Put 'em Up! Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook

Put 'em Up! Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook

Author: Sherri Brooks Vinton

Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (2013)

There is nothing like cracking into a jar of homemade jam. For years, we have been able to enjoy the bounty of the Spring and Summer year-round thanks to the ancient practice of preserving berries, tomatoes, stone fruit and more. While today it seems like produce has no seasonality thanks to imports and greenhouses, canning has the unique quality of being able to consistently provide the taste and nutrition of fruit and vegetables in their prime. This, and the ever-stronger movement towards frugal and honest food, is perhaps the reason canning is enjoying a resurgence with a new generation of professional and home cooks. Nobody understands this “young love” better than author Sherri Brooks Vinton, whose previous work Put Em Up! introduced preserving both fruits and vegetables with approachable, decadent style. Now she’s back with another installment – Put 'em Up! Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook: Creative Ways to Put 'em Up, Tasty Ways to Use 'em Up – and it is just as packed with tempting goodies.

As it’s name implies, Put Em Up! Fruit is exclusively about the home preservation of, well, fruit. Beyond berries and applesauce (though there are those too), Brooks Vinton also includes recipes for more unusual varieties such as grapefruit, quince and rhubarb. Each of the 17 types of fruit have a few options for preserving, from canning and freezing to drying, plus suggestions on how to really make them your own. While many of the preserves in Put Em Up! Fruit are jams, the book also has a wealth of savoury sauces and gastriques, cordials and cocktails too. It’s easy to picture using parts of this book at every meal, not to mention proudly giving away jars of your work over the holidays!

Of course, there is no point in canning all these glorious things if you have no idea what to do with them all afterwards. Brooks Vinton solves this issue too, providing an array of 80 “use up” recipes. From Broiled Pork Chops with Apricot Glaze (p. 71) to Pear Soup (p. 197) and (my personal favourite) Flourless Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (p. 242), there is no excuse to have any of the preserves languish in your pantry!

As casual and friendly as Put Em Up! Fruit is on the surface, it should be noted that Brooks Vinton takes her craft seriously and spares no space documenting the safest and most rewarding methods for canning at home. Part One, at just over 30 pages, is a must-read for anyone new to preserving and is worth reviewing if (like me) you are a Summer-only canner. The section covers Keys to Success (i.e. only use fruit that’s ripe and preferably local, definitely not anything past it’s prime), a handy glossary, basic boiling-water bath methodology, ingredient roles in recipes, syrups, ingredient preparations, and of course, discussion of the all-important pectin. If you run into trouble along the way, a browse of Put Em Up! Fruit’s Troubleshooting section answers many of the common canning issues out there. In addition, the book includes three pages of Resources in the back, giving readers no reason to shy away from the craft due to lack of equipment.

Five Spice Plum Sauce (p. 214)

I couldn’t wait to try out some of the recipes in Put Em Up! Fruit, especially since I planned to give homemade food gifts out again at Christmas. I’m a fairly seasoned canner, but I usually make my jams and jellies with pectin rather than relying on the “gel test” method used with sugar-only recipes. That said, the Five Spice Plum Sauce (p. 214) was relatively simple to put together, although I wound up requiring far more liquid than stated in the recipe. The Strawberry Balsamic Glaze (p. 246) was more akin to the recipe’s wording though, and the gourmet flavours were just as simple to put together. While I “cheated” and used my dehydrator for the Berry Apple Leather (p. 88), I loved the method Brooks Vinton used to make the puree and her reasoning for using apples – they are a neutral, pectin-rich base that helps “stretch” the more expensive berries and give the sheet of puree structure. Since the first batch from the book, I have used the same principles for a variety of “fruit roll ups” at home, and not once have I had an issue. I’ve bookmarked a handful of other scrumptious-looking recipes for future projects, but since I’m running out of jars (and much of the fruit is out of season now), they will have to wait till next year.

Strawberry Balsamic Glaze (p. 246)

Whether you’re brand new to canning or regularly fill your pantry with jars of seasonal goodness, Sherri Brooks Vinton tempts the palate and the imagination with her creations. Put 'em Up! Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook: Creative Ways to Put 'em Up, Tasty Ways to Use 'em Up has a wealth of information, easy to follow recipes and use-ups that allow everyone to become a gourmet in their own kitchen, without the fuss (or price-tag) of a fancy restaurant.

