfect how-to guide for beginner and expert alike, Low & Slow will take your barbecue skills to the next level.

    Angelo Acquista began "prescribing" them recipes for nutritious and flavorful home-cooked meals prepared with ingredients key to the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean Family Table combines his medical experience and Sicilian roots to outline the guiding principles of the Mediterranean diet and takes it one step further with a collection of easy, wholesome, and delicious recipes the entire family will love.From purees made with fresh vegetables that will tempt the taste buds of bambini—and can serve as easy sides for the rest of the family—to recipes tailored to meet the special nutritional needs of children and seniors (highlighted by icons for easy reference), this well-curated collection of recipes will allow you to:Reinvent classic recipes by replacing mayonnaise and butter with heart-healthy olive oil in dishes like Mediterranean Potato Salad and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes Discover good-for-you Mediterranean greens in kid-approved recipes like Orecchiette with Bread Crumbs and Broccoli Rabe, and Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans alla Alessandra Create your own "Sunday Supper" family tradition with recipes like Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce and Mama's Meatballs with PastaThe Mediterranean Family Table contains a wealth of helpful information, including how to make healthier eating choices; instill good habits in kids that will last a lifetime; and buy, store, and cook ingredients fundamental to the Mediterranean diet. Anecdotes from Acquista's family history are woven throughout, as well as stories of growing up near the Mediterranean Sea, and the techniques he uses to incorporate what he learned from his Sicilian upbringing into his busy, landlocked, modern family life. Buon appetito!

    As she traveled highways, dirt roads, bayous, and coastlines gathering stories and recipes, it was immediately apparent that dire predictions about the end of American cuisine were vastly overstated. From Park Avenue to trailer parks, from tidy suburbs to isolated outposts, home cooks were channeling their family histories as well as their tastes and personal ambitions into delicious meals. One decade and over 300,000 miles later, One Big Table is a celebration of these cooks, a mouthwatering portrait of the nation at the table.Meticulously selected from more than 20,000 contributions, the cookbook's 600 recipes are a definitive portrait of what we eat and why. In this lavish volume--illustrated throughout with historic photographs, folk art, vintage advertisements, and family snapshots--O'Neill celebrates heirloom recipes like the Doughty family's old-fashioned black duck and dumplings that originated on a long-vanished island off Virginia's Eastern Shore, the Pueblo tamales that Norma Naranjo makes in her horno in New Mexico, as well as modern riffs such as a Boston teenager's recipe for asparagus soup scented with nigella seeds and truffle oil. Many recipes offer a bridge between first-generation immigrants and their progeny--the bucatini with dandelion greens and spring garlic that an Italian immigrant and his grandson forage for in the Vermont woods--while others are contemporary variations that embody each generation's restless obsession with distinguishing itself from its predecessors. O'Neill cooks with artists, writers, doctors, truck drivers, food bloggers, scallop divers, horse trainers, potluckers, and gourmet club members.In a world where takeout is just a phone call away, One Big Table reminds us of the importance of remaining connected to the food we put on our tables. As this brilliantly edited collection shows on every page, the glories of a home-cooked meal prove how every generation has enriched and expanded our idea of American food. Every recipe in this book is a testament to the way our memories--historical, cultural, and personal--are bound up in our favorite and best family dishes.As O'Neill writes, "Most Americans cook from the heart as well as from a distinctly American yearning, something I could feel but couldn't describe until thousands of miles of highway helped me identify it in myself: hometown appetite. This book is a journey through hundreds of 'hometowns' that fuel the American appetite, recipe by recipe, bite by bite."

    You'll feel like you're in your grandma's kitchen, where she teaches you the secrets of her tender, flakey pie crust and shares recipes taken from handwritten 19th century cooking journals, recipes like Dutch Oven Apple Cherry, Vanilla Crumb, Fresh Raspberry, Louisianna Peanut, Sour Cherry Ammaretto, and dozens more. There are also scores of vintage photos, pie insults, pie superstitions, pie advice, why men love pies and tips on how to host your own pie contest.