Winner of "Herbivoracious" and my Twitter Giveaway!

Saturday was the last day you could put in for the Herbivoracious cookbook giveaway. I got the winner the old-fashioned way: I wrote the names down on small slits of paper, put them in a bag, shook it up, and closed my eyes as I grabbed a slip. And the winner is:

Carol Sue!

Major congrats! I'll be emailing you for your address and will send via USPS this week. Hope you enjoy it. And even if you didn't win, Michael has many recipes from Herbivoracious on his website where you can test drive some. If you like what you see/try than I highly suggest getting a copy from Harvard Common Press. It's a great book to have on-hand, especially for those, like myself, seeking to make more veggie heavy dishes with flair.

One giveaway ends and another begins. Yes, I'm feeling particularly giving now. Call it post-Book Expo warm fuzzies.

Since I'm getting close to the 500 follower mark (or have hit it by the time this posts) on Twitter I have decided to hold a giveaway for my followers.

Here are the rules:

1) You're automatically entered if you follow me on Twitter. No need to tweet or comment or anything.

2) Once I get to the 501 mark (as followers tend to waver 1 or 2 per day) I'll randomly choose a winner using Random Number Generator. I will only enter numbers 1-whatever # followers I have that day.

3) I will pick two numbers randomly. From there I will count the followers (yes, count) in ascending order (bottom to top) and determine which follower corresponds with that number. Hard work, but someone's got to do it.

4) If the number corresponds with a spammer or corporation or family member (sorry, but I gotta stay somewhat neutral) they will not be counted and I will randomly pick another number and find the follower that corresponds as long as they are an individual and not related to me.

5) I will announce the winners via Twitter and DM them. If they do not respond within 48 hours I'll repeat steps 3 & 4 to find another winner.

6) Once I get in touch with winner we'll discuss which prize you'd like and I'll get it ASAP. Meaning within the week if possible/available.

So I'm sure you're wondering what the prizes are? Since my website/blog is based around my love of the written word and baking it only seems fitting that the prizes reflect such. So, two lucky, random winners will get a choice between:

• A book (whatever genre) at a $25 (USD) value or less OR
• Dessert from one of the bakeries I have interviewed (check my baking page for direct links to interviews) at a value of $25 (USD) or less. Sorry to say that this doesn't count Cupcakes in Rome as she is located in Italy, however if YOU are in Italy you may be in luck! Please note that some bakeries only deliver to the NYC/tri-state area so we can try and work out another dessert if you have a hankering and are out of location.

Update as of July 14th: A couple days after this post originally pubbed I reached 504 followers and chose two winners randomly from Twitter. They were Jacob G. Adams and Ajit Dhillon! They both chose books. Well Jacob chose a book and Ajit got a $25 Amazon giftcard. So congrats guys and glad you enjoyed your gifts! Thanks again for following!

I'll have another cookbook giveaway in August thanks to Tuttle Publishing for Bee Yinn Low's (aka RasaMalaysia) new book. So stay tuned!

Thanks for following and reading!

Tuttle Publishing at Book Expo: An Introduction to a Publisher Merging East & West Cultures

At Book Expo of America (BEA) I noted visiting the Tuttle Publishing booth. I had received an email about their having items available from their cookbooks. And as I love books (particularly cookbooks) I knew had to stop by. I follow Bee Yinn Low on Twitter and via Facebook and her book was recently released by Tuttle for making Chinese cuisine. Tuttle Publishing is a leading publisher of books on Asia while also including Europe, Australia, and the Middle East in the mix. Many of their titles center on providing information on Asian culture ranging from cuisine to language to architecture. At BEA Tuttle provided samples of some of the cuisines in their new cookbooks. Namely desserts from Sushi Secrets by Marisa Baggett and Paleo Indulgences by Tammy Credicott. A trend with many of Tuttle's cookbooks seems to be 'easy.' Allowing for a range of possibilities from the novice cook to the one who spends many hours in the kitchen perfecting recipes. What was most interesting to me was the possibility to make dishes that are exotic and seem difficult in my very own home and learning the step-by-step techniques that could quell my concerns of difficulty.

