Thursday, May 29, 2003

 

FAQ's

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Hi ev'body, and thanks for stopping by!

This blog has evolved quite a bit since I first started, (despite the date this seems to have been published on, I'm writing in May, 2006. And updating in Jan. 2007) but now, it is just the way I want it to be.

Except for one thing...there isn't a link on "About Me" to much information.

Sure, sure, you can gather things about who I am just by reading the blog, but that still might leave some basic questions unanswewered...so in the interest of getting to know each other (and I do hope you will let me know a bit about you too!) here is some additional info (in FAQ form) 'bout me...enjoy!

Are you really a chef?
I did, in fact, go to cooking school (Ask me what I thought about that) at the California Culinary Academy, and have the scars to prove it, but we all know that cooking school only makes a girl a cook, not quite a chef. These days, I don't do that for my livelyhood, though sometimes I do give cooking classes, do demos, consult on food-related projects, food style and/or cater... If it makes you feel better, I did work in a few restaurants in San Francisco when I lived there, among other jobs, but I really didn't have the temperment for it.

What DO you do?
The truth is that most of the time, I laze about, enjoying life, basking in the glorious Southern California sun, sipping cocktails and thinking about food; then I go on and share those thoughts with you.

What is the point of this blog?
It's hit or miss, I agree, but my aim is to bring you with me on the (hyperbolic, superlative-filled) path of a (scotch-drinking, single-girl, who loves her town, is parenthetical, and lives a) foodies life.

Are you in?

Where do you get the information you put at the bottom of every post?
It should all be attributed, but mostly, I just look things up that have some sort of relevance to what I was talking about that day, is timely or just fun. I also try to include culinary definitions when ever they are needed.

Can I hire you to teach a class for me and my friends?
If you live in Los Angeles, I would be happy to check my schedule and see. Email me and we'll chat...

Are you Rachael Ray?
Uh...no. Our first names are spelled the same, yes; and we both cook, yes; and (I admit) we both love Oprah, but that is where the similarities end. Sorry! But thanks for all the fan email!

Is this a Gluten-Free, Low-Carb or Vegan site?
When I switched from the old version of Blogger to the new version in Jan. 07 I noticed an option to create post labels. Inspired by some of my favorite sites, I figured adding those particular labels would be helpful for anyone who doesn't eat meat or carbs or gluten. That doesn't mean this site is all about those things...I just happen to have a bunch of recipes that fall in those catagories.

What is your specialty?
Ah, the dreaded question...the truth is, my specialty is good food, but if hard pressed, I would have to say Cocktail Foods. Party Foods or Hors de Oeuvres works too. What can I say...I love a party, and I love party food...


OK peaches, that's about all I can muster for today. But please do be in touch, let me know a little about you! I do wonder...

xoxox,
Rachael
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(Oh and that handsome devil in the picture with me? That's Stevie B. He's a good egg.)



Thursday, May 15, 2003

 

My Cookbook Collection

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Ever wonder what cookbooks are on my shelves? (And on the coffee table, and the credenza, and night stand, and under the bed...)

Here is a (pretty much) comprehensive list! And the ones listed in RED, are my favorites.

