I come from a long line of canners and food preservers (well, at least I know my Mom made jam and my Grandmother canned loads of stuff from her prolific southern California vegetable garden), but most of what I learned has been self taught. By the time I got around to being interested in making jam and pickling beans and cucumbers, both these women were not around to ask and I used resources like the National Center for Home Food Preservation and more recently, fellow bloggers Sean at Punk Domestics and Marisa at Food in Jars, to fill in the gaps. Most of canning is about following directions and ensuring balance of proportions in the final product, and while there is certainly room for experimenting, food safety dictates a certain rule-following behavior.

Food writer Sherri Brooks Vinton is out with a new book this year, Put ‘em Up! Fruit, a continuation of her 2010 book Put ‘em Up! Both of these books are ideal for learning how to preserve food, including canning, pickling, drying and freezing. With summer about to start, I was pleased to have the opportunity to review and host a book giveaway!

I spent the most time with Put ‘em Up!, the original, and homed in on the chapter about carrots. Mariquita Farms offered a special bulk sale of Imperator Carrots and I ordered a 10 pound bag. A big batch of Chilled Carrot Cumin Soup with Lime used a bunch, and with the remaining I decided to tackle two of the pickles in Vinton’s book, Dilled Carrots and Spicy Carrots. Both recipes were easy to follow and did not require kitchen heroics, either with needed tools or special ingredients. And they turned out so pretty (have not tasted yet, will wait a couple weeks for the vinegar to do its thing).

Because time is short today and I am sure you are dying to get to the giveaway, let’s do a Pro/Con on these books:

Pros:

Beautiful design and photos make these books fun to read

Books are divided by fruits and veggies, so all the carrot recipes are grouped together

Vinton provides handy follow on recipes, Use it Up!, using the preserved items, like Watermelon Martinis using Watermelon Aqua Fresca

I learned about new things, like Gastriques, Avoiding Siphoning and making Limoncello in a 5-gallon glass jar (who has one of those?)

Cons:

Good thing these book is fun to read, because there is so much content in here that is not indexed that you will need to sit down and read it cover to cover. Tips are hidden in amongst the recipes and you may find it best to keep a stack of post-its while reading. The illustrations in the first book and photographs in the second book help immensely with comprehension of tricky topics.

Perhaps too many kinds of preserving are covered, might have been easiest to stick with canning and pickling.

Would be nice if the books were spiral-bound so they would lay flat while cooking.

Oh, who am I kidding, I am digging for Cons, these books are both great and are a must for anyone interested in developing their food preservation skills!

NOW, THE CONTEST!

There is a copy of each of these books with your name all over it, and here is what you need to do to have a chance to win:

1. Leave a comment below answering this question: What is one tip you would pass onto friends about canning? (Mine? Only can the stuff you actually eat. It is amazing how you can get caught up in a great sounding recipe, only to realize you don’t eat that item. Like me and Peach Jam. Not BFFs)

Small print: One entry per person. Be sure to include your email address (which is not visible on the blog) so that I can contact you if you win. Sweepstakes runs from May 22-25 at 12midnight, winner announced on Sunday, May 26. Winners have 48 hours to respond before the next winner is announced. Winners will be selected using Random.org, a random number generator, from all the qualified entries. Open to residents of the United States only.

Disclosure: I contacted Storey Publishing about partnering together on my 5th Blogaversary giveaway extravaganza. They sent me review copies of these two books. All opinions are my own.

Beautiful Bacon avocados in our Mariquita Farms box this week, 5 total. Between lunch and dinner salads, plus maybe a random night with guacamole, these fruits will go fast. Our box also contained Kohlrabi (I scored two bunches from the trade box!), Baby Carrots, Lacinato Kale, Lettuces, Potatoes, French Tarragon and Green-tailed Red Onions.