Samples from Sushi Secrets were delicious. One that stood out for me were the lemon mango bars, citrusy (but not too much), light, and sweet so that the fruit flavors melded well and the texture was that of a lemon bar but a bit more solid and less gooey. What struck me was that Marisa is someone who has specialized in sushi and made it her own with a southern twist which also makes it accessible to those within the United States. It's not just a 'fun time' treat that you may be afraid to try but a dish you can do with lots of variety in your own home and compile many different flavors (some classic, some fusion).

I have to say that I was floored by the pecan sandies from Tammy's  Paleo Indulgences book! These were sugary, crispy goodness that I could not get enough of. I was caught between not wanting to be the glutton that returned to the booth over and over for a taste and wanting more to be able to properly identify how delicious it was. As someone who's made gluten-free items these were not brittle to the touch and I was informed by one of the Tuttle reps that the treats were not only gluten-free, but soy free and made with natural ingredients rather than saturated items. So, needless to say I will be purchasing both of these books ASAP.

And speaking of purchases....

Tuttle Publishing is being quite generous to Book Expo attendees and customers in general by offering a 40% discount on your entire web purchase from now until mid-July. Enter code BEA2012 to get an automatic discount on books purchased through Tuttle's website.

And please stay tuned! In August I will be doing a review and giveaway of Bee Yinn Low's cookbook Easy Chinese Recipes. If you're also a fan of Bee's you know she has a knack for making great dishes look simple and has some great sponsored giveaways! Thanks to Susan Robertson & Rowan Muelling-Auer (Tuttle Publishing) for helping with the giveaway!

Herbivoracious (Delicious Vegetarian/Vegan) Recipes and Cookbook Giveaway!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by publisher Harvard Common Press in celebration of the release of Michael Natkin's new cookbook  Herbivoracious. 

Those following the Herbivoracious blog have seen the progress Michael's made in creating the recipes compiled in his new cookbook. You can also see a few recipes from the cookbook and get started there. Some highlights of Herbivoracious are:

• the amount of 4-color photos available for a majority of the recipes giving you insight into what your dish may look like (not all cookbooks are this plentiful with imagery),
• notes for ingredients & cooking equipment - where to find them items like broth and what butter to use and how important knives are in the kitchen,
• inserts of what Michael's blog readers thought of some recipes and how this helped him further develop the recipe and inserts about how to find alternatives to items in recipes,
• and while all recipes are vegetarian there are also icons for noting if they are vegan-friendly and/or gluten-free.

I am always on the hunt for recipes where vegetables are the star. My rearing was as a meat and potatoes gal and then turned to meat, starch, and a veggie (often canned). I have tried to translate more proteins (of the good kind) and less carbs into my regular eating but too often I've found that vegetable dishes aren't as exciting as you would like them to be or as hearty to make at home. So I was very eager when Jackie Gordon informed some of us food bloggers about Michael's book and Harvard Common Press' celebration.

I was able to make five recipes in the past two weeks. Admittedly I chose the easiest ones because of work and other commitments. And I think many of my friends who have families and day jobs it'd be essential to them to know that a cookbook not only has recipes that may require some time but also contains a balance of dishes that are easy peasy and can be prepped and/or cooked in less than an hour.

The Recipes

First up were the chickpea fritters. I needed an item that was savory for my friends' upcoming baby shower. And since I love hummus I figured these were something that would be tasty to tackle.

Get canned garbanzo (chickpeas) beans and a bunch of other items handy and mix those badboys together in your heavy duty food processor. I used the KitchenAid I won at Pie Party Live last year. Such a great thing!

