Taking his cue from the age-old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Haedrich (Home for the Holidays, not reviewed, etc.) crafts a mostly basic cookbook—with a few unique recipes—in easy-to-follow prose. Although there are plenty of dishes here with which to create an impressive brunch, the author is a busy father who knows that most of us don't have the leisure for full-course breakfasts; thus the majority of the meals require only a short preparation time. Haedrich provides many variations on egg dishes, which naturally take no more than a few minutes, and the wide array of muffins and biscuits come together in around 20 minutes. Attention is also paid to seasonal ingredients: There are plenty of ways, for example, to enjoy blueberries, from the light and easy-to-mix blueberry cream cake to the classic blueberry peach cobbler. Readers will also find all the basics, from banana walnut hotcakes (which, while delicious, didn't hold together) to dumplings (done here with a spicy oatmeal batter) to omelettes. Haedrich also throws in some more inventive recipes: Creamy couscous with dates and walnuts hits the spot on a cold morning, and poached eggs on pesto bruschetta makes a perfect opportunity to use up that extra basil in the middle of summer. None of the recipes is really challenging, but there are no obvious cooking faux pas, and it is convenient to have all the a.m. options gathered together. A good book to wake up with.
Pub Date: Oct. 17, 1994
ISBN: 0-553-37246-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Bantam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1994
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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