Cookbook Gift Quotes

Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love. It says “you’re important enough to me to spend the time and effort to cook for you.

Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. To handle yourself, use your head, To handle others, use your heart. What would life be if we had not courage to attempt anything? When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Dick,

treacle,

It turned out there was something Marty did a little better. It all started with tuna casserole, or at least something RBG called tuna casserole. At Fort Sill one night, right after they were married, she dutifully presented the dish. That was her job, after all, or one of them. Marty squinted at the lumpy mass. “What is it?” And then he taught himself how to cook. The Escoffier cookbook had been a wedding gift from RBG’s cousin Richard. The legendary French chef had made his name at hotels like the Ritz in Paris and the Savoy in London. It was not exactly everyday fare for two young working parents on a military base in Oklahoma. But Marty found that his chemistry skills came in handy, and he began working his way through the book. Photograph by Mariana Cook made at the Ginsburgs’ home in 1998 Still, for years, the daily cooking was still RBG’s reluctant territory. Her repertoire involved thawing a frozen vegetable and some meat. “I had seven things I could make,” RBG said, “and when we got to number seven, we went back to number one.” Jane isn’t sure she saw a fresh vegetable until she was sent to France the summer she turned fourteen. Around that time, she decided, as RBG put it to me, “that Mommy should be phased out of the kitchen altogether.” RBG cooked her last meal in 1980. The division of labor in the family, Jane would say, developed into this: “Mommy does the thinking and Daddy does the cooking.” Growing up, James says, he got used to people asking him what his father did for a living, when his mother did something pretty interesting too.

Step 6. Ensure That Your Environment Supports Your Goals Some people subscribe to the philosophy that if the cure doesn’t hurt, it can’t be working. When it comes to permanent changes in diet and lifestyle, the opposite philosophy is the best: The less painful the program, the more likely it is to succeed. Take steps to make your new life easier. Modify your daily behavior so that your surroundings work for you, not against you. Have the right pots, pans, and utensils to cook with; have the right spices, herbs, and seasonings to make your meals delicious; have your cookbooks handy and review them often to make your dishes lively and appealing. Make sure you give yourself the time to shop for food and cook your meals. Change your life to support your health. Don’t sacrifice your health for worthless conveniences. Avoid temptation. Very few people could quit smoking without ridding their house of cigarettes. Alcoholics avoid bars to stop drinking. Protect yourself by protecting your environment. Decrease the time when you are exposed to rich foods to avoid testing your “willpower.” One of the best ways to do this is to throw all the rich foods out of the house. Just as important is to replace harmful foods with those used in the McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss. If many of your meals are eaten away from home, make the situations meet your needs. Go to restaurants that offer at least one delicious, nutritious item. Ask the waiter to remove the butter and olive oil from the table. Accept invitations to dinner from friends who eat and live healthfully. Bring healthful foods with you whenever possible. Keep those people close who support your efforts and do not try to sabotage you. Ask family and friends to stop giving you boxes of candy and cakes as gifts. Instead suggest flowers, a card, or a fruit basket. Tell your mother that if she really loves you she’ll feed you properly, forgoing her traditional beef stroganoff.

Florida,

I never thought about food like that, but it makes sense. You aren't a different person when you read versus when you eat or do anything else----everything in us does intersect, I guess..." Cecilia's voice drifted away as she thought, and a blush suffused her face. "Put it that way, I see why I eat terribly. I love American teenage food, and it fits with my soft spot for eighties teen movies. You know, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink... I even dress like that when I feel sad. Austen's much more intellectual." "That's Jane. If it makes you feel better, I read only cookbooks, and they really shouldn't count as real books." I thought for a moment. "But I never forget a food reference." "Never?" I shrugged. "It's a gift." "Sixteen Candles?" "The cake, of course. Oh, but there's that quiche dinner too. See? Sixteen Candles and Dickens---all about breakfast." "Under the Tuscan Sun?" "Never read it, but I'm assuming a ton of Italian?" "That was obvious." Cecilia smiled. "What's your favorite food reference?" "I've got two. I think the best opening line in literature is Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. 'The year began with lunch.' All books and all years should begin that way." "And the other?" "Coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscressandwichespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater-----" "That's too much!" She laughed. "That's exactly what Mole said. But Rat said, 'It's only what I always take on these little excursions, and the other animals are always telling me that I'm a mean beast and cut it VERY fine!'" I grinned. "I love that line." "What's that even from?" "The Wind in the Willows. It's the best picnic ever.

