Real Simple or Pie in the Sky

Real Simple: Meals Made Easy

Author: Real Simple Magazin

When it comes to the challenges you face every day, getting dinner on the table is always at the top of the list. Not only do you want the meal to be healthy and taste good, but you want it to be fast and simple to prepare. As straightforward as that sounds, somehow-in the midst of a busy life- the task seems nearly impossible.

In Meals Made Easy, the first of a series of Real Simple cookbooks, you will find smart and doable dinnertime solutions for every night of the week, no matter how little time (or few ingredients) you have. Even better, these are dishes the whole family will love- yes, including your children. Featuring more than 75 foolproof recipes, all illustrated with large, lush photos, Meals Made Easy is custom-made for your life, with chapters dedicated to:

• Dishes that can be prepared and ready in 30 minutes or less

• Freezer-friendly dinners to make ahead of time and eat whenever

• Cuisine that calls only for a cutting board-no cooking necessary

• Meals you can cobble together using the items in your pantry

• Recipes that require just one pot (and blessedly very little cleanup time)

In addition, the book features insightful cooking tips on every page, a chapter on versatile side dishes, and a comprehensive, easy-to-use recipe index.

Whether you have only 15 minutes until the kids invade the kitchen or only a hunk of Parmesan and cold pasta in the refrigerator, Meals Made Easy is sure to become your go-to guide for nightly meal planning.

Go to: Soup or Amish Friends Cookbook

Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes: 100 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Breads, and Pastries Home-Tested for Baking at Sea Level, 3000, 5000, 7000, and 10,000 Feet (and Anywhere in Between)

Author: Susan G Purdy

Do your cakes collapse, soufflés slump, cookies crumble, and fruit pies fail? For those living at high altitude, baking can be a challenge at best, or a total disaster. More than thirty-four of the fifty United States, plus many Canadian regions, have cities and towns at altitudes of more than 2,500 feet, yet there are hardly any cookbooks that address the special needs of these local bakers. Until now. Award-winning cookbook author Susan G. Purdy has finally written the first-ever foolproof guide to high-altitude baking.

Purdy has actually "gone there and done that," staying as long as it took to bake these recipes to perfection at five different locations -- and elevations -- across thecountry. In Pie in the Sky, Purdy leaves behind old conversion tables, disproves many oft-repeated calculations and adjustments, and presents reliable recipes in their entirety for each altitude. She takes out the tinkering and guarantees success at any height.

In addition, she explains the hows and whys, gives tips and hints for problems specific to every altitude, and generally demystifies the subject of atmospheric obstacles that cause favorite recipes to flop. Whether they live in the eastern mountains or the far west, in Boston, Massachusetts; Boone, North Carolina; or Santa Fe, New Mexico; home bakers as well as experienced chefs will love the wide range of easy-to-make treats including Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie, Coconut Cake with Coconut Icing, Paradise Peak Chocolate Soufflé, Vail Lemon-Poppy Seed Loaf, Celestial Challah, and Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake.

Every recipe was tested at sea level (Connecticut), 3,000 feet (North Carolina andVirginia), 5,000 feet (Idaho and Colorado), 7,000 feet (New Mexico), and 10,000 feet (Colorado) and can be used at these elevations or any points in between.

Library Journal

Atmospheric pressure affects baking and, while a cake recipe may rise perfectly at sea level, it can be a flop at an elevation of 10,000 feet, where water boils at a lower temperature. After nearly five years of experimentation, Purdy (The Perfect Cake) has created the only recent book on high-altitude baking. As a baking teacher, she traveled throughout the United States and discovered that "standard high altitude adjustments" didn't always work. The author chose 100 of her favorite, old-fashioned recipes and tested each at five different altitudes-from sea level to 10,000 feet, from Connecticut to Colorado. Included here are muffins, quick and yeast breads, cakes, cookies, pies, and even souffles that have all been adapted to work perfectly at varying altitudes. Recipes are written in an unconventional yet sensible chart format that covers all five elevations and details the changes in ingredients and baking time for each. These delicious, well-tested recipes will be appreciated at any altitude. Recommended for all libraries.-Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Table of Contents:

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Introduction	xi
	Friends in High Places	1
	Twelve High Altitude Myths Brought Down to Earth	23
	About the Recipes	26
	Tips for Success at All Altitudes	27
	Equipment and Ingredients	28
	Muffins	43
	Quick Breads, Scones, Biscuits, and Popovers	58
	Yeast Breads	84
	Cakes	108
	Cookies	219
	Pies	263
	Souffles	307
	Appendix	317
	About Cake Mixes	317
	Into Thin Air: The Science Behind High Altitude Baking	319
	High Altitude Recipe Adjustment Guide	323
	Useful Weights and Measurements and Ingredients	324
	Frequently Used Measurements	327
	Oven Temperature Chart	328
	Sources	329
	Index	331