Here is my menu plan for the week of May 19:

Sunday: Grilled lamb, roasted potatoes, roasted baby carrots, Tuscan Kale Salad with Anchovy-Garlic Dressing

Monday: Kohlrabi slaw with creamy herb and avocado dressing, sloppy joes (double batch in the crock pot), carrots and cucumbers

Tuesday: Cold Carrot Soup with lime and cumin, quesadillas, kohlrabi and ranch dressing

Wednesday: Dinner out between track and music

Thursday: Leftovers, or if nothing remains, then teriyaki salmon, brown rice and whatever vegetables are still around

Friday: Dinner out with friends

I am saving the tarragon for a shrimp salad I plan to make this week for an event, and I bought a big bag of carrots from Mariquita to try out a couple pickle recipes. Right after I get this posted, I am off to the grocery store and have a day of cooking planned. What is on your menu plan this week?

And the fun continues! Hopefully you all know I have backyard chickens. The Girls, as we affectionately call them, came to live with us almost 3 years ago exactly. I took a class at Love Apple Farms on raising chickens and part of the package was 4 baby chicks, which I brought home in a box. They give you four, with the idea that you will eventually end up with 3 do to attrition (or disease or maleness). All our four matured nicely into pullets, then hens.

Today, The Girls live in our converted playhouse in the backyard, with a chicken run built to the side for their daytime use. We were lucky – we had built a good playhouse (with our friend’s help) and converting it to a chicken coop was easy. We screened off the windows, added more screen to block rodent holes and added, IMHO, the best feature ever, the Automatic Chicken Coop Door.

Folks thinking about their own backyard chickens have many choices when it comes to housing the ladies, and Reinventing the Chicken Coop by Kevin McElroy and Matthew Wolpe provides plenty of inspiration and actual coop building instructions.

The Big Guy saw the book on the coffee table last week and was captured by the cover photo of a modern take on the chicken coop, the Cupe, with bright red walls, offset nesting boxes, and a cantilevered roof. He eagerly paged through the book, exclaiming at the coolness of other designs.

My favorite design is the Kippen House Garden Roof Chicken Coop, although because I am tall, I prefer a walk-in model like the Container Coop for ease of cleaning (no, I cannot make the kids clean the coop, these are really my chickens) or SYM which has the cleaning system integrated into the design.

The book is broken down into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced designs, and I actually think (even though I did not try it) that I could build one of the Beginner designs without too much help from my handyman neighbor. The authors start out the discussion by laying a good (get it?) foundation of basic information including tools, materials and basic techniques. The first two designs are very straightforward and look like they could be completed as a weekend DIY project.

I also liked the chicken keeping tips and tricks sprinkled throughout the book, the authors clearly have been working with chickens and chicken coops for a long time and bring much experience to the process. As I said above, the book is inspirational _and_ useful, and would be a good tool to have if you are thinking about adding chickens to your backyard homestead.

NOW, THE CONTEST!

There is a copy of this book with your name all over it, and here is what you need to do to have a chance to win:

1. Leave a comment below answering this question: Sunny Side Up, Over Easy, Scrambled, what is your favorite way to enjoy eggs?

Special 5th Blogaversary Bonus! A copy of The Fresh Egg Cookbook by Jennifer Trainer Thompson, is also included in this giveaway, so even if you are not thinking about chickens just yet, you should enter for the chance to win this handy book loaded with egg recipes including homemade mayonnaise, the Classic French Omelette, pickled eggs, and egg salad 2 ways. Plus, wonderful photos of chickens, handy chicken and egg tips, and a whole bunch of answers to commonly answered questions about chickens and eggs.

Small print: One entry per person. Be sure to include your email address (which is not visible on the blog) so that I can contact you if you win. Sweepstakes runs from May 15-18 at 12midnight, winner announced on Sunday, May 19. Winners have 48 hours to respond before the next winner is announced. Winners will be selected using Random.org, a random number generator, from all the qualified entries. Open to residents of the United States only.

Disclosure: I contacted Storey Publishing about partnering together on my 5th Blogaversary giveaway extravaganza. They sent me review copies of these two books. All opinions are my own.

