Brian O'Reilly

Sometimes the shortest distance between two people is the length of a kitchen table. . . . Far too young to be a widow, Angelina D’