TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Eat Their Words

ADVERTISEMENT

By JEFF HOUCK

jhouck@tampatrib.com

Published: March 29, 2009

"Heard it Through the Grapevine," by Matt Skinner (Mitchell Beazley, $24.99)

Bless his heart, Matt doesn't look old enough to reach the accelerator in the car, much less drink an adult beverage. But the native Australian is an expert when it comes to wines and has even been in charge of beverages at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in London. In this book, he walks readers through the basics they need to know to enjoy wine in a simple, easy-to-digest way that doesn't feel condescending. How basic does it get? He even answers the rarely asked, "Why are some bottles bigger than others?"

"The Allergy-Free Cookbook," by Eileen Rhude Yoder (Running Press, $19.95)

The eight horseman of the culinary allergen apocalypse are milk, shrimp, nuts, eggs, peanuts, beans, seafood and wheat. Yoder's comprehensive guide, first published in 1987, is even more pertinent today as food allergies become more commonplace. Along with a primer on identifying allergens, she also provides loads of tasty looking recipes that dodge the various ingredient minefields. Yes, you too can have your Fish Almandine and not swell up like a Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloon.

"The Backyard Homestead," edited by Carleen Madigan (Storey, $18.95)

One imagines this book was put in development a year or so ago with the idea that sustainability and self-sufficiency was an honorable and fashionable idea. Today, it's just good economic sense. Is it possible to produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre? We don't see roosters being raised along tony Bayshore Boulevard in south Tampa, but yeah, theoretically you could turn your homestead into a mini-farm. Short of that, this book helps readers garden year-round and cultivate what they can within the confines of one's humble property.

Jeff Houck

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT