Post #500 - Brand New Local Cookbook - Athens Eats

Welcome to the 500th post of my blog! Over the past 2.5 years my cookbook collection has ebbed and flowed to a somewhat manageable amount of 888 books. Of course in the same time span I have sold 425 books and donated another 140 books. After this entry the updates will probably not post in the usual 3 day time period - I am starting to cut back on my book buying (storage is an issue!) but as long as there is a cookbook that catches my fancy, I will be there to purchase it!

Athens Eats: Recipes from the Classic City, published in 2016. This cookbook was 8 years in the making - all proceeds benefit AIDS Athens. The recipes were collected from AIDS Athens volunteers, local restaurants, chefs and musicians.

Appetizers (Started and Party Food) jump starts the recipes with a smoked salmon tartare, crab cakes with a remoulade sauce, chickpea fritters, crawfish beignets, Valdalia onion & artichoke dip, REM's stuffed mushrooms (cream cheese stuffing), a rosemary & artichoke dip, Savannah crab spread, shiitake egg rolls with a miso vinaigrette and Bulldog bites (sausage, cheese & Bisquick). Up next are Soups and Chili (Classic & New) which consist of a vegetarian lentil soup, poblano corn chowder, a chilled carrot soup, veggie chili and from Widespread Panic - Four Corners soup (chicken, corn, potatoes & coconut milk).

Moving onto Main Dishes (with Meat), we are offered adobo roasted chicken, lamb, green beans & potato salad with mint pesto, beef pies, turkey eggplant Parmesan, panko crusted lamb chops, an egg casserole, oats & bacon meatloaf, orange zest pork chops, crab stuffed chicken and Koosha stuffed squash (lamb & tomatoes are in the filling) , while Main Dishes (with Seafood) dishes out salmon with a fennel tomato salad, salmon & grits, planked salmon with arugula vinaigrette, a calamari salad and shrimp breakfast burritos.

There are Main Dishes (with Vegetables) ~ a green apple & Brussels sprouts salad, eggplant casserole and pasta puttanesca, plus a few Side Dishes (Good on Their Own) ~ collards,  a corn salad and fried okra.

Some of the options in Breads (and Biscuits) include beer bread, hoe cakes, Irish soda bread, a blackberry & banana nut bread and homemade doggie biscuits, with Desserts (Familiar & New) featuring bananas Foster ice cream, chocolate pecan pie, cracker scrunchies (toffee made with saltine crackers), low fat cream cheese brownies, green tomato pie, zucchini cake, a redneck cheesecake tart (chocolate chip cookie dough, cream cheese, condensed milk & cherry pie filling), buttermilk pound cake and a vegan chocolate raspberry cake.

This being Athens, we end with a few Drinks ~ sangria, strawberry lemonade and the cosmopeepleton (simply add a marshmallow peep of your choosing to a cosmopolitan).

Thrifty Find - Party Food

Party Food, published in 2006. There are 120 recipes plus four jam packed chapters on how to host and plan the perfect party.

The first chapter, Party Planning, delves into general topics ~ dress "code", budget, time of day, scheduling, the venue, invitations, equipment, decorations, table etiquette, table settings and presentation (sit down formal dinner, buffet, etc), while Party Organizing focuses on the food with hints and tips on matching courses, selecting recipes, menu cards, cooking plans. shopping, cooking ahead, garnishing & decorating food and coping with leftovers.

Party Themes offers several options with food suggestions ~ a drinks party with sushi, finger foods or canapes, plus ideas for a buffet table, brunch & lunch, children's parties, picnics, BBQ entertaining and fondue flair, with Party basics sharing a few tested and true do & don'ts, tips on serving a cheese board, information on wine, organizing drinks and glassware and a drinks checklist plus tips on decorative ice cubes and frosting glasses.

Welcome Nibbles kick starts the recipes with tapas (almonds, olives & cheese), spicy potato wedges with chili dip, party eggs (with caviar, prawns & cucumbers or garlic & green peppercorns), Stilton croquettes and cheese & potato bread twists, while Finger Foods and Light Bites consist of quesadillas, mussels in black bean sauce, crab egg rolls and smoked chicken with peach mayonnaise in filo tartlets.

A few of the selections in Dips and Dippers include avocado salsa, aubergine & lemon dip, cheese crusted party eggs, crisp fried crab claws, seafood spring onion skewers and Stilton stuffed mushrooms, with Brunches, Lunches and Fork Suppers featuring cheese & leek sausages, saffron & mussel tartlets, quiche Lorraine and turkey croquettes.

Buffet Centerpieces contributes baked salmon with a watercress sauce, game pie or a turkey & cranberry pie and Big Dishes doles out Swiss cheese fondue with vegetables, tempura, seafood Laksa (Malaysian fish stew), paella, a Mongolian fire pot, lasagna and moussaka. Dinner Party Soups and Appetizers dishes out a cream of mushroom soup with goat cheese crostini, pancakes with leeks, a chicory & squash stuffing and a crab salad with rocket.

