Slow Cooker Magic by Lorna Brash (Pavilion, $19.95)
Lorna Brash is a British food writer and menu consultant. She has written extensively for such publications as Delicious, BBC Good Food, and the Daily Mail Weekend. Her latest collection focuses on delicious recipes made with the crock pot and a little imagination.
Slow cooking is ideal for people with busy lifestyles. After a brief introduction to this style of cooking, Brash serves up recipes in eight categories: Soups & Starters; Bakes; Stews, Casseroles & Sauces; Roasts; Curries & Tanines: Side Dishes; Desserts & Cakes; and Preserves. From Thai Pumpkin Soup to Cardamon Rice Pudding with Honey-Roasted Figs, these are recipes that will inspire cooks of all ages and levels of expertise.
With selections that include Gamekeeper’s Pie, Rich Steak, Mushroom and Pickled Walnut Pudding, and Fruit-Bowl Chutney, many of the dishes have a definite British twist to them To balance the mix, there are also American favorites such as Boston Baked Beans, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Spicy Mexican Sausage and Beans.
This is a fun cookbook even though some of the ingredients may be a little difficult to find. Scan the meat counter at Safeway for peasants, for example.
I tested two recipes from this collection. The zesty Lemon Drizzle Poppy Seed Loaf was tasty but my hands down favorite was a Slow-Cooked Ham in Cola. The cola gave the meat a caramel quality and was ideal for providing the poaching liquid for an especially salty ham.
SLOW-COOKED HAM IN COLA
Prep time, 15 minutes plus overnight cooking
Cook 6 hours
Heat setting high
2 lbs 4 oz boneless smoked ham, soaked overnight in cold water.
3 ½ cups cola (I used Dr Pepper)
1 star anise
2 inches of fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, strings removed, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 bay leave
2 sprigs lemon thyme
2 Tbs dark brown sugar
1 tsp Dejon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs honey
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Tip a way the ham soaking water and rinse the ham in cold running water. Drain again, then pat the ham dry with kitchen paper and transfer to the ceramic slow cooker.
Pour the color into a large saucepan and stir in the star anise, ginger, onion, celery, carrots, bay leaf, lemon thyme, sugar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then carefully pour over the ham. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 6 hours until the meat is tender and cooked through.
Preheat the grill to hot. Lift the ham out of the slow cooker pot. Remove the rind from the ham, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and drizzle over the honey. Cook the ham under the grill until the fat is bubbling and golden. If serving the ham hot, wrap it in foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile, strain the juices into a saucepan and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Season to taste and serve spooned over the cooked ham.

Whatever Happened to Sunday Dinner by Lisa Caponigri (Sterling, $24.95)
When she was a young girl, Lisa Caponigri traveled throughout Italty with her father, an internationally known professor of Italian philosophy. She also observed her Sicilian grandmother to master many of her cooking techniques. Later in life when she moved to Italy with her family, she expanded her knowledge of Italian cuisine. Even though she currently lives in Indiana, she never misses an opportunity to spread the gospel of Italian cooking.
The 52 delicious menus in this cookbook are geared for family gatherings. There is a menu for each Sunday of the year featuring a total of 250 recipes. From such classics as lasagna, stuffed peppers, and crostini, to the lesser-known dishes of peperonata (pepper stew over Arborio rice), branzino in sale (sea bass in salt), and salame al cioccolata (chocolate salami), this is a cookbook that invites readers to pull a chair up to the family table and enjoy the feast.
Lisa believes that the family that eats together stays together and that philosophy is evident throughout her collection. The recipes are accessible and fairly easy to prepare. Even the more complex dishes are less daunting than they are fun.
The menus reflect Italian tradition in that each begins with an antipasto, a first course that almost always is a variation of pasta, a second or main course, generally served with a single contorno or side dish, and the finale, dessert. Every menu is different and not a single recipe is duplicated. Consider this typical menu: tortino di asparagi (asparagus torte), pasta pomodoro con vodka (pasta in vodka sauce), petti di pollo alla sostanza (chicken breasts in butter), carote glassate alla marsala (glazed carrots in marsala wine), and meringue al cioccolato (meringue with chocolate).
