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GRAINS

Name: GRAINS
Author: Joanne Lamb Hayes
ISBN: 0-517-59204-5

SEVENTY-SIX HEALTHY RECIPES FOR BARLEY, CORN, RYE, WHEAT, AND OTHER GRAINS

by Joanne Lamb Hayes & Bonnie Tandy Leblang ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1995

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Hayes and Leblang follow up their successful Rice (not reviewed) and Beans (not reviewed) with some advice on how to make those ``amber waves of grain'' into something special. For those trying to work at least six servings of grains into their daily diet (as per the new USDA guidelines), this will be a godsend, not just because it provides new ways to cook unusual grains like quinoa, but because it shows how many old favorites can be adjusted to include a serving or two. For example, tagliatelle can be prepared with either kamut or semolina flour for an added boost, and who knew that kasha varnishkes were actually healthful? A brief, utilitarian introduction goes over historical and nutritional background and defines different types of grain, and a basic chapter gives instructions for cooking grains by themselves; then it's on to the good stuff. Chapters are divided into breakfast foods, side dishes, and the like, with an entire chapter on pilafs, including a Quinoa and Wild and Brown Rice Pilaf that is as earthy and rich as it sounds and a good way to incorporate nutritious quinoa without suffering its sometimes grassy flavor. Barley cooked with fennel, then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and parsley had the mouth-feel of a chewier risotto. There is a wide selection of both vegetarian and meat dishes (when possible, Hayes and Leblang note how to render recipes meatless). Desserts like granola bars with chocolate chips may not be as wholesome as Gazpacho Bulgur Salad, but they are delicious. Not thorough enough to be a definitive book on the subject, but a good, glossy overview.

Pub Date: March 1, 1995

ISBN: 0-517-59204-5

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Harmony

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

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

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.