In Tuscany or Cookies

In Tuscany

Author: Frances Mayes

From the bestselling author whose memoirs Under the Sun and Bella Tuscany have captured the voluptuousness of Italian life comes a lavishly illustrated ode to the joys of Tuscany's people, food, landscapes, and art. In Tuscany celebrates the abundant pleasures of life in Italy as it is lived at home, at festivals, feasts, restaurants and markets, in the kitchen and on the piazza, in the vineyards, fields, and olive groves. Combining all-new essays by Frances Mayes and a chapter by her husband, poet Edward Mayes, with more than 200 full-color photos by photographer Bob Krist, each of this book's five sections highlights a signature aspect of Tuscan life:




La Piazza—the locus of Italian village life. With photgraphs of the shop signs, the outdoor markets, medieval streets, people, their pets and their cars, and snippets of conversations overheard, Mayes reveals the life of the Piazza in her town of Cortona as well as out-of-the-way places such as Volterra, Asciano, Monte San Savino, and Castelmuzio.


La Festa—the celebration. Essays and photos of feasts and celebrations, such as the Christmas dinner for twenty-seven at a neighbor's house and a donkey race around the church at Montepulciano Stazione, illustrate how the Tuscans celebrate the seasons—their open ways of friendship, their connection to nature, and most of all, their sense of abundance.


Il Campo—the field. Here Edward Mayes evokes the deep sense of the shift of seasons as he picks olives before he and Frances head off to the olive oil mill and enjoy the first bruscette with new oil.


La Cucina—the kitchen. An intimate view of theall-important role of the kitchen in Tuscan culture, including photographs of her own kitchen and gardens, menus from great local cooks, the elements of the Tuscan table, dishes with cultural and culinary notes on each, and, of course, delectable recipes.


La Bellezza—the beauty. From the quality of the light falling on sublime landscapes in different seasons and Tuscan faces in moments of laughter to a silhouette of cypress trees in the early evening and a wild bird perched on a neigbor's head, In Tuscany features views of beauty that reveal the singular splendor of one of the world's best-loved and most artistic regions.

Publishers Weekly

Riding on the success of her previous books, Mayes, who here collaborates with her husband, returns with a curious amalgam of cookbook, coffee-table book, travel guide and memoir. As in Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, Mayes lovingly admires her adopted Tuscany, where she purchased a villa 10 years ago. Chapters are loosely organized around general concepts: for instance, "Baci (Kisses)" focuses on Italian effusiveness; "La Piazza" centers on the meeting place of Italian village life; and "La Festa (Celebration)" opens with a quote from a song by Jovanotti (an Italian pop band) and goes on to classify the many types of celebrations held in Italy, from Siena's Palio to weekly Sunday lunches. Mayes includes 25 recipes throughout the book, though concentrated in the chapters "La Cucina" and "Il Campo." While there are local recipes such as Onion Soup in the Arezzo Style and Chicken Liver on Little Crusts, some of her choices are puzzling. Mayes freely appropriates non-Tuscan items such as Capri's famed limoncello and Parmesan cheese and even provides a recipe for the mirepoix that is the base of many Italian dishes. A list of resources provides a calendar of festivals in the region as well as addresses and phone numbers for bars, restaurants and specialty stores. Kirst's (Spirit of the Place) endearing photos of Tuscan life fill the pages. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Frances Mayes made a name for herself writing about her love affair with Tuscany, where she bought and refurbished an abandoned villa. She tells the full story in Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy (Broadway. 1997. ISBN 0-7679-0038-3. pap. $15); Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy (Broadway. 2000. ISBN 0-7679-0284-X. pap. $15); and In Tuscany (Broadway. 2000. ISBN 0-7679-0535-0. $35). Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Booknews

In her third book about Tuscany, Mayes presents a lush celebration of the region's people, food, landscapes, and art, describing life at home, festivals, feasts, restaurants, and markets. Color photographs, many full page, are by Bob Krist. There is no index or bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Interesting textbook: Principles of Intellectual Property Law or Construction Project Administration

Cookies: Cook Books from Amish Kitchens

Author: Phyllis Pellman Good

What simpler pleasure than a warm, freshly baked cookie?

And with the best cookies go memories . . . "Grandma always let me put the raisins on the sugar cookies she baked for market . . . "

These recipes are favorites, most of them several generations old!

One of 12 cookbooks from Amish kitchens! The recipes in this series overflow with the good, old-fashioned food which comes from some of the world's best cooks. These handsome cookbooks have sold more than 800,000 copies!

Table of Contents:

Table of Contents
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft Raisin Cookies
Amish Cookies
Hermits
Date Balls
Snickerdoodles
Shrewberry Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
Filled Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Whoopie Pies
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Gingersnaps
Gingerbread Men
Ginger Cookies
Caramel Cookies
Brown Sugar Cookies
Molasses Cookies
Aunt Carrie's Butterscotch Ice-Box Cookies
Sand Tarts
Drop Sugar Cookies
Fudge-Nut Cookies
Fresh Glazed Apple Cookies
Walnut Supreme Cookies
Golden Nuggets
Applesauce Nuggets
Boston Fruit Cookies
Cherry Winks
Pecan Tassies

The Goods are the parents of two daughters and are members of the Landisville Mennonite Church.

Rachel Thomas Pellman is the manager of the Old Country Store in Intercourse, Pennsylvania, which features quilts, crafts, and toys by more than 200 Amish and Mennonite craftspersons. Rachel and her husband, Kenny, are co-authors of The World of Amish Quilts and its companion book, Amish Quilt Patterns.

Rachel and Kenny are the parents of one son and are members of the Rossmere Mennonite Church.

Phyllis and Rachel are sisters-in-law.