In the back kitchen of the famous Poole's

Poole's and its chef Ashley Christensen are becoming one of the iconic successes of the new American cuisine. Often despised in Europe for its lack of sophistication, the chefs on the other side of the ponds worked hard and succeeded to change the stereotypes about the US food culture.

The book is attractive not only for the interesting recipes and the story behind them - mostly happy childhood tasty memories - but also for the mouth-watering pictures, here to prove that, indeed, you should give a try to the recipes. 

This foodie version of the American dream, Poole's in Raleigh, means also a different philosophy when it comes to creating new dishes: 'For each and every dish, we start by breaking it down, piece by piece and examining it, from the ingredients on up through every single step. We pay meticulous attention to the details to make sure every thing is in balance and the final product is absolutely delicious while still respecting its identity and original story'. 

Labeled mostly as 'Southern kitchen', the cuisine tasted at Poole's go beyond any geographical attribution. It uses an eclectic mix of spices and ingredients, it creates new food habits and explore new tastes. What do you think, for instance, about 'popcorn with Dijon, olive oil, and Parmigiano Reggiano'? Or 'thuna tartare with Piment d'Esplete and cucumber'? Or cornmeal fried okra with tabasco mayo? I am particularly tempted by the watermelon with avocado, goat cheese, basil and sweet onion, featured on the cover. The recipes presented cover all the usual meals, from the entrees to the cocktails and sweets. I must confess that maybe there are too much liver-based recipes for my poor taste, but this is my one and only problem. As for now, I wish I have the strength to test the challah bread pudding with whiskey, apples and sour cream. Because it is never too late to try something completely new in your life.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the published in exchange of an honest review

Our troubled lives in times of Facebook

I am using Facebook from the very launch of the network and I keep being grateful for the chance of connecting with so many people that I love to be in touch with and to have daily my update of news and interesting facts in the world and my town. I recognize that once in a while I spend too much time procrastinating, checking things that at the first sight do not bring me any pinch of knowledge, but in 90% of cases, also this apparently dead time helps. After all, I am a social media consultant besides many others hats I proudly wear and I need to be updated about different trends and marketing and communication possibilities.

Facehooked offers a different perspective on the popular network, written by a psychologist that for years studied behavioral changes and listened to different stories of people whose lives was influenced at various respects by it. Following a analytic approach, it covers various aspects regarding the exposure of the virtual identities. 'Our sense of self is now being shaped through what we share and how we share it', observed Dr. Flores, and one of the visible effects of these changes are the new behaviors related to compulsive use of social media. However, in the case of addictions, the pattern keeps being the same, with various alterations given by the specific nature of the medium where it manifests. In general, social networks interactions give 'a new dimension to the therapeutic presentation'. 

Although it recognizes the positive effects of maintaining a healthy social media environment both online ad offline, the author focuses on the situations when Facebook can harm the mental integrity through: bullying, various manipulations, voyeurism, addictions etc. I completely agree with one of the advices that 'not everything we do have to be shared'. Also, I watch sometimes how parents are posting pictures online of their children, exposing them against their will to a publicity that maybe they do not want if anyone would have ask them. The world-wide interviews made by the author warn about dangerous trends and situations that dramatically changed lives and not always for the good, such as marriages destroyed, harassment etc.

A special section is dedicated to the Facebook phenomenon among teens, a category directly affected with a high consumption of social media and exposed to serious risks that their parents belonging to a different generation mostly ignore.

I really appreciated and recommend this book, for its systematic approach and various examples mentioned. Regardless the age group and level of social media use, everyone has something to learn from it.   

Disclaimer: I was offered the book via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.    

Eat, memory

This is exactly the kind of the book that you need when you ask yourself skeptically what are you writing for. As I didn't write on the blog for almost two months - altough I often felt guilty for my laziness - I tried for a couple of times to go beyond the limits of my - sometimes - clusmy words. I was not happy with the content - excepting the pictures - with the wording and everything related to language. I even stop making intersting meals, resuming our dinners to boring pasta and maybe some creative eggplants. 

