The “smitten kitchen”is the tiny kitchen of Deb Perelman,a mom and entrepreneur in New York City.  You can see some pictures of it here. She is proof that you don’t need a kitchen featured on HGTV to be a great cook. I love her.  So you can imagine how excited I was when The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook came out. It is as great as I thought it would be,and I took myself to my slightly-bigger-than-tiny kitchen with my non-granite-counter-tops and got cooking! (I don’t understand the fascination with granite counter tops –someday if I have a slightly-bigger-than-tiny kitchen I would much rather have one of these.)

I thought I’d share what is my favorite recipe so far. Just a little taste of the great things in this book. Enjoy girlfriends!

Broccoli Slaw

2 heads broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds,toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries coarsely chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk,well shaken (my son’s job –believe me it is well shaken)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 small red onion,finely chopped
lots of freshly ground black pepper

Trim the broccoli and chop in to large chunks,then cut each chunk into thin slices. Toss the broccoli with the almonds and cranberries. In a small bowl,whisk the buttermilk,mayo,vinegar,sugar and salt until smooth. Stir in the onion. Let the onion marinate in the dressing for 10 minutes. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture;add black pepper. Stir until the broccoli is evenly coated. Serve immediately,or cover in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.  YUM.

*Recipe courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf Publisher excerpted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

When the colder weather hits,it’s always nice to spend some time on the weekend in the kitchen. If you are planning some cooking time this weekend,we have a recipe for you,courtesy of Little,Brown,from Andrew Weil’s new cookbook,True Food. Unfortunately I do not live near one of Andrew Weil and Sam Fox’s True Food Kitchen restaurants. Until they expand to the east coast,this cookbook should hold me over!  There are more than 125 recipes from the kitchen of True Food Kitchen in a beautiful format that has pictures of almost every recipe (my pet peeve of cookbooks). Below is one of the many wonderful recipes in this book.  Enjoy and have a merry weekend,Girlfriends!

Immunity Soup

Modern research shows that astragalus root,a Chinese herb long used to ward off colds and flu,has powerful immune-enhancing properties. The sliced,dried root is available online and in herb stores. It is nontoxic and adds a pleasant,sweet taste when simmered in soups. Shiitake mushrooms also boost immunity and have an antiviral effect. Garlic is an antibiotic;ginger,a natural anti-inflammatory agent.

1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 lg onions,thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic,smashed
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
4 oz shiitake mushrooms,stemmed and thinly sliced (about 2 c)
2 lg carrots,julienned
2 1/2 pieces astragalus root (about 15″total)
8 c Mushroom Stock (see below)
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
2 c broccoli florets
1/2 c julienned scallions

HEAT oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions,garlic,and ginger and cook until soft and translucent,about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms,carrots,astragalus root,stock,and 2 cups water. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

ADD tamari and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed. Add broccoli and cook until tender,about 2 minutes.

REMOVE astragalus root pieces. Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with scallions before serving. (Makes 12 cups.)

NUTRITION (per serving –6 servings) 75 cal,4 g pro,13 g carb,3 g fiber,1.5 g fat,0 g sat fat,987 mg sodium

Easy Flavor Booster:Mushroom Stock

Stock used in restaurants is usually made with chicken,but we serve so many vegetarian dishes that we needed something different for our sauces and soups. Shiitake mushrooms impart a savory essence;you’ll never miss the meat. Keep in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a month.

Chop 2 ribs celery and 1 medium onion and put in large pot with 2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms and 2 1/2 quarts water.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Turn off heat,cover,and let stock steep 20 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce.

Pour stock through fine-mesh strainer,discard solids,and let cool.

(Makes 2 quarts.)

**Recipe courtesy of Little,Brown;taken from True Food.

In Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey:The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle,Fiona,Countess of Carnarvon,has capitalized on the success of the ITV/PBS series Downton Abbey to relate the history of the house it’s filmed in,Highclere Castle,and the family who own it,the Carnarvons.  In particular,the Countess focuses on her predecessor,Lady Almina Carnarvon,the 5^th Countess,who presided over Highclere from her marriage in 1895 (at the age of 19) to her husband’s death in 1923.

Almina was the illegitimate daughter of Sir Alfred de Rothschild.  Blessed with incredible wealth but dubious social standing,Almina gained acceptance by marrying the 5^th Earl,George (called “Porchy”),and he gained the influx of her fortune to help sustain the estate.  Despite this less-than-romantic arrangement,Countess Fiona describes the marriage as a happy and loving one.  She outlines the early years of Almina adjusting to her new life,the birth of her children Henry (“Porchy” again) and Evelyn (“Eve”),and the running of the house and the servants who worked there.  The account progresses through the challenges and sorrow of the First World War and Almina’s transformation of Highclere into a hospital for injured officers,to her lifelong connection to nursing.  Also detailed are the lives of those who interacted with Almina,from housemaids,soldiers,her personal assistant,her children,and,most notably,her husband,Lord Carnarvon,the famed “gentleman archaeologist” who financed and assisted with Howard Carter’s discovery of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

Lady Fiona writes with the confidence and detail of extensive research,often citing her sources within the text or reprinting entire letters,but in such an intimate manner that the book reads more like a novel than a biography.  She includes how she suspects people might have felt at various times and a wide selection of photographs that help bring the people and Highclere to life.  Fans of Downton Abbey will notice remarkable similarities between characters and events in the show and real people and events described in the book.  A treat for enthusiasts of early 20^th century history and Downton Abbey alike,Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey serves up an intimate and easily enjoyed view of the lives of one of the most intriguing families in recent British history.

About the Author: Fiona,8th Countess of Carnarvon,is a former auditor at Coopers &Lybrand and ran her own fashion label,Azur. Fiona’s guardianship of the estate extends to its grounds and gardens,events and the Egyptian Exhibition –around which she and her husband regularly take visitors.

This review was written by girlfriend Alex Hopwood.

We’ve been waiting for this book to go on sale,and it’s kind of making our morning that it’s 60% off! The Family Dinner:Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids,One Meal at a Time will inspire you to gather the family around the dinner table every night.  Kids really do enjoy the uninterrupted parent time,and you’ll all be healthier for it.  Have a great weekend,Girlfriends!

Live More,Want Less:52 Ways to Find Order in Your Life by Mary Carlomagno has a specific focus – order – but a wide range of applicability.  Carlomagno,a self-described recovering shopaholic with an innate ability to organize,has put together a readable collection of organizational advice for everything from your closet to your mind.  The working theory of the book is that “when you release,simplify,and clear distractions,you open yourself up to an entirely new kind of freedom,movement,and discovery”.

There are 52 “ways” (a throw to Carlomagno’s personal interest in Eastern traditions) to de-clutter your life,and the book can either be read straight through or used as a week-by-week guide.  A few of the more powerful sections of the book are “Love things that love you back” (a way of detaching from material goods),“Opting out”,and “Portion control for life.”  Each “way” comes with a related anecdote or explanation,along with several basic “daily practices” to help you immediately put the advice to work in your life.  There was even a chapter on “Book Keeping”,a particular source of clutter for this bibliophile,and to my pleasant surprise,the advice wasn’t to throw out all my books – whew!  This is a self-help book that is actually helpful – read it and pass it on to your loved ones who might benefit from an organizational nudge – Ms. Carlomagno would be proud.

About the Author: Mary Carlomagno is the owner of Order,a company that specializes in clutter control,urban apartment solutions,office spaces,and shopping addictions. She writes frequently on organization for magazines and newspapers,including the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Body and Soul. She is also a columnist for care.com. She lives with her husband and children in New Jersey.   To learn more about Mary,visit her company’s website at http://www.orderperiod.com.

This review was written by girlfriend Kristin Awsumb Liu.