Cookbook Excitement: Pie it Forward

I just received my copy of Pie it Forward by Gesine Bullock-Prado and the word "excited" doesn't even begin to cover my current emotional state. I love this book! It's been in my possession for all of 15 minutes and it's already my new favorite cookbook. It has everything I want in a cookbook: creative recipes and new, inspiring versions of the old classics. Among the recipes that captured my attention are the Spingerle Pear Tart, the Butterscotch Meringue Pie, and the Velvet Elvis Pie, just to name a few. She even throws in some savory pie recipes, to balance off all the sweets. Really, there are so many potentials in this book that I don't know where to begin. Of course, some of the credit for my cookbook crush has to go to photographer Tina Rupp, who also snapped the photos for the Baked cookbooks (my favorite cookbooks in the known universe). Tina is definitely one of the best food photographers around and her images always make my mouth water! Anyhoo, I know that the real test of a great cookbook comes when you actually make one of the recipes, but, until then, I'll be spending my days dreaming of the Yuzu-Ginger Rice Pudding Meringue Pie in my future! Did I mention that I'm excited?? To purchase your very own copy of Pie it Forward, click here.

Chocolate Fleur de Sel Caramel Tart

Strawberry Love Pie

Springerle Pear Tart

Wild Blueberry Pie

Poached Pear Tart

Birthday Cake Oreos

I am not, by any means, a person who lives life on the edge. I have never, as Billy Joel once sang, walked through Bedford Stuy alone or driven my motorcycle in the rain. Instead, if I feel the need to do something crazy, I'll probably just eat some over-processed, packaged baked goods. An Oreo cookie is my equivalent of an all-night bender. Okay, not quite, but as a person who runs screaming in the opposite direction from any food that contains the words High Fructose Corn Syrup or Partially Hydrogenated Oil on its ingredient list, eating an Oreo is a pretty dangerous proposition. But let's face it, sometimes, even for a goody goody like me, exceptions have to be made and the Birthday Cake Oreo had my name written all over it. Created for Oreo's 100th Anniversary, this limited edition cookie tastes and smells exactly like Funfetti/Confetti cake, that delicious sprinkle-filled cake that was my childhood favorite. And it did not disappoint. The strong vanilla scent that spilled out from the opened package immediately brought back the memories of all those birthday cakes of yore and I ate two cookies (!!) in rapid succession. Totally brilliant! If you're a Funfetti/Confetti cake fan, I would definitely recommend them, but act fast, these cookies are only available for a limited time.

The Mixing Bowl: Apple Crumble by Sol Linero

I have an addiction...to Pinterest. I joined about a year ago and my obsession with pinning is still going strong. I'm not much of a social networking fan. I never really got into Facebook or Twitter or any of the other sites that people seem to love so much, but, boy, Pinterest has got me, and it's got me good! So, you may be wondering what all this Pinterest talk has to do with today's Mixing Bowl contributor Sol Linero. Well, I'll tell ya. I first discovered Sol's work on, you guessed it, Pinterest! To be more precise, I kept pinning fabulous illustrations by unknown artists, only to discover that they were all created by Sol Linero! After this happened about half a dozen times, I knew that I had to contact her. I simply could not get enough of her charming designs! After graciously agreeing to contribute a recipe to the Mixing Bowl, Sol sent me this wonderful illustrated recipe for her Aunt's Apple Crumble, a recipe choice that made me sooo happy because Apple Crumble just so happens to be one of my favorite desserts! Apple Crumble, Sol Linero, and Pinterest. What is better than that??

Sol Linero is a graphic designer/illustrator who hails from Buenos Aires. She has worked with Discovery, MTV Latin America, Nickelodeon, and MTV, among others. You can see more of her work on her web site, right here. Thanks, Sol! (To see a larger version of the Apple Crumble recipe, simply click on the image at the top of this post.)