Diary Recipes: a

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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Green Coconut Chicken – This Could Be a Curry Recipe

I was calling this green coconut chicken recipe a curry all the way up until I started writing the post. The problem with calling something a curry is that people expect it to taste like a curry, and that could mean a whole bunch of things, not all of them good. So, I decided to call it something that wouldn’t necessarily recall a strong taste memory.

While there is a nice dose of red curry powder in the braise, its certainly not the dominate flavor. For something that may seem quite exotic and boldly spiced, this a surprisingly mellow dish. If youve never cooked with coconut milk, this would be a nice recipe to change that.

The coconut milk adds a subtle sweetness and richness that makes it a great vehicle for moving around all kinds of tastes and textures. Ive used this same exact procedure for countless versions using beef, pork, lamb, duck, and seafood, with great results. Its not low in fat, but my sources deep inside the coconut industry tell me the fat is quite unique and healthful.

Regarding the red curry powder: I decided to use a standard supermarket brand as to make this as accessible as possible. I went with the McCormick Gourmet Collection Red Curry Powder, which contains coriander, cumin, chili pepper, red pepper, and cardamom.

This blend does have some heat to it, but if you like your green coconut chicken on the spicy side I suggest a little extra blast of sambal or sriracha. Enjoy!

UPDATE: We have a report that using regular limes, and leaving them in the stew, made the recipe too biter. I used those small key limes, which are very mild, so mine was fine. So, if using regular limes, maybe best to just use the juice and leave them out. Thanks, Qin.

Green Coconut Chicken Ingredients:
4 full leg sections (thigh and drumstick)
salt
vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
6 thick slices of fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red curry powder
3 green jalapeño
6 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch green onions, light parts
1 bunch cilantro
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste, or soy sauce to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
eggplant or zucchini, cut in 1-inch chucks
2 cups sweet potatoes or butternut squash, large cubes
thai basil

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Building a Better Stuffed Pepper

I reworked the stuffed pepper recipe for the cookbook, and this was the result. Ive posted the written recipe below the photo, and I highly encourage you to try it out. Enjoy!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup beef broth
2 cups prepared marinara sauce, or other tomato sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

For the peppers:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup finely grated "real" Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced very fine
1 can 10-oz diced tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
4 large red bell peppers

Add the olive oil to a saucepan, and lightly brown the onions with a large pinch of salt over medium-high heat. Remove half and reserve for the stuffing. Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Pour the sauce into the bottom of a large deep casserole dish.

Add all the filling ingredients to a mixing bowl, along with the reserved onions, and stir with a fork, or your hands, until the mixture is combined. Tip: you can cook a small piece of the filling to test the seasoning.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the stem, seeds and white membrane from each pepper. Place the bell peppers in the casserole dish, and fill each pepper with the stuffing. A little additional cheese can be grated over the top if desired.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes, or until the peppers are very tender. Exact cooking time will depend on size, shape and thickness of the peppers. Best to let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with the sauce spooned over the top.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

How To Drying Out A Squirrel Tail the Quick and Dirty Way

Last week, Rick and I spent some time in the San Gabriel Mountains (Read our post on hiking tips here.) We hiked up to the Baldy Ski Lodge to enjoy a pint of beer, took great pictures and even got to play in the snow. On our way back, we saw a squirrel lying on the side of the trail. Poor guy has been dead for about a couple hours. His body was cold and already very stiff. There werent any tire tracks on him. No signs of wounds. We couldnt figure out how he died.

It was as if he was just minding his own business, eating his little nuts and then suddenly had a heart attack, fell over and died. As we were examining him, a couple hikers came by. We chatted with them for a little, but Rick seemed a little antsy, as if he wanted them to leave. As the hikers turned the corner, Rick quickly drew out his Buck knife, bent down and cut the tail off. To be honest, I was slightly shocked. Out of all my years in hiking, I have never seen anybody do this, even though its perfectly legal. But it was pretty funny. Rick said that he didnt know how those hikers wouldve felt about him doing that, so better safe than sorry.

So, we brought the tail home and dried it out, the quick and dirty way. This isnt tanning with chemicals, because we didnt have the resources for it. But should you ever come by a dead squirrel and wanted to save it without expert tanning know-how, this is an easy way. All you need is salt and a dry place where cats and other critters cant get to.

1. Carefully, try to peel the skin and fur down the tail bone, exposing the top of the bone. Get a good grip on the bare tail bone with pliers.

2. Lay the tail underside up on a flat surface. Cut through the skin and fur along the tail bone with a sharp knife. Make sure you cut the backside of the tail, not the pretty topside.

We recommend that you do this outside. There will be critters living in the tail still.

Only cut down far enough so you can easily pull the tail bone out.

Like so.

3. Using regular table salt, cover the exposed, raw skin completely with salt, piling high. Try to get as much salt as you can down the tail shaft as well.The salt will leech the moisture from the tail, preventing spoilage.

4. Lay the tail flat, salted side up. Store in a dry place outside where neighborhood animals cannot get to.

It is important that the tail lays flat. The tail will dry in the position it is placed.

5. The tail should dry in a week, or sooner, and all the critters living in it will leave. Scrape the salt off the tail, which will be hard and solidified.

There will be some salt sticking to the hide. You can further scrape off the salt with something rough, if you wish.

There you have it! You want to careful when handling this. Since it is not tanned the proper way, the fur may come off if you yank too hard or play with it too much. But, its perfect for tacking up on a wall, to look at and admire.

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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Forgotten Fatherland a book for Fathers Day

"In 1886 Elisabeth Nietzsche, Friedrichs bigoted, imperious sister, founded a racially pure colony in Paraguay together with a band of blond haired fellow Germans. Over a century later, Ben MacIntyre sought out the survivors of Nueva Germania to discover the remains of their bizarre colony. Forgotten Fatherland vividly recounts his arduous adventure locating the survivors, while also tracing the colourful history of Elisabeths return to Europe where she became a mentor to Hitler. Brilliantly researched and mordantly funny, this is an illuminating portrait of a forgotten people and a woman whose deep influence on the twentieth century can only now be fully understood"

I thought this would be a fascinating book and was expecting to read the story of a strong, if rather misguided woman, interspersed with an account of Ben Macintyres journey to find Nueva Germania. Those two elements do feature in the book but I found the narrative confusing with too many different stories running alongside each other.

Not only do we hear about Elisabeth but also about the bizarre antics of Paraguayan Dictator Fransisco Solano Lopez and his Irish wife Eliza Lynch. Other historical characters are introduced and the story jumps between them without really concluding any of the stories. I read as far as page 63 in this 248 page paperback but found the style of writing difficult and frustrating to follow so have not finished the book.

I dont usually find it difficult to follow a complex plot and am generally very good at keeping track of a wide cast of characters, so I couldnt really explain why this particular book defeated me. My friend summed it up when she was describing a TV drama that she had abadoned, she said: "I didnt really care what happened to any of the characters" and thats exactly what I felt about the characters in this book, including the author!

There are very positive reviews from the Guardian, Sunday Times and Independent, so someone must have seen something in it that I didnt. If you have read Ben MacIntyres other books "Operation Mincemeat" and "Double Cross" you may well enjoy this book too, but Im afraid it just didnt do it for me.

RRP - £8.99
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Friday, May 2, 2014

Nannys Baked Rice and A Rice Cooker

Fridays during lent are always meat free for Catholics and when you get tired of pizza or ailo oilo (pasta with garlic and oil) you need to use a bit of creativity. Nanny would make some white rice, mix it with sauce, mozzarella and grated cheese, put it in a pyrex, top it with some breadcrumbs and bake it until the top becomes crispy. It was always very satisfying for me. When I decided to make this for Steve the first time I knew that he would want a little more added to it for it to be considrered a whole meal. Thats how I came up with this. Nannys version is like a rice ball and mine is like a sicilian rice ball. Make this either way or both ways, they are both great. If you dont like peas you can leave them out or put less in. When I made this last night I only had a couple of handfuls of peas in my freezer and it was still great.

Thanks to my friends over at Bakespace I purchased a rice cooker and used it for the first time yesterday. Eric found this great deal for a 3 cup rice cooker for only $9.99!!!

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It was great! I never have to worry about my rice being too mushy ever again! The best part is that its small enough for me to find a space for in the closet. That was my biggest concern but it turned out to not to be an issue at all. Thanks Eric and all my bakespace friends!

Nannys Baked Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup of white rice, uncooked
1 can crushed tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 lb 85% ground beef
1 small package of frozen peas, defrosted
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1 package of shredded mozzarella
Parmesan cheese, to taste
Italian Style breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook rice, set aside. Meanwhile in a small saucepan sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add basil and let it cook for 1 minute to let flavor release. Add tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar; if too thick add a little water (swish in can). Let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. While sauce is cooking prepare ground beef. Season beef with salt pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and brown in a nonstick pan (no oil needed if using a nonstick pan). Be sure to constantly break up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain fat. Ladle a little sauce on the bottom of a large rectangular Pyrex dish to prevent rice from sticking. In a large bowl combine rice, mozzarella, ground beef, peas and Parmesan cheese, adding a little sauce at a time. Do not want it to be too wet or too dry. May not need to use all the sauce. Add mixture to baking dish, spreading out and pressing down with spatula. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Place under broiler to crisp the top if necessary

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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Building a Bigger Baguette

People are asking if you can make larger loaves, and the answer is a definite yes. Here you see a batch of dough made into two larger baguettes, which took about 20 minutes to bake, I think. I should have timed it for you, but I was mesmerized by their beauty as I kept peeking to see if they were done, and never checked the clock. Its hardly my fault.