Moving on we find Dinner Party and Festive Main Courses which focus on a goat cheese souffle, beef Wellington, lobster thermidor, tagine of lamb with couscous, roasted goose with carmelized apples and wild duck with olives. Stylish Salads trots out coleslaw, a Moroccan orange, onion & olive salad and country pasta, with Eating Outdoors dishing out summer vegetables with a yogurt pesto, grilled squid stuffed with feta, lamb burgers, BBQ chicken, a tomato & black olive tart and summer herb ricotta flan.

Divine Desserts closes out the book with fig, port & clementine sundaes, Boston Banofee pie, passion fruit creme caramels, frozen Grand Mariner souffles, a classic lemon tart, ice lime cheesecake, cold lemon souffle, a chocolate chestnut roulade, black forest gateau, coconut & coffee trifle and mint chocolate meringue.

Estate Sale Finds - Inverness: The Pamphlets ~ Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish Dutch Cookbooks

Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook: Fine Old Recipes Made Famous by the Early Dutch Settlers in Pennsylvania, published in 1972. The third "themed" pamphlet from my estate sale finds.

Again we begin with Soup which includes a Philadelphia pepper pot (made with tripe), chicken noodle (made with homemade noodles), German soup balls in broth, snapper soup (turtle with veal knuckles) and chowder - clam or corn, followed by Breads which offer cinnamon buns, potato bread, kuchen, raisin bread, a Moravian sugar cake, Dutch pancakes, egg bread, oyster corn fritters and  
gingerbread.

Salads consist of pepper cabbage, Dutch slaw, hot potato salad, dandelion & lettuce salad and cucumbers in cream dressing, while Entrees feature sauerbraten, brisket of beef with sauerkraut & dumplings, stuffed beef hearts, liver cakes, wiener Schnitzel, a jellied veal loaf, ham & green beans, fried mush, scrapple and instructions on how to cure hams, dry beef, corn beef and make sausage.

In Poultry and Game a few of the options are stewed chicken, chestnut stuffing, fricasseed goose, smoked goose and rabbit cake, with Vegetables dishing out Lancaster County Lima beans (made with potatoes, milk & butter), Shaker corm, baked stuffed tomatoes, potato balls, scalloped sweet potatoes & apples and potato pudding.

For Desserts there is sponge cake, lebkuchen, cinnamon cake, ginger cupcakes, chocolate marble cake, currant cookies, anise drops, cinnamon crisps, sand tarts, Moravian Christmas cookies, rising crumb pie, butterscotch pie, brown Betty, shoo fly pie, fudge, steamed carrot pudding, mints and caramels.

The last chapter, Preserves, encompasses raspberry vinegar, apricot wine, ginger tomatoes, dill pickles, cucumber rings, pickled red cabbage, spice peaches, plum conserve, tomato mincemeat and apple butter.

Amish Dutch Cookbook, published in 1971.

Of course we begin with Soups which consist of Brunswick stew, meat soup and corn chowder, then move Meat & Potatoes which offers stuffed pork chops, fried rabbit, schnitz & knepp, hamburger BBQ, Dutch stew (beef & pork), meat & cabbage, German potato pancakes, scalloped potatoes with onions, roast duck and salmon souffle.

Sweets and Sours encompasses pepper slaw, chili sauce, corn relish and horseradish pickles, while Vegetables and Casseroles dishes out a sausage casserole, baked macaroni (with ground beef & tomatoes), baked salmon & macaroni and corn fritters.

For Desserts and Puddings a few of the options are rice pudding, cherry pudding, steamed apple dumplings, a three layer chocolate cake, a golden chiffon cake and a coconut mist cake, while Pies are comprised of a lemon sponge, shoo fly, rhubarb, mincemeat and lemon meringue. Breads and Stuffings present a Dutch coffee ring, griddle cakes and a fruit topped coffee cake.

In Cookies, there are beef tongue ginger cookies, honey cookies, pinwheel cookies, banana drop cookies, walnut wafers and raisin pineapple drop cookies, with Candies offering molasses candy, fudge and lemon butter. Scattered throughout the book are dishes from several Pennsylvania restaurants ~ sausage & egg pie, mustard beans, Pocono mountain brook trout almondine, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, pepper cabbage, apple fritters, onion rings & cheese, potato rivel soup and chicken corn soup.

Page from Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook:

Page from Amish Dutch cookbook:

Estate Sale Finds - Inverness: The Pamphlets ~ Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking and Recipes

Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking, published in 1960.

Soups are up first and consist of Dutch country bean, beef with dumplings, salsify oyster soup and split pea, followed by Meat and Main Dishes which offers Dutch meat rolls, liver noodles, beef pot pie, stuffed acorn squash, hog maw, cabbage rolls, creamed cabbage & dried beef, duck in kraut and chicken baked in cream.

Moving on we encounter Vegetable Dishes ~ sweet & sour cabbage, corn oysters, parsnip patties, fresh peas & new potatoes, sweet & sour beets and fried tomatoes, then Salads which encompasses coleslaw, deviled eggs and a beet & apple salad. Pancakes and Fritters dish out German egg pancakes, fried cornmeal mush and apple ring fritters.