I know how it feels to feel stuck. It’s uncomfortable. But there’s also a discomfort that comes when God has been trying to move you and you won’t move. He’ll make you uncomfortable until you get forced to move. He did that to me many times as well. Don’t wait until things get so bad that God has to make you so uncomfortable just to push you out of your comfort zone. Take those steps yourself. Be ready to take your leaps of faith. Trust yourself. Trust that gut, that feeling deep down on the inside. It’s there. That’s our gift. And remember, wherever you are, it’s only temporary.

Table of Contents Free Gift! Abbreviations Conversions Cranberry Sauce Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy Roasted Asparagus Roasted Vegetables Honey Glazed Carrots Double Cornbread Squash Casserole Crawfish Dressing Chicken Pot Pie Soup Chicken Stuffing Casserole Sweet Potato Casserole Corn Casserole Squash Dressing Bacon Cornbread Dressing Cornbread Stuffing Chicken and Dumplings Lemon Garlic Turkey Breast Turkey and Gravy Cajun Dressing Chicken Pot Pie Cornish Hens Meatloaf Marinated Chicken Roast Turkey Breast Apple Stuffed Pork Chops More Simple and Easy Recipes

GOOPY CARBONARA

LOBSTER THERMIDOR

A beautiful dinner party is one of the warmest and most gracious gifts you can give to your friends and family. And a dinner party is—or should be—more than just an assortment of foods and beverages. Every detail—from invitations to music to decorative touches—serves to enrich and complete the dining experience. If you think that choosing, preparing, and serving the food is complicated enough, without having to also worry about ambiance, the Dinner Party Cookbook is just what you need. Owning this book is like having a professional party planner at your fingertips; you will find all the ingredients necessary to plan successful,

Caroline has laid out a beautiful spread, which is a combination of some of my favorite things that she has cooked, and traditional Sikh wedding dishes provided by Jag's friends. There is a whole roasted beef tenderloin, sliced up with beautiful brioche rolls for those who want to make sandwiches, crispy brussels sprouts, potato gratin, and tomato pudding from Gemma's journal. The savory pudding was one of the dishes from Martha's wedding, which gave me the idea for this insanity to begin with, so it seemed appropriate. I actually think Gemma would strongly approve of this whole thing. And she certainly would have appreciated the exoticism of the wonderful Indian vegetarian dishes, lentils, fried pakoras, and a spicy chickpea stew. From what I can tell, Gemma was thrilled anytime she could get introduced in a completely new cuisine, whether it was the Polish stonemason introducing her to pierogi and borsht, or the Chinese laundress bringing her tender dumplings, or the German butcher sharing his recipe for sauerbraten. She loved to experiment in the kitchen, and the Rabins encouraged her, gifting her cookbooks and letting her surprise them with new delicacies. Her favorite was 'With a Saucepan Over the Sea: Quaint and Delicious Recipes from the Kitchens of Foreign Countries,' a book of recipes from around the world that Gemma seemed to refer to frequently, enjoying most when she could alter one of the recipes to better fit the palate of the Rabins. Mrs. Rabin taught her all of the traditional Jewish dishes they needed for holiday celebrations, and was, by Gemma's account, a superlative cook in her own right. Off to the side of the buffet is a lovely dessert table, swagged with white linen and topped with a small wedding cake, surrounded by dishes of fried dough balls soaked in rosewater syrup and decorated with pistachios and rose petals, and other Indian sweets.

Right now in Harlem, for every bank and chicken wing franchise joint, there is a small business owner who has spent a decade trying to figure out how to cater to a neighborhood he has fallen in love with. For every man or woman who has succumbed to that spell, I want to tell them: Go for it, do it. I want to pass the word like gospel. Let me tell you something: Right now in Harlem authorship is on the move. This is ours, we tell each other. We have made it, chopped it, cooked it, played it. This is our story. Gordon Parks, photographer, musicians, writer, film director paved a way for us. Bear witness, he told us. That was his gift to the neighborhood. Whatever goes down, whatever turns up - make food and music and dance and story out of it. Right now and since forever, the world keeps telling us there's only room for one: Serena and that's it. Toni and that's it. I wonder if they can hear Harlem across the divide. Come one, come all. That's how we wrestle with urban renewal, black removal. The church ladies know this, and so do the hustlers. Right now in Harlem, we don't shy away from the ugly; we don't bow our heads to what's beautiful. We just keep asking, how does all this new s**t fit with the old? Right now in Harlem there's room; there's hope; there's inspiration; there's good food. I may not be able to explain the magic, but it is there. To be in Harlem and make it takes luck, but nobody told me different. One thing is certain, wherever you are, you should come to Harlem - right now.