The contest is now closed, thank you to all of you who stopped by and submitted your favorite way to enjoy eggs!

The winner of the contest is:

Congratulations to Brilana, who likes her eggs over medium!

The fun continues this week as I celebrate the 5th anniversary of Kitchen Gadget Girl with another book review and giveaway. Last week’s was fun, we talked about meals we take to others who need a little support. This week, we are going to talk about food, family and learning to eat, courtesy of the new book The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage, an anthology edited by Caroline M. Grant and Lisa Catherine Harper.

With the hubby out of town last week, I found a moment to start this lively selection of stories and recollections about my favorite topic of food. The essays start out with the adventures of a couple who moved from California to Tallahasee, Florida, and finally discovered the joy of their new home in freshly shucked oysters from Apalachicola Bay. I read about Blackaroni and Cheese and the longing for family favorites within the new construct of healthy eating. And I learned about pumpkin pie and sexual stimulation. Good stuff.

These are all original pieces collated from 29 writers, some of them here in the Bay Area. And the book includes recipes at the end of every chapter, the kind of recipes with the accompanying stories, that make you want to get up out of your easy chair and hit the kitchen with your chef knife flying. The 3-day Cassoulet looks daunting, but I always appreciate a good pie crust recipe and would love to tackle the Potato and Asparagus Salad with Creme Fraiche and Poached Eggs with the potatoes from my next box from Mariquita Farms. Really a wonderful book to read and enjoy!

Now, the contest!

There is a copy of this book with your name all over it, and here is what you need to do to have a chance to win:

1. Leave a comment about your first food memory.

That’s all. Hope you win!

Small print: One entry per person. Be sure to include your email address (which is not visible on the blog) so that I can contact you if you win. Sweepstakes runs from May 8-11 at 12midnight, winner announced on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12. Winners have 48 hours to respond before the next winner is announced. Winners will be selected using Random.org, a random number generator, from all the qualified entries. Open to residents of the United States only.

Disclosure: Dena sent me a copy of this book for my birthday, and Caroline approached me about offering the book as a giveaway to my readers. I would not have accepted if I did not think it was an interesting and fun book to share, and I am not being compensated for this review. 

The contest is now closed, thank you to all of you who stopped by and submitted your favorite kitchen memory!

The winner of the contest is:

Congratulations to Carolyn G, who remembers being in the kitchen baking a cake with her mother!

Funny. Last week’s title was Fava Beans and I showed a photo of artichokes. This week the title is Artichokes and I show you potatoes. One day I will get it together. Just not this week.

Our box this week from Mariquita Farms (now is a good time to sign up if you have been on the fence! And if you don’t live in the Bay Area, check out Local Harvest to find a CSA program near you) featured Okame Spinach, Spigariello, Artichokes, Carrots, Strawberries, Mizuna, and New Yukon Gold Potatoes (photo above).

Here is my menu plan for the week of May 5:

Sunday: Artichokes sauteed with anchovies and garlic, grilled steak, steamed new potatoes with butter, sauteed spinach, salad with arugula and mizuna

Monday: Slow Cooker Chicken Lettuce Wraps with guacamole, black beans, salad

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Dinner out between track and music lessons

Thursday: Roasted salmon (probably with teriyaki sauce, the family finds that tasty), brown rice, sauteed spinach, large salad with stuff

Friday: Takeout and Trashy TV

What is on your menu plan this week? 

Yep, that’s right, it is the 5 year blog anniversary of Kitchen Gadget Girl. Started in May 2008, this blog has attempted to chronicle my adventures in the kitchen, mostly around seasonal, local and organic foods. I also include a little bit of family travel, book reviews, opinions about many different topics, and interesting food experiences from far and near.

To celebrate, I have decided to share a couple of my favorite books with the community, through reviews and giveaways. Every Wednesday in May (there are 5, see), I will post a new review and chance for giveaway. Five weeks of fun, 5 chances to win, 5 books to share and enjoy. I am excited!