Coffee Cakes and Rolls doles out crumb cake, butter semmels and Dutch sticky buns, while Good Dunking rolls out potato doughnuts, crullers, funnel cakes (the previous owner's oft used recipe), johnny cake and bacon muffins. Cookies and Small Cakes delves into Dutch almond cake, hickory nut kisses, pfeffernusse, almond macaroons, Christmas butter cookies and almond macaroons.

Up next are High Cakes ~ molasses, walnut gingerbread and applesauce, while Pies and Pastries include a Pennsylvania Dutch sour cherry pie, cheese pie, a funeral pie (raisins & lemon peel), and pies made with cottage cheese, apple butter and rhubarb.

Desserts offer apple pandowdy, a peach strudel and pumpkin custard, We end with Sweets and Sour ~ apple butter, carrot marmalade, spiced gooseberries, chow chow and red beet eggs.


Best Loved Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes, published in 1971. Very short pamphlet filled with lots of photos. The recipes are written in the narrative style.

Preserves gets the ball rolling with grape jelly and mincemeat, followed by Salads and Dressings which consist of a kidney bean salad, cabbage in cream dressing and a pickled beet & onion salad.  Relishes include a pickle ring and corn relish.

Meats encompass a ham loaf, frizzled beef and a ham ring, with Vegetables dishing out a turnip & apple casserole, potato pancakes, baked cabbage and dandelion greens. Main Dishes offers stuffed yam with sausage, turnips & pork, chicken and dumplings, spare ribs & pot roast and corn meal mush.

Soups yield pea & potato, vegetable or browned flour, while Stuffings include a potato filling and chestnut. For Cakes a few of the selections are pumpkin, brown sugar, a cinnamon lop and orange mincemeat squares. Pies and Pastries doles out a a rhubarb meringue pie, apricot tart meringues, an Amish vanilla pie and a fluffy lemon pie.

Some Cookies are oatmeal and sand tarts, with Breads treating us to egg bread, lemon parsley bead, ice box potato rolls and cinnamon buns. Winding down, Desserts and Puddings trots out cherry bread or plain custard and we end with candy ~ pull taffy or mints.

Page from Best Loved Recipes ~ funnel cake making:

Estate Sale Finds - Inverness: Cotton Country

Cotton Country, published in 1973. All recipes compiled by the Decatur (Alabama) Junior Service League which was organized in 1949. The book is quite large with 402 pages.

To get the party started,  the first chapter covers Appetizers and Party Food, which consists of an appetizer ham ball, a curried cheese ball, cheese straws, dips (mushroom, broccoli, bacon, smoked egg, dill & sour cream, avocado or clam & cheese), sweet & sour meatballs, shrimp in beer, barbecued oysters, asparagus rolls, deviled ham puffs and crab toasties. A few of the Beverage selections include apricot wine, summer orangeade, red velvet punch (cranberry, lemon, pineapple & orange juices mixed with brandy and champagne), a bloody Mary mix French coffee punch and a hot cranberry punch..

Soups and Sandwiches offer lettuce soup, country chicken stew, crab meat soup, Creole gumbo, chili, blender gazpacho, plus the ever popular pimento cheese sandwich, a baked chicken sandwich, crab burgers and a sardine sandwich bake, with Salads and Dressings contributing a few congealed options (naturally!) ~ apricot, blueberry, bing cherry, cranberry wine or pineapple party, plus cucumber aspic, a coleslaw mold, turmeric slaw,  corn salad, crab Louie, pressed chicken, a crab meat & beansprout salad and dressings ~ honey French, Russian, red Roquefort or fluffy honey.

Cheese and Eggs delves into a macaroni mousse with mushroom sauce, fondue, Creole eggs and a cheese grits souffle, while Meats dishes out barbecued lamb chops, grilled roast beef, Polynesian beef, kabobs, beef in red wine, lasagna, meatloaf, Mexican or Cuban hash, a tater tot casserole (tots with ground beef and cream of chicken & cream of celery soup), stuffed cabbage, ham shortcakes. There are numerous poultry, seafood and game dishes in the chapter as well ~ dove pie, oven quail, roasted wild duck, venison Swiss steak, oven BBQ chicken, sherry chicken in sour cream, chicken with shrimp & wine sauce, coq au vin, baked stuffed shrimp, chicken almond Polynesian (mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and Chinese pea pods), red snapper with almond sauce, egg foo yung, deviled eggs & shrimp, baked oysters, salmon souffle and a tuna lemon loaf.

Moving on we encounter Vegetables and Accompaniments ~ apple rings, a hot fruit casserole, curried broccoli, a French bean casserole, corn pudding, an eggplant & oyster casserole, Lima beans with water chestnuts, Chantilly potatoes (made with heavy cream & cheese), poppy seed noodles, tomato pudding, squash balls and fried green tomatoes. Some Breads represented include brioche, rolls (ice box cloverleaf, sour cream or beer), biscuits, egg bread, hush puppies, flapjacks, an orange nut loaf, bran muffins and blueberry lemon muffins.

