Friends of the Library Summer Sale #2 ~ Commander's Palace and Vera Bradley

Commander's Kitchen, published in 2000. Over 150 recipes from the venerable New Orleans restaurant - adapted for home cooks. There is an introductory chapter that traces the history of the dining establishment from its founding in the early 1880's (by Emile Commander) to it's current ownership by the Brennan family who acquired the restaurant in 1969. There are also chef's tips on seasonings, wine and cookware. Posted alongside each dish are tips and hints for preparations and ingredients.

Since we are in New Orleans, we begin with Cocktails, many which are synonymous with the Big Easy ~ Ramos gin fizz, Absinthe frappe and of course the Sazerac, there are also other libations ~ Brandy milk punch, Plantation peach punch, Irish coffee and iced mint honey tea. Finger Foods and Appetizers offers Dips (tangy shrimp or crab cream & cream cheese), spicy pecans, cheese straws, stuffed artichokes and corn fried oysters with horseradish cream.

In Gumbos, Soups and Stews, we are treated to crab & corn bisque, oyster chowder, soups (red bean, Creole tomato & fennel, turtle and roasted eggplant & garlic), a few basic stocks and many variations of gumbo ~ Yaya, seafood with okra and speckled belly goose). Salads consist of apple, watercress & Stilton, fried oyster, marinated crab, soft shell crab with tomatoes & sweet onions and pulled chicken with ginger pasta.

Brunch options include eggs Sardou, an andouille & peppers omelet, grillades & grits, Pain Perdu (French toast), sour cream pecan coffee cake and of course beignets, while Seafood highlights include a crawfish boil, stuffed deviled crab, whole baked fish with oysters & shrimp, catfish pecan and broiled snapper with Chardonnay.

The dishes in Meat, Game and Birds encompass veal chops, veal daube, braised lamb shanks with Merlot mushrooms, onion crusted rabbit, rack of venison and duck & sausage cassoulet, with Chef's Table pitching jumbo lump crab cakes, shoe string potato crusted fish, duck confit, salt crusted whole baked red fish, quail with crawfish stuffing and Creole cream cheese ice cream.

Krewe Meals features meals served to staff and introduces red beans & rice, buttermilk fried chicken, chicken etouffe, Creole stuffed peppers and Irish Channel corned beef & cabbage. Side Dishes and Vegetables delves into maque chow, honey roasted sweet potatoes, roasted garlic & buttermilk mashed potatoes, dirty rice and honey glazed tarragon carrots.

Many yummy choices abound in Desserts ~ bread pudding soufflé with whiskey sauce, Creole cream cheesecake, pecan pralines, pecan pie, calas, Ponchatoula (my dad's hometown and home to the Strawberry Festival) strawberry shortcake, citrus pound cake, lemon flan and a chocolate molten soufflé. The last chapter, Kitchen Pantry is filled with basics ~ Creole mayonnaise, meat seasoning, tarter sauce, Buerre Blanc, hot sauce, fig habanero BBQ sauce and onion marmalade.

Vera Bradley: Cooking with Friends, published in 2006. All recipes were contributed by friends and family of the Vera Bradley company.  The chapters are arranged by season with 4-5 menus for various occasions and many sumptuous photos filling the pages.

The first season highlighted is Springtime, with menus for Mother's Day, a bridal luncheon and Mother's Day among others. A few of the highlights include Friendship coffee cake (and directions to make the starter), lemon blueberry bread, crust-less Swiss quiches, black bean toss, taco dip, chicken & corn tostada salad, an edible flower salad, Mandarin orange salad, shredded Parmesan potatoes, grilled garlic & lime pork tenderloin, spiced smoke ham, caramel chocolate squares, lemon swirl cheesecake, pink grapefruit margaritas and coconut mojitos.

Summer offers menus for the 4th of July, family reunions and a party on the porch. A few of the offerings are blueberry pecan French toast, chocolate chip zucchini bread, calm chowder, beer cheese dip, potato pizza, salsa baked goat cheese, coleslaw, chicken pasta salad, potato salad with blue cheese & bacon, Danish red cabbage, fillet of beef with Gorgonzola sauce, whiskey BBQ ribs, Georgia chess pie, blueberry cookies, nectarine coconut cake and rhubarb slush.

Fall is next with menus celebrating a soup dinner, Thanksgiving or a bonfire at the lake. Among the options are pumpkin muffins, fresh mushroom soup, chili, beef stew, oven baked caramel corn, roasted pepper & goat cheese pizza, calico baked beans, spinach salad, brandied sweet potatoes, an eggplant & herb casserole, cumin grilled pork chops, grilled turkey with mushroom gravy, raisin filled cookies, mini chocolate soufflés, a pumpkin roll with toffee cream filling & caramel sauce and for drinking ~ a hot caramel bliss.

Winter closes out the book with menus for a tree trimming, Christmas breakfast and New Year's Eve. A few selected favorites are cinnamon sugar plum cake, orange yogurt muffins, a holiday breakfast casserole, champagne shrimp, layered caviar casserole, shrimp & grits tarts, smoked chipolte hummus, Chinese slaw, wold rice & cranberry dressing, cider brined turkey, brandy glazed ham, pecan cake, Espresso chocolate fudge, hazelnut gelato, mocha logs, white chocolate & peppermint cookie brittle and holiday garnet margaritas.