Kate Brown's Weekends: Making the Most of Your Two Treasured Days (Bulfinch Press, $30, 0821262092, October 2005)
My first reaction to Kate Brown's Weekends: Making the Most of Your Two Treasured Days was wondering why I would want to create a Moroccan dinner with Moroccan table decorations when most of my weekend is usually spent cleaning up the previous five days' debris? Golden Starry Table Tiles are too ambitious for me, but the recipes (Cinnamon, Ginger and Cumin Lamb Stew, with Spicy Vegetable Couscous) look good. Brown has a nice way with tarting up standard fare, like Earl Grey Iced Tea with Lemon Mint Syrup, or her take on Parmesan wafers--putting a small herb sprig on each dollop of cheese before baking. And while I draw the line at creating Frida Kahlo placemats, I am tempted to cover and lacquer some boxes with Chinese newspapers. My test for books like this: are the pictures fun to look at, are the projects/ideas/recipes remotely possible, and would I consider giving up couch time with the cats and a good mystery to make something? "Yes" to many things in Weekends, especially the Cinnamon Bread (to eat on the couch, of course). All in all, a nice mix of photos, doable ideas, and tempting recipes.--Marilyn Dahl
My first reaction to Kate Brown's Weekends: Making the Most of Your Two Treasured Days was wondering why I would want to create a Moroccan dinner with Moroccan table decorations when most of my weekend is usually spent cleaning up the previous five days' debris? Golden Starry Table Tiles are too ambitious for me, but the recipes (Cinnamon, Ginger and Cumin Lamb Stew, with Spicy Vegetable Couscous) look good. Brown has a nice way with tarting up standard fare, like Earl Grey Iced Tea with Lemon Mint Syrup, or her take on Parmesan wafers--putting a small herb sprig on each dollop of cheese before baking. And while I draw the line at creating Frida Kahlo placemats, I am tempted to cover and lacquer some boxes with Chinese newspapers. My test for books like this: are the pictures fun to look at, are the projects/ideas/recipes remotely possible, and would I consider giving up couch time with the cats and a good mystery to make something? "Yes" to many things in Weekends, especially the Cinnamon Bread (to eat on the couch, of course). All in all, a nice mix of photos, doable ideas, and tempting recipes.--Marilyn Dahl