Paper Palate

Cindy Mushet’s terrific Art & Soul of Baking is one of those baking books that every baker should make room for on his or her shelf. Why? Because it’s not just a book of recipes. It’s a book of techniques. To me, the real value in this book - in any cookery book - is found in the truc […]

Are you tired of your kids asking you to buy Twinkies and other prepared baked goods when you grocery shop? The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Snack Cakes may be the solution you have been looking for all this time. 
As with the other Complete Idiot’s Guides, this one shares tips throughout the book with small icons to make […]

According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, about 1 out of every 133 people suffers from celiac disease; that’s roughly 2 million Americans. So just what is celiac disease? The NDDIC defines it thusly:
Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who […]

I’m on a bit of a cookie kick lately. With school getting ready to start and the cooler temperatures we’ve been enjoying, it just seems like I need to bake. I also like to get some cookies into the freezer so I always have some on hand if I need to bring a little something […]

This may astound some of you, but I don’t own a lot of cookbooks. I have my handful of favorites, but for the most part collect recipes through blogs, online recipe sites, and cooking magazines. I have to really love a cookbook to buy it, and although I am tempted by a lot of them, […]

As I was writing the title, I was transported back in time, reminding me of  the poetry sessions at primary school. Do you remember them? When you stood up by your desk trying not to shuffle your feet, declaiming title and verse, not really understanding what it was all about, all the time knowing that you were […]

Do you really need a book devoted entirely to cookies? That was the question I was asking myself as I requested to review a copy of Martha Stewart’s newest book, Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share. After poring over the book for the past couple of weeks, I’ve learned that the answer is […]

Every baker has one — the cookbook that is grease spotted and batter flecked, dog eared, flour dusted, and perhaps has more than one spread of pages honey-glued together. But it’s the book we keep going back to. The one that has the lemon bar recipe we never “adjust.” The chocolate chip cookies better (gasp!) than Mom’s. […]

Cookies are a universal delight, no? As much as everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie, though, it makes sense to have a resource that covers all the possible shapes, sizes and flavors of cookies.
101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes, by Lucinda Wallace and Heather Wallace, is just that resource.
Purely recipes, the cookbook offers none of […]

Do you know what I call smart? Taking something from “works awesome” (No-Knead Bread) to the level of “KICK-ASS.” Which is exactly what authors of the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, have done.  Oh yeah, and I hold them both directly responsible for the extra 3lbs I’ve […]