Desserts is a large chapter and dishes out a jelly roll, a white chocolate roll, fudge pie, date tarts, lemon sponge, sugarplum pudding, custard, chocolate ice box cake, frosty strawberry squares, an orange Charlotte, toffee meringue, bananas Foster, parfaits (apricot, cherry or peach), ice cream (banana, custard, lemon or peach), plus cakes ~ fresh apple with caramel frosting, coca cola cake, a chocolate cookie sheet cake, orange date cake, Japanese fruitcake, the Queen's chocolate cake (chocolate chips, rum & almonds), pound cakes, a milky way cake, an apricot brandy cake and pies galore~ chocolate ice cream, caramel pecan, Kentucky coconut, Dutch apple, bourbon mince, lemon angel , grasshopper and brownie mint.

The last of the sweets are Cookies and Candies which are composed of Chinese almond, butterscotch ice box, molasses sugar, coffee crispies, spritz, honey balls, brownies, shortbread, cinnamon logs, luscious cherry bars, oatmeal macaroons, sesame see lace cookies, sugared pecans with orange, divinity, a date nut roll, pralines, toffee, peanut brittle, chocolate bells, fudge and heavenly hash. The recipes end with Pickles and Preserves ~ artichoke relish, chili sauce, chutney, mustard pickles, garlic dill pickles, pickled okra, preserved oranges and or pickled eggs or lemons.

The final chapter, Southern Hospitality, offers several menus for different occasions based on recipes found within the book.

Estate Sale Finds - Inverness: Taste of Georgia II

A Taste of Georgia II: In the Southern Manor, published in 1991. All recipes compiled by the Junior Service League of Newnan, Georgia.

We begin our journey with Beverages, which offers punch (Christmas, lime sherbet. mocha, orange or eggnog), two different recipes for bloody Marys and syllabub, followed by Appetizers which consist of dips (hot broccoli, fresh fruit or Pernod cheese), sausage stuffed mushrooms, spicy sesame chicken wings, a smoked oyster spread, cheese balls (several recipes) and cheese pennies.

For Breads and Brunch, a few of the selections include muffins (cheese, oat bran or orange), Mexican corn bread, butter orange crescent rolls, coffee cake, a Danish puff, sourdough flapjacks, a breakfast egg pizza, pancakes, a scrambled egg casserole and a venison sausage loaf. Condiments and Sauces doles out relish (artichoke or citrus), pickled eggs, curried mayonnaise, pecan butter, BBQ sauce, hollandaise, an Italian wine marinade, Turkish yogurt mayonnaise and Jezebel sauce (Dijon mustard, horseradish, apple jelly and pineapple).

Soups ladles out (haha!) carrot chowder, beer cheese soup, chili, spinach soup, chicken Brunswick stew, crab soup and hamburger stew, while Salads deliver a mandarin orange salad, Chinese slaw, Bombay chicken salad, a green pea salad, a few congealed options (cranberry, orange, pretzel or a seafood veggie mold), a Vadalia onion-tomato salad and a few dressings ~ buttermilk, blue cheese, dill, valley ranch or celery seed.

We begin the Entrees with Beef ~ steak roll-ups, BBQ brisket, beef tips, a beef & noodle casserole, corned beef with an orange mustard glaze, meatloaf, hamburger stroganoff, tenderloin with a Madeira sauce and the meat whirl (basically a meatloaf ROLLED in cheese!), then move onto Chicken ~ sesame chicken kabobs, wine chicken, chicken Dijon in Fillo, chop suey, golden oven fried chicken, buttermilk pecan chicken and chicken squares. Fish dishes out baked trout, fish teriyaki, salmon roll-ups, a shrimp casserole and shrimp almondine, with Game delving into baked whole duck, venison sausage or venison with marmalade. There are a few Meatless options ~ garden pie, a veggie lasagna or fettuccine with zucchinis & mushrooms and being the South, Pork is represented by apple sherry chops, skillet chops, Jamaican smoked pork and Chinese spare ribs.

Side Dishes are comprised of a zucchini souffle, corn pudding, carrot souffle, a mushroom rice casserole, Swiss broccoli, curried potatoes, lentil roast, an artichoke & mushroom casserole, asparagus with orange sauce, a green rice casserole and hot German potato salad.

We continue our journey with a LARGE chapter of Sweets, beginning with a few cakes ~ apple pecan, oatmeal, lemon jello, butterscotch apple, banana split, chocolate mousse cake, apricot nectar, pound cake, Coca cola cake, coconut and Kentucky butter cake, plus a few Candies ~ easy fudge, toffee, peanut brittle, divinity and peanut butter fudge. Cookies and Bars showcases tea cakes, pumpkin squares, peanut blossoms, mini cheesecakes, gingerbread, bourbon balls, German chocolate brownies, chewy caramel bars, butter cookies, butterscotch cheesecake squares, cowboy cookies (I make this every ear at Christmas) and whiskey rings.

Continuing on, there are more desserts ~ lemon orange drops, toffee, Southern ambrosia, maple pecan ice cream, fruit pizza, rice pudding, Peach bread pudding, mocha chocolate chip cheesecake, peanut butter ice cream and a strawberry glazed cheesecake, and oc course pies ~ mock key line, pumpkin cheese and each ice box.

The last chapter offers recipes for Children which include a frosted orange drink, cottage cheese pancakes, pizza wheels, fruit kabobs, cracker jacks, BBQ cups and lemonade pie. There are a few "crafty" recipes as well ~ macaroni necklaces, peanut butter play dough, silly putty, soap bubbles abd soap crayons.