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Tomato: A Fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook

Tomato: A Fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook

Author: Lawrence Davis-Hollander

Publisher: Storey Publishing (2010)

When it comes to produce at it's prime, Summer means one thing and one thing only: tomatoes. It's hard to argue that anything tastes better than a fresh, sun-kissed beefsteak or handful of cherry tomatoes sliced onto toast, tossed with a simple salad or simply fresh off the vine. However, if you have ever grown tomato plants yourself, you know the inevitable glut that comes near the middle of August when you just can't think of another way to use them. Meeting this need for late-season (or any time) inspiration is Lawrence Davis-Hollander, founder of the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy and Director of Horticulture at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens, with his latest book Tomato: A Fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook.

Tomato is packed with 150 recipes from all over the globe, including those from famous chefs like Massimo Capra (of Toronto's Mistura), Daniel Boulud and Rick Bayless. Every course is incorporated into the pages - sauces & salsas, starters, soups, salads, pizzas & sandwiches, vegetable mains, meat and fish mains, sides and even desserts like the strangely appetizing Candied-Tomato Tart with Five-Spiced Hazelnut Crust (p. 220). Davis-Hollander even includes a critical chapter of preserves (p. 227), with information on freezing, drying, juicing, pickling, canning and even confiting your harvest for the long winter ahead. Ideas for using your preserved (or storebought canned) tomatoes are also entwined with the book's recipe collection, from a Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Bread (p. 132) (which coincidentally goes wonderfully with the Green Tomatoes on Toast on the next page) to canned diced tomatoes in Tomato, Lentil and Almond Soup (p. 86) and the juice (of course) in the Bloody Bull (p. 65) and Spicy Tomato Cocktail (p. 66). A guide to saving tomato seeds to plant next year is also included on page 259.

Confit Tomatoes (p. 251)

Mouthwatering photography in this book is provided by Sabra Krock - I just wish there was more of it, and incorporated into the flow of the book itself. As a reader I look for photos accompanying the recipes, and while I appreciate the inclusion of photos at all, searching for an example of a stellar-sounding dish in only 8 pages is often a letdown.

The recipes in Tomato themselves are generally nothing short of spectacular - I have made the Confit Tomatoes (p. 251) three times this season, and packed some home-dried cherry tomatoes in olive oil (p. 250) for holiday gift giving. The beginning and end of the season (when the tomatoes in our backyard were not quite at their peak ripeness) saw impromptu half- and quarter-batches of the Roasted Heirloom Tomato Sauce (p. 20), which capitalized on the available sugars in the fruit but was too sweet for our palates. Luckily, modifying the acidity and salt is a simple technique for any cook, and when the basic recipe is as foolproof as this Market Kitchen offering I even ventured to roast the onions and garlic as well. This modification proved to be a great boon to the outcome, adding a slightly bitter edge to the candy-sweet tomatoes, and a kiss of lemon juice with a dash of salt rounded out the flavours.

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Sauce (p. 20)

For those less inclined to fire up the oven or stove who enjoy absorbing a wealth of food knowledge, Tomato is also filled with information on the crop's heirloom varieties (p. 253, as well as throughout), growing in containers (p. 7), choosing the best variety for the recipe (p. 9) and even the economics of the food and it's associated products. I loved reading the article "America's Love Affair with Tomatoes" (p. 69), where I learned that almost 22 pounds of fresh (and 72 pounds of processed) tomatoes are consumed per capita in the USA, but that China, not a western country, is the largest producer of them! For the truly tomato-crazy, Davis-Hollander shares some of the festivals around the USA, and for those interested in the chefs behind some of Tomato's recipes, biographies are included near their offerings.  "Top 10" lists of various foodie's favourite varieties also lace the book, which is a great resource when selecting a cultivar to plant or buy.

While the season in the northern hemisphere may be drawing to a close, the treats and information in Lawrence Davis-Hollander's book are timeless. Whether you are looking for a use-up for an over-productive garden, trying to jazz up a can from the store or searching for ideas as to what next year's crop will be, you'll find something of use. For tomato lovers (and those who cook for them) Tomato: A Fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook is an easy to savour addition to the culinary library.