You can also make one giant loaf, but may want to reduce the temperature to 450 F., since the baking time is going to be longer, maybe 35-40 minutes or so. By the way, you can always test with a thermometer, and pull the bread at an internal temperature of 190-200 F. Enjoy!

Monday, April 28, 2014

At Last Big News about a Small School in Sonoma!

I will have more info within a few weeks, but I believe I have finally found a location for teaching and filming my culinary school course! Its in Petaluma, California, about 45 minutes north of San Francisco, and home to Aaron Jonas Catering.

Aaron is a friend who used to work with Michele, teaching classes at Viking Home Chef. Many years later, Aarons sister, Josette, married Micheles brother Kenny. Small world, but I digress. Yesterday I drove up to check out his school and was very impressed. Hes got a great space, and has done a beautiful job setting it up for his catering company, as well as his cooking classes.

I put together a very quick slideshow of the space to give you a sneak peek. Stay tuned for more exciting news, especially if youre located in northern California. For more info on Aaron Jonas Catering, and his cooking classes (which are getting rave reviews, by the way) you can contact him at (415) 846-9565, or check out the website at aaronjonascatering.com.

Im headed off to the gym to start getting in shape for the cameras; you know they add 10 pounds. Also, does anyone know if they still sell that hair spray paint for covering up bald spots? Enjoy the photos!

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

A Santa Maria Tri Tip Lesson with Paul Righetti because Barbecuing Season is Never Over

This is another one of the videos I shot while down in Santa Maria, when we were guests of Paul and Susie Righetti. Youve already seen Susie make the famous Santa Maria salsa in a previously posted video, so heres her husband Paul showing us the real method used to barbecued the beef with which the salsa is always paired.

I got a comment the other day asking when I was posting this video since outdoor cooking season was coming to an end. I beg to differ. What better weather to cook over an open fire than cold and damp? Unless youre talking about a blizzard or life-threatening thunderstorm, there is no such thing as a bad time to barbecue.

By the way, save your "thats not really barbecue because…" comments and emails. They call it barbecue, so I call it barbecue. You can argue all day about what is or is not "really" barbecue, but for me, if its cooked over or near a wood fire, its barbecue. So, put that in your pit and smoke it.

In the video youll see Paul use a pre-made mix of salt, black pepper, garlic and parsley to season the tri tip. This is one of the many Santa Maria barbecue products that Susie sells on her website.

The site is called Susie Qs Brand, and she offers a large variety of local Santa Maria products, including the magical red oak wood chips. Heres the link in case you want to check out the selection. Im working on getting a special discount code for you foodwishers to enter on the site, so check back for that! Enjoy.

DISCOUNT UPDATE! Susie Righetti just let me know that any orders placed using the promo code FOODWISHES2009 will recieve a 20% discount until 11/01/09!

Friday, April 18, 2014

How to “Turn” a Mushroom – An Earth Day Weekend Special!

I’ve really never gotten that excited about Earth Day, and this year is no different. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a huge fan of the planet (especially love the gravity), so on Sunday, April 22, I will be giving thanks to Mother Nature, as well as all the heroes who fight the good fight to keep her happy and healthy.

However, for an old food blogger like me, a “holiday” like Earth Day is more about key words and search engines than seabirds and algae. And of course, if you’re going to do a tie-in for Earth Day, you can’t get any “earthier” than mushrooms.

This video for how to turn a mushroom represents another classic technique I learned in culinary school, which was really never applied in a restaurant. Along with things like aspic and ice carving, turning mushrooms is one of the things that chef instructors LOVE to teach. Not to impart vital skills to their students, but to simply show-off…and that’s exactly why I’m showing you. Enjoy!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Kavuni Arisi A special Chettinad Sweet

This is my 100th blog. Many of my readers wanted this recipe for a long time. But I reserved this special chettinad sweet for posting as the century item.
This is a chettinad sweet delicacy which I think can be had only here. I understand what is going in everybody’s mind now. What is it special? Why it can be had mainly in chettinad only? The answer to these questions are, Mainly this sweet is made out of a special kind of rice grown in this region ,which after grinding will be red in color and will be needle like. Don’t confuse this rice with the red (kaikuthal Arisi) available in Kerala. I come to know that a very fine quality of this rice is available in Singapore. Once you have this rice, preparation is very simple. This rice after cooking will be sticky. That is the quality that makes it ideal for a sweet. In chettinad we get this rice hand grinded also.