Estate Sale Finds - Inverness: Crabtree & Evelyn Cook Book

Crabtree  & Evelyn Cook Book: A Book of Light Meals and Small Feasts, published in 1989. The book contains 200 recipes with menus and entertaining ideas. Many of the recipes highlight prepared condiments (hazelnut oil, raspberry vinegar and prepared mustards) and there are tips and hints beside each dish. There are a total of eight chapters each with 4-5 menus.

A few selected items from the menus for Breakfast include brioche jam toast, tarragon poached eggs, oat waffles, baked bacon spirals, cornmeal pancakes with maple butter, eggs baked in dill crepe nests, marmalade muffins, strawberries with strawberry vinegar and home-smoked trout rosemary. The options in Brunch consist of peppery cornsticks, sage & Gruyere omelets, a spinach, apple & walnut salad, country ham & potato frittata, plum preserve butter, tropical fruit compote, smoked mackerel & avocado gratin and cinnamon stars.

Lunch encompasses a bread salad, walnut biscuits with Stilton, crab & sweet corn chowder, red fruit sorbet, chicken paillard sandwiches watercress & mushrooms, raspberries with peach puree, trout with tartare stuffing, rhubarb crumble, braised ham glazed with orange marmalade, crunchy fennel slaw and orange flower layer cake. Picnics are next with borscht, chicken & melon salad, crunchy lemon syrup cake, shrimp & scallop salad, orzo confetti salad and grape tartlets.

The menus for Tea are comprised of cardamon toast, chocolate pecan bread, radish flower sandwiches, raspberries & blackberries with ricotta cream, Victoria sponge, iced herbal tea with geranium sugar, cucumber & mint sandwiches, currant cream scones, caraway seed cake, potted salmon and an apple & raisin pie. For Cocktails a of the offerings are rose blossom punch, wild mushroom profiteroles, crab phyllo purses, bacon polenta squares, mussels with avocado sauce, mini tomato & mozzarella kebabs, sesame seed wafers, champagne kir, grilled lamb cubes with papaya and white hazelnut fruit cake.

Dinner serves up marinated tuna steaks with a tomato basil sauce, lemon rice, glazed pork loin with garlic potatoes, apple quince bread pudding, roast goose with fruit & nut stuffing, potato parsnip puree, a foie gras salad with cognac vinaigrette and chocolate almond cake with rum cream. We end with Supper ~ shrimp & snow pea paella, molasses rum lace wafers, lobster & asparagus pasta salad, chicken pot pie with leeks & mushrooms and honey baked apples with cardamon custard sauce.

Another March Thrifty Purchase ~ We the Women of Hawaii Cookbook

We the Women of Hawaii Cookbook, published in 1986.  Favorite recipes of prominent women of Hawaii, the group was founded in 1947.

To get the ball rolling, there are Beverages ~ mulled wine, a few punches, Irish cream and Maui iced tea (lime, pineapple, guava & orange juices), followed by Hors d'ouvres which consist of dips (onion cheese, chili con queso, crab meat, hot lobster, curried sour cream or Polynesian ginger), an Indian curry spread, artichoke nibbles, teriyaki roll-ups, pate (black olive, mushroom  or liver), crab puffs, stuffed lychee and shrimp cakes.

Soups offer a meatball vegetable soup, Portuguese bean, lentil soup, clam vichyssoise, Borscht, winter melon and a tomato/clam bisque, with Salads dishing out a few dressings (chili sauce, green goddess, tomato soup or celery seed) plus a carrot, pineapple & apple ring, cucumbers & olives, coleslaw, orange pico, 3 bean salad, cucumber souffle and shrimp mousse.

Moving on, we encounter Vegetables which include green beans in coconut, baked asparagus, sesame broccoli,  beets & mandarin oranges, eggplant fingers, coconut spinach, German red cabbage, leeks in white wine, apple yams, caviar stuffed potatoes and brown rice burgers, while Casseroles entice with a calico bean bake, cauliflower almondine, a sauerkraut casserole, a cottage cheese loaf, enchiladas, chiles rellenos, a noodle ring, a lemon chicken casserole and a golden shrimp casserole.

In Quiches and Souffles, a few of the options are a creamy zucchini, tomato chicken, hot crab meat or New England clam for the quiche with cheese & rice, fresh fruit, coffee nut, pineapple, chocolate or blintz among the choices for souffles. The chapter on Italian Cuisine doles out a few sauces (garden, clam, Bolognese or bechamel), green noddles with fennel sauce, lasagna, spaghetti pie, calzone, spinach gnocchi and veal scallopini Marsala.

Of course there are Island Recipes ~ miso soup, cucumber namasu, shrimp tempura, shabu shabu, alu lau, lomi salmon. fish teriyaki, kal bi ribs, pork adobo, kalua pig, Chinese pork ginger balls, mahogany chicken wings, pressed duck with a sweet-sour plum sauce, eggplant with garlic sauce, malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts), haupia (coconut dessert), coconut mochi and bandiay bandiay (banana fritters - a favorite of mine while growing up - it's a Filipino treat).