50 Chowders - Jasper White
All Around the World Cookbook - Sheila Lukins
Alinea - Grant Achatz
An American Place - Larry Forgione
Appetizers - Shane Osborn
Aquavit - Marcus Samuelsson
Art of Japanese Vegetarian Cooking, The - Max Jacobson
Art of Persian Cooking, The - Forough Hekmet
Asian Noodles - Nina Simmonds
At Home in Provence - Patricia Wells
Baking Bread at Home - Tom Jaine
Barbecue Sauces, Rubs and Marinades - Steven Raichlen
Basic Ingredients: The Tomato Cookbook
Basic Ingredients: The Mushroom Cookbook
Beard on Bread - James Beard
Best of Craig Claiborne, The - Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey
Best of Martha Stewart - M. Stewart
Bouchon - Thomas Keller
Boulevard: The Cookbook – Nancy Oakes, Pamela Mazzola, Lisa Weiss
Boy Gets Grill - Bobby Flay
Breads from the La Brea Bakery - Nancy Silverton
Brilliant Bean, The - Sally and Martin Stone
British Grub - Bryan Murphy
Cafe Beaujolais - Margaret S. Fox and John Bear
Cafe Vietnam - Annabelle Jackson
Cajun Cuisine – W. Thomas Angers
Cake Bible, The - Ruth Levy Beranbaum
Cakes - Maida Heatter
California Home Cooking - Michele Ann Jordan
Candymaking - Ruth A. Kendrick
Canyon Ranch Cookbook - Jeanne Jones
Casual Occasions Cookbook - Chuck Williams and Joyce Goldstein
Cat Cora's Kitchen - Cat Cora
Catch of the Day - Carol Cutter
Celebrating Italy - Carol Field
Charcuterie - Michael Rhulman
Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home - Charlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter's Meat and Game - Charlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter's Seafood - Charlie Trotter
Chasen's, Where Hollywood Dined: Recipes and Memories – Betty Goodwin
Cheesemaking Made Easy – Carroll
Chef for All Seasons - Gordon Ramsay
Chef Harry and Friends - Harry Schwartz
Chez Nous - Lydie Marshall
Chocolate and the Art of Low Fat Desserts - Alice Medrich
Chocolate and Vanilla - Sharon Tyler Herbst
Chocolate Bar – Lewis/Nelson
Cider: Making, Using and Enjoying - Proulex and Nichols
Classic Home Desserts - Richard Sax
Classic Indian - Rafi Fernandez
Cocktail Food - Barber, Whitford, Narlock
Cold Soups - Linda Ziedrich
Complete Book of Pork - Bruce Aidells
Cook's Book of Mushrooms, A - Jack Czarnecki
Cooking at the Academy - California Culinary Academy
Cooking in America - Pierre Franey
Cooking with Curtis - Curtis Stone
Cooking with The Dead, Recipes and Stories from Fans on the Road - Elizabeth Ziphern
Cookwise - Shirley O. Corriher
Couscous - Paula Wolfert
Craft of Cooking - Tom Colicchio
Crazy Water Pickled Lemons - Diana Henry
Cucina Ebraica - Joyce Goldstein
Cuisine of Mexico - Diana Kennedy
Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook - Ruth Berolzheimer
Daily Soup Cookbook, The - Leslie Kaule
Dessert Bible, The - Christopher Kimball
Desserts by the Yard - Sherry Yard and Suzanne Griswold
Dessert Circus at Home - Jaques Torres
Down To Earth, Great Recipes for Root Vegetables - Georgeanne Brennan
Easy Cuisine 3 & 4 - Editor, Jennie Chapman Linthorst
El Farol, Tapas and Spanish Cuisine - James Caruso
Enduring Harvests - E. Barrie Kavasch
Entertaining with a Japanese Flavor - Kiyoko Konishi
Entertaining with Madhur Jaffrey – M. Jaffrey
Everybody Eats Well in Belgium - Ruth Van Waerebeek
Fannie Farmer Cookbook - Marion Cunningham (13th edition)
Far East Cafe - Joyce Jue
Farm Vegetarian Cookbook, The New – Hagler
Favorite Restaurant Recipes - Bon Appetit
Fields of Greens - Annie Somerville
Fiesta Latina - Rafael Palomino
Finnish Cookbook - Ojakkannas
Fish and Shellfish - James Peterson
Fish Cookbook - James McNair
Flatbreads and Flavors - Jeffory Alford and Naomi Duguid
Flavor of Andalusia - Pepita Aris
Flavor of the South, The - Jeanne A. Voltz
