Peasreads: Tales of Green Tea Notes from a Centuries-Old Kyoto Teahouse by Miyako Watanabe with Cathy Hirano (Translator)

A slice of life book about a 300-year-old tea shop that is just delightful. Some basic recipes that seem simple but are so informative as far as time and temperature for brewing different teas. The author tells us how each tea is grown and when it is harvested. There is history woven in with how tea and the tearoom have progressed with the times. I wish I could visit during all the seasons to see their different decor and taste their seasonal offerings. Lovely storytelling that makes you want to explore the region. There are some fun doodles in the book, but it is not really a book to flip through for art. Just scattered throughout, and cute. Ippodo has a website and ships their tea all over the world. I can't wait to try the Hōjicha.

 Description

A charming, lightly illustrated exploration of the history of green tea and matcha, Japanese tea culture, and daily life in Kyoto by the owner of the 300-year-old Ippodo Tea shop.

At the family-owned Ippodo tea store in Kyoto, time passes at the gentle pace of green tea leaves brewing in a kyusu teapot. Written by the store’s current owner, Miyako Watanabe, Tales of Green Tea offers an account of everyday life at this beloved spot, but also of the knowledge, encounters, and discoveries that come with a life steeped in tea.

Composed of short, evocative sections that move through the seasons and engage the senses, along with charming tea-themed illustrations, Tales of Green Tea is at all times moving, nostalgic, funny, and informative. From the historical origins of tea, right up to modern day tea commerce and culture, and many reminiscences in between, we explore the endless flow of tales to be found in a simple cup of tea, alongside best practices for home brewing and recipes for tea snacks.

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for this galley. I was under no obligation to leave a review. All opinions are my own. 

Peasreads: The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook Revised Edition by Melissa Urban

 

Great recipes, just nothing really new. Some information on whole 3o is revised. The photos are gorgeous. The recipes are Whole30 compliant with some fun new ideas. 

Helpful for beginners. Great for reference.

You can find more Whole 30 content HERE. 

Description

A must-have updated edition of the New York Times bestseller—featuring 35 new quick and easy recipes and updated program guidelines.

This revised edition of the bestselling Whole30 Fast & Easy is updated with 35 brand-new recipes and photos, perfect for weeknight cooking, lunches in a hurry, and hearty breakfasts that still get you out the door on time.

The groundbreaking Whole30 program has helped millions of people transform their lives, bringing about better sleep, more energy, less bloating, and fewer cravings. In this cookbook, bestselling author and Whole30 co-creator Melissa Urban wants to make it even easier to achieve Whole30 success—with over 150 easy-to-make recipes that you can put together in 30 minutes or less. Think dishes like:

Green Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Tahini Dressing

Vietnamese-Inspired Pork Tacos

Charred Veggie and Chicken Fajita Wrap

Shrimp and Green Bean Stir Fry with Quick Chili Crisp

Roasted Garlic-Potato Soup with Sausage and Kale

Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken, Broccoli and Baby Yukons

Featuring hearty and delicious skillet meals, sheet-pan suppers, slow-cook dinners, and cozy noodle bowls, these are dishes anyone can make for a weeknight dinner, quick lunch, or easy breakfast.

This updated edition also includes the new Whole30 guidelines, drawing on the latest research and behavior change science. Whether you’re doing your first Whole30 or your fourth, or looking for some gluten-free, dairy-free, fast and easy recipes, this collection is a must-have for any kitchen.

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

Thank you NetGalley and for William Marrow for this egalley. All opinions are my own. I was not obligated to leave a review

Peasreads: The Condiment Book by Claire Dinhut

This is a fun book that has so many great recipes that are easy and the ingredients are accessible. Clearly written and easy to follow.  I made a tofu marinade from the book and it was excellent.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From TikTok sensation Condiment Claire, a quirky and informative guide to the flavor enhancers we can’t get enough of, with dozens of recipes for making and using condiments of all descriptions

Claire Dinhut soared to internet fame tasting and rating hundreds of jams, mustards, and butters, showing how she incorporates condiments into virtually every bite she takes. Often posting from the remote French village where her father maintains a fourteenth-century mill, she delighted followers with her charmingly casual approach to preserving and pickling, showing how easy it is to transform seasonal produce and kitchen odds and ends into homemade condiments that will enhance any meal and create unique gifts.

