The Back in the Swing Cookbook by Barbara C. Unell & Judith Fertig {cookbook review}

The Back in the Swing Cookbook

 Recipes for Eating and Living Well Every Day After Breast Cancer

authors:  Barbara C. Unell & Judith Fertig
publisher: Andrews McMeel
photos: yes
hard cover: 261 pages

chapters/sections:  Desserts - Breakfast - Beverages - Appetizers and Snacks - Salads and Side Dishes - Soups, Stews, Risottos, and More - The Main Event

fun features:  A fabulous introduction from Barbara Unell, author and survivor - she shares her story and talks about Back in the Swing and breast cancer survivorship.  It is followed up by Basics of this cookbook: Back in the Swing Key Foods, "the shopping cart", To Soy or Not to Soy, and Thoughts on Living Well.

(a few of the many) recipes destined for my kitchen:  Poached Cherries with Honey Cream and Fresh Mint, Spice Cake with Honeyed Carrot Topping, Brown Sugar and Walnut Meringues with Fresh Strawberries, Whole Wheat and Flaxseed Baguettes, Ricotta and Parsley Gnocchi with Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce with Red Wine, Power Pilaf

my thoughts/review:  This is more than just a cookbook.  It's full of stunning photography, inspirational quotes, and fun "treats of the day".  A Treat of the Day could be a list of the top 25 musicals of all time, information about meditation going mainstream, a good reason (in case you were looking) to watch a comedy, or an excuse (again...in case you were looking) to go shopping!  But that's not it, there are pertinent news briefs (Did You Hear the News?) about everything from kale to pumpkin seeds to the power of a smile.

This book is as good for the heart and the soul as it is for the belly.  A great read that I'd recommend for any woman, anybody dealing with breast cancer, and survivors of breast cancer.

recipe(s) I have already tried:  Brambleberry Crisp - It's pretty much a guarantee that I'm going to love any sort of crisp, cobbler, or pie.  This one with a mix of sour cherries, strawberries, raspberries (and any other kind of berries you want to throw in) is no exception.  Hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - perfection!

Roasted Rosemary Garbanzo Snacks - In a word: ADDICTIVE.  Crunchy on the outside with a tiny bit of tender-give on the inside. Rosemary and sea salt.  Great poppin' food.

about the authors and the cause:  

Barbara C. Unell is the founder of Back in the Swing, and the author of a dozen books about healthy family living. The creator of many national publications and nonprofit programs, she has been an educator and media contributor on social issues around the country, appearing on Oprah, NPR, Good Morning America and NBC Nightly News, and in the New York Times. (I'm gonna go ahead and dub her a superhero, too - see below for explanation.)

Judith Fertig is a food lifestyle writer and cookbook author (and someone I greatly admire - a cookbook-writing superhero).  She has written for Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Saveur, Vegetarian Times, and the New York Times. Her previous books include Prairie Home Cooking and Prairie Home Breads, as well as six BBQ titles she coauthored with Karen Adler. She resides in Overland Park, Kansas.

Back in the Swing is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting joyful, healthy and proactive living through innovative fund-raising events, inspiring survivorship programs, and clinical research in an academic medical setting.

Founded in 2000, Back in the Swing focuses exclusively on the survivor - the person - in partnership with fun-loving, passionate supporters of breast cancer survivors across the country.

Unlike other organizations that focus on breast cancer - the disease -Back in the Swing champions the survivor and his or her unique zest for getting back in the swing of life!

further info for Back in the Swing: website | facebook | twitter

*I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

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200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads by Judith Fertig | cookbook review

cookbook review: The Artisan Bread Machine by Judith Fertig

The Artisan Bread Machine

Author: Judith Fertig
Publisher: Robert Rose
Soft Cover: 317 Pages
Photos: yes

Chapters/Sections:  Using Your Bread Machine, Classic White Breads, Whole-Grain Breads, Flavored Breads, Sweet Breads, Sourdough and Slow-Rise Breads, Flatbreads and Pizzas, Savory Rolls, Sweet Rolls, Festive Breads, Gluten-Free Breads, The Artisan Bread Machine Pantry, Bread Machine Ingredients A-Z, Resources

Unique or Cool Features: A fabulous section at the beginning of the book entitled Using Your Bread Machine.  This is a comprehensive section on how to use your bread machine, no matter the model.  Fertig includes hands-on tips and information on "how-to's" like timing, temperature, size, measuring, scalding, adding ingredients to your bread machine, kneading in, topping, forming, and filling.  You will also find info on letting the dough rise, baking, cooling, glazing or icing as well as what to do if you forgot to add something.  There are tips on storage of the bread and cleaning your machine.  Plus, there is a handy chart on which cycle to use when.  In the back of the book are two more helpful sections, one being the Bread Machine Ingredients, A to Z and the other being a Resources page in which you can find websites and phone numbers for some bread machine manufacturers so that you may be able to locate that long-lost instruction manual...or have questions about discontinued models.