Ingredients
Kavuni Arisi-1 cup
Sugar-1/2 cup (according to taste)
Ghee-1 table spoon
Grated coconut-2 tablespoon
Cardomom-4 or 5
Procedure
This rice is little difficult to get cooked. So soak the rice for 3 to 4 hours before preparing. Pressure cook the rice adding 3 cups of water in medium fire for 10 to 12 minutes. The rice should be cooked very soft till the white pulp in the red outer shell of the rice comes out. After opening the cooker if you find it not properly cooked, Cook for some more time. Try to smash the rice with a ladle when the heat is there. If there is excess water, strain it. After smashing, add the sugar checking for the taste in between. Powder the cardamom with a teaspoon of sugar. Add that along with the ghee and mix well. The sweet is ready. If you find the rice you are using needs more water to cook, add more next time and vice versa

Friday, March 21, 2014

A Meme

Hi everyone my friend Mansi Desai from Fun and Food tagged me to write a few things about myself using the letters of my middle name. I dont have a middle name so I used the word Honey instead. Honey could be a name but it is also my favourite sweet! So here goes .....

Happy - I try to be happy about things in life because even when things are not so good, you can always be in a worse situation than the one your currently in. I think its best to laugh at the silly things in life rather than stress over them. We cant be happy 24/7 but I think it sure is a great idea to try!

Oats - I eat oats for my breakfast at least 3-4 times a week. Porridge is my favourite breakfast of all time! It all started one winter when we were kids and we ate a lot of porridge for snacks because it was warm. I have ate it ever since and love it.

Nature - I love nature, animals and plants etc are fascinating to me. I love breathing in the fresh air of the out doors. There are a lot of beautiful places in the world, where ever there is nature I think there is beauty. :)

Everlasting Love - I love my husband and kids soooo much! The love I feel for my family is ever lasting and so very precious. That is why it is great to enjoy cooking so I can please my family and make them happy with what I cook for them. Eating is a privilege in this world that is why it is good to enjoy your food and have fun with it. :)

Yellow - Egg yolks, Honey, Buttercups, Sunflowers, ducks, lemons and so many more reasons to like this colour. Its bright and vibrant and one of my favourite colours.

I hope you liked reading the 5 things about myself. Now my job is to tag some more bloggers so we can all get to know some more people better. So here are my tags...

Seena from Simple and Delicious
Padma from Padmas Kitchen
Seec from En Samayal Arai
Deepa from Deepas Kitchen
Nags from For the Cook in Me

I had fun doing this post thank you Mansi. :)

Saturday, March 8, 2014

SANDRAS HOT BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP For a Crowd!

A very spicy appetizer that I love to serve
on game day with plenty of Alaskan Amber,
which accompanies this dish very nicely...

Servings: (12 to 16)
Prep: 30 mins. |
Bake 40 mins.

Posted: by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:
-4 Boneless skinless chicken breast, *poached and shredded (see below)
-16 oz. bottle hot sauce (I prefer Srirachas)
-2 green onions, chopped
-2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
-2 cups ranch dressing
-1/2 cup celery, chopped
-1 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
-1 cup monterrey jack, shredded

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Poach the chicken (see below). Once chicken is done, spray a 9”x13” baking dish with oil, and combine shredded chicken, hot sauce, green onion, and celery, and then spread in bottom of baking dish to form an even layer.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese and ranch dressing, stirring until smooth and hot (do not boil), and then drizzle evenly over the chicken mixture.

Bake ‘uncovered’ for 20 minutes. Remove and add the shredded sharp cheddar and monterey cheeses and bake for another 20 minutes ‘uncovered’ just until bubbly (dont let the top get too browned or it changes its the flavor and hardens). Remove and let stand for 10 minutes.

I serve this with assorted tortilla and frito chips, and celery sticks. Note: This is awesome appetizer when reheated as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*---Poaching chicken:

Place chicken breasts in a pot large enough to form one layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add water so it covers the chicken by an inch. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low so the chicken simmers. ‘Partially cover’ the pot. Continue cooking for 10 minutes; turn off the heat, and ‘cover pot completely’, leaving the chicken to finish cooking in the hot water for 15 more minutes. Remove chicken, and shred by pulling it apart with two forks.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Chocolate Dipped Viennese Fingers a Retro Cakes review

Retro Cakes and Cookies

Over 25 Sweet Treats From Times Gone By

By Wendy Sweetser

Take a trip down memory lane and discover recipes for delicious, retro-style cakes and cookies in this book by food writer Wendy Sweetser, author of 20 cookery books and a member of the UK Guild of Food Writers and the Slow Food Association.

