Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats and Drinks    by Stephanie Izard, Heather Shouse & Dan Goldberg Order:  USA  Can Chronicle, 2011 (2011) Hardcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth 'The ethic of this book is like mine: It's a solid collection of recipes built on a few classic techniques. So that you walk away having actually learned how to be a better cook, but with enough tips and tricks to help take the stress out of cooking and to allow you to just have fun.' So says the author of Girl in the Kitchen, Stephanie Izard. 'Know that it is okay to adjust recipes, to play around with them to find your own favorite twist,' she says to encourage us not to be so intent on following recipes as to be intent on finding our own place in each one. All her recipes are simple enough to do at home and made from everyday ingredients from the local grocery store. Stephanie, owner of Girl and the Goat Restaurant in Chicago, also supplies us with numerous tips to make our cooking even simpler. She admonishes us to taste as we go along. Very, very important. The flavors of some of the ingredients may change from time to time and corrections must be made. She wants us to enjoy ourselves as we tighten our cooking skills. Do not – I repeat – do not ignore the information in Technique 101 with most recipes. This helpful info gives another way to create the corresponding recipe. Izard also suggests various beers and ales, as well as wines, to complement the foods you have just cooked. She covers the gamut of recipes from Fried Cheese with Spring Chives and Strawberry Reduction to Classic Pork Sausage and everything in between. Such as: Orange-Glazed Acorn Squash with Roasted Mushrooms and Pumpkin Seeds, or Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple Butter, Rapini and Rosemary Vinaigrette. The Apple-Pork Ragu with Pappadelle looks divine. I do love seared tuna and this Seared Tuna with Blueberries and Snap Peas is an innovation I must try. How does Baked Goat Cheese Pochettes with Tomato-Melon Sauce sound? Top of my list to try. As well as Crispy Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches. I normally would by-pass chicken thighs, but the Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Black Bean Tapenade looks and sounds too good to pass up. Ditto for the Pan-Roasted New York Steaks with Sautéed Cucumbers and Salted Goat Milk Caramel. I could go on and on. Each and every recipe intrigues me. Honest. Would this face lie to you? Get hold of this wonderful cookbook by a woman who truly delights in her art. And you're off and running. Or should I say cooking? Or, buy several more and you're getting an early start on your Christmas Gift List. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews