Williams Sonoma – That's Just Me

“Good for You” by Williams Sonoma Cookbook Review

I just returned the cookbook “Good for You (Williams-Sonoma): Easy, Healthy Recipes for Every Day” by Dana Jacobi to the library and I already have plans to borrow it again!

I am a fan of Williams Sonoma publications, and this was no exception. It offers information as well as recipes, a lot of which are available on their web site.

The first chapter “start with the plant” offers a brief reference to each food group, such as “cabbages & crucifers” which enlightens the reader to the wonderful benefits of bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, napa cabbage and cauliflower.

The book offers a lot of nutritional snippets that I was happy to learn!

Did you know that red cabbage gives you twice as much vitamin C as green cabbage? And that kale beats broccoli in beta-carotene and carotenoid content as well as vitamin A and calcium? And that oregano has the highest antioxidant level of all herbs?

Then there were recipes, which were divided into Breakfast, Main dishes, Sides & snacks, and Desserts. At the end of the book, there are two pages of “Basics” which covers recipes like gremolata, pesto, and homemade yogurt.

Some of the inspiring recipes I found were:
Butternut squash and pears with Rosemary,
Spaghetti squash with garlic, oregano, and Parmesan
and Olive oil chocolate mousse, which utilizes olive oil instead of cream!

I returned “Good for You” to the library only because someone else requested it. Otherwise, I’d be keeping it for another few weeks! It’s worth a check-out for sure! Recommended!

Disclaimer:
I love reading cookbooks, like some people love reading novels! I am inspired by recipes, and enjoy learning ideas from cookbooks, which means I’d rather put my own spin on a recipe than follow it exactly. Please keep in mind that my opinions might be completely different from the other home cooks.

Williams Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers’ Market Book Review

I borrowed the “Williams Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers Market” cookbook from the library. It’s a lovely hard cover book, with loads of colorful, high-qualtiy photographs.

The book begins with tips for local seasonal eating and shopping at the farmers’ market. There is a 4 page “graph” listing each vegetable and fruit and its season. For instance, delicate lettuces are normally grown in the spring and autumn, while sturdy lettuces are grown in the winter. Garlic is a summer veg, while apples are found in the autumn and winter. It gives you a rough idea of what produce to expect at a given time of year.

The book is then organized by each vegatable/fruit “group” – for instance, Beans & Peas, Cabbages & other Crucifers, Leafy Greens, Roots & Tubers, Squashes, etc.

At the beginning of each veg/fruit section, there’s a quick “table of contents” listing which produce will be covered in that section and a descriptive summary. Onions & Cousins: onions, sweet onions, garlic, green garlic, leeks, green onions.

Then there’s more detail on each specific vegetable/fruit, like growing history, variations, growing season, and other helpful tips for buying and cooking it. Not unlike a quick encyclopedia reference for produce! There was also a fantastic photo available for each vegetable/fruit which is helpful if you aren’t sure what it looks like.

The produce are listed in two’s, with their specific recipes following. Recipes are grouped three to a page, with one fantastic photograph of a finished dish on the opposite page.

Each vegetable/fruit has a color reference, and the recipes are color coordinated. For instance, there is a section for Brussels Sprouts (orange) and Broccoli Rabe (blue) – the recipes that follow are highlighted in either orange for Brussels Sprouts or blue for Broccoli Rabe.

The recipes themselves are inspiring and creative. I’m not a big recipe follower, but I love gaining knowledge by reading through cookbooks, learning new techniques, and how to put different flavors together. There are some unique ideas in this book and some classic! I think everyone can learn a little something, whether you’re a newbie cook or experienced.

If you don’t need a permanent reference, then consider borrowing the “Williams Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers Market” cookbook from your local library.

If you are new to healthy cooking and need a general Vegetable & Fruit guide, then this would be a great addition to your cookbook collection. It’s also helpful for inspiration if you frequent your local farmers markets or receive a hefty share of veggies from your local farm CSA.

One issue to keep in mind, recipes are not categorized by type, so if you’re searching for a soup, you won’t be able to browse through a chapter of soups. You’ll need to refer to the detailed index at the back of the book, to find all “soups” of which there are plenty!

But if you return from the market with some eggplant, and don’t know what to do with it, open the book to the eggplant section and you might energized with an idea, like Rolled Eggplant with Sausage and Mozzarella (a recipe I’m looking forward to trying)

A few of the other recipes that jumped out at me were

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Champagne Grapes
Sauteed Spinach with Feta & Pine Nuts
Avocado, Bacon & Tomato Tartines
Baked eggs with spinach and cream
Blueberry-Vanilla Panna Cotta

Note: I noticed most of the recipes that included a photograph in the cookbook, were indeed available online at the Williams Sonoma web site. Plus a few recipes were available from other bloggers.

Disclaimer:
I love reading cookbooks, like some people love reading novels! I am inspired by recipes, and enjoy learning ideas from cookbooks; I like putting my own spin on a recipe rather than exactly following it. Please keep in mind that my opinions might be completely different from the other home cooks.

Williams Sonoma Outlet – 60% Off All Staub Cast Iron Cookware!

