Bite Me: A Stomach-Satisfying Visually Gratifying, Fresh-Mouthed Cookbook

“What’s for dinner?” That’s the question that has plagued home cooks for generations and made time in the kitchen feel like punishment. But now, preparing a family meal can be fun and entertaining at the same time. How, you ask? Bite Me: A Stomach-Satisfying, Visually Gratifying, Fresh-Mouthed Cookbook,created and written by the not-so-sweet and tiny-bit-salty sisters, Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, leads cooks through a pop-culture cooking tour of appetizers to dessert indulgences with provocative photos, witty repartee, and joyful humor that will have you laughing in the kitchen.

“For us, the creation of food is intimately tied to the world outside the kitchen – family, art, music, movies and pop culture – which are constant sources of laughter and inspiration,” explain Julie and Lisa. “What’s a day without a grandmother-related guffaw or a cooking session without tunes blasting? Boring. We hope that Bite Me will be your multi-sensory smorgasbord, a feast for your eyes, ears, mouth and nose.”

There is not a single artichoke, scrawny quail or roasted chestnut to be peeled within the pages of Bite Me. But the book reminds us that cooking and entertaining can be stress-free and fun.

For all its exotic and at times erotic playfulness, this is a cookbook for the home chef who wants to mix up their Monday night meatloaf and replace it with Lustful Creamy Chicken Fettuccine. The collection of 175 recipes are reminiscent of feel good home cooking but have been updated to today’s more adventurous and global tastes. Consider serving recipes such as:

Minestrone Soup with Pesto Drizzle
Apple Koolsla (translation: apple coleslaw)
Caprese Orzo Salad
Piquant Pasta Puttanesca
Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips
Feel-Good Chicken Curry
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Falafel Veggie Burgers
Berry Stuffed-and-Sauced French Toast Soufflé
Bagel and Lox Strata
Twinkorette Peach Crumb Cake
Chunky White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Dangerously Delectable Pecan Pie

The book is divided into chapters like Grab me Appetizers; Undress Me Salads; Respect me Vegetables; Gobble me Poultry; Catch me Fish; Meet me Meat; Join me Brunch; andFork me Dessert, which entice cooks to finger through the mouth watering and easy-to-prepare recipe collection, all the while enjoying Bite Me Bit food trivia, puns, sassy discussions, and more.

With just a turn of the page, discover a roadmap for guaranteed gustatory hits and major merrymaking. Time spent in the kitchen was never so much fun. With Easter and Mother’s Day just around-the-corner, let Bite Me’s thoroughly tested recipes make filling yours and others’ plates a piece of cake.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Passionate eaters and skilled feeders, Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat are full of beans, basil, balsamic, butter….you get the picture. These saucy sisters give new meaning to the phrase, joy of cooking! Julie is a self-described busybody who lives for laughs, pop culture, music, photography and entertaining in and out of the kitchen. In between dirty diapers, Julie worked as a freelance writer, doing everything from mystery book reviews to writing articles for Harlequin books on how to keep romance alive. It was sister Lisa who taught her how to cook. Lisa is a homebody whose bionic nose and supreme palate have fuelled her passion for eating and feeding. A skilled chef, she ran a successful catering business for many years. Bite Me is truly a tale of two sisters. Lisa’s mouth-watering recipes are accompanied by Julie’s saucy and witty commentary and design. Originally self-published in their native Canada, Bite Me went on to win the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medal for Cookbooks and sold over 20,000 copies. Julie and Lisa have cooked up some of their favorite recipes on Better TV and Canada’s Food Network. To learn more about them, visit their website, www.BiteMeCookbook.com.

BERRY STUFFED-and- SAUCED FRENCH TOAST SOUFFLÉ

Serves 8-10
All you have to do with this gorgeous dish is sleep on it. This overnight French toast does the work for you as the sweet egg bread, mounded with cream cheese and strawberry jam, is left to soak up a buttery mixture. After you wake and bake, you’ll have an elegant, effortless brunch.

INGREDIENTS

2 egg breads (challahs), crusts removed and cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup strawberry jam
3 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1½ cups milk
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp kosher salt

Berry Sauce

1 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup orange juice
3 cups frozen unsweetened berries, either mixed, blueberries or raspberries
3 cups strawberries, quartered

DIRECTIONS

1)For the soufflé, coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Lay a single layer of bread slices along the bottom of the dish. Spread cream cheese on each piece. Spread strawberry jam on the remaining slices and lay to face cream cheese, creating sandwiches in the baking dish.

2)In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, milk, melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour over sandwiches and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or, for best results, overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.

3)Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.

4)For the berry sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in orange juice until smooth. Add frozen mixed berries and heat to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in fresh strawberries. Allow to cool and serve berry sauce spooned over individual portions.

TWINKORETTE PEACH CRUMB CAKE
Serves 10

For years I kept my self-destructive habit a secret, burying them in shopping carts, stashing one or two in the glove box for that easy-access quick fix. I couldn’t let anyone know I was addicted to Twinkies – I’m a grown woman for goodness’ sake! I thought I had it under control until that fateful early morning Lisa caught me ducked down in my car, crumbs flying and a telltale smear at the corner of my mouth. Ignoring my declarations of willpower, she spent endless hours in the kitchen concocting a cure for my cravings – this golden crumb cake that tastes like my beloved 4-inch long, cream-filled ladyfingers mingled with juicy peaches. Hello, my name is Julie and it has been 6 months, 22 days since my last cello-wrapped Twinkie.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
2¼ cups flour
1 cup sugar
¾ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
2½ cups canned sliced peaches, drained well

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2) In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine sour cream and baking soda. Set aside.

3) In a food processor, combine flour, sugar and butter. Pulse on and off until blended and crumbly, 10-15 seconds. Remove and set aside 1 cup of the flour mixture for the cake topping.

4) Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder, salt and sour cream to the remaining mixture in the food processor. Pulse 4 times on and off, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Do not overmix.

5) Spread half of the batter in the prepared baking pan. Place sliced peaches atop and cover with remaining batter. Sprinkle reserved crumbs to cover the top of the cake.

6) Bake 48-50 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned around the edges. Note that testing the center of the cake with a toothpick won’t give an accurate result as the peaches are wet and the toothpick will come out wet even when the cake is fully baked.