From Our House to Yours

First up is this delightful book of recipes from Chronicle Books, with a foreword by Joyce Goldstein. Published as a benefit for Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, the book contains suggestions and ideas for meals perfect for sharing. As readers of this blog know, I love taking dinner to other families: parents who have just had babies; friends recovering from surgery; moms juggling everything while their spouse is traveling. For me, cooking and sharing food is such a joy and gives me such a warm, fuzzy feeling.

These recipes are favorites compiled from other books, and feature contributions from several well known chefs including Lorna Sass, Bradley Ogden, Flo Braker, and Hubert Keller. Photographs are plentiful and encouraging, and the editors include tips for packaging and presentation. My favorite chapter is Casseroles, Baked Pastas and Potpies, all of which are very easy to take to friends.

Our friends down the street were recipients of Baked Conchiglione with Spinach-Ricotta Filling and raved that their kids ate every bite. I found the Zuni Cafe’s Chocolate Pots de Créme easy and quick to make, and we made the Soba Noodle Salad with Tamari Dressing for an evening picnic in the park.

While this would be a great book if you need inspiration for dinners to take to others, I think it is a nice book for any home cook looking for solid family-friendly recipes!

Now, the contest!

There is a copy of this book with your name all over it, and here is what you need to do to have a chance to win:

1. Leave a comment about your favorite dinner to take to a friend (or maybe you have a favorite takeout place instead?)

That’s all. Hope you win!

Small print: One entry per person. Be sure to include your email address (which is not visible on the blog) so that I can contact you if you win. Sweepstakes runs from May 1 – 4, winner announced on Sunday, May 5. Winners have 48 hours to respond before the next winner is announced. Winners will be selected using Random.org, a random number generator, from all the qualified entries. Open to residents of the United States only.

Disclosure: I approached Chronicle Books about partnering on a giveaway for my Blogaversary. Since I already purchased this book, and wanted to recommend it, I asked Chronicle Books to send one to the winner of this giveaway. I have not been compensated for this review. 

The contest is now closed, thank you to all of you who stopped by and submitted you favorite meal to take to a friend. Great suggestions, thank you for sharing!

The winner of the contest is:

Congratulations to Susan, who likes to take lasagna with salad and breadsticks!

Fava beans arrived in our box from Mariquita Farms this week, and because folks are scared of them, I got two bags. Fava beans make me laugh – lots of farmers plant them to restore nitrogen to the soil in the off-season. And several years ago, a smart farmer thought to sell the beans, rather than churn the growth back into the soil to decompose, and began to sell them at Farmer’s Markets and fancy grocery stores. Now you see them everywhere this time of year, and sometimes the price is sorta high!

Fava beans also make me chuckle because they are a high-maintenance veggie, which might explain why I ended up with two bags. First you have to shell the beans, no easy task as the beans are soft of wedged within the soft comfort of the shell and you really have to work them out. Then you boil for 1-2 minutes, drain and take off the outer shell. Then you are ready to use them in your recipe! Fortunately, after that, it is easy-peasy, as fava beans are pretty versatile, especially in this quick pizza Julia pulls together with her stash.

In addition to Fava Beans, we also found Meyer Lemons, Portuguese Kale, Carrots, Okane Spinach, Lettuces, and Artichokes (pictured above). I also special ordered a big bag of wild/baby Arugula.

Here is my menu plan for the week of April 28:

Sunday: Fava Bean, Asparagus and Arugula Salad, grilled center-cut pork chops, cold carrot soup

Monday: Roast chicken, artichokes with homemade mayo, sauteed spinach, lettuce and arugula salad

Tuesday: “Manicotti” with Portuguese Kale, ricotta and shredded cheese, along with a meat sauce (what the heck, I am making the recipe up as I go along!), salad with arugula and avocado

Wednesday: Dinner out between track and music lessons

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Takeout and Trashy TV

What is on your menu plan this week?