The Condiment Book captures the role condiments play in defining food cultures around the world, pairing brief histories of flavoring agents from ketchup to kimchi with tutorials on creating unique flavor combos to suit your own palate. In chapters devoted to Butters and Salts, Fruit in Jars, Hot Sauces, Pickles and Ferments, Dips, and of course Mustards and Mayo, Claire guides readers through the making of condiments to give or keep, and offers a handful of “condiment companions” ideal for serving alongside the cook’s handiwork. Helpful charts and graphics give abundant ideas for pairing condiments and flavors, extending the use of these versatile products far beyond the expected.

Packed with lush photos, cheerful “doodles” and the whipsmart observations of a Harvard-educated, bilingual gourmand obsessed with everything salty, spicy, bitter, and sweet, The Condiment Book is the ideal gift for any cook eager to dip a toe into the world of preserving, or any food lover looking for new and exciting ways to use those bottles and jars knocking around their pantry.

Thank you for being here. Have a blessed day.

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

Thank you, Flatiron Books, Macmillan, for this galley. I was under no obligation to leave a review. All opinions are my own. 

Peasreads- 108 Asian Cookies Not-Too-Sweet Treats from a Third-Culture Kitchen by Kat Lieu

 

It's hard to review a cookbook. This one is beautiful. The photos are beautiful, the food looks yummy. I reviewed a digital copy. So I don't know what the print copy looks like. Some of recipes are very unique. However some of them are just regular cookie recipes with a few ingredients that were changed to make a cookie "Asian" like the salt to miso or soy sauce, and added some MSG to some.

I liked the section on traditional cookies the best. So nostalgic.

All the photos were beautiful.

One note of warning, this book doesn't do well on the kindle app on your phone.

I will be attempting to bake some ube cookies this weekend.

Description

From the IACP award winner and bestselling cookbook author comes a first-of-its-kind collection of irresistible cookie recipes inspired by Asian flavors and techniques to excite home bakers.

Growing up as a Canadian-born Vietnamese Chinese American, Kat Lieu sought comfort in the flavors of her youth like taro and black sesame. But she struggled to find a home for herself as a third-culture baker in American bakeries, online, or in cookbooks. In the auspiciously titled 108 Asian Cookies Lieu honors the varied and rich tapestry of Asian cultures and ingredients that inspired these recipes. And along with members from Subtle Asian Baking, the online baking group she founded, are a diverse array of original and member-submitted drool-worthy recipes for cookies and bakes incorporating ingredients from the diaspora including gochujang, ube, miso, fish sauce, sambal, tahini, matcha, and MSG stirred into each batter and dough.

 

Bakers will learn how to whip up both classics and entirely new desserts such as:

 

Spicy chai cookies

Amaretti cookies with pandan and pistachios

Taiwanese snowflake crisps

Milk and cashew burfi

Salted egg yolk corn flake haystacks

Mochi brownies

Matcha and wasabi drop cookies

And even instant ramen and pho cookies!

 

At many Asian tables, “not too sweet” is the highest compliment one can give—so whether these recipes are comfortingly familiar or new discoveries, 108 Asian Cookies will be sure to delight even the most discerning “not too sweet” kitchens for years to come.

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

I received this egalley from NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company | VoraciousI was under no obligation to give a review. All opinions are my own. 