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The Locavore Way: Discover And Enjoy The Pleasures Of Locally Grown Food

The Locavore Way: Discover And Enjoy The Pleasures Of Locally Grown Food

Author: Amy Cotler

Publisher: Storey Publishing (2009)

 

Eating local is all the rage these days. From tiny roadside stands with Bristol-board signage proclaiming backyard strawberries to five star restaurants building entire tasting menus from local suppliers and reality television challenges, it's the latest trend in food culture for good reason. Local food is picked riper and shipped less, allowing the best nutrition and (most importantly) the truest flavours of the fruit or vegetable to shine. While you would figure that the task of eating what is produced around you is an easy one, it's not always the case. Labelling is hit and miss, some farmers markets are actually selling imported goods and occasionally the prices are higher thanks to the lack of corporate mass-farming operations keeping costs to a minimum. Amy Cotler attempts to ease the transition to a more locally based diet in her book The Locavore Way: Discover And Enjoy The Pleasures Of Locally Grown Food.

Locavore Way is if nothing else a valiant attempt to humanize the still somewhat elitist world of farm-to-table living. With a personable writing style and many helpful lists and subsections including stories from producers who follow the "local food first" philosophy, Cotler addresses many key concerns such as sourcing local food, finding farmers markets and restaurants who provide truly auto-produced or regional fare, how to shop and prepare what you buy or grow for the best results and most importantly - doing all of this on a budget. While similar books become akin to sermons or lectures on how conventional eating is the root of all evil, and usually promote a strict vegetarian way of life, Locavore Way is less so. A certain amount of preaching is present however, especially where the chapter Connect and Engage (p. 180) and the appendix section Key Events in Local Food History (p. 216) are concerned, but in general the message Cotler brings is full of passion and backed with experience, whether her own or her interviewees.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that anything to do with local eating is by nature only applicable to the immediate surroundings, some of this book specific points and examples lack relevance for anyone outside of Cotler's location of northeastern America. Many of the points mentioned in Locavore Way are, while important in their own right, also dependent on living in cities within the United States with easy access to services like Community Supported Agriculture (p. 47), bulk Buying Clubs (p. 67) and well stocked supermarkets and specialty grocers, not to mention longer growing seasons and better climates than those in Canada or the United Kingdom can hope to have. This book also struggles with a lack of fresh, revealing content for it's target audience. In essence, the messages shared in anyone outside of Cotler's location of northeastern America. Many of the points mentioned in Locavore Way are intuitive, and the majority of consumers already understand the basics of why and how to eat locally that make up this book's skeleton. A lot of the information in this book is identical across chapters and sections, simply re-stating the same facts in different language, occasionally sounding like the author simply turned to a Thesaurus and re-wrote what came up. A section that would have been appreciated is a section of tips for finding a "better option" when, as in the case of us up north, local options are out of season or too expensive. A portion of the book I looked forward to, "The Seasonal Eater" (p. 18), is unfortunately impractical for the majority of readers, since today people tend to thrive on variety, not to mention an array of foods in the diet is important for overall health. Even her well-intended section "10 Reasons to Eat Locally Produced Food" (p. 10) is written from an idealistic perspective - for instance, point #3 (For the health and safety of your family and yourself) is not necessarily the case - just because a vegetable or loaf of bread came from next door doesn't mean it isn't laden with chemicals, pesticides and preservatives, less processed or more sound nutritionally than a similar item. Number 6 (For an open, working landscape) would be wonderful if it was as common as Cotler may have you believe, but the truth remains that local production does not equal historical or pristine landscapes and environments.

I appreciated the fact that Cotler took the time to connect with like minded farmers and document their stories, particularly those of Breezy Hill Orchard and Stone Ridge Orchard (p. 35) which were a great eye opener as to the challenges of biodynamic farming. Her section on "Local vs. Organic" (p. 13) was refreshing to read as well, as it reiterated what many shoppers are unaware of in terms of the costs of certification preventing many local farms from applying the label regardless of their identical practices. Her farmer's market planning guide (p. 23) is fantastic, especially for those who have never ventured to one. "15 Ways to Become a Locavore" (p. 4), while imperfect in it's ability to be applied carte-blanche across livelihoods and locales, is a good start for complete local neophytes and worth a read even if you've eaten local for years. While the section dedicated to seasonal eating was more flash and less substance, readers can find lists of what to look for (at least in the northeastern US) by season in the sections titled "The Seasonal Market" (p. 33) and a sample CSA "share" listing from Sproutwood Farms (p. 64). As a foodie, the chapter Play with your Produce (p. 146) was a wonderful resource for preparation and serving ideas (whether using local or supermarket fruits and vegetables), and as it covers some of the less familiar items like celeriac, jicama, fennel, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes and tomatillos the information may entice even the wariest cook to look at it in a different way. For budding gardeners, Locavore Way also has a fairly basic starter guide to growing your own, but I would suggest true beginners consult a gardening manual before jumping in head first.