Our dear friend Atsuko gifted us with a copy of Everyday Harumi, Simple Japanese Food for Family & Friends, during our visit to Japan last month. Harumi appears to be the Martha Stewart of Japan, offering Japanese women a modern take on traditional Japanese foods, all built around her family favorites. The cookbook is fun to look at, the photos are wonderful, and while it lacks an index to make recipe lookup easier, the recipes themselves are straight forward and manageable in our kitchen. The most exotic ingredient I needed to track down were sesame seeds. As I said, not tricky.

And earlier this month, I took dinner over to a friend and decided to try a couple recipes from the book.

• Japanese Tsukune with Teriyaki Sauce (pork and beef patties)
• Pumpkin with a Sweet Sesame Glaze
• Asian coleslaw with cabbage, carrots, radishes and cilantro, with Ginger-Sesame Dressing

The teriyaki sauce was easy to make, although the book did not mention that the sauce would thicken as it cools; I might have taken it off the heat a few minutes earlier. The meat patties were easy to put together; next time I would like to fiddle with the mixture and cooking time and see if I can keep more of the moisture inside. Loved the pumpkin recipe; my pumpkin turned to mush while cooking and the recipe did not specify the type of pumpkin to use, so next time I might try a drier pumpkin with less moisture to begin with. And the coleslaw I just threw together with what I had in the fridge; great way to use up lingering heads of cabbage!

If you are interested in learning more about Japanese cookery, give the Harumi books a try. I know I will use this again to make my kids favorite Kaarage Chicken as well as Katsudon, which my husband and I enjoyed on our visit to Japan!

Our box from Mariquita Farms had a beautiful bunch of radishes included, which was timely, since I wanted to try a couple salad recipes with sugar snap peas, also included in the box. We have a busy week with a few birthdays and extra musical rehearsals for the school performance, plus temperatures seem to be warming up making cold vegetable salads extra tasty!

We also found Lacinto Kale, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Leeks, Carrots, and Strawberries in our box.

Here is my menu plan for the week of April 21:

Sunday: Grilled flank steak with chili cilantro marinade, Snap Pea salad with Miso Dressing (from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook), sauteed chard, pita/peppers/cucumbers and hummus

Monday: Grilled chops, chilled carrot soup with cumin and lime, lettuce salad with avocado, celery and walnuts

Tuesday: Taco night – slow cooker green chili chicken, salsa, guacamole, lettuce salad

Wednesday: Dinner out between track and music

Thursday: Roasted salmon with miso glaze, sugar snap pea salad, sauteed chard and onions, brown rice

Friday: Dinner out, cake at home!

What is on your menu plan this week?

Took dinner to two friends last month, and decided to use my slow cooker to help the job along. Followed the recipe in Cook’s Illustrated Best Slow & Easy Recipes for Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Pie, and gave myself two days to put the recipe together. Day 1 was to do the filling, and day 2 was assembly and baking. The recipe made 2 9″ round pies, and I used crust I had in the freezer from Christmas baking.

• Chicken Pot Pie with Pie Crust Topping
• Brussel Sprout Salad
• Kiwis

We had friends over for dinner last week, to pick their brains about our summer vacation plans. The Swedes arrived on foot; the Danes on bike. Exactly what we expected!

Since spring is definitely here, I was able to take advantage of all the great produce available, and the menu came together quickly.

Menu for a Spring Dinner

• Selection of local cheeses
• Marcona almonds, Happy Girl Kitchen Pickled Beets, olives
• Marinated Hanger Steak - just used the marinade, grilled on the BBQ
• Dijon-marinated chicken
• Farro salad with sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts
• Grilled asparagus
• Salad with lettuce, shungiku, mustard, fennel, avocado and orange, with a blood orange vinaigrette (photo above)
• Assortment of Mayfield breads
• Strawberry shortcakes - I made these much smaller than recommended, yield was about 16 biscuits

A couple bottles of wine and we were good to go!