Peasreads: Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice A Thai Comic Book Cookbook

 

Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice

A Thai Comic Book Cookbook

by Christina de Witte; Mallika Kauppinen

This is a fun comic book style Thai cookbook written by two people. their stories of childhood food memories make the book fun to read. Easy-to-follow recipes have some substitutions or resources for harder to find Thai ingredients. It has fun drawings. Not all of the recipes have photos, I do wish there were more actual food photos, but then again how many photos can you add to a comic book?  All in all a charming book that I would gift to a fellow foodie.

Description

An approachable, fun comic book cookbook tour of Thai culture and cuisine with 50 recipes and stories from the country's main culinary regions

The Science of Good Cooking (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks)

This cookbook was given to us as a gift. I am a home cook and my girls and I love science. The lay out of this book is a lot like all of the Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen books. The recipes are easy to read, they don't all have pictures which I do prefer with cook books. The pictures it does include are mostly grey scale.

Peasread: The IBS Elimination Diet And Cookbook

I mentioned that I did a round of Whole30 eating last month. I completed it successfully but I still feel bloated at times. When I had the opportunity to review this book I was interested. I don't have IBS  but I wanted to learn more about Low-FODMAP eating because I noticed that there are some foods that seem to cause bloating and distress in my stomach. This book is written by Patsy Catsos, she is a registered nutritionist with two degrees in nutrition with experience as a research dietitian.
I did learn a lot about Irritable Bowel Syndrome in this book There is a section of questions to ask your doctor, how to find a doctor, what lab tests that the doctor might order etc. This book is clear that it is not to be used to diagnose yourself (Page 47). It is mentioned in the book to not use this diet if you do not have IBS unless instructed by a physician to do so. It's pretty clear about that. Since I don't have enough symptoms to warrant a trip to the doctors I am not going to go through the whole diet and elimination process. What I will do is  narrow down which foods make me feel bad. Once I

Heirloom Cookie Sheet and Cookbook- GIVEAWAY

Remember the Heirloom Cookie Sheet review I did not too long ago? I'm excited to offer one of these beautiful pieces as a giveaway to one of my readers, along with a Heirloom Cookie Collection Cookbook! I'm honored to be featured alongside some awesome bloggers in the book. The pictures are beautiful, and the recipes are wonderful.

You can see the original post on Give Peas A Chance HERE, for the Heirloom Cookie Sheet. I've also cut and pasted  it below.

I have met some awesome people through blogging. Jeannie from Heirloom Cookie Sheets has been one of those people. She started this company and is here in the US. But the story behind these sheets is pretty amazing. Her dad first had these stainless steel cookie sheets made for her mom. Jeannie and her mom baked and used these cookie sheets for 30 years, and they were workhorses, and stayed beautiful. That's the beauty of stainless steel, it stays so nice and works so hard. Jeannie's friends asked where she got her cookie sheets after borrowing them. That's when she knew to share these awesome cookie sheets.

 I had heard through another blogger that Jeannie was looking for some bloggers to partner with for the Heirloom Cookie Collection Cookbook. I'm so blessed that I was able to participate in this fun project. Because in doing so I discovered a beautiful product that is so well made.  I was able to make the amazing cookies pictured above for the cookbook. There are 20 other bloggers who partnered with Heirloom Cookie Sheets and these books would make a wonderful gift. 

I was also able to use the Heirloom Cookie Sheet. I'll be honest, I got rid of all of my cookie sheets years and years ago. They were flimsy, they warped, some were coated. They were more of a pain than helpful to me. Still to have something without the "lip" on all my pans would be awesome, something with no aluminum? Even better. I was very pleasantly surprised but the weight of  the Heirloom Cookie sheet. Sturdy and strong because they are made with 100% stainless steel (Heirloom Cookie Sheets are made from Type 304, food grade USA stainless steel with a Chromium content range between 18 – 20 and a Nickel content range between 8 – 10.5) . That's right, there's no aluminum. STRONG. They are also made in the USA. I've used this sheet to bake cookies and also pizza. Because there's no "lip" on the sheet I could fit a whole pizza on there with ease. Because stainless steel heats a little slower, but conducts heat so evenly, baked goods are evenly baked on the bottom, it takes a few minutes of extra bake time, but it's not a big deal. 

Here's more about this great  product

Professional Construction
The Heirloom Cookie Sheet is made of heavy duty, 18-gauge stainless steel. That’s it … no toxic coatings. No coatings at all – and yet, it’s virtually non-stick!
One of the 12″ sides is turned up slightly to provide a handle, so it’s easy to maneuver in and out of the oven and store in your cabinets. The 15″ sides lay flat to allow heat to circulate unrestricted across the entire baking surface, which results in even baking.
There is no need to use cooking spray or liners when baking with an Heirloom.The natural light color of stainless steel encourages even baking to help you avoid burning your cookies.
Best of all, the Heirloom is Dishwasher Safe! If you do need a little “extra” cleaning help, especially after broiling with the Heirloom at a high heat, we recommend using a small amount of a non-abrasive powder cleanser.
First Impressions
Quality! Ask anyone who has seen an Heirloom Cookie Sheet, and “quality” is their first impression. Its mirror-like finish combined with ultra sturdy construction makes the Heirloom a beautiful piece of professional bakeware.

Here is some information about this great cookbook also

At Heirloom Cookie Sheets, our commitment to quality starts with the materials we select. Our cookie sheets are 100% Made in the USA, 100% recyclable and 100% safe for your family. They have no toxic coatings and will not break down or leach components over time. We choose earth-friendly materials because we believe in keeping our world healthy. Even the Heirloom Cookie Collection cookbook conforms to these high standards, printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper that is manufactured with electricity in the form of renewable energy.

This is more than a cookbook. It’s a collaboration of 20 different food “personalities” that are sharing their stories with our family recipes. Enjoy more than 90 pages of content, with features like:

The original 20 Heirloom cookie recipes

Baking tips and quotes from our “Partners in the Kitchen”

Freezer & storage tips

A self-standing, spiral bound design

And more!

These cookie sheets  and cookbook would make a wonderful addition to any one's kitchen. 

Find Heirloom Cookie Sheets on Facebook

If you are in the US, have a US address, and are 18 years of age or older, enter below to win. Read the rules HERE, first.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free sample/s of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. All pictures are from the companies site, unless noted.

More giveaways on Give Peas A Chance found HERE.

MOBILE FRIENDLY LINK

http://bit.ly/Ux8ZIv

a Rafflecopter giveaway

E-book of Thanksgiving recipes

Well, it's out! A while back Swoop contacted me about submitting a recipe for their Thanksgiving E-book. I sent in the Pumpkin Pie Shake recipe, and the book is out and ready for purchase. There are some amazing bloggers and recipes in the book and best of all,  100% of the proceeds go to Feeding America.

If you do not have a Kindle (which I don't) you can still purchase and browse on Kindle app or on the cloud drive online.
(Please ignore my seriously crazy picture.)

Pumpkin Pie Shakes and Recipes on GPAC
Pumpkin Pie Shakes 2008
Pumpkin Pie Shakes 2011
Pumpkin Pie Shakes 2012
E book
Pumpkin Syrup and Chai Syrup for lattes and more
Pumpkin Puree Crock Pot
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Pumpkin and Wild Rice Soup
Search Pumpkin in the search box on the left for more!

Free Friday

No recipe for this. This a cookie from the America's Test Kitchen cookbook. It's their Thick and Chewy chocolate chip cookie. Very good, a little on the sweet side for me. But, DH always points out that I don't make my sweets as sweet as most people do. I always use less sugar. 

The cookies were nice and chewy. I liked them.

Do you have this America's Test Kitchen cookbook? What have you made out of it?

If you like chocolate chip cookies, how do you like them?

Extra chocolate? Less chocolate? Nuts? No nuts? Crisp? Chewy?
*Don't forget to check the left side of my blog for giveaway links!

