Let's Cook Japanese Food!

I have an embarrassing number of cookbooks. Really, I do. Probably close to 100. What's worse is that more often than not I go online to search for recipes rather than go to my cookbooks to find a recipe. When there is a book I find myself going to again and again, then that's a great cookbook. Let's Cook Japanese Food is that kind of cookbook for me.

Having lived in Japan for eight years I found myself missing some of the more comforty foods I used to have there. Chicken Kara-age, Fried Rice, Croquettes, Okonomiyaki, Doria - the list goes on and on. These are not foods you find readily in Japanese restaurants. These are really home foods or foods you would eat in a tiny little restaurant on your way home from the train station. When I did find them, quite frankly, they were horrible. Even in Japantown. Actually, especially in Japantown.

One day when I was particularly obsessed with finding a seafood doria recipe online I came across this book. I was skeptical, but being the online shopper that I am I naturally bought it. When I received it I was happily surprised to see what it had in store for me. All the foods I have been missing for years all wrapped up in one little cookbook!

Amy Kaneko knows what she's doing with Let's Cook Japanese Food and was obviously well tutored by her Japanese mother-in-law. This book is chock full of Japanese comfort foods. All the foods I love, but couldn't find here in San Francisco.

The book is divided into four sections:

• Tofu and Eggs
• Vegetables
• Fish and Shellfish
• Meat and Poultry
• Rice, Noodles, and Dumplings

Within each section is a great introduction and each recipe also has a nice history of explanation of the dish. The instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients are very easy to find. More importantly they taste just like "mamasan" used to make! Recipes I could never find online. I have made so many of these dishes and have been pleased with the outcome each and every time.

If you lived in Japan, have a Japanese mom and want to cook like her, or are just curious about Japanese food, this is the ideal book for you. You will be going back to this cookbook again and again.

TAKE-OUT TONIGHT! - Cookbook Review

Well, this is my very first cookbook review so I am kind of nervous. I am not so good at expressing myself when it comes to books, but I will certainly try.

First off, I have a TON of cookbooks. So many that Joey has forbidden me to buy any more. He really is right. I do have too many. Even worse, I always look up recipes online rather than look in my cookbook library. While that is convenient, there really are a lot of gems in my library that are not online. So I promised that - (1) I wouldn't buy anymore cookbooks; and, (2) I would make one recipe a week from one of my cookbooks. Fair enough!

This week I pulled out one of my Weight Watchers cookbooks, TAKE-OUT TONIGHT! Oh my goodness, this is one awesome little cookbook and I have made many a good meal from this cookbook!

First off, let's talk about Weight Watchers cookbooks. I have many and they are all great. They always call for natural ingredients and are naturally figure friendly. Most importantly, the recipes are delicious! That's the whole point (or points), right?

TAKE-OUT TONIGHT! is divided into eight chapters:

1. Deli Specials
2. Chinese Classics
3. Greek Diner Delights
4. Viva Mexico!
5. Beyond Sushi
6. Now, That's Italian!
7. Totally Thai
8. Treasures of India

Each section features food from that region. Now, I was totally skeptical about this, but I have made several of the Chinese, Greek and Italian recipes and they really were yummy. I so felt like an international chef!


Weight Watchers cookbooks always have a beautiful, easy-to-read layout and TAKE-OUT TONIGHT! is no exception. Each recipe has an introduction and cook's tips. What's better is that the ingredients are in a colored box on the left and the instructions are on the right. This makes it so clear when you are cooking. Honestly, how many times have you tried to cook something out of a cookbook and had to search all over a bland page? That is a sure way to miss something!

What is even better about this entire cookbook is that each recipe is under 8 points. If you don't do Weight Watchers, that is not a lot at all!!! And, while they are figure friendly, they are not skimming on taste. They are simply delicious! As I said, I have made many of these recipes and I have also then searched for the "original" versions. I will tell you most of the time I go right back to the Weight Watchers version.

So, whether you want to spice up your every day meals or just want to have some figure-friendly alternatives, TAKE-OUT TONIGHT! is the cookbook for you!

Delicious Library

How many times have you ordered a cookbook on Amazon only to get home to find you already have it? If you are like me, more than I care to remember. I didn't even know how many cookbooks I really had. That is until today! I found an amazing way not only to organize your cookbooks but your entire library of books, CDs, movies and much much more! Delicious Library.

This is an amazing tool is so many ways. Delicious Library allows you to scan the bar codes of your books, cds and movies using your built-in iSight camera. (Sorry, folks Mac only.) Once scanned it pulls all the cover art and information about your library right into the application! I scanned my entire cookbook collection today in about 30 minutes! Amazing! What's more you can publish your collection using your MobileMe account! You can check out the start of my library right here. This is just a start of what this amazing program can do! Honestly, this is probably the smartest piece of software I have bought in years! If you have a Mac (and you really should. PCs are so 90s!) check out this software and download the trial. You will be hooked!