Flying Sausages - Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly
Food Network Favorites - Editors Meridith Press
Food of Southern Italy - Carlo Middione
Food to Die For - Patricia Cornwell
Foods of Japan, The – Editors
Foods of Vietnam - Nicole Routhier
French Chef Cookbook - Julia Child
French Laundry Cookbook - Thomas Keller
Fresh From the Farmers Market - Janet Fletcher
From My Mexican Kitchen - Diana Kennedy
Frozen Drinks - Bruce Weinstein
Fruits of the Sea - Rick Stein
Garde Manger - The Culinary Institute of America
Get Saucy - Grace Parisi
Great American Seafood Cookbook - Susan Loomis
Great California Cookbook - Kathleen DeVanna Fish
Great Recipes of Great Cooks - Editors of De Gustibus
Greens Cookbook - Deborah Madison
Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas - Craig Priebe and Dianne Jacob
Happy Cooking - Jacques Pepin
Happy in the Kitchen - Michel Richard
Healthy Kitchen, The - Rosie Daley
Heartland Food Society Cookbook - Barbara Grunes
Heirloom Vegetables - Sue Stickland
Herring - Leif Mannerström
Hollywood Du Jour: Lost Recipes of Legendary Hollywood Haunts - Betty Goodwin
Home Made in the Kitchen - Barry Bluestein
How To Cook Everything - Mark Bittman
Hungarian Cooking - Susan Dereskey
In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs - Julia Child
Indonesian Cookery - David Scott
International Deli Cookbook - Judy Zeidler
Irish Traditional Cooking – Darina Allen
Island Cooking, Recipes from the Caribbean - Dunstan A. Harris
Italian Cooking - Robin Howe
Italy, The Vegetarian Table - Della Croce
Jacques Pepin's Kitchen, Cooking with Claudine - Jacques and Claudine Pepin
Japan, The Vegetarian Table - Victoria Wise
Jewish Cooking in America - Joan Nathan
Joy of Cooking - Rombauer and Becker (1975 edition)
Joy of Pickling - Linda Zedrich
Judith Olney's Entertainments - Judith Olney
Key to Chinese Cooking, The - Irene Kuo
Kitchen of Light - Andreas Viestad
Ladle, Leaf and Loaf - Lisa Cowden
Latin American Vegetarian Cooking - David Scott
Latin Flavors on the Grill - Douglas Rodriguez
Laurel's Kitchen - Laurel Robertson
LB Books: Ginger
LB Books: Lemons
LB Books: Olives
Lean, Mean, Fat Reducing Grilling Machine Cookbook - George Foreman
Livebait Cookbook - Charlie Campion
Lord Krishna's Cuisine, The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking - Yamuna Devi
Lost Arts - Lynn Alley
Low Carb Meals in Minutes - Linda Gassenheimer
Lucious Lemon Desserts - Lori Longbothom
Magnolia Bakery Cookbook – Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey
Making of a Cook, The New - Madeleine Kamman
Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Child, Beck, Bertholle
Memories of a Cuban Kitchen - Mary Randelman and Joan Schwartz
Mexican Kitchen - Rick Bayless
Mexico, The Vegetarian Table - Victoria Wise
Meze, Small Bites, Big Flavors from the Greek Table - Rosemary Barron
Millennium Cookbook, The. Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine - Eric Tucker
Moosewood Cookbook, The New - Molly Katzen
Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home - The Moosewood Collective
More Japanese Garnishes - Yukiko Haydock
Morimoto - Masaharu Morimoto
Naked Chef, The - Jamie Oliver
New Fish Cookery - James Beard
New Scottish Cookery - Nick Nairn
New York Cookbook - Molly O'Neill
New York Times Cookbook, The - Craig Claiborne (1961 edition)
Night Before Cookbook - Paul and Leslie Rubinstein
North Africa, The Vegetarian Table - Jen Morse
Olives Table - Todd English and Sally Simpson
Onions, a Country Garden Cookbook - Jesse Ziff Cool
Pacific Fresh - Maryana Vollstedt
Pacific Palate, Cuisines of the Sun - Alaina de Havilland
Pasta Made Easy - Michele Scicolone
