heyjude

Thank you for making the books look so good and making the dust invisible. I enjoyed seeing them through somebody elses lens. I do love sharing them. I am proud to be a part of this fabulous blog.

15 more, some new, some used. I rejoined The Good Cook and got Italian Two Easy, Pie, Luscious Berry Desserts and a couple others. I also got Parma by Giuliano Bugialli at the Cooks and Books events we did with him. I was his escort for 4 days. He's a peach. And used: a signed Tom Douglas and a perfect Dine With Europe's Master Chefs Pastries. It's time to stretch some shelves.

I got several (let's say 10) used books while I was out looking for a wedding gift. I love stores that sell both new and used. Best among them are Classic Asian Cakes and Desserts and Enoteca by Joyce Goldstein. The desserts book has some recipes that seem very close to those served at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

I received a box of 25 used books from a friend. A great selection, in great shape. They include everything from a new Williams-Sonoma Florence to Country Food by Miriam Ungerer(1982) to Paula Wolfert's The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen to Plum Crazy A Book About Beach Plums and many more. It's perfect weather for cooking here. Sunny and 70.

The Black and White Brownies on page 189 of Stars Desserts by Emily Luchetti are fabulous and sound like what you are after.

I priced books for the Friends on Friday and came home with 6 books including unopened copies of Cookies Galore and Cupcakes Galore.

I had a fun book excursion with a friend and brought home 10 used cookbooks, including a pristine copy of Cocolat by Alice Medrich, Beard on Birds, Cucina Simpatica and The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash. I have my eye on some new ones, too.

Her name is Ceil Dyer and the book is Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars. It's not cheesy, it's fun, but I no longer own it. I see it at used bookstores, in libraries and online, often. I hope you find it.

Six lovely new books today: Great Grilled Cheese by Laura Werlin because I love her other cheese books, Chocolate Therapy by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, Brownie Points by Lisa Slater because I want every brownie book, the updated From Tapas to Meze by Joanne Weir, How to Break an Egg by the editors of Fine Cooking and Tasty by Roy Finnamore which I think we'll really cook from.

Go to www.salumicuredmeats.com for Armandino Batali's superb products. Read all about him in today's New York Times and all over the Pacific Northwest board.

Three more arrived today: a remaindered (at $6.99) copy of the Reader's Digest Cookies that was originally $35, The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook, and The Gourmet Potluck by Beth Hensperger whose bread books I've liked.

Four more from Jessica's Biscuit including The All American Cheese and Wine Book by Laura Werlin which is terrific. Both the recipes and info are very useable.

I had a very successful buy at the Seattle Friends of the Library sale. Forty new books, 38 of which were cookbooks. Great bargains including 2 La Techniques and one La Methode for a total of $10. My total outlay was $98 and I'm thrilled with them all from Fog City Diner to The Art of South American Cooking by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi and The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash. And a Paula Wolfert, a Richard Olney and a Jane Grigson. Now, to make shelf space.

Go for the food, too. My son Ben's girlfriend, Daysha Fritz, has been the chef for the last couple of months. I know how hard she has been working to get the kitchen to a place she can both enjoy and be proud of. She welcomes feedback while you are there. Keep watching for further improvements. I'm thrilled with today's well-deserved review.

Fat Guy is exactly right. When I worked at the Film Center Building on 9th Ave. in Manhattan, the coffee shop on the lobby charged a dollar for a bagel with a shmear and 2 dollars for a cream cheese sandwich on a bagel. Of course, the owners were Greek.

I've been thinking about this way too much, but I just remembered Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Icing. And don't miss the Cupcakes thread.

FWED made us one that was in an article on pudding cakes in Fine Cooking within the last year. It was stupendous.

The Ebinger's Blackout Cake recipe is in both New York Cookbook by Molly O'Neill and The Brooklyn Cookbook by Lyn Stallworth and Rod Kennedy, Jr. In each, the filling is a soft pudding. The frosting is made separately and is a buttery chocolate fudge. To be authentic, the frosted cake is coated with crumbs from one of the baked cake layers.

I was raised in upstate New York so I have fond memories of Stewart's Make Your Own Sundaes and most things by Freihofers. At Stewart's, you chose a flavor of ice cream and then were given a tray of syrups and toppings to create the treat of your dreams. The syrups, including a pourable marshmallow, came in pitchers with a slide back cover over the spout. Freihofers was famous for their soft, pale chocolate chip cookies . We didn't get those because my Grandmother made them from the recipe on the Nestle's chips bag every week. In my house, they were called chocolate bits. She and my mother did a lot of baking: pies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, cobblers, shortcakes, crisps and I loved them all, but store bought was a treat. One of Freihofers best was a Louisiana Ring, a buttery cake with a crumb topping. I've spent the last couple of days thinking about American regional desserts and people have posted about some of what I came up with including Nabisco Icebox Cake and Tunnel of Fudge. It is so true that the Pillsbury Bake-off booklets are a great source for what we all ate over the last 50 years. Many of the winners like Black Bottom Cupcakes have become standards. Be sure to google Blum's Coffee Toffee Pie. Blum's also served their Sundaes with a pitcher of Hot Fudge. Commander's Palace Bread Pudding Souffle is another classic. I'll stop with pinwheel cookies and Dump Cake, but my mind is racing with dozens of others. Let us know what goes on your menu.

I came home from Portland with a small bundle from Powell's that included the magnificent DK Herbs and Spices by Jill Norman, an Edna Lewis, Baking from the Heart and Martha Stewart's Entertaining which somehow I'd never even looked at before. And I replaced The Good Cook: Pasta which had mildewed. That was a first. So, add four.

Big week for me with both new and used. Please add 16 which includes All-American Desserts, Eat this book, a Claudia Roden Mediterranean Cookery, Asian Fusion with lots of color pix, A Craig Claiborne Herbs and Spices and even my first Emeril.

Richard and I just had a wonderful dinner at Green Leaf. The people at the next table were eGullet lurkers and were there because of these posts (and some elsewhere). We were all happy with the food and Peter the owner couldn't have been more welcoming. We had the Banh Xeo and Beef Seven Ways and brought home enough for another serving. We'll go back for Tighe's duck soup.

6 new ones today. Cancelling each other out, Chocolate Sensations and Low-Carb Baking, Cheese, Cooking at De Gustibus, New American Cooking by Joan Nathan and Charcuterie.

Yesterday, I added a book I've wanted for years. It is Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook. Way more than I usually spend, but I'm thrilled with it. The illustrations by the author alone are worth the price.

15 new from Jessica's Biscuit for me, but a couple went to mamster for his library. JB was great to deal with. They immediately replaced a couple that came damaged. New titles include Hidden Kitchens, Cupcakes by Eleanor Klivens, the reprint of the Nancy Drew CB, Molto Italiano, ChocolateChocolate, Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka, Silver Spoon and Best American Recipes 2005-2006 which provided the Mimosa recipe for yesterday morning's family party.