For those just discovering the local way of eating, The Locavore Way: Discover And Enjoy The Pleasures Of Locally Grown Food is a good first read to test the waters with. Amy Cotler takes care to inform, inspire and impassion even the most skeptical consumer, and provides enough solid, basic material that readers can move on and apply specific principles to their lives in the way that suits their lifestyles best. A perfectly 100-mile existence is out of reach for many, but regional and in-season eating is attainable at least some of the year. When it's as close as your backyard, there's no reason not to try a taste of local living.

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The Beginner’s Guide to Edible Herbs: 26 Herbs Everyone Should Grow and Enjoy

The Beginner’s Guide to Edible Herbs: 26 Herbs Everyone Should Grow and Enjoy

Author: Charles W.G. Smith

Publisher: Storey Publishing (2010)

Borage (p. 29) Blossoms

My family is fortunate enough to have a large and varied backyard garden providing us with months of organic produce every year. From heirloom tomatoes, carrots and beets to my stepdad's favourite hot peppers and Romano beans, we run the growing gamut as it were - we even have a vineyard, strawberry patches, and both fig and Meyer lemon trees! When it comes to appreciating this bounty, we try to keep things as simple as possible, but after a while we fall into a rut with our flavour pairings. Sure, salt and freshly ground black pepper on still-warm tomatoes is fantastic, and hot peppers are wonderful on sandwiches and pizza, but fresh herbs have the ability to elevate even the most pedestrian, store bought items to new heights. While we often buy our herbs at the grocery store, they are easy and certainly more economical to grow at home - whether in the garden or in planters on the windowsill. What to choose for your kitchen herb garden, how to grow it and - most importantly - how to use it are the tenets of Charles WG Smith's book The Beginner’s Guide to Edible Herbs: 26 Herbs Everyone Should Grow and Enjoy.

Oregano (p. 107)

Smith's book is small and succinct in that it only contains 26 of the hundreds of culinary herbs available. However, this 143-page manual contains everything a gardener could need to know about those herbs, and the ones chosen for inclusion in Edible Herbs really are some of the most quintessential in classical European and North American cooking. The beautifully photographed images in this book lend assurance to the reader that they are buying the correct item once at the nursery, and I have brought this guide with me on occasion so that the staff could help me find a particular plant. This was incredibly helpful, especially in the case of herbs like calendula (p. 36), borage (p. 29), bee balm (p. 26) and the hyssops (pgs. 11, 80), since these plants are more often grown for their gorgeous blossoms than for their culinary applications. Some readers may even find that a flavour goldmine is sitting in their own backyards!

Catnip (p. 46) Leaves and Blossoms

Once the herbs for this season (at least) are chosen, Smith really begins his strongest work. If the reader is unsure about growing anything at all (I know several "black thumbs" out there), the introduction to Edible Herbs addresses the best places to plant in general, "companion" herbs and vegetables, preventing the common "herb sprawl" (with a clever little piece titled Beware the Garden Huns (p.3)) and general care and tending. There is even a handy "yield guide" (p. 6) to prevent the gung-ho gardener having to give away (or worse, throw out) armfuls of mint or lemon balm halfway through the season. I only wish I had read this book sooner, since with only two catnip plants I've been giving away tons of it, not to mention "doping up" our three cats almost every day! Each herb in the book is given it's own chapter, which is divided into "garden" and "kitchen" sections. The "In the Garden" sector covers seeding, final planting and harvesting techniques, as well as providing a simple-to-read chart of ideal soil and  light for that particular plant, as well as whether it is considered an annual or perennial.