As we head towards the entrees, we begin with Poultry which encompasses chicken adobo, baked guava chicken, tandoori chicken, BBQ chicken, turkey aspic, squab a l'orange, chicken with oyster sauce, chicken stroganoff, turkey potato pancakes, duck with apricots and chicken Kiev with macadamias, followed by a few Meat selections ~ mushroom meatballs, meatloaf Wellington, caraway beef stew, corn beef baked in potatoes, cherried pork chops, sweet & sour ribs, lamb curry or stew, ham mousse, dilled veal roast and a few sauces (sour cream mint, a peachy ham glaze, bourbon marinade and BBQ).

Fish is the last of the entree chapters and offers lobster Cantonese, sweet & sour fish, shrimp rosemary, ginger shrimp, crab Rangoon, curried seafood crepes, angels on horseback, a salmon loaf and crab cheese sandwiches. In Breads we are treated to stollen, Swedish rye, cornbread, a prune nut loaf, Parker house rolls, poi nut bread, gingerbread, mango bread, popovers, plum donuts, almond bread and anise toast.

We begin the sweets sections with Cookies ~ spritz, shortbread, Swedish honey cookies, ginger snaps, rocky road fudge bars, Mexican mocha bars, pumpkin pistachio macaroons, passion fruit bars, date bars am almond roca cookies, followed by Cakes and Pies which doles out a guava cheesecake, strawberry meringue pie, a Kona coffee spice cake, passion fruit chiffon pie, fruit cocktail cake, a glazed mango pie, Hawaiian pineapple cake, lime rum pie, chocolate coffee pie, an apricot cherry upside down cake, orange peel cake, gumdrop fruitcake and an eggnog loaf.

There are quite a few Desserts ~ mousse (coconut pistachio, maple, mango or Kahlua), suet pudding, a poppy seed torte, persimmon pudding, steamed cranberry pudding, baked papayas, mango cobbler, raisin, rice & rum pudding, passion-fruit ice cream, cream puffs and a pineapple parfait.

We end the recipes with Relishes which consist of chutney (mango, green pear, tomato apple, date & lemon or green tomato), guava catsup, cucumber onion pickles, corn relish, kim chee and a few jellies (hot pepper, coffee or passion fruit).

March Thrifty Buys ~ Sister Schubert and Blissful Brownies

Sister Schubert's Secret Bread Recipes, published in 1996.  Bought this book since I ALWAYS choose Sister Schubert's rolls for my holiday dinners! After a brief history of the company ~ started in 1989 in Troy, Alabama with the original orders baked in the founder's home kitchen until the company expanded and required a "real" bakery/production facility.

We begin with Sister's Specialties which includes the recipe for her famous Parker House rolls, plus sourdough bread (including the starter) and recipes for orange or cinnamon rolls. The next chapter features a few other Roll options ~ light as a feather, ice box, herb, sour cream, crescent and sticky buns.

For Biscuits and Scones we are offered dilly drop biscuits, angel biscuits, glazed orange scones, apricot or Devonshire (traditional English) scones, while Muffins and Breakfast Breads consist of orange blossom muffins, easy English muffins, tropicale muffins (pineapple, sour cream & macadamia nuts), French toast and waffles.

A few of the Cornbread recipes featured include jalapeno, Southern, broccoli, hoe cakes, hush puppies and spoon bread, with Holiday Breads dishing out strudel, tipsy eggnog bread, an almond Christmas braid, stollen, a three kings coffee ring, challah and Easter bread (made with lemon rind and almonds).

Winding down the chapters there are Tea Breads and Coffee Cakes ~ cherry cheese bread, pecan crunch tea bread and a raspberry cream cheese coffee cake and lastly, Savory and Specialty Breads which touts a classic French bread, bagels and bread sticks.

Blissful Brownies, published in 2007. Slight book filled with a myriad ways to create the ultimate brownie!

Sweet Indulgences (The Classics) gets the ball rolling with chocolate fudge, pecan, double chocolate, white chocolate cappuccino, mocha and ginger chocolate chip options, while Naughty But Nice (New Twists) offers walnut & cinnamon blondies, upside down toffee apple brownies, pecan brownie muffins, apricot blondies and maple glazed, pistachio or cranberry sour cream brownies.

A few of the selections in Pure Luxury (Made to Impress) include a mint julep brownie cake, black Russian brownies (made with vodka & Kahlua), a brownie bottom cheesecake and black forest brownies. We end with Healthy Bites (Cookie Sheet Treats) which consist of  chocolate peanut butter bars, macadamia nut caramel bars, fruity bars (granola), caramel chocolate shortbread, cinnamon squares and chocolate peppermint bars.

