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WIN IT- Everyday Food Cook Book; Martha Stewart Living
 I had the opportunity to review a copy of Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I have a couple of requirements for ALL cookbooks: first, they need to be innovative, and teach me things I wouldn't of thought of doing on my own. I love it when I pick up a cook book and find recipes or ingredients that I didn't think would go together. Although this cook book has some innovative recipes, for the most part, I wasn't overly WOWed-- especially for a Martha Stewart production. Second, a cook book should have recipes that are relatively easy to prepare for the novice chef. Lets face it, most of us don't have the fancy tools, time or even the skill to make pretentious meals. If I want to cook dinner, it better be quick, simple, and of course, delicious. This book has 250 recipes that are relatively simple-- they have the 'duh' aspect, but as I found in the recipe I tried, lacked the 'licious'. I was underwhelmed by the lack of flavor; as a former vegetarian, I would be disappointed if this was my only option for dinner.The Farfalle with Arugula and White Beans was the only recipe that I tried in the book (so far), so its not necessarily a fair representation of the other recipes. Third, and of utmost importance, is that a cook book should have pictures. I'm not just talking about one or two scattered in between recipes, but decked-- oh, and they have to be relevant to the recipe, not just decorative. What I did LOVE about this book is the pictures that accompanied every single recipe. Each recipe had a full-page picture (kudos to food photographer)-- I think this should be a minimum requirement for cookbooks. I've been told that most cook books omit photographs for monetary reasons, but I think that if pictures are not in the budget, they should reconsider publishing a cookbook in the first place. Another high-point for the book is the end section where it elaborates on techniques and definitions-- I always loved this about Martha Stewart Living publications. The final reason why I liked this book is that the recipes are affordable; what I mean by this, is that the meal I prepared was inexpensive. With previous cookbooks that I reviewed, the recipes left me a little bit in the red--this was not the case for this recipe at a total cost of 8 dollars for about 4 to 6 servings. I also did a rough cost-analysis of other recipes, and for the most part they are affordable for the average family. This book does have some notable weakness, but combats these lacking strengths with it's usefulness, practicality, and aesthetic. My final verdict: needs more bacon-- (both literally, and figuratively) *I'm giving away a copy of the book... to enter, just leave a comment answering the following question: What do you look for in a cook book? ... in other words, what's your number one requirement. Mine is definitely pictures... and they need to be appetizing, or else I probably won't try the dish- no matter how delish it is. Contest open to US and Canadian residents only. Successful entrants must leave a post answering the question, with contact details. Winner will be chosen at random. Congrats to Carie, you'll get to test Martha's book out for yourself! Seems like almost everyone is in agreeance about the photos-- here I was, thinking that I was crazy for NEEDING pictures.   Farfalle with Arugula and White Beans (duh-licious modifications listed in orange) From Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine prep time: 10 minutes total time: 25 minutes
Quickly wilted arugula, canned beans, and toasted walnuts add heft to this vegetarian main course. Try spinach in place of arugula and pine nuts instead of walnuts. Ingredients: Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 12 oz farfalle 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I added 6-- I need to up the flavour) 1 lb. baby arugala ( I used 1 lb. fresh spinach) 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I substituted navy beans) 2 cup cremini mushrooms, cleaned, sliced 1/2 cup sliced bacon (in retrospect, this was the highlight-- however, bacon no longer makes it a vegetarian dish) 2 tbsp olive oil (I found the 'sauce' too dry, almost unpalatable without the E.V.O.O) 1/3 cup walnut pieces, toasted, for garnish
Directions: 1. Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta. (While the pasta was boiling, I cooked my bacon in a pan at medium heat. I added the cremini mushrooms to the pan when the bacon was 3/4 cooked. This was then added to the pan with the remaining ingredients)
2. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the garlic to the pot; cook over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add arugula; toss just until wilted.
3. Add beans, pasta, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Heat, tossing, until butter is melted and beans and pasta are warmed through, about 1 minute. Add enough reserved pasta water to create a thin sauce to coat pasta. (I added the olive oil after the ingredients were all combined, salt and pepper to taste)
4. To serve, divide among shallow bowls, and garnish with walnuts. Excerpt. Copyright. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.  I think the bacon and mushrooms 'made' the dish... mmMm bacon        related searches : Win
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