Dried Calendula (p. 36) Petals

Once the bounty of herbs is harvested, the "In the Kitchen" component of each of Edible Herbs' chapters comes through, providing ideas as to just what to do with each part of the plant that is considered edible, flavour pairings to try, and general tips on usage. These tips are along the lines of when to add an herb to a dish for best flavour (beginning, midway through or as a finishing touch), if the herbs should be cooked with the other ingredients or only used raw, and whether it's best to choose a fresh or dried version in a recipe. After reading that calendula (p. 36) was considered a saffron substitute, I immediately bought three plants for my own herb garden with grand plans for paella. Unfortunately, the combination of unseasonably warm weather and our hungry backyard wildlife meant I only managed two harvests before they all perished or were eaten, but what I could save I dried, now I can't wait for my first batch of rice pilaf with "Canadian saffron".



Drying Calendula (p.36)



The thing I find confusing with this book is that the recipes and culinary guides are not always cohesive with the herb chapter they appear in. For instance, Making Herbal Vinegars (p.101) is nestled between Marjoram and Mint, yet neither of the two recipes offered contain either of those herbs. Also, while I don't expect complete innovation in terms of recipe suggestions, I did hope for something slightly more than a pizza (p. 110) for oregano and pickles for dill (p. 65). That said, the recipes themselves are good, solid formulae, and once our vegetables catch up I'm looking forward to enjoying the spicy-sweet Red Onion, Mango and Chile Salsa (p. 60) and bowls of the hearty Beta Soup (p. 25) well into the fall and winter.

A "Lemon" Variety of Thyme (p. 137)

For so few herbs included in the pages of Edible Herbs, the level of inspiration available to the reader is astounding. From budding gardeners to old pros in the dirt, kitchen newbies to seasoned gourmands, one of the twenty-six is likely to find a niche in your household. Some herbs may be completely foreign to your eye and palate, while others will be old favourites, but Charles W.G. Smith brings them all together in an accessible, approachable guidebook. With The Beginner’s Guide to Edible Herbs: 26 Herbs Everyone Should Grow and Enjoy, there is no excuse for not going green in your diet and your yard.  

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The Healthy College Cookbook

The Healthy College Cookbook
Authors and Collaborators: Alexandra Nimetz, Jason Stanley, Emeline Starr, Rachel Holcomb
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (2008) 

Stereotypical college life is fairly simple: dorm rooms, cafeterias, all nighters, takeout pizza and lots of liquid “sustenance” in both caffeinated and alcoholic forms. While it is definitely not as party-hearty as the movies and TV shows would have you believe, there is no denying the fact that students are in a very different situation than when Mom and Dad were in charge. Meal plans and the accessibility of not-so-healthy options in campus cafeterias make healthy eating a challenge, and with growing numbers of young adults leaving the nest without learning how to boil water the thought of using the kitchen facilities can be daunting.

Enter the by-students, for-students culinary solution: The Healthy College Cookbook. Written by Alexandra Nimetz, Jason Stanley and Emeline Starr, this new edition adds recipes from a fresh wave of post-secondary students and turns the simple “how to” original into a verifiable catalogue of ideas. Not only are the recipes simple, relatively quick to prepare and inexpensive, this cookbook is also filled with information on setting up your first kitchen, basic cooking techniques, grocery shopping and other “kitchen tips” that are smattered throughout the 283 pages. Handy symbols on each recipe denote vegetarian, vegan, “super quick” and “dorm room favourite” selections and all have a brief nutrition analysis provided for them.

For those who are truly new in the kitchen, the first chapter “Getting Started in Your First Kitchen” is a must read. Even as a seasoned home cook, I appreciated the tips the authors gave (like Three Easy Odour Beaters (p. 6)), and I wish that as a student I had the Cookware Essentials list (p. 3)! The herb and spice section is almost an encyclopedia (in a good way), including suggestions of what to use on what food you’re cooking. A small note on healthier substitutions (p. 17) is basic but useful for most “recipe makeovers”, and I particularly appreciated the line “... remember, 1 slice chocolate cake = 27 minutes on the Stairmaster!” (ironically for a 150 lb individual this is extremely close!). The only part of this introductory chapter I found lacking was the cupboard and fridge “essentials” list (p. 5-6), which has significant gaps in terms of what to keep on hand for most of the recipes to follow.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal (p. 26)

College Cookbook is categorized into eleven chapters, which is a bit superfluous given the bulk of them fit more than one “mould” (and some cases would do better in a different category). While Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas (p. 61) is documented as serving 8 to 10, I defy any college student to have just half of a tortilla as a snack. The entire contents of the “Pasta” section fit neatly into one of the Vegetarian, Seafood, Chicken, Meat or Sauce chapters, and the solitary turkey recipe (Turkey Burgers (p. 212)) looks awkward nestled in the Meat chapter with the beef and pork offerings. While the “Side Dishes and Sauces” chapter contains baked, twice baked and mashed potato recipes, the “Appetizer” section also contains a baked B.L.T. Tater (p. 58) which is essentially the same thing. A condensed table of contents and better categorization of the recipes would probably better suit the “easy” marketing angle of the book.

