More Sale Books ~ Firehouse Cooking and The Cat Who.....

Firehouse Food, copyright 2003. Growing up around fire stations (on military bases) I tend to pick up any cookbook I come across with recipes prepared by firefighters. I remember many a meal eaten at the long community style kitchen table- mostly on holidays as well as movie nights with freshly made popcorn and other snacks.

The book is filled with recipes submitted from the 42 stations in San Francisco and reflect the diversity of the city's population with many amazing dishes. There is a short introductory chapter with a bit of background info on a few of the contributors and selected recipes (interesting tidbit - each station has at least one favorite Caesar salad recipe), plus notes that each firefighter in charge of the day's meals - lunch and dinner - does all the meal planning, shopping & cooking.  Many locally sourced produce and ingredients are featured in the recipes.

Up first is Salads and Soups which includes roasted beet with raspberry vinaigrette, Chinese or Mexican chicken salad, calamari salad, slug salad (greens, mandarin oranges, red onions & blue cheese) with beef barley, tortilla and duck wonton rounding out the soups.

Main Dishes encompass oxtail ossobuco, kalua pig, pork mole, tamales, junkyard dog champion chili (winner of many area chili cook-offs), gumbo, paella, chicken in a barrel (cooked in large metal drum cans), Thai BBQ chicken with peanut sauce, a few marinades and sauces for grilling, chicken & chorizo enchiladas, turkey meatloaf, cioppino (a San Francisco signature dish), whole roasted salmon with lemon basil teriyaki, fish tacos, Kung Pao prawns, Dungeness crab cakes, polenta lasagna, baked egg baskets and penne with chicken & artichokes.

Moving onto Sides, we encounter ginger carrots, roasted asparagus with tarragon, coleslaw with pineapple & dried cherries, scalloped potatoes, tortilla Espana, fried rice and Irish soda bread, and we end with Desserts ~ lemon milk cake, applesauce fruitcake, carrot/banana cake, chocolate chip cheesecake, brown sugar berry coffee cake, tiramisu, biscotti and tangy lemon bars.

The Cat Who....Reunion Cookbook, copyright 2006. Recipes from the author of "The Cat Who" series with menus revolving around family and friend reunions. Each chapter is based on a menu from different fictional characters - usually with a theme.

The first menu is from the Ogilvies and Fugtree reunion (farmhouse setting) and consists of hush puppies, cherry cola salad - congealed, sweet & sour coleslaw, potato & macaroni salad, five recipes involving  beans, orzo with goat cheese, BBQ ribs, Brunswick stew, tomato relish, peanut butter pie and fried cherry pies, followed by the Inchpot 4th of July Reunion Picnic which features strawberry bread, pickled watermelon rind, shoepeg corn salad, apple relish, sloppy joes, a simple chicken salad (only 4 ingredients), cranberry cream pie, kolaches and raspberry squares.

The Brodie Reunion delves into Scottish foods with cranberry-raspberry tea, cheese scones, Macintosh apple salad, carrot & rice casserole, leeks and ham, Scotch pies (pastry with lamb & gravy), sausage burgers, honey chicken, tartan cake (similar to carrot cake), chocolate shortbread fingers and blackberry crumble. In the Goodwinter Famously Reunion, we are treated to spiced mocha coffee, rice bean salad, Parmesan potato wedges, corn pudding, meatloaf, steak roll-ups, chicken rice casserole, peach almond ice cream and bourbon balls.

Hawaii is the theme of the Riker-Hanstable Friends Reunion which offers Blue Hawaii's and pina coladas, coconut dip, plantains, pineapple rice salad, roast pork with mango-peach sauce, tiki tiki meatballs, macadamia nut cream pie and a banana marble dessert. Irish food is on tap for the O'Dell-Robinson Reunion with cucumber dip, Irish soda bread, cabbage beet slaw, baked parsnips, potato spinach casserole, shepherd's pie, whiskey baked ham, dilled fish, barley pudding, whiskey cake and Irish oatmeal cookies.

The Landspeak Reunion revolves around game day/night and presents mimosas, coffee cake, fruit terrine, fried green tomatoes, granola, quiche, chicken crepes, crab dip, beef skewers with dipping sauce, cheese or spinach balls, cream puffs and toffee (very easy - made with saltines). Flavors of Italy are the topic of the Cutbrink Reunion which includes bread-sticks, a large antipasto tray, lemon-cherry salad, artichoke spread, lasagna, manicotti, Italian chicken, biscotti and the ever popular Italian creme cake.

We end the recipes with the Cat Reunion and a few seafood dishes ~ scallops in Gruyere sauce, seafood salad and a salmon loaf.