Bento 2011- 47, 48

 

 Made a lunch for DH this week. A salad, fruit and some cinnamon swirl bread I made with cream cheese.

Diva and Piglet had the exact same lunches. 

Cinnamon Swirl bread with cream cheese

Grapes

Pepper stuffed with cream cheese

Yogurt

Fruit jelly

Cinnamon Swirl bread! 

Don't forget in just a few days! GIVEAWAY! I have asked a group of amazing artisans to help me celebrate 800+  posts here on GPAC. So on March 10 I'll be putting up a post with pictures of some amazing prizes- natural care products for your home, beauty products, jewelery, party items, and so much more, stay tuned you won't want to miss this. I wish *I* could win them!

Cooking, Tasting. Testing.

 Some foods we're eating, some I'm testing recipes/taking pictures... working away on the cook book!

 Udon noodle soup with carrots, bok choy and sliced roasted pork.

 My parents sent this for Chinese New Year. Sticky rice steamed in banana leaves with a pork and yellow bean filling. Sliced and pan fried, it's so good.

 Working on the perfect, soft sandwich bread... getting there!!

 Late night snack for me. Broiled steak, medium rare with seasoning salt and butter. Rice and tomatos.

 Baby bok choy with a black bean sauce. YUM...

Pumpkin Caramel rolls. I've made these three times since the begning of January... SO GOOD! Can't wait to share them with you!

Cookbook and the non resolution

My six year old making us green eggs and ham for breakfast.

I don't like to make resolutions. I have before but eh. I was and have been thinking about this cookbook though. I'm going to start picking favorites and hopefully retaking pictures and working on a SMALL(er) project. A few thoughts I have

- Some of my earliest pictures and even current ones aren't that great. I know that whatever pictures I take aren't going to be fantastic but I think improving on lighting and such will make a more beautiful book.
- Small(er) project= smaller book(s) Which means either themed books or just a collection in different books, eventually in the event of a miracle.
- In keeping with my original reason for this book (you an read more about that in the link above or search cookbook on this blog), I want to include personal recipes and stories but I may have to figure out how to cut out some of the stories out, so I can include more food.
- Bento section- I may or may not include it. I have one in the current (huge) book, just pages of thumbnails of lunches. I may take most of them out and just include a picture here and there. Or just take them out. Originally I thought it would be fun for the girls to look back and see a bit of childhood. Now I am thinking space hogs, LOL.
- What to include. I'm just not sure. There's so much. I need to condense. So.... any input on that would be awesome. What should I include? Take out? Any faves you have?

A gift for my children, inspiration and help please...

*** UPDATE HERE- I started and it's been fun but I didn't realized I had so many recipes photographed, so I am already behind but i am still open to ideas! thanks***I decided to start a going away to college, moving out, getting married what have you gift for my kids. If I start this now it should be fairly decent when my oldest is 18... the thing is I have writers/starting/perfectionists block. So I am getting ideas from anyone and everyone. I want to make a recipe book, much like my blog, but with stories and pictures of family and friends together and gatherings also. I just need to start. I am going to use Blurb
I need ideas on how to separate chapters, I had this idea of doing each chapter a different color background so it would be easy to find everything, the only problem is color availability, there are only 8 good colors to choose from that I think would be good for a cook book and reading recipes. So how do I narrow down headings?
here are some ideas I had but I don't like them, I prefer them differently, but to narrow it to 8 is probably impossible- appetizers, breads, casserole, desserts, eggs/cheese, fish/seafood, meats, pasta/rice, salads, sauces, soups, vegetables
children/fun recipes

Should I just do a nice clean cookbook with all white pages? Black boarders on the pictures?
Should I do step by step photo's or finished results only?
two page spreads? or one? I am certain two page spread will be easier when I have to move things around as I add pages to certain chapters

Am I over thinking this? it seems like it would be such a simple thing to do...
I can't wait to put recipes from dh's grandparents in there, my mom, I am excited. But can't start LOL... so help please?