Pasta Soups and Salads - Joanne Weir
Pastries From the La Brea Bakery - Nancy Silverton
Patio Daddy-O - Bosker, Brooks, Payton & Payton
Paul Bocuse in Your Kitchen - Paul Bocuse
Peace, Love and Barbecue - Mike Mills, Amy Mills Tunnicliffe
Pears - Linda West Eckhardt
Perfect Recipe, The - Pam Anderson
Pintxos - Gerald Hirigoyen
Pleasures of Slow Food, The - Corby Kummer
Polenta - Brigit Binns
Potato Experience, The - Lisa Tanner
Prime Time Emeril - E. Lagasse
Professional Baking - Wayne Gisslen
Professional Cooking - Wayne Gisslen
Pumpkin Cookbook, The - Nicola Hill, Editor
Red Hot and Green, 50 Spicy Vegetarian Recipes - Janet Hazen
Rice, From Risotto to Sushi - Claire Ferguson
River Cottage Meat Book – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Rolled, Wrapped and Stuffed - Janet Hazen
Roy's Feasts from Hawaii - Roy Yamaguchi
San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook, The - Editors Michael Bauer and Fran Irwin
Sauces - James Peterson
Savannah Seasons - Elizabeth Terry and Alexis Terry
Silver Palate Cookbook, The - Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (4th edition, 1982)
Silver Spoon, The - Editoriale Domus
Simple and Healthy Cooking - Jacques Pepin
Simple Art of Perfect Baking - Flo Braker
Simple French Food - Richard Olney
Simply Heavenly, The Monestery Vegetarian Cookbook - Abbot George Burke
Smoke Seafood, Florida Cracker Style! - Ted Dahlem
Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernog Wine – Dabney
Splendid Table - Lynne Kasper
Spreads, Toppers and Dips - Diane Rozas
Steak Lovers Cookbook - William Rice
Steaks, Chops, Roasts and Ribs – Editors
Street Food - Tom Kime
Sultans Kitchen, A Turkish Cookbook – Ozcan Ozan and Carl Tremblay
Sunday Suppers at Lucques - Suzanne Goin
Sunset Magazine Books: Breads
Sunset Magazine Books: Fish & Shellfish
Sunset Magazine Books: Hors D'Oeuvres
Sunset Magazine Books: Light Cooking
Sunset Magazine Books: Mexican
Sunset Magazine Books: Oriental
Sushi - Mia Derrick
Swedish Cakes and Desserts - ICA Test Kitchens
Sweet Melissa Baking Book - Melissa Murphy
Tante Marie's Cooking School Cookbook – Mary Risley
Tassajara Bread Book - Edward Espe Brown
Taste of Birmingham, II – Editors
Taste of Heaven and Earth, A - Bettina Vitell
Taste of Thailand - David Scott
Terrific Pacific - Anya Von Bremzen
Thailand, The Vegetarian Table - Jacqui Passmore
Top Chef - Chronicle Books
Turn it Up! 50 Fiery Recipes - Janet Hazen
Ultimate Chocolate Cake Cookbook - Pamela Asquith
Ultimate Mushroom Cookbook - Peter Jordan and Steven Wheeler
Vegan Cooking - Eva Batts
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World – Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Vegan Delights - Jeanne Martin
Vegetables - James Peterson
Vegetables - Time Life Books
Vegetarian Bistro, The - Marlena Spieler
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone – Deborah Madison
Village Baker, The - Joe Ortiz
Vintners Table, The - Mary Evely
Way I Cook, The - Lee Bailey
Weekend Chef, The - Barbara Witt
Well-Seasoned Appetite, A - Molly O'Neill
Williams-Sonoma: Cakes, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
Williams-Sonoma: Fish
Williams-Sonoma: Healthy Cooking
Williams-Sonoma: Ice Creams and Sorbets
Williams-Sonoma: Muffins and Quickbreads
Williams-Sonoma: Salads
Williams-Sonoma: Shellfish
Williams-Sonoma: Stews
Williams-Sonoma: Vegetables
World of Food - Paula Wolfert
Yan Can Cook Book, The - Martin Yan
Zuni Cafe Cookbook - Judy Rodgers





And there you have it!





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I buy most of my cookbooks used

That photo isn't of me, nor is that my bookshelf. I just like the pic!



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