The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book

I was excited to get The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book. I have a few other cookbooks by Bruce Weinstein, such as The Ultimate Ice Cream Book and The Ultimate Candy Book, as well as The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Cookbook by Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough. When I first opened the book, I was disappointed to see that the binding split apart right away. While it is still usable, it is likely that pages will start falling out next.

The first recipe that I tried was Honest-To-God Pulled Pork. We raise pigs, so I have pulled a lot of pork. It was nice to have a recipe to cook it quickly when I just needed enough for my family. I also made a beef stew, by combining a few of the recipes to get the veggies that my family likes in it. My husband was thrilled that I could make a good beef stew so quickly since I haven’t made beef stew much lately since it’s hard to get it in the crockpot early enough in the day for it to be cooked for dinner.

With 500 recipes, there is a lot of variety in the book. There is also a section on using a pressure cooker at the beginning, which was handy for me since I had never used one before. There is a section of desserts, but I doubt I will end up using those much. The main dishes, as well as the soups will probably get quite a bit of use. This is a great resource, especially for those days when I forget to plan dinner until is too late to start a lot of things, since they cook considerably quicker than conventional recipes.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

Author Bio

More about the book

 

Bread Revolution, by Peter Reinhart

I have all of Peter Reinhart’s previous books that I am aware of. I use many of his recipes frequently, so I was excited to get a copy of his newest book, Bread Revolution. I have also heard a lot about people eating bread made from sprouted grains, but in the rural area I live in, they are not available. Now I can make my own. The first thirty pages of the book are composed of the introduction and a tutorial on the methods he uses in the book, along with answering questions on techniques needed. There are pictures of the shaping process to guide you in that as well. The following chapters are on sourdough, sprouted flour breads, sprouted pulp breads, whole grains and whole milling, the next new bread frontier, and is the road less traveled the road ahead, which uses things like peaches and coffee in the starter. There are a number of gluten-free recipes in the book, for those who either need or prefer gluten-free.There are also recipes such as Sprouted Wheat Cinnamon Buns and Sweet Rolls, for those who prefer that their indulgences be as healthy as possible. This book contains a number of intriguing recipes, such as Whole Wheat Currant Pretzels, and Seeded Multigrain Hearth Bread with “Parmesan Trap” Starter, as well as healthier versions of classic recipes, such as Whole Wheat and Raisin English Muffins, and Sprouted Wheat Croissants. There is an extensive resources section at the end of the book if you need help locating ingredients,or would like to read more about the techniques used in the book. I am looking forward to baking my way through this book, although I would warn those who live in rural areas that you will probably have to buy some of the ingredients online. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

 

Observations on Awe and Wonder- We Make the Road by Walking Chapter 1

Isn’t it amazing to think what it would have been like to watch God form the stars and planets, the ocean and the mountains, and everything on the earth. These things are beautiful to look at now, can you imagine how glorious it would be to have been able to watch as they were created? Sometimes days can go by in busyness without a pause to stop and notice how amazing the universe really is, but those times when we stop to look up at the night sky, or notice the beauty of a sunset, or a horse running through a field, make you feel a sense of awe at how much beauty and variety of things God has created. There are so many strange and fascinating things on earth, that you have to wonder at the imagination of God. Have you seen pictures of some of the unusual creatures that live along the hydrothermal vents on the floor of the Pacific Ocean? Genesis tells of God looking at everything he had made and resting from his work. How often do you take the time to stop working and appreciate the beauty and wonder of God’s creation?

 

We Make the Road by Walking

I am reading We Make the Road by Walking, by Brian McClaren. I am planning to blog about each section as I read it. It is meant to take about a year. I have read most of his other books and I think he has a lot of valuable things to say, so I’m looking forward to reading this one. As the front flap of the books says, this book is meant to help you “re-imagine what it means to live joyfully and responsibly in today’s world as agents of God’s justice, creativity, and peace.” The books says that faith is not something you find once and stay that way. It is meant to grow and develop over the course of your life. I’m hoping reading this book and reflecting on it will help me on that journey. Look for my next post on it soon.