Another Junior League Book ~ Marshes to Mansions

Marshes to Mansions - Treasured Recipes of South Louisiana, published in 2007. All recipes were reviewed and compiled by the Junior League of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

A Taste of St. Charles (Appetizers & Beverages) begins the recipes with crawfish beignets, corn crepes filled with barbecued wild duck, sausage won ton cups, smoked Gouda & apple stuffed mushrooms, crab remoulade, oyster lettuce roll-ups with curry sauce, a turkey mushroom pate, egg & olive spread, blue bayou margaritas (made with blueberries), martinis (key lime pie, green apple, lemon drop or pomegranate), orange sangria and coffee punch, which is followed by Around the Lake (Soups, Salads & Breads) which offers crawfish soup, gumbo (shrimp & oyster or duck & sausage), an oyster artichoke truffle soup, tomato bisque, bayou turtle soup, thyme soup, a watermelon & cucumber salad, a muffuletta salad, cranberry raspberry chicken salad, beer bread, cornmeal sage biscuits, cinnamon brunch bread and Grand Mariner French toast.

Cultural Crossroads (Entrees) boasts a saucy beef brisket, balsamic beef tenderloin, Cajun pot roast, jambalaya, veal Marsala, herbed leg of lamb, molasses pork tenderloin, cheddar cheese strata, India butter chicken, almond Dijon chicken and chicken & avocado pasta with Blend of the Bayous (Seafood & Game) dishing out a crawfish casserole, smoked salmon cheesecake,  catfish court bouillon, crab cakes with tequila sauce, flash fried oysters with tasso cream sauce, tomato coconut shrimp, seafood stuffed eggplant, dressed duck, frog legs, pheasant in red wine sauce and Mediterranean rabbit.

A few of the options in Southern Sides include garlicky sesame asparagus, mirlitons, okra patties, Bousin potato cakes, sweet potato balls, coffee kissed baked bananas, an oysters Rockefeller casserole, goat cheese grits and crab fried rice.

The last chapter pitches The Sweet Life (Desserts) which consist of amaretto bread pudding, a praline torte, strawberry cheesecake trifle, crepes Suzette, lemon & tequila pie, a buttermilk fig cake, creme de menthe bars, a Mardis Gras king cake, praline pecan bites almond butter toffee, peppermint bark and chocolate toffee crunch.

Friends of the Library Sale - Day 1 ~ A Buddhist Church Cookbook and a Louisiana Favorite

Itadakimasu, published circa 1977. Recipes collected by the members of the Gardena Buddhist Church located in Gardena, California. The church was established in 1926 and includes a Japanese language school as well as a group for members who formerly lived in Hawaii (which explains the many island influenced recipes that pop up throughout the book).

Up first are Appetizers which include yakitori (chicken), cucumber bites, drunken meatballs, pizza bread, Monte Cristo sandwiches (2 recipes!), won-ton (5 variations), grenadine punch, sparkling brandy punch, dips (tangy relish, shrimp, fresh garden) and the strangely named gay divorcee dip (made with cream cheese, diced chilies and bacon), followed by Breads consisting of a carrot loaf, persimmon bread, cranberry nut bread, Pao Duce (Portuguese sweet bread), pumpkin bread, Parmesan pull a-parts, Swedish coffee rolls (made with cardamon), pancakes, latkes and waffles.

In Salads, Sauces and Soups, we are treated to Chinese cabbage slaw, a bean sprout salad, a Mexican chef salad (kidney beans, tomatoes, avocados, 1000 island dressing & topped with crushed Doritos), BBQ sauce, Chinese marinade, steak sauce, abalone & wastewater soup, white bean soup, French onion with wine soup, oxtail soup and rice & bean soup, while Gelatin Dishes doles out avocado gelatin, wine cherry jello, a crab mold, seafoam salad , a cool whip fruit salad and macadamia nut jello.

We begin the entrees with Meats ~ beef broccoli, glazed corn beef, Korean style beef cubes, beer stew (made with a can of beer), sesame marinated roast, liver fiesta, pizza burgers, char siu, a pork chop bake, Chinese BBQ spare ribs, sweet & sour spare ribs and a barbed leg of lamb, while Poultry and Seafood  dishes out Korean BBQ chicken, breast of capon Kiev, sesame chicken, Hawaiian garlic chicken, 5 spices roast chicken, almond duck, streamed fish and shrimp in Cantonese sauce.

Casseroles encompass chili, chilie rellenos, eggplant moussaka, a chicken tortilla casserole, French ragout, green chili chicken enchiladas, curried rice with meatballs & shrimp, lasagna, beef stuffed rigatoni, stuffed cabbage rolls and tamale pie. There is a large chapter on Japanese Delicacies which include shabu shabu, fried crab cakes, sweet sour Napa rolls, tempura, sukiyaki, steamed shrimp tofu, a bean thread salad, cucumber sunomono, fried eggplant with miso, donburri (soup served over rice), sushi, cucumber or daikon (radish) tsukemono (pickles), mochi candy or just plan mochi.

A few of the Vegetable  options are  BBQ beans, Chinese green beans, scalloped cauliflower, stuffed cucumbers, baked yams, kim chee, pickles and cured & brined olives.

As usual, Desserts ends the recipes with a regal almond cake, apple cake (8 different recipes), banana chiffon cake, carrot cake, coffee cake, Chinese pretzels, guava cake, lemon lime refrigerator  sheet cake, brownies, Greek butter cookies, pumpkin pie cake, pecan balls, chocolate angel pie, brandied kumquats, crisp persimmon pie, cream puffs, chocolate chip fudge, puffed rice candy, toffee butter crunch, walnut brittle and vanilla caramels.

