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MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER

DELICIOUS, EASY RECIPES CELEBRATING FAMILY & TOGETHERNESS

A solid collection of recipes and a reminder that a meal is only as good as the people with whom it’s shared.

Oscar-winning actress Paltrow steps off the screen and into the kitchen to pay homage to her father.

The author’s father, who died of cancer in 2002, taught her early on that “a meal made for your family is an expression of love, a source of pleasure.” Her debut cookbook of sophisticated yet healthy meals embodies this very culinary philosophy. Divided into eight categories, including “Salads,” “Main Courses” and “Breakfasts,” Paltrow offers a variety of recipes that range from the basic “Best Stir-Fried Chicken” to the more elaborate “Perfect Roasted Chinese Duck.” Readers who believe in eating green will be particularly interested in her approach to cooking; once a proponent of the macrobiotic diet, she now emphasizes the importance of balance—i.e., eating chicken is fine, but it should be free range and organic. The book is also free of beef and pork, aside from a family recipe for brisket. Each recipe is tagged with icons that indicate whether it can be made ahead or serves as a “dress-up meal”—a family-sized dish that can be adapted for both child and adult palates. Paltrow also offers suggestions to adapt recipes to accommodate vegetarian or vegan diets, although some seem forced, like substituting fried tofu in a po’boy for oysters. Whimsical photographs of ingredients, finished meals and Paltrow’s family are the perfect complement to the homey recipes—and serve as inspiration to get readers cooking.

A solid collection of recipes and a reminder that a meal is only as good as the people with whom it’s shared.

Pub Date: April 13, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-446-5573-3

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Review Posted Online: March 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955

ISBN: 0670717797

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955

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