Pat the mush into patties and then deep fry for several minutes on each side. I have to admit I went a bit heavy on the lemon juice & zest on these as I am a lemon enthusiast so they were lemon-tastic. I also did not make any of the suggested/accompanying sauces (there's a whole section in Herbivoracious dedicated to sauces and such!) so I'm getting only the fritter in taste. The fritter was a nice, crunchy, citrusy treat. Right out of the frying pan still warm these are wonderful! Even at the baby shower the next day when they were more mushy than crunchy attendees ransacked the twenty or so I brought with me. Many enjoyed it as is, but I highly recommend these hot off the grill and perhaps with an accompany tangy sauce that will mix well with the citrus flavor.

After seeing the recipe for brown butter cornbread I knew I had to make it. No ifs, ands, or buts. The most time goes to making sure to brown the butter until you get the nutty smell to it. Unfortunately I couldn't find milk powder which is a trick Michael adds during the browning of the butter phase, so I look forward to trying this again with said powder. The overall cornbread is not too sweet but super moist out of the oven and a great addition to savory items like chili or with sweet butter as Michael suggests in the book. Co-workers enjoyed this thoroughly as lighter fare after having so many sweets from all my baking with Truvia.

Next were the caramelized apple and blue cheese crostini. I substituted goat cheese for the blue cheese because I am not a fan of blue. I enjoyed the balance of flavors, but found I am also not a huge fan of tarragon. Tarragon has a specific flavor and it's kind of minty with a more earthy flavor to it. Not bad, just not for me. What's good about this recipe is that if you're not as into the tarragon flavor it is subtle due to the additional saltiness from the soft cheese and the sweetness of the caramelized apple. So I was not deterred from eating a whole baguette's worth of crostini's. :-) It's a great easy recipe that was done in less than 30 minutes.

Since I had many apple slices left I made the Dutch Baby with sauteed apples. I had had something similar to the Dutch baby when at the Jentel Arts Residency last spring and Rachel made hootnie for us as a nice Mother's Day brunch. Since I don't have a cast iron anymore I used Pyrex, which I remember Rachel using, and everything came out fine! (Though I should note if you use a 7x10" pyrex for this cut down a few tablespoons of butter for the recipe.) The Dutch baby puffed up perfectly and the lightly sweetened apples are a great addition since the Dutch baby is just batter (no sugar) in butter. Add some maple syrup on this and you will love it! I gave this to some of my co-workers and they really enjoyed it. It's going to be a few people's new go-to brunch item when hanging out with friends on weekends. I am glad we helped bring more brunches to NYC.

Last up was the chocolate chunk bread pudding. I was toggling between this and expresso brownies since I had many of the ingredients for both recipes but in the end the bread pudding won out because I just love it so and had a lot of milk.

Challah bread is great for bread pudding. It's thick, it's buttery, and has a slight sweetness to it. Breaking up 70% dark chocolate chunks and adding into the mix was so simple I was done within 20 minutes or so. I decided to bake this over the humid Memorial Day weekend as well which was probably not a smart move. And I have no regrets. I gave this to one of my co-workers as a belated birthday present and she and her husband and her department were thankful to me for days. It was a huge batch and the chocolate oozed into every crevice even though there are too many chunks involved. It's enough to dip pieces into the pools of chocolate and just enjoy it warm in a well ventilated space with milk. (Trust me, you should have milk on-hand for this dessert.)

All in all I enjoyed every recipe I tried and I can't wait to tackle more, particularly the bahn mi bites and more desserts!

The Giveaway

So, here's the deal. Harvard Common Press is being super generous in helping me host a giveaway of Herbivoracious. And it's super simple how you can enter and possibly win. Simply leave a comment on this post saying how much you like the recipes or if you have any questions and such or have tried recipes from the Herbivoracious website and a winner will be picked at random.

I'll be closing off comments at 11:59pm on Saturday, June 23rd. So that's two weeks to get your comments in! I'll post the winner on Monday, June 25th.

You can comment as much as you like for more entries, tweet about the giveaway, share it on Facebook, and even direct others to Michael Natkin's Twitter feed and note my giveaway for more entries.

Feel free to check out the Herbivoracious website and let me know what you think. I guarantee you'll find something you like.

Thanks again to Adam Salomone at Harvard Common Press and Michael Natkin for helping me with this giveaway! 

Interview with Sweet & Simple's Michelle Jaffee (Defining the best in baked goods from family roots.)

I was introduced to Sweet & Simple's brownies at the NYC Bake Sale in April (you can still donate here!) Abby Dodge delivered a box full of huge brownies, both original and with raspberry swirl. Needless to say chocolate itself is a hot item so everything chocolatey was the first to go. But the Sweet & Simple brownies stuck out due to packaging, size, and that delicious look you get on your face seeing a glorious orb of chocolate brownie goodness in your midst! I was glad I snagged some before they completely flew out of the Bake Sale booth!

Michelle Jaffee is the mind and heart behind Sweet & Simple and I very happy that she was excited to do an interview for my site. I'd like to thank Michelle again for her generous donation to the NYC Food Bloggers Bake Sale and helping us secure thousands to aid in the No Kid Hungry campaign and also for creating such delicious goods that really remind one of home. And many thanks to Michelle and Melani Lust of Melani Lust Photography for providing these great photos!

Michelle Jaffee (Photo courtesy of Melani Lust Photography)

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

It seems that when starting a new baking business beginning on the internet may be a good point of origin and then branching out from there. Was that your intention when you began Sweet & Simple? Currently your goods are available online and in stores in Connecticut. Do you foresee having a storefront in the near future?

Actually, I thought I would start with farmers’ markets, but I had great, early success with wholesale and never looked back. The online site came over a year later and now I am looking for a small retail space. It has been a very organic process. If I had to do it over, I would have started with both an online site and a blog. I did the best I could, no excuses, but if I had to recommend a plan to another food entrepreneur, I would definitely encourage him/her to have a strong online presence from day one.

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

Sweet & Simple offers brownies and cookies for order via the Online Store. However, on the Sweet & Simple blog you discuss (and post photos) of various desserts and savory items you make. Are there plans to sell more offerings like blondies, breads, and/or cupcakes?

I started with a much bigger product line/menu and pared it down for the wholesale line. As I grow the online business, and when I have my own retail space, I will be adding menu items back. Blondies are one of my favs (butter and lots of brown sugar, what’s not to love?) and quick breads, muffins and cupcakes are some of my favorite things to bake and will be available as well.

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

I love the design of the Sweet & Simple website. The brown background and daisy in the logo really create a feeling of Sweet & Simple items being made especially for you from someone’s home, and not mass produced. How did you come up with the design, tagline (“baked with love”), and overall branding?

The logo was created with the help of my good friend, Anne Spencer. I had exhausted so many names in search for one that was not being used by another bakery and “sweet and simple” really just describes so well my style of baking, what I love to bake and the ingredients I use. I originally considered a mixing bowl as part of my logo, but when I saw it, I wasn’t “feeling it.” The daisy was my suggestion, the ultimate sweet and simple flower, and the fluttering heart was Anne’s. It was a true collaboration. Most people who bake really do “bake with love,” and it’s true of me as well. I’ve had so many women approach me in person and say, “That’s what I always say about my baking!” I connect with people through food, and when I cook and bake it is always done with love. This is my dream job.

I never thought about Sweet & Simple as a brand until other people started recognizing the logo and saying, “Hey, I saw your cookies at such-and-such-place.” The logo is really an extension of me, I’m proud of it, it still makes me smile, and I get a kick out of seeing it around town and online. I have very consistent use of the logo online and in print. Part of the “branding” is a modern-vintage feel. So, I have incorporated gingham over the last year as well. For the blog, I’ve been using more and more of my own vintage linens and simple kitchen items. Instead of going out and buying “props,” I just use what I have at home. What’s to me funny is that I am enjoying taking the pictures so much more now that I stopped over thinking the process.

And, speaking of pictures, one of my goals is to improve my photography. Attempting to take decent pictures for a blog is a humbling experience. I’ve had mixed results, but people have been supportive and I appreciate that.

Core ingredients! (Photo courtesy of Melani Lust Photography)

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

Sweet & Simple also has videos on YouTube. There’s a video discussing the origins of Sweet & Simple and also about social media and having been in the Get On The Shelf contest for Walmart. Are there more videos set to be made about baking or about the business side of Sweet & Simple? Will there be a web series?

I am SO ready to do a series of online videos, but running the actual business takes up so much time I haven’t had the extra hours, or made the time, to get that project off the ground. As I’ve said, I love being in the kitchen and talking about cooking and baking and I see videos as a natural extension of what I am already doing.

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

Your trademark is “baked with love” and it seems that your family inspired you. In one video you show off your grandmother’s recipe box and an apron your mom made. Having tasted your brownies they are definitely made with care. Do you think baking with care and love are synonymous in a way so that the end result is an overall pleasant eating experience for the consumer?

When love and care go into any project the results are going to be outstanding, how could they not? Whether it’s refinishing furniture, restoring a car, planting a garden or baking a cake – love and care are the keys to success! And, yes, I guess you could say that love and caring are synonymous. I love to bake and I care enough to source the best ingredients possible – I don’t want anything from Sweet & Simple to be different than what I would serve to my family and friends. Sweet & Simple is as an extension of my home kitchen where I am carrying on the traditions passed to me from my mother and grandmother.

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

Sweet & Simple has a strong online presence. You can find & connect with Michelle Jaffee via these social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SweetandSimpleFans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Michelle_Jaffee

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/michellejaffee/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SweetandSimpleBakery/videos

Sweet & Simple Blog: http://mysweetandsimpleblog.blogspot.com

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

Thanks again to Michelle for this interview and for being so considerate in donating goods not only for NYC Bake Sale but for CancerCare Girls Night Out earlier this year. I know we all appreciate your great desserts and generosity! 

Reduced-Sugar/Sugar-Free Baking Month (with Truvia)

As previously noted May became reduced-sugar/sugar-free baking month in my household. The goal was to make at least four recipes using Truvia (an all natural sweetener containing Stevia leaf extract) and note differences (if any) in taste, texture, and overall quality of the dessert made. I was able to fulfill my goal of at least four recipes courtesy of Truvia's website as well as a couple from Marisa Churchill's new cookbook Sweet & Skinny. And I'm happy to say that the results for each item varied.

The Recipes:

• Reduced-Sugar Brownies
• Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
• Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Berries (Marisa Churchill recipe)
• Papaya Mint Popsicles (Marisa Churchill recipe)

The Results

First up was the fudgy brownies. I decided to try a recipe with some sugar and some Truvia. It was simple enough to make and when licking the remaining dough from the bowl I was pleased with the chocolatey taste. The texture of the batter was not grainy and was akin to that of any brownie you may have made from scratch or via a box mixture. Something else that is notable is the recipe calls for canola oil rather than vegetable. As per my IACPNYC Culinary Expo post remember that canola oil is being touted as one of the better oils to use for baking/cooking.

Not only had the calorie count been cut down on individual portions of brownies but there was no after taste and the texture was there, though I may have overmixed so the brownie was not as dense as it could have been. Bringing these in to my co-workers resulted in a heap of approval. One of the managers said she thought it had a nice "nutty" flavor to it. Admittedly I hesitated telling my co-workers what the secret ingredient was because I wanted to attain honest feedback on what they thought without being swayed by hearing what was in it. When I did inform people there was Truvia mixed in with the sugar no one seemed to notice and everyone felt a bit better about eating the brownies that were reduced in sugar and fat.

Next, I made carrot cake with cream cheese icing. I've made carrot cake cupcakes before but they tasted more like muffins than cake. So I was eager to try my hand at it again. I ran out of Truvia as I was making the cream cheese icing so the icing was half Truvia, half confectioner's sugar. And since I'm not a fan of raisins in baked goods and wanted the carrot cake to be eaten by all, I cut out the walnuts and raisins the recipe called for.

The texture and smell of the cake was great and I'm sure this was due to the canola oil and buttermilk within the batter. You can even see in the picture how moist the cake was and did in fact taste like cake. However, there was an after taste. Not unpleasant, and not lingering, but it was distinct. If you have had sweetener alternatives that contain aspartame or sucralose you may be familiar with or expect an after taste and those particular ones mentioned tend to have a lingering effect. However, tastebuds can adapt. And again, when mixing Truvia with sugar the sugar outweighed the Truvia and the cream cheese icing (made with reduced-fat cream cheese) had no traces of an after taste.

When bringing these in to co-workers response was varied. Again, I didn't reveal until after that this dessert was made with Truvia. One co-worker specifically asked if there was Stevia in the cake. I was shocked. He said he had worked with some who made desserts with alternative ingredients and Stevia was one of them. "It has a very distinct taste," he said. My manager was not a fan of the cake and noted the after taste was something he couldn't put his finger on at first. Others noticed the after taste and didn't mind or didn't notice at all because the texture and smell was so good. One person even said she really enjoyed the cream cheese icing.

My last two recipes came around at the right time due to increasing humidity in New York City last week.

I made the buttermilk panna cotta and papaya popsicles side-by-side so that I could chill and freeze them respectively before tasting later this past weekend. Both were super simple to make, literally taking just a few minutes each. The bulk of time utilized for these recipes is in the wait for them to become solidified.

For the popsicles I traded some ingredients, using mangoes instead of papaya. (That was a preference call). I also abstained from using mint leaves as I am not a fan.

Like the brownie recipe an additional natural sweetener was added to the mixture, agave! Mixing this with lime juice and orange juice then placing it in ice cub trays I placed Saran Wrap over the cubes and then left to freezer in my industrial strength Fridgidaire.

I ate these on a humid Memorial Day and I must say these were tasty! A new fave, go-to treat for me! I didn't get any after taste from this and perhaps it was the mixture of all the fruits and natural ingredients that Truvia mixes well with. On a hot and humid day I enjoyed cube after cube after cube! It was like a smoothie in cube form with my favorite fruits! I think the agave was a great addition here because I didn't feel indulgent yet it was just sweet enough for me. (Thanks, Marisa!) Make this your summer treat, people!

For the buttermilk panna cotta I used blackberries (I enjoy them and they were on sale) and refrained from purchasing vanilla bean to add to Truvia and sprinkling on top. I wanted to taste as much of the panna cotta on its own as possible.

Only a few packets of Truvia are called for in this recipe but the taste was there. Not unpleasant and not too imposing on the overall recipe that I couldn't enjoy it. The texture was perfect for panna cotta. I have had dessert touted as "panna cotta" when in fact it was yogurt with fruit in it. Panna Cotta is a solid custard, kind of like flan but not as sweet. Even tart berries like blackberries add a nice counter sweetness to the custard. The panna cotta is sweet in a tangy way because of the buttermilk used in it. It tasted pure and no frills which a good custard should be. I'd make this again for sure and perhaps add maple syrup and blueberries on top or even agave and see how that meld of flavors is.

The Conclusion

Let me preface by saying that these opinions are my own and ones gathered from co-workers/friends who also tried the desserts I made with Truvia. Overall, I would use Truvia in my baking, particularly for reduced-sugar goods or anything that is fruit heavy. The taste tends to meld better with more natural ingredients rather than on its own in pastries and I think the added advantage that it's not a wholly chemical compound, the after taste (if there is any) isn't unpleasant or lingering, and the health aspect make it a valuable sugar alternative.

I'd like to thank Kristi Kleila with RF Binder for providing me a sample of Truvia spoonable to use in this baking endeavor and also thank Marisa Churchill for writing Sweet & Skinny and promoting healthier baking.