No, no, no." The Rabbi raised his hands. "The loan is free. Just return the eighteen hundred after the IPO. If you want to give me anything more, then you decide however to repay me. Give to tzedakah--a gift to charity. Give to Bialystok Center. Or give nothing. This is an investment. Your are investing in Veritech. And I am investing in you.

2 cups whole milk 2 cups heavy cream 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled 5 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

2 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate 1 tablespoon instant coffee 1¼ cups boiling water 2¾ cups all-purpose flour 2¾ cups granulated sugar ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup vegetable oil 1¼ cups buttermilk 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9″ × 13″ cake pan. Place the chocolate and coffee in a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and coffee and let it stand 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Using an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined. Add the oil and buttermilk and mix well, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until incorporated. Add the chocolate-coffee mixture very carefully, on the lowest speed, as it will slosh around the bowl. Add the vanilla. Finish by scraping the bowl down and mixing all the batter with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until the cake feels firm when touched lightly in the center or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is over baked. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve right out of the pan.

Regardless of which world you choose to cook from, the recipes in this cookbook are a fun and delicious way for you and your family to transport yourselves alongside Katniss, Peeta, and Gale while they fight for their freedom—and the right to a full stomach. Enjoy!

BEEF STRIPS FROM THE BACKPACK Katniss finds beef jerky in the backpack that she grabs at the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games. This dried meat reinforces the fact that Katniss hasn’t been able to find any water and feels pretty dried up herself. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 11) Yields

PLUTARCH HEAVENSBEE’S ROASTED SUCKLING PIG SURPRISE One

Express,

Cookbook) This foolproof sugar cookie recipe makes a sturdy, sweet treat that’s a perfect gift or a great addition to a holiday cookie platter. 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or grated lemon peel 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

Butter Cookies. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 4) Yields 1 dozen cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for kneading dough 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 large egg yolk 2 cups all-purpose flour

Muggle

Humbugs

The concept at Halden of staff “being on the same side” as the inmates is not how most people would describe the dynamics within prisons. But it’s exactly what I see as Warden Høidal and I continue our tour of the Halden grounds. We pass the prison’s print shop, where staff and men are working together, unfurling the posters they’ve designed as they emerge from machines, assessing them with admiration and critique. Warden Høidal introduces me to a group of the men. One man asks a question in Norwegian, gesturing at me. Høidal nods, and the man bustles away. I look at the warden quizzically. “They would like to give you a gift,” he explains as the man returns. Smiling, the man hands me an apron and a cookbook, both emblazoned with the name of the prison and a wry image of a magnetic kitchen knife strip from which hang two kitchen knives, a carving fork, and a pair of handcuffs. The name of the cookbook is in Norwegian, but Høidal tells me with a chuckle that it translates as Honest Food from Halden Prison.

The Capitol is all about superficial change: people’s appearances change frequently, outfits change, and the decadent dishes that they eat change often as well. It’s quite likely that when Katniss and Peeta are given breakfast, there are a variety of potato options from which they can choose. While not the healthiest dish, this recipe makes for a hot and crispy meal that would make even the poised Effie Trinket loose her cool! (The Hunger Games, Chapter 4) Yields 4 servings 1 pound baking potatoes, shredded 1⁄4 cup green onions, chopped 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 large egg 1 cup vegetable oil (for frying) Kosher salt and grated black pepper to taste

