Tacopedia by Deborah Holtz

tacopediaFact: The average resident of Mexico consumes 135 pounds of tortillas per year.

Nixtamalization (the process of creating maize dough) was developed at the beginning of Mesoamerican civilization between 1000 and 800 B.C.

Taco culture, however, has only been popular for the last two centuries.

These and other exhaustive facts are featured in the new book, Tacopedia, at all DPL locations.

This travel guide/recipe book has a healthy amount of photos, and quite a bit of scholarly information on the sundry variety of regional variations.  It is an excellent way to learn the difference between suadero and al pastor.

It is frustrating, however, to know there is no way this gringo would ever be able to obtain the correct meat cuts, much less come close on the meticulous recipes.   What’s worse, most of these featured taquerias are hundreds of miles from any all-inclusive resort.

Thankfully, the Quad Cities supports a population that enjoys authentic cuisine.  Armed with what I’ve gleaned from this book, I may brave outside of the burrito at one of our fine local establishments.

Happy Cinco de Mayo to one and all.

Better on Toast by Jill Donenfeld

better on toastHot or cold, savory or sweet–there’s nothing better than fresh, flavorful ingredients on a slice of perfectly toasted bread!

Toasts are the ideal meal, whether you need a handheld lunch, a creative buffet for hungry guests, or a craveable midnight snack. Better on Toast features more than seventy elegantly simple recipes for toasts to appeal to every taste–from Hot Miso Crab to Shaved Asparagus with Serrano-Basil Butter to Lavender Ricotta. Jill Donenfeld layers flavors and uses quality, wholesome ingredients to make each recipe stand out, while her magical toasting techniques bring out the best in every bread, from thick-cut brioche to hearty grain to her signature gluten-free Quinoa Millet Bread.

Let’s have a toast!

(description from publisher)

Joy the Baker Homemade Decadence by Joy Wilson

joy the baker homemadeJoy Wilson believes that everything is better with pie. And caramel. And definitely ice cream.

Her world is pretty sweet: she dabbles daily in butter and sugar as her blogging alter ego, Joy the Baker. Her new book, Joy the Baker Homemade Decadence, is packed with 125 of Joy’s favorite, supereasy, most over-the-top, totally delicious treats, such as Dark Chocolate, Pistachio, and Smoked Sea Salt Cookies; Butterscotch Cream Pie with Thyme-Marshmallow Meringue; Mint Chocolate Chip Cake; and Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.

After all, every day is an opportunity for sweets. (description from publisher)

Lick the Bowl Good by Monica Holland

lick the bowl goodNo meal is complete without dessert! Popular food blogger Monica Holland brings you an enticing collection of comforting homemade classics with a modern twist in Lick the Bowl Good.

Find inspiration in her fun, whimsical recipes that reinvent old favorites and create exciting new flavor combinations. Enjoy dozens of irresistible recipes from: Grandma’s chocolate layer cake. Cream cheese swirl snickerdoodle blondies. Hummingbird cupcakes with mascarpone frosting. Pumpkin pie cake. Blueberry vanilla yogurt popsicles. Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies.

Brightened with full-color photography throughout, the carefully tested recipes are not only gorgeous to the eye, they’re achievable for both the experienced baker and those just venturing out into the wonderful world of baking.

Whether you need a bake sale treat or are having a midnight cravings for milk and warm-from-the-oven cookies, Lick the Bowl Good is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. (description from publisher)

Eat More Dessert by Jenny Keller

eat more dessertJenny Keller, baker to the stars, is best known for her amazing dessert tables she makes for celebrity parties. The secret is she makes it simple with batch recipes and by doctoring boxed cake mix to easily bake a whole table full of treats.

Dessert table themes include *Princess Tea Party *Ice Cream Shop *Shipwrecked *Spring Garden *Love Is Sweet *Vintage Baby *Campout *Fall Bounty *Down on the Farm *North Pole Bakery You’ll also learn how to design the perfect dessert table, from choosing a theme to styling your sweets. Each theme has multiple desserts to fill the table, ranging from simple, crowd-pleasing sugar cookies to show-stopping, over-the-top cakes–and everything in between.

With Eat More Dessert you’ll create celebrity-status desserts that’ll dazzle your friends, family and kids. (description from publisher)

The Messy Baker by Charmian Christie

messy bakerSince when did every cookie on the plate have to be just like the next? Or each layer of cake exactly the same height? Each piecrust an impeccable work of art and encircled by stunningly perfect pastry leaves? To the uninitiated, all that fastidious, spotless baking is intimidating, not to mention exhausting.

The Messy Baker celebrates baking as it happens in the real world – sweet, messy, fun, not always gorgeous, but a way to show love. Which doesn’t make it any less delicious; to the contrary, Charmian Christie’s flavor combinations rise far above the ordinary. Why have a raspberry galette when you can enjoy a raspberry-rhubarb galette with drippy, unctuous walnut frangipane? Or how about a Brie and walnut whiskey tart? It’s all yours without the rigid perfectionism or complicated instructions of other gourmet cookbooks. Christie’s warm, irreverent voice brings the fun back into baking at a time when home cooks – pulled from pillar to post by jobs and errands – need to have fun. The Messy Baker is a full-service book that not only guides the reader through simple, delicious recipes but is also there to help out when things go wrong.