The alarm clock was the cheesecake for Shavuot. Once upon a time I did 2-3 recipes, all of them being considered a pleasure for the palate of my guests. This year, I did only one and I was completely unsatisfied with the result - maybe too salty - despite the hungry rush of my dear ones to finish it in just a couple of hours.

And I waited again, for more than one week, for inspiration to reshape my timid life of juggler with words. This book, I bought more because of the very cheap price instead of the quality of the writings - I didn't know none of the writers - reminded me that writing about eating and food and cooking is not only cooking the right recipe, but also about telling the story of the food you make, the thoughts you have - not necessarily related to food - and the translation into words of sounds and smells and tastes. 

I will fully recommend it to anyone fighting writers' block or any other kind of block. Welcome back in my world of boiled words! Happy to be back here and promise to continue the good work.

Ideas about risotto

I must recognize that in the last 2 weeks I've been more focused on style than on content. In other words, I tried to work a bit for improving my knowledge and bibliography and writing qualities, instead of posting regularly (as I wished to). But this area is still very new for me and lots of changes are more than necessarily. If you want to hear a secret: not even cooked too sophisticatedly (call it cook's block), but I have some reserve recipes right in my left pocket.

During my wondering across the city libraries, I stumbled upon this book about Risotto. My personal encounter with risotto took place a couple of years ago when I visited for the first time the wonderful city of Milan and since then it was hardly for me to repeat the olfactive experience of a right rice combination.

After reading this book - with careful notes, as for any serious (almost academic-wise) approach, I am nurturing the hope that I will reconstruct my Milan memories every two days. In some of my dreams I see, smell and taste Risotto with: Gorgonzola and figs; raspberries and goat cheese; pears and chilli; pumpkin, mushrooms and lemon.

An extra disclosure of two tips: add some butter (I knew), but also some white wine (I didn't). 

I have prepared another book review, but after writing this I can't switch my mind from my risotto memories...

Book Review: Dips Made in the USA

The dips might be Made in the USA, but universally available. 

And this book helps you to make the right choice: it is very well organized - you can find mentions about the advantages from the point of view of the prices, style, preparation time, with clear indications and some tips, when necessarily, and tasty pictures. In sweet and salty variations. 

Stay tuned for coming practical applications.

Book review: Use your Mozzarella

Mozzarella. Köstliche Rezepte aus Bella Italia was my inspiration for a couple of nice recipes using mozzarella as ingredient. Excepting sweet combinations - at least according to this book - you can try in a relatively short time and with reduced costs various meals: with balsamico and tomatoes (p.22), baguette with garlic (p.26), with olives (p. 28), avocados and crostini (p.30) - of course I tried it, as a fanatic fan of avocados, with zucchini (p.60) or mushrooms (p.70).

Easy to read, nice pictures and a smart format, allowing you to put in your bag in the morning, on the way to your office, for returning back with inspiration and a fresh mozzarella in your pocket.

I wonder if it is a special word for enjoying eating mozzarella?

2 Cooking books

I was busy in the last days, but I was not starving. And, of course, I didn't forget about reading.
Here are my two sources of inspiration.

I was very excited to discover the South-African cuisine, a country I would like to visit one day. Lots of spices, the perfect sour-sweet combination I would always love, diversity of the vegetables and fruits. For the meat, I promise to never eat crocodile, zebra or oystrich. But I will strongly recommend soon, some salads and vegetarian meals (I am not vegetarian, though), adapted to my own style and taste. 

This collection of vegetarian recipes was easier to digest and I was pleasantly surprised about the diversity of choices - I never thought before making sweets out of tofu, and, after testing some of them I am definitely decided to explore more about. 

Novels about food

Haven't read none of them, but I am decided to spend some time in the libraries reading I would like for my long winter vacation to have a look on some of these books.