(a few of the many) Recipes Destined for my Kitchen:  Bolillos, Chipotle, Cilantro, and Pepper Jack Bread, Bacon, Green Onion and Blue Cheese Bread, Cheddar Beer Bread, Cheddar and Green Olive Bread, Brewhouse Bread, Orange-Caramel Sticky Buns, Almond-Filled Bear Claws, Pan de los Muertos, Sweet Applesauce Bread, Ciabattini, Iced Almond and Cherry Babka

My Thoughts/Review: Once upon a time I had this crazy notion in my head that using a bread machine was cheating, somehow.  That all changed one day last autumn.  I've come to think of my old, trusty bread machine as an indispensable tool in my kitchen.  I enjoy the fact that I don't dirty bowls, utensils, or my counter excessively.  I'm not exclusive, I mean...sometimes I just need to get my hands into some dough and feel the love...or sometimes I give my KitchenAid a chance at the fun...but I do love my bread machine.  This is the perfect book for those who either already love their bread machine, those who want to fall in love with their bread machine all over again, or those who are interested in using one for the first time.  There are so many types of recipes.  From ones that can be baked right in the machine to doughs that you let the machine mix, knead and rise for you before you turn them out and shape or form them yourself.  Many recipes have ingredient amounts for different size loaves (depending on the capacity of your machine or the size of the loaf you want to make).  I will be keeping this book close at hand and making the most of it.  A++.

Recipes I have already tried: 

Sugar and Spice Monkey Bread

Pan de Mie (Pullman Loaf) 

...yay, I finally bought a lid for my pullman pan!

Bacon, Green Onion, and Blue Cheese Bread

about the author:  Food/lifestyle writer and cookbook author, Judith Fertig, spends a lot of her time these days working life in a tiara - as one of the BBQ Queens. With co-author Karen Adler, she has written eight barbecue books, including 300 Big & Bold BBQ & Grilling Recipes and 200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One Bowl. Fertig’s food and lifestyle writing has appeared in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Natural Awakenings, Better Homes & Gardens, Saveur, Country Living, Cooking Pleasures, Family Fun, Coastal Living, Southern Living, Family Fun, La Vie Claire, and Cooking Light. Judith's work has appeared internationally in Country Homes and Interiors (London), The New York Times, and The London Sunday Times.

Judith recently ended a six-year run as a columnist for the James Beard and Association of Food Journalists’ award-winning Kansas City Star newspaper. She has taught culinary classes throughout the country, does TV spots around North America, and her professional culinary training includes La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, the Cordon Bleu in London, and a Ph.B. (Doctor of Barbecue Philosophy) from the prestigious, if fictitious, Greasehouse University. Judith is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Slow Food, The Kansas City Barbeque Society, and IACP. She lives in Overland Park, KS

*I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.
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Cookbook Review: Heartland by Judith Fertig ...and Grilled Duck Breast w/ Wild Rice-Dried Cherry Pilaf

"The Heartland, or Midwest, is the center section of the United States, which also happens to be its agricultural core."  This is a line from the introduction to Heartland: The Cookbook by Judith Fertig.  As much a coffee table book as a cookbook, it is filled with beautiful, candid photographs of the food, the people, the land, and life throughout the Midwest.  The recipes span from breakfast to late night snack using the fruits (and meats and grains and veggies and nuts) grown and raised throughout the Midwest.  As a girl raised in the midst of all this glory, I was immediately drawn to this book.  Features on family farmers and sources for milk from grass-fed cows and descriptions of Heartland beef cattle breeds are interspersed amongst quotes from familiar names and tons of fun historical tidbits about what comes from this land.  This book has earned its place on my coffee table and winds up in the hands of every person that sits on the sofa...unsuspecting at first, but shortly enthralled.

Of course I have numerous strips of paper sticking from the top and bottom of the book, marking future kitchen endeavors like Farmhouse Breakfast Sausage, Smoked Gouda, Hunter's Pie w/ Buttery Mashed Potatoes, and Root Beer Funnel Cakes just to name a few.  The Honey Buns I made a few days ago were adapted from the No-Knead Clover Honey Dough and Cider-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls.  I thought another thing I'd make right away was a recipe using duck, so that I could use some beautiful duck breasts raised right here in Indiana.

Grilled Duck Breast with Wild Rice-Dried Cherry Pilaf

from Heartland by Judith Fertig

serves 4

Sorghum-Lime Grilling Paste:

2 cloves garlic, minced

juice & grated zest of 1 lime

2 Tbs. sorghum syrup or dark brown sugar

4 boneless duck breast halves

fine kosher or sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Wild Rice-Dried Cherry Pilaf:

2 Tbs. lard or oil I used rendered duck fat

1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. wild rice

3 c. chicken broth

½ c. long-grain white rice

½ c. dried cherries

1 Tbs. sorghum syrup or honey

fine kosher or sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

For the grilling paste, whisk the garlic, lime zest, and juice, and sorghum together.  Score the fat on each duck breast half, then season with salt and pepper and brush with grilling paste.  Let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare a medium-hot fire in your grill, and make the pilaf.  In a large saucepan, heat the fat over medium-high heat and sauté onion until translucent, ~4 minutes.  Add wild rice and broth, bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.  Add white rice, dried cherries, and sorghum.  Cover again and cook for 20 minutes, or until all the rice is tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Grill duck breasts, fat side down, for ~4 minutes, keeping a spray bottle filled w/ water handy in case of flare-ups.  Turn and continue grilling for another few minutes, or until duck reaches an internal temp. of 140-145° F for medium-rare.  I cooked ours a bit longer because everybody in this house, aside from me, freaks out at the mere mention of red meat. Ugh.  Transfer to a platter and let breasts rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  

Slice on the diagonal and serve with pilaf.

You see the Heartland "in the mysterious deep green gloom as you wander into an Indiana cornfield."

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher to review, should I choose. All opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.
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