Love What You Eat

Norma Borelli is a veteran cook, baker, and cookbook author from a family of accomplished Italian cooks. In her third cookbook, Love What You Eat: 250 Recipes to Tempt Your Taste Buds, tastes from Italy are companions to cleverly combined flavors from many nations with all of the recipes showcasing the author's culinary inventiveness and time-tested experience.

The first chapter is a perfect crash course for kitchen novices, but experienced cooks can learn a few things too. Here's a taste from the other chapters: Among the 36 recipes in the Appetizer and Snacks chapter, you’ll find innovative recipes like Crab Bites and The Pickled Garden. In the Soups, Sauces, and Marinades chapter, take a look at delicious Caribbean Black Bean Soup and Tuscan White Bean and Barley Soup. The Salads and Salad Dressings chapter features Luscious Lime Salad and Confetti Rice Salad. In Seafood, you'll find 21 scrumptious recipes, including Mixed Seafood Cioppino and Baked Trout with a Crusty Topping. Poultry Pointers is a handy start to the poultry chapter, where you'll find delicious dishes like Chicken and Sausages with Polenta and Olives and Chicken Rolls in Mushroom Sauce. Some recipes in the Meats chapter, like Zesty Pork Pinwheels, require time and close attention. Others, like Lamb Chops Dijon, are so quick the chops might beat you to the table. In the Vegetables chapter, you’ll find savory delights like Crispy Roasted Potato Bites and Asparagus and Mushroom Sauté with Cranberries. You'll also find dishes to impress at Thanksgiving, like Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole. Vegetarians have much to choose from with many meatless recipes, like Pasta with Creamy Basil Sauce, Risotto Like a Chef Made It, and Pumpkin Polenta with Pepitas and Nuts. For dessert, start with "The Scoop on Pies," then learn how to make three unusual crusts: Lemony Pie Pastry, Nutty Pie Pastry, and Shortbread-Macadamia Pie Crust. After that, roll up your sleeves and turn out the delicacies, like Mile-High Apple Pie, "Roaring Twenties" Lemon Chiffon Pie, and Strawberries in the Snow Pie. Cake recipes include Triple Chocolate Whammy Cake and the more nuanced Lemon-Anise Cake. If cheesecake is what you're looking for, try Baby Cheesecakes and Inimitable Chocolate Cheesecake. Want something to jazz up plain cake or ice cream? Rum-Raisin Glaze or Sauce and Amaretto-Raisin Glaze or Sauce can do the trick.

You're in good hands with Norma Borelli. Each recipe has been tested multiple times and tweaked to perfection. Preparation times, do-ahead directions, and alternate cooking methods are given, and Borelli's amusing quips make for a fun read even when you're not planning to cook. But chances are you won't want to wait to grab a mixing spoon and discover what kitchen magic you can create.