Talk About Good II : A Toast to Cajun Food, published in 1979. The follow-up to the immensely popular 1967 cookbook, the 349 pages are filled with authentic Cajun recipes. All recipes were compiled and tested by the Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana.

There are a few themed Menus to start us off ~ Twelfth Night offers cochon de lait (roasted whole pig), mushroom tenderloin, shrimp toast and King cake, with Mardi Gras dishing out English chowder, steak & kidney pie, stuffed oysters and banana crepes. For Easter the selections include squash bisque, leg of lamb Dijon, tomatoes Rockefeller and Charlotte Russe, while Bastille Day encompasses chilled cucumber soup, caviar potatoes, chicken & watercress salad and fresh fig ice cream.

Halloween celebrates with hot buttered rum, chicken fricassee, eggplant fritter and molasses taffy, and Thanksgiving offers wild goose quenelles, deep fried quail with pepper jelly, squash pecan casserole and pumpkin praline pie. The last menu is for a Christmas dinner which consists of cranberry vodka punch, oyster soup, prime rib roast, ambrosia and buche de Noel.

Beverages, Appetizers and Hors D'ouvres features eggnog, mint juleps, punch (artillery, coffee, milk or wine), crab au gratin, escargot, seafood remoulade (red or white), crawfish Bienville, oysters (Rockefeller or Bienville), bacon wrapped shrimp, spinach balls, mushroom fritters, crabmeat & bacon balls, dips (hot crab, crawfish, shrimp, hot clam and shrimp etouffe), smoked salmon mousse, fried won ton and a nut & cheese log. A few options in Breads, Cheese, Eggs, Soups and Gumbos include rolls (refrigerator, pecan or walnut), pancakes, waffles, breads (banana, monkey, homemade French, pumpkin, sweet potato or tomato), a bacon sour cream casserole, crepe cups, quiche (crab, shrimp or beef mushroom), baked brunch eggs, eggs Florentine, huevos rancheros, bouillabaisse, chilled avocado soup, clam chowder, chicken with rice & mushroom soup, court bouillon, cream of green bean soup, oyster & spinach soup, turtle soup and of course several gumbos (crawfish, wild duck & sausage, round steak & okra or chicken & sausage).

Moving on we encounter Salads and Dressings ~ molded asparagus, bing cherry salad, cucumber boats, crawfish or shrimp salad, tabbouleh, a creamy shrimp mold, the Crimson Cream (1st layer - lemon jello, cream cheese & vanilla, plus a 2nd layer of strawberry jello & cranberry orange relish) and a few dressings: mayonnaise, onion sour cream, orange and poppy seed. Fruits and Vegetables are up next with a hot fruit casserole, spiced cherries, ruby beets, corn fritters, cabbage rolls, smothered okra, sweet potato balls, zuchinni pizza, braised cucumbers, corn & okra Creole, BBQ beans, dilled carrots, onion pie, pickles (chow chow, lime & watermelon) and spinach stuffed potatoes.

Entrees begin with Meats which feature beef Wellington, sauerbraten, short ribs with horseradish, Creole spaghetti, Mulligan stew, tamale pie, steak & potato casserole, brisket, meatloaf, baked kibbe, beef curry, chili and lasagna. There is also Shepard's pie, burgundy braised lamb shanks, cherry almond glazed pork chops, Puerto Rican roast pig (requires 100 pounds of charcoal), plum ribs, pork chops & cabbage and veal cutlets with spaghetti. 

Poultry and Game delves into chicken croquettes, arroz con pollo, chicken Kiev or Parisienne, a chicken & crab casserole, fried chicken with cashews, tarragon chicken, Greek oregano chicken, paella and chicken with garlic sour cream. Plus ruby port doves, venison roast with claret marinade, wild baked turkey, dove & oyster patties, duck smothered with mushrooms, quail & grapes, rabbit casserole, squirrel with wine mushrooms, roast goose and venison chili.

The last of the main dishes centers around Seafood with trout meuniere, scallops Coquilles St. Jacques, salmon croquettes, a crawfish & okra casserole, fried frog legs, shrimp jambalaya, prawns in chili sauce, red snapper with potatoes & onions, scalloped oysters, baked avocado crabs, fried soft shell crabs, seafood eggplant casserole, BBQ crab and a crabmeat & shrimp casserole.

We end with Sweets, beginning with cakes ~ peach Chantilly, chocolate rum, sugar plum, a strawberry trifle, doberge, date with a custard topping, black raspberry jam, fig, a pumpkin roll and a chocolate ring of coconut, followed by a few candies ~ cherry bonbons, mint patties, rocky road, orange balls and pralines. There are cookies: spritz, lacy oatmeal, brownies & blondies, skillet date bars, praline square bars, plus baked spiced pears, a Mardi Gras mocha mousse, the ever popular Grand Mariner souffle, sopapillas, crepes, a frozen cake roll and old fashioned custard ice cream. Finally we are given a few pie options, chocolate eggnog, cherry tarts, lemon chess, Brandy Alexander, sweet German chocolate, derby, peach Chantilly and lemon cheesecake