ATTACK OF THE CHOCOLATE CHUNK MUFFINS These gooey chocolate muffins are made with pure, high-quality semisweet chocolate chunks and milk chocolate chips. As such, they will definitely cure whatever sweet tooth Haymitch may acquire in an attempt to find some pleasantness while guiding Katniss and Peeta safely through the Hunger Games. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 4) Yields 12 muffins 10 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate chunks 11⁄4 cups all-purpose flour 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract 2⁄3 cup whole milk 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup high-quality milk chocolate chips

should just fall right out. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. Melt semisweet chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. (Do not let any of the water get into the chocolate.) Stir constantly while the chocolate melts. Remove bowl from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk vanilla and almond extracts into milk. Beat butter with brown sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. This might take a while if doing by hand. Then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well with each addition. Slowly add melted chocolate; beat well. Alternately mix in flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with flour, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Fold in milk chocolate chips. Divide batter among lined muffin cups. Bake for

30–35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in pans for 10–15 minutes, then invert onto racks to cool.

PEETA’S BUTTERCREAM FROSTING Peeta is quite skilled when it comes to frosting and decorating his family’s bakery cakes. This buttercream frosting can be used for cakes, cupcakes, or any dessert concoction, and is likely used by Peeta for many of the desserts that Prim and Katniss admired in the bakery window. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 7) Yields about 8 cups 11⁄2 cups shortening 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter 8 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract 3⁄4 cup heavy cream Tips from Your Sponsor The flavor of clear imitation vanilla extract pales in comparison to natural vanilla extract. However, for a white frosting, clear imitation vanilla extract is a must, as real vanilla extract is a light brown color. Using an electric mixer, cream shortening and

butter together until light and very, very fluffy, at least 8 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar and continue creaming until extremely well blended. Slowly add salt, vanilla, and heavy cream on a low speed until moistened. Then beat at high speed until the frosting is once again fluffy.

HEART OF ICE FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE While Katniss and Peeta normally enjoy hot chocolate, this frozen version is a worthy substitute for hot cocoa on a warm, sunny day. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 4) Yields 1 serving 6 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 teaspoons high-quality hot chocolate mix 2 tablespoons sugar 11⁄2 cups half and half 2 cups ice Whipped cream (for garnish) Chocolate shavings (for garnish) Tips from Your Sponsor For a mint-chocolate taste, try adding 1⁄2 teaspoon of mint extract. Or, for a sweeter taste, mix together 3 ounces white chocolate and 3 ounces semisweet chocolate in place of the 6 ounces semisweet. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and gently melt in a heavy saucepan, stirring constantly until

completely melted. Add the vanilla extract, hot chocolate mix, and sugar, stirring thoroughly until well-blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1⁄2 cup of the half and half, stirring until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Place ice, remaining 1 cup of half and half, and chocolate mixture into a blender. Blend until the mixture reaches a smoothie-like consistency. Pour into a large cup and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

PEETA’S SPIRIT-LIFTING HOT CHOCOLATE WITH VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM Drinking the Capitol’s hot chocolate is one of the few enjoyable parts of being involved in the spectacle that surrounds the Hunger Games. Both Peeta and Katniss would love this decadent, delicious recipe. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 4) Yields 4 servings > Cocoa: 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1⁄2 cup white sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄3 cup boiling water 31⁄2 cups milk 2 teaspoons high-quality vanilla extract 1⁄2 cup half-and-half Handful of semisweet chocolate chips > Whipped Cream: 1 cup heavy cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Place a medium-sized metal bowl in the freezer to chill. Combine the cocoa, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in boiling water and keep stirring as you bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer and stir for 3 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture scorch. Add milk, half and half, and chocolate chips over high heat, but do not boil. Remove from heat once chocolate chips have thoroughly melted and add vanilla. Divide among 4 mugs. Whip heavy cream in the chilled metal bowl until soft peaks are just about to form. Add vanilla and confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until the cream holds it shape. Do not overbeat. Dollop onto hot chocolate in mugs.

Books were like people. Each carried its own unique energy, like a signature or fingerprint, and sometimes that energy rubbed off. Ashlyn scrubbed her palms along the thighs of her jeans now, trying to erase the sadness that had leached into her fingers from the box of discarded cookbooks. It was the downside of her so-called gift. Not all echoes were happy. Like humans, books experienced their share of heartache—and like humans, they remembered. Over the years, she had learned to limit her exposure to books imbued with negative echoes and to shun certain books entirely. But on days like today, avoidance wasn’t possible. All she could do was work quickly.