Beautifully Poor

Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker  cookbook is a beautiful compilation of recipes the whole family will love. Using my slow cooker is a life saver in the winter months (and sometimes the summer) especially when we are busy with school activities or karate. Having a hot meal ready to go when we get home is my favorite, so reviewing this book was a treat! The book has 8 sections: Meat Poultry Seafood Meatless Side Dishes Breakfast Sweets Stocks & Sauces Each section offers a wide array of dishes to make, one of my favorites being the Chicken with 20 Cloves of Garlic. The flavor created in the dish was just fabulous and it was extremely easy to make - even better. Of course the pictures in  Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker  are fabulous as well, showcasing the meal in a beautiful fashion, making them look even tastier than you thought they could. The recipes themselves go from simple, such as Brisket and Onions, to more unusual (for my family anyways)...

Phoenix Claws and Jade Treees - Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking by Kian Lam Kho is just that. I have always loved Chinese food but sometimes restaurants are leary places. For me, I prefer to make my food and once I can make it, I have no need to order out for it again! This book provides me with that and I absolutely love it. This cookbook isn't just a book full of recipes. It contains a whole section on Knife Techniques and even starts off with the history behind Regional Chinese Cuisine. Who doesn't love to learn more about the culture they are cooking? This book goes into details about aromatics used in Chinese Cooking as well as the sauces, starches and spices. Once you start getting into the chapters containing the recipes, I find they are extremely easy to follow and cook. The one recipe I was SO excited to try was the General Tso's Chicken recipe. It is definitely not something I have ever gotten when I have ordered it in a restaurant...