For anyone who gave in frustration when that cake collapsed or the frosting smeared, Christie’s practical advice is here to rescue even the worst disaster and inspire the baker to try the next recipe. (description from publisher)

The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book by Carolyn Wyman

great american chocolateThe advent and swift rise of the chocolate chip cookie offers some of the best stories in American myth-making and king-making. It might feel like this favorite treat is part of our national heritage, perhaps dating back to the founding fathers, but not until 1930 was the first batch impulsively baked in the kitchen of a Massachusetts inn. How quickly it became our nation’s favorite is what makes the chocolate chip cookie more relentlessly American than even apple pie. Easily commodified and mass-produced, it birthed new business moguls overnight, ultimately accounting for more than half of all homemade cookies, with sales of 6 billion packaged cookies annually in the U.S.–it’s the stuff of legend.

Revisit the Toll House Inn kitchen of Ruth Wakefield, who one fateful day took an ice pick to a block of chocolate and sprinkled it into her cookie dough, spawning a national craving that continues unabated to this day. Get to know the first chocolate chip cookie-preneurs and their unlikely success stories. Did you know that Wally “Famous” Amos was a successful music talent agent who signed Dionne Warwick and Simon and Garfunkel to recording contracts before he decided a brighter future lay in perfecting his dear aunt’s irresistible cookie recipe? Or that Mrs. Fields was a determined young trophy wife whose husband said her idea of trying to sell her chunky, chewy cookies would never work?

And the recipes are packed into this book like brown sugar in a measuring cup, from close approximations of the original Toll House and Mrs. Fields recipes to creative variations like Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies. Vegan, gluten-free, and low-fat/low-cal recipes are here, too. So whether you prefer yours crunchy or soft, with or without nuts, you’ll be delighted by the wealth of fun facts and delicious recipes in The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book – and you’re sure to be scrambling for the pantry or nearest bakery to feed your craving. (description from publisher)

Bacon 24/7 by Theresa Gilliam

baconEven as pork prices rise and the economy fluctuates, consumption of bacon remains steady. The American Meat Institute reports that bacon has an almost cult-like following; the Facebook page About Bacon has more than 10 million Likes. Its sublime savory taste has been endorsed by scientists as well: bacon boasts umami, the seductive “fifth taste” that heightens and rises beyond sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Bacon isn’t just an infatuation–it’s a way of life.

In Bacon 24/7, author Theresa Gilliam and photographer E Jane Armstrong have teamed up to create a fun and current cookbook to feed the need for bacon. They include recipes for every hour, from dawn through dark, as well as info on topics such as how to cure and smoke your own bacon. Drool-worthy photographs highlight dishes such as Pasta Carbonara, Pork Belly Hash with Kale and Sweet Potatoes, and Apple Pie with Bacon Strudel.

Any evening that begins with a Bacon-Infused Manhattan holds the promise of being an unforgettable night. (description from publisher)

Brown Betty Cookbook

brown betty cookbookWhen three generations of African-American women decided to open a bakery in Philadelphia, they had no idea how quickly the accolades would come. With high praise from Rachael Ray magazine and other corners of the culinary world, the Brown Betty Dessert Boutique has found fame with their amazing poundcakes, cheesecakes, pies, and cookies, among other delectable treats.

This delicious cookbook features both the secret recipes that Brown Betty’s fans can’t wait to get their hands on, as well as the personal stories that explain the evocative names of such recipes as Alice’s Two Step and Strawberry Letter. The Brown Betty Cookbook features recipes that combine old-fashioned treats with thrilling contemporary flavors like sweet potato poundcake and dark cherry cheesecake and includes gorgeous and mouthwatering full-color photography throughout.

For home bakers who want to experience the best of Brown Betty in their own homes or dessert-lovers looking for something new, The Brown Betty Cookbook offers both inspiration and delectation. (description from publisher)

Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson

Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson is a charming collection of updated recipes for both classic and forgotten cakes, from a timeless yellow birthday cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, to the new holiday standard, Gingerbread Icebox Cake with Mascarpone Mousse. Make every occasion–the annual bake sale, a birthday party, or even a simple Sunday supper–a celebration with this charming collection of more than 50 remastered classics.

Each recipe in Vintage Cakes is a confectionary stroll down memory lane. After sifting through her treasure trove of cookbooks and recipe cards, master baker and author Julie Richardson selected the most inventive, surprising, and just plain delicious cakes she could find. The result is a delightful and delectable time capsule of American baking, with recipes spanning a century. Richardson guides home bakers–whether total beginners or seasoned cooks–toward picture-perfect meringues, extra-creamy frostings, and lighter-than-air chiffons.

With recipes to make Betty Crocker proud, these nostalgic and foolproof sweets rekindle our love affair with cakes. (description from publisher)