This is the next best thing to vacationing in the Italian country side. The recipes are authentic and beautifully photographed by Guy Ambrosino.
I tested two recipes from this cookbook. Due to the hot weather, insalata siciliana (Sicilian coleslaw) seemed a good choice for a side dish of pollo cacciatore (hunter’s chicken). These were both so successful, I plan to explore this cookbook even more as we creep further into the hot months of an Arizona summer season.
Buon appetito and salute!

POLLO CACCIATORE
2-3 small chickens, each cut into 8 serving pieces
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ c all-purpose flour
½ c extra-virgin olive oil
5 onions, cut in halves, then sliced into paper-thin half moons
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1 c red wine
1 can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes (preferably San Marzanoi) with their juice
2 c sliced button mushrooms
+++
Season the chicken with sea salt and pepper and dredge lighly in flour.
Heat the olive oil in a deep 12-inch Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to paper towels to drain.
Add the onions, garlic, and bell peppers to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Reduce the wine for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and simmer, uncovered, until they are tender and the chicken is cooked all the way through, about another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Grilling Vegan Style: 125 Fired-Up Recipes to Turn Every Bite into a Backyard BBQ by John Schlimm (Da Capo, $20)
This new cookbook proves that the backyard BBQ grill isn’t just for meat. Since grilling is a quintessential part of the summer season, the time has come to think outside the box to add a little variety to family cookouts. Not that I want to bad mouth burgers, hotdogs and steaks, imagine a Southwestern Burger with Salsa, an Italian Herb Burger on Focaccia, or a Garbanzo & Herb Burger with Creamy Lemon Tahini Sauce, all made without you-know-what.
John Schlimm, a member of one of the oldest brewing families in the United States, is also an award-winning author of several books including “The Tipsy Vegan” and “The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook.” His latest collection features 125 recipes plus expert grilling techniques and a breakdown of essential tools.
The recipes are grouped into twelve chapters: Grill Meets Vegan – The Basics of Firing Up; The Friendly Grill – Flame Meets Tofu, Tempeh, Seitan & More; Backyard Bites; Summertime Salads; Fire-Up Sides; Tapas on Deck; Country Maridandes for Tofu, Tempeh & Seitan; The Burgers Are Ready; The New Tailgate Classics; Supper Under the Stars; Picnic Desserts, and Grillside Happy Hour.
In this collection of animal-friendly, flame-kissed foods, the dishes are meant to be shared and savored. With this cookbook, staging a barbecue that everyone can enjoy is a snap. Fire up the grill, toss on some homemade veggie burgers and let the fun begin.
I tested three recipes from “Grilling Vegan Style.” Since I have several varieties of mint on my patio, I made a great Minty Pesto. The Mexican Tortilla Burgers required a little time and effort but the end result was something to celebrate. The Peachy Keen Iced Tea was just the thing to take the heat off of a hot Arizona afternoon.
This is a fun cookbook and one that is user-friendly and highly recommended.
PEACHY KEEN ICED TEA
1 ½ cups sugar
6 ½ cups water
4 regular green tea bags of choice (peach or orange flavored, if desired) Any paper or string removed.
1 lb peaches, peeled and pitted
Shewered peach slices, for garnish
In a small saucepan, create a simple syrup by combining the sugar and 1 ½ cups of water over medium to high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the remaining 5 cups of water to a boil, remove from the heat, and add the teabags, allowing them to steep for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer until desired strength and color. Remove the bags and cool the tea in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
Using a food mill or blender, puree the peaches, then strain through a fine sieve or strainer.
In a large, glass serving pitcher. Combine the simple syrup, tea, and peach puree, stirring well. Add more water, if needed for desired taste and consistency.
Serve the tea in tall clear glasses and garnish with the skewed peach slices.
Makes 4 to 6 servings