There are 26 recipes in this little book, a similar number to ‘LeCookie’ the book I reviewed earlier this month. The books are from the same publisher and have a very similar format.

The book is divided into three chapters:

Small Cakes, Bars and Bunsincluding Maids of Honor; Date, Apricot, and Pecan Sheet Cake; Lemon Bars; Chocolate Fridge Cake; Rock Cakes; Swiss Buns; Coconut Pyramids and Butterfly Cakes

Cookies and other treatsincluding Snickerdoodles; Double Chocolate Pinwheels; Melting Moments; Jam Sandwich Cookies; Shortbread Petticoat Tails; Ginger Nuts; Chocolate Dipped Viennese Fingers and Macaroons.

Large Cakes including Coffee Walnut Layer Cake; Devil’s Food Cake; Dundee Cake; Pineapple Upside-Down Cake; Christmas Yule Log; Iced Orange Seed Cake; Cherry Almond Sponge; Pound Cake; Spiced Apple Cake and Cornish Saffron Cake.

Who is it for?

I was a little disappointed with the selection of recipes in this book. Perhaps it is because the selection of ‘Retro’ cakes seem to have a bit of a US bias and also because I probably have the majority of these recipes in other books. However, if you don’t have an extensive collection of baking books and you want to try some classic UK and US bakes then there are some tasty recipes in this little book.

Pros – A nice photograph of each cake beside the recipe, metric and US measurements.

Recipes are clearly laid out and simple to follow.

There are some slightly different recipes that really appeal to me e.g. Date, Apricot and Pecan Sheet Cake, Ginger Nuts and Iced Orange Seed Cake.

There are ‘Cook’s Tips’ for some of the recipes some have variations and others have interesting information about the history of the different bakes.

Cons - Limited number of recipes, many of them in any general baking book.

Chocolate-Dipped Viennese Fingers

I’ve always liked the idea of making Viennese Whirls or Fingers, but have never done so. This was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 7-8 minutes

Makes about 20 (mine must have been too big because I made 10!

For the cookie dough:

125g unsalted butter, softened

25g icing sugar, sifted

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. baking powder

115g plain flour

40g cornflour

About 2 tbsp. milk

For the chocolate icing:

100g dark or milk chocolate

Preheat the oven to 160C. Make the cookie dough: in a mixing bowl, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar, add the vanilla and beat again until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Sift in the baking powder, plain flour and cornflour, and add the milk. Stir rather than beat everything together to make smooth soft dough.

Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe the mixture onto the baking sheets in lines about 10cm long, spaced well apart, to make about 20 cookies.

Bake in the oven for 7-8 minutes or until the cookies are pale golden. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, before very carefully transferring to a wire rack with a palette knife to cool completely.

To make the chocolate icing, break or chop the chocolate into small pieces, and place in a heatproof bowl. Stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, and leave until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Re-line the baking sheets with clean baking parchment or foil. Dip both ends of the cookies into the melted chocolate, let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, and place the cookies back on the baking sheets until the chocolate has set. When set, store the cookies in an airtight container.

Cooks Tips

The mixture needs to be soft enough to pipe, but it must also be firm enough to hold its shape, so you may need to adjust the quantity of milk to ensure the right consistency. The baked cookies are crumbly and delicate, so handle them with care as you could break them when lifting them off the baking sheets and dipping them in chocolate, if you are too heavy handed. On the other hand, eating the broken ones is the cook’s perk.

Farmersgirl Tips
You do need the extra milk to get the consistency soft enough. I used a large potato or cream piping nozzle as I couldnt get the dough through anything else and ended up having to move the dough to a new piping bag.
The Viennese fingers are very delicate, I broke one cookie when I took it off the baking sheet, the chocolate was left on the paper and the biscuit came away in my hand! However, these were a big hit with young (my two year old grandson) and old (my 88 year old mother-in-law!) and everyone else in between. The taste and texture was exactly what I would expect from a Viennese Finger even though making them felt a bit like being on the Great British Bake Off!

Retro Cakes and Cookies by Wendy Sweetser is published by Cico Books at £9.99 and is available from www.cicobooks.com

I received a copy of Retro Cakes and Cookies to review, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.