Monthly Archives: November 2015

Art, Book Reviews

Book Review: The Time Chamber: A Magical Journey and Coloring Book, by Daria Song

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The Time ChamberDaria Song’s The Time Chamber: A Magical Journey and Coloring Book, her second in the Time Series, is a beautifully intricate coloring book designed for adults who need a little to be a kid again. I picked this one up for my wife because she saw adult coloring books in a game store and mentioned how much she just wanted a coloring book to work on and forget about grading papers and assignments. Once she opened this up she was super excited and loved every page! The story doesn’t matter so much to her, and I didn’t care about it either—it is a coloring book, after all—although the owl and gear motifs are fun and inviting.

Though the pictures provide much detail, these pages are not completely filled. Some may like a full edge-to-edge page of tiny spaces that require staying within the lines, but the pages of The Time Chamber provide much needed space to better appreciate what is being colored—too much can be…too much. Some pages are comprised of whole scenes and some are collages of items or abstractions. Both are a delight.

The paper for this book is going to be just a bit too thin for markers, and the detailing can be much too small for crayons. So, we’re sticking with colored pencils for this book.

 

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Book Reviews, Food

Book Review: The Chili Cookbook, by Robb Walsh, photos by Eva Kolenko

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The Chili CookbookChili, chilli, chile… What is it, from where did it come, and how do I make it? What do Mexicans, Spaniards, Greeks, Hungarians, Austrians, Americans, and others the world over have in common? Robb Walsh answers these questions and more in The Chili Cookbook. Just in time to begin experimenting with different recipes for the chili cook-off among my wife’s colleagues, I found this book to be enlightening and inspiring. But it’s the cultural connections made therein that really intrigued me. It shouldn’t be that surprising to find similar dishes on opposite ends of the world when using some of the same ingredients, but it’s still pretty cool when you think about some of them (is goulash chili?!). And the ways immigrants have shaped food culture in the United States… It never ceases to amaze me how many Americans fail to appreciate how non-American “American food” really is! (Who knew that “Texas hot dogs, Texas hots, or Texas Wieners” were created by a Greek dude in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and aren’t Texan at all?!)

Along with what are typically considered both traditional and modern chili recipes, Walsh includes many recipes from around the world that may or may not be chili in the eyes of the reader, but deserve inclusion nonetheless. There are also a number of necessities for the chili aficionado: tortillas, roasting tips, spice mixes, sauces, et al. The only downside I’ve found with this book is it leaving me wanting more of the beautiful photography it already contains by Eva Kolenko (there are photographs of only select recipes). Granted, many of these are going to look the same (but with great difference in texture and flavor!), it’d still be nice to see the final product of each.

This is a beautiful cookbook that I’m glad to have in my growing collection.

 

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Book Reviews, Food

Book Review: Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking, by Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton, photos by Eric Wolfinger

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DonabeI could live in a donabe (Japanese for “clay pot”), the vessel from which I’ve had some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. When I discovered Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking was soon to be released, it took me back to my favorite noodle joint: Menkui Tei (NYC). Sure, virtually anything cooked in a donabe can be just as easily done so in another vessel, but there’s something special about these clay pots that brings flavor and comfort together in a way nothing else can—and they’re just so beautiful, even in their simplest form!

In this book, chefs Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton bring together years of love and passion for traditional Japanese cuisine using varied styles of donabe with the inclusion of modern touches (apparent even in the front cover, where dishes surround a donabe sitting on top of a single, butane burner). Naoko begins by introducing the reader to the traditional clay pot and a specific family of artisans in Iga, Japan, from whom she imports pots and sells them globally. Photographer Eric Wolfinger provides an appetizing aesthetic for both Japanese culture and cuisine, documenting the making of a donabe and the finished product of every recipe in the book, among many other stills.

For those interested in Japanese clay pot cooking, Donabe provides styles, methods, and recipes for classics, rice, soups and stews, steaming, tangine-style (similar to a ceramic Moroccan pot), smoking, and all the necessary extras (dashi, sauces, and condiments). For those not so interested, the introduction to the history and culture thereof may pique that interest. And, of course, there are loads of recipes that can be used and adapted for one’s own kitchen, as well as a full glossary for those unfamiliar with terms used in Japanese cooking.

Until I live in a place with a gas stove, investing in a couple artisanal pots will have to remain a daydream. But until then, I’ll continue to work with what I have…and maybe get a portable butane burner…and maybe one donabe…and maybe some more earthenware… Oh, who am I kidding? I just need to move to Japan!

 

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.