We actually like soups, stews and chilis year-round.  I like quicker ones in hot weather (it's not the cooking time or cooking heat— it's just that I get less inside time plus in winter smelling a slow simmering soup is comforting, but in summer it's somehow not).

One Pan & Done  is by the chick that does the sheetpan supper books.

A Meatloaf in Every Oven: Two Chatty Cooks, One Iconic Dish and Dozens of Recipes - from Mom's to Mario Batali's  sounds like it will be fun to read and useful.  Description says

"The definitive guide to an American classic though the lens of New York Times journalists Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer's culinary friendship. 

Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer share a passion for meatloaf and have been exchanging recipes via phone, email, text and instant message for decades. A MEATLOAF IN EVERY OVEN is their homage to a distinct tradition, with 50 killer recipes, from the best classic takes to riffs by world-famous chefs like Bobby Flay and Mario Batali; from Italian polpettone to Middle Eastern kibbe to curried bobotie; from the authors' own favorites to those of prominent politicians. Bruni and Steinhauer address all the controversies (Ketchup, or no? Sauté the veggies?) surrounding a dish that has legions of enthusiastic disciples and help you to troubleshoot so you never have to suffer a dry loaf again.

This love letter to meatloaf incorporates history, personal anecdotes and even meatloaf sandwiches, all the while making you feel like you're cooking with two trusted and knowledgeable friends."

 

NEXT READS PLANNED

Five chapters a week for this July's bookclub read of Old Man's War.

  Breath of Heaven (Well of Sorrows)    

Plus whatever library ebooks I borrow (lots on waitlist plus binge-ing some series, currently Drink Deep in Chicagoland Vampire series is checked out) will interrupt regular reading schedule.

Another bookclub read of whatever TOR offers free (mid-month?) plus 24in48 readathon July 22-23 will also disrupt or remake plans.

by Elisabet der Nederlanden

The introductory chapter tells of the author's Swedish background which bodes well for great cookie recipes. Then before we get into the cookie recipes, we get some technique pointers to make them come out well and the icing recipe that works best for decorated cookies.

The cookie recipes start with classics. Gingerbread men, decorated shortbread, swirl cookies and a few less familiar.

We then get regaled with the author's ideas for a Cookies Exchange Party, which sounds great fun and a chance to make some fancy cookies like Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies, Almond Ricciarella Cookies, Espresso Thins or especially tasty selections like Malted Milk Chocolate Cookies.

The third chapter gives us some warm holiday spice or fruit and traditional holiday cookies from several countries. Eggnog Madeleines, Cinnamon-Sugar Palmiers and Swedish Pepparkakorare are included among the International treats.

Then, speaking of treats, Holiday Confections is our next chapter and includes ideas for fancy wrapping gifts of cookies or confections along with recipes for holiday themed treats like Peppermint Bark and Apple Cider Caramels, as well as less traditional treats like Chocolate-Hazelnut Fudge and Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Squares.

Chapter 6 is all about decorating with cookies. The classic Gingerbread house and Christmas tree shaped sugar cookies with decorative icing are featured along with cookie tree ornaments and Candy Cane Cookies. If you really want to impress, the 3-D Christmas Trees made of stacked cookies and the Stained Glass Snowflakes would add something special to any holiday decorations.

There are resources for finding speciality equipment or ingredients in the back for the Americans, thought the rest of us will have to do our own sleuthing.

The color pictures throughout the book could entice any occasional baker to make the extra effort to do some extra baking this holiday season. The attention to detail in gift wrapping makes baking a present for the relative you never know what to buy for a definite attraction, as long as they aren't diabetic! Overall this is an excellent holiday baking book and probably the only one you'll ever need for cookies.

by Kazuko Aoki

This is a lovely needlecraft book with advice on how to draw flowers with colored threads, in embroidery. It is loaded with full color pictures that show what can be accomplished with a few well-chosen stitches.

Hints are given about how to keep the shapes and colors in the artist's eye so that the image can be closely depicted in the stitches. About halfway through the book, instructions are given for how to embroider the beautiful flowers. Materials, stitches, everything you need is covered. Even the color numbers for DMC embroidery silks is included.

Detailed instructions are laid out for the specific flower designs in the pictures, but the reader is encouraged to use the same methods for embroidering flower designs from their own gardens or a field guide. There isn't a lot of text, but the little there is explains everything you need to know!

Overall an excellent tutorial on making these lovely designs.

The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented through simple changes in diet and lifestyle. In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America -- heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson's, high blood pressure, and more -- and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives.

Well this was a very interesting read! Since I have been contemplating changes to my diet, it arrived on hold for me at the public library at an opportune moment. I went shopping yesterday for esoteric items like hibiscus tea and ground flax seed and some less unusual items like more walnuts, fruit & vegetables.

I’m a believer in evidence and Dr. Greger provides boat-loads of that. Now my task is to test these ideas with myself as guinea pig and see if they actually work for me. I’ve been controlling my blood pressure with medication for many years now and just got the warning from my doc that my blood sugars are creeping upwards. The time for action is now!

However, there is a lot of repetition in this book. It got to the point where I wanted to skip entire chapters because I knew that I was just going to get more of the same. It gets almost to the point of being preachy, something that I detest. I also wish that he had dealt with the issue of the title at the beginning, rather than right at the end. Properly, the book should be called How Not To Die Prematurely and he admits this in the final paragraphs. It is not a prescription for immortality.

Meat-eaters (and I am one of them) will find this challenging. However, I keep my own notebook of recipes that I went through this weekend & I made notes. I certainly have enough vegetarian recipes that I enjoy to keep myself well fed while I try out this regime. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I will definitely be adding more fruits, vegetables, and nuts even while I try to wean myself off of too much meat. I don’t know whether I will ever be a vegan—I’m not sure I have enough self-righteousness for that—but a dietary improvement is in order.

by F. Sehnaz Bac, Marisa Redondo, Margaret Vance

This is a colorful book showing what can be done with painting on rocks. The illustrations are beautiful and the designs reasonably simple so that anyone could probably create something of beauty with the tips given.

Like most craft books, it starts out with sections on tools and materials, how to prep rocks for painting and the best paints to use. The designs are offered in sections; Mandalas, Patterns, which includes hearts, feathers, dots, flowers and stars, Animals, and Nature, which includes various shapes like a leaf, raindrops and a butterfly wing.

It finishes off with a section about the artists.

Full color pictures illustrate the book throughout and step-by-step methods for achieving the designs make it easy. Techniques for color combination effects are made simple through example.

Graphs are included for design detail. The fox was my favorite, yet they made it so easy! This is a great, simple craft book good for children and adults who want to create something pretty with minimal drawing talent. Easy 5 stars.