The actual recipes in College Cookbook are generally solid, dependable creations that the average student would both be able to and want to recreate. The meals are also those that can “grow” with the cook as they build their kitchen and cooking know-how, allowing enough free reign to experiment with flavours and ingredients while still maintaining the integrity of the original dish. That said, not all the recipes in this book are what I (or some students I consulted) would consider “healthy”. A single serving of the aforementioned Chicken and Bacon Quesadilla (half of one tortilla) clocks in at 230 calories and 13 grams of fat! Given that the majority of the student body would easily have two (if not more) servings at a time if they were feeling peckish, the Freshman 15 wouldn’t  be too far off.

Some recipes are too simple for anything but a child’s cookbook to have, such as Ants on a Log (p. 47) or Cottage Cheese on a Bagel (p. 72) while others are more complex, time consuming, hard to store, expensive or “gourmet” than what the average college cook is willing to approach. The “harder” recipes shouldn’t be discounted completely, however, as they are a wonderful place to turn when time and a fully equipped kitchen are on your side (perhaps over Summer break?). Even the “middle ground” items like Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry (p. 133) are perfect for any home cook’s repertoire, regardless of their age or living situation. I love that this updated version of College Cookbook does contain a decent amount of tofu-based recipes and vegan options, and while a lot of the recipes are sorely lacking in vegetables as written, adding produce to stir fries, pastas, soups and casseroles is simple. Another strength of this book is it’s high ratio of “takeout”-like recipes. For anyone on a budget, let alone those who are chronically surrounded by fast food, being able to make a cheaper and healthier option is a big plus.

Chicken Curry (p. 202)

This book is definitely not just for broke, stressed out, time-crunched or lazy students looking for the next snack – although it suits that purpose as well. There is enough variation in the pages to tempt food lovers of any age, especially those who commute to work or have children to care for. I had the pleasure of having a lightning-quick, stick-to-your-ribs (albeit almost cement-thick) bowl of Peanut Butter Oatmeal (p. 26) one morning, while my mom has been enjoying reheating the Chicken Curry (p. 202) and Thai-Inspired Beef and Pasta (p. 150) at work. In both the case of the curry and beef dishes, I followed the student-life example of using what you have around and catered to my mom’s desire for vegetable-heavy dishes with a few substitutions and additions. The creamy curry (originally a milk-based sauce with diced onion and chicken cubes) became in essence a rich vegetable curry packed with mushrooms, cauliflower, snow peas and carrots and an occasional mouthful of chicken. The six ounces of thinly sliced, marinated round steak stretched to three filling, nutritious meals (rather than the two servings as written) with generous additions of carrot, green onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and snow peas. In both cases, the full flavour of the original recipe still shone through, and allowed the small amount of protein to carry through many meals without resorting to adding a huge amount of starch like rice or pasta. As we didn’t have any on hand, the macaroni in the Thai-Inspired Beef became brown rice stick noodles that my sister had brought back after her second year in university, adding a more authentic flair while also costing less per serving than standard Italian pasta. We’ve earmarked several other recipes in this so-called College Cookbook which are perfect for our hungry, busy and frugal family of five’s dinners as well.

Thai-Inspired Beef and Pasta (p. 150)

For those about to head off to school in September, or their parents, this book is a fabulous investment in the future. The health and wellbeing of young adults and families is at stake thanks to the inability of the younger generation to craft a meal from scratch and the lack of time or patience the older generation has to play teacher. The hidden value in this book is truly in that it makes cooking approachable and fun, two qualities which are frequently forgotten in the world of 500 page gourmet tomes and perfectly executed television shows. Anyone who pages through The Healthy College Cookbook will find something of value, be it a tip about deodorizing the kitchen or an impressive but low-fat burger, and the lessons learned along the way won’t be as fleeting as those from early morning lectures.

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