Whoo hoo! My cast iron collection is complete! Just bought a Staub 6.25 qt round and 11 inch gratin pan. I am thrilled! (EDIT: my Williams Sonoma receipt states 7qt, but matching the # to the Staub brochure, it states 6.25qt. It’s probably only 6.25 usable, but to fill to the top, it’s 7 qt)

I found out about the HUGE Staub 60% off sale down at the Williams Sonoma outlet store in Wrentham, MA! I debated if I should make the hour long drive down, but I’m so glad I did!

I phoned them first to see if they had any large ovals, and they didn’t, but they did have 6.25 quart round. I decided that the discount was worth the gasoline and time, so I made the trip!

When I arrived, I didn’t realize how large the Wrentham Outlet mall was. Wow! I didn’t really know where to park, so I took a chance and parked by the Banana Republic store. I started walking toward the right and found a directory, and realized that the Williams Sonoma store was at the LEFT end of the mall in the back, toward where I originally parked. That’s good! I wouldn’t have to lug my heavy purchase too far, so I turned back and walked the other way toward the store.

On the directory, I also noticed that the Le Creuset outlet store was very closeby as well, so I took a peek on my way to WS. They were having a 25% discount sale, nothing to match the 60% off, but it was fun to look anyway. I was shocked to see the huge 15 quart pot on display. Wow, I didn’t know they made ’em that huge!

Anyway, back to my Staub purchase.

I had a difficult time deciding what to purchase. Yes, my ultimate dream would have been a large oval pot, and I was debating the 6.25 qt round vs the 4 qt oval chicken roaster (matte black). This roaster is not the same as the Coq Au Vin oven, which would have made an even tougher choice. This pan is shaped like a chicken, with an awkward shaped lid. And since I already have a 4 quart round pot, in the end I decided the 6.25 qt would really be the best.

They also had many gratin pans in many sizes. I decided the medium sized 11 inch should fit nicely in my small counter-top oven for roasting a small chicken or a chicken breast, plus I’d be able to sear on the stove first! I debated the 13 inch covered gratin, but thought it might be too large.

So for a total of $138 (including tax) I bought my dream 6 qt round and the 11 inch gratin. Now I can give away my old “made in China” 6 quart pot! I love Staub! I actually prefer it to Le Creuset! ha! I love the black enameled interior, it’s so easy to clean, and it’s a workhorse! I take care not to use metal utensils in my enameled cast iron. I mostly use wooden.

So, I think my collection is complete!

two 2 (1.75) quart round pots
one 4 quart round pot
one 6 quart round pot
one 11 inch gratin

I think the only other pieces I would consider would be a larger fry pan (not grill pan) but then again, plain ole cast iron would probably be the best for that piece.

And maybe possibly an oval piece, but then again, why? I think I have all the bases covered with the sizes I have. I’m thrilled!

Oh and the sale is until the end of the month, and there were still lots to choose from, many gratin pans, minis, 3 qt ovals, and a few 4 qt oval pots, along with two more 6 quart rounds. They had a bunch of the black chicken roasters too. They also have these cool-looking tall sauce pans, but I think they are more for cool looks, than actually serving a cooking purpose.

And such beautiful colors, too. I love the basil green and the deep blue is stunning. The graphite gray is nice, and the matte black too. My pieces were in the Williams Sonoma exclusive red. It’s a darker red, almost burnt color. Wasn’t my first choice, but for this price, I will NOT complain!

EDIT 2011-07-29: Still haven’t unpacked the BIG pot, but I baked a meatloaf in the 11 inch gratin pan. Very nice pan. I think I’m going to use it a lot!

Williams Sonoma Muffins & Quickbreads Book Review

I found the cook book Muffins & Quick Breads (Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library) at the library a few weeks ago; After browsing through the pages, I found so many awesome recipes I wanted to try. A lot of the recipes were lower in sugar, and I really loved that!

I searched for it on Amazon and was thrilled to find a used copy for less than $4. Yay! It was from a 3rd party seller, but “fulfilled by Amazon” which means it qualified for free shipping if your total order was $25 or more. There are lots of other 3rd party sellers also selling used copies for under $5 (including shipping).

I ordered it immediately! It arrived fairly quickly, and it was in very good shape. I couldn’t even tell that it was a “used” copy, it only had a few blemishes on some of the pages. Nothing big.

The big thing I did notice was that it was an older version than the copy from the library. I compared each page, and I did find some discrepancies in the flour weights (2 cups should be 10 oz or 315 grams) along with a few other ingredients like raisins. It wasn’t very difficult to hand corrected a lot of the recipes. So, all in all, I am very happy with the book.

I highly recommend this book if you are into muffins and quickbreads. Because I was so impressed, I found other older Williams Sonoma books from the library. I didn’t find any that made me want to order as quickly as this book though.

I did enjoy the Soups book as well as the newer Muffins book from 2003, but the recipes were much more sugary. I still am keeping several in mind for a future order.

The first recipe I baked was Blueberry Muffins (pg 36). Check out my recipe details. Yum!

I’ll be baking more recipes as autumn and winter move on!