Pink Panther Cocktail Party Deck

Surry Books has created the perfect party gift: the Pink Panther Cocktail Party Deck. First, the Pink Panther is the absolute coolest character. He’s soave, debonair, and the ladies love him. Not bad for a big pink cat. The movie, starring Steve Martin, is on its way February 2006. So in celebrating of 40 years, the coolest of all cats is giving booze lovers great recipe and a cool way of presenting said recipes.

As the name indicates, this is a deck. That’s right, cards, not a bound book with pages to flip. These are a standard 52-deck of “pink-a-licious” drinks. Illustrated by renowned 50s/60s-lover SHAG, the cards are more than just vehicles to transmit booze info to the waiting mouths of many. This is art, people. You can frame these colourful moments in lounge art. Famous for his TIKI inspired illustrations, SHAG’s work has appeared in galleries around the world. He was commissioned by MGM to “re-envision the elegant and fun look of the Pink Panther” in celebration of Pink’s 40th.

Four info cards get you ready to pour many rounds of Panther drinks. ‘Setting up your “Pink” bar’ gives you the rundown on the essential bar items. You get a list of necessary glasses. And get to know measurements, bottle sizes, and a few other helpful hints.There are also some really great recipes in this collection. For one, the ‘Clouseau’ is 3/4 oz. bourbon, 3/4 oz. cherry liqueur, 1 tsp. triple sec, 1 oz. ice cream; shake with ice, strain, garish with cherry in a cocktail glass. C…r…e…a…m…y… B…o…o…z…y… ‘Cato’ is 3 oz. plum wine, 1 oz. crème de cassis, 4 oz. 7-UP or Sprite; pour over ice, fill with 7-UP, garnish with a cherry in a cocktail glass. Fruity-crisp thanks to the Sprite. The other 50 are a tasty collection of original and classic recipes. Pick this deck up for art alone, if you don’t drink.

Grazing

We’re running everywhere, no time to sit down and always enjoy our food. Snacking has become commonplace as Julie Van Rosendaal’s Grazing tells us. Luckily grazing, as doctors have been telling us lately, is the healthiest way to eat.

Eating many small meals a day or snacking throughout the day actually keeps our energy levels up, blood sugar levels even, and boosts our metabolism. And if that wasn’t enough, it keeps us mentally alert, and our hunger down. Unfortunately snacking works to the advantage of the fast food industry – convenience over goodness, sometimes. With Grazing you learn how to prepare your day with a variety of healthy snacks and treats.

The recipes in the book are easy to make, portable, and don’t require a knife and fork to eat – perfect for when your running around doing whatever it is you do. The recipes are also perfect for entertaining because they are so easy to prepare…

Divided into convenient sections like ‘Got the Munchies?’, ‘Dip, Spread, Dunk & Smear’, ‘Finger Lickin’ Food’, ‘Food on a Stick’, and ‘Quickies’ just to name a few you gets you everything from Breadsticks to Chicken Fingers, Caramelized Onion Dip to Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Bread. Three recipes that begged to be prepared where Hot Crab & Artichoke Dip (yummy), Jalapeno Poppers (very nice, you can even change the peppers if you’re adventurous), and finally Guacamole (this recipe is very good, and who doesn’t love the Guac?)

Alas, like all books of this nature, it doesn’t consider it takes more than a book to change people’s minds about how to cook and how to eat. The book is good, but no better than a good appetizer book or section of a good cookbook.

Cooking Moroccan

When someone says Moroccan food, most people instantly paint a picture of a tagine (earthenware cooking pot), spices galore, and a culture that lies somewhere between the east and the west.

One thing is certain: Moroccan food might be one of the most interestingly spiced around. Cinnamon with lamb, you might ask yourself. Why not? It’s amazing. The spiciness of the cinnamon imparts a lot of heat to the paprika and cayenne peppers in the recipe Kefta Tagine.

The food itself is a mosaic of influences, with the indigenous Berber culture being the constant. But one cannot discount the influence Arabic, Persian and Andalusian cultures have had on the culinary culture of Morocco. The Arabs introduced the cultivation of saffron, various kinds of citrus, almonds, rice, and sugar cane – all key flavours in Moroccan cuisine.

Another classic Moroccan dish is couscous, the light and airy grain dish loved by so many people around the world. The stuff is brilliant.

The culture is predominantly Muslim in this country which has imparted it’s own unique qualities and traditions to the country’s cooking. Food and family is an important part of Moroccan religious observance.

Not many vegetarian dishes in Moroccan cuisine, but the Spiced Lentil and Pumpkin Tagine is amazing. The cumin, turmeric, cayenne and paprika mix with the lentils in this dish something fierce. And it only takes about an hour to bring a piece of Morocco to your table.

Part social anthropology book thanks to the first few pages that guide us into the exotic flavours of Morocco, but all food. We learn the proper way to eat in Morocco: clean hands, eat with the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand, then the cleaning of hands again before chilling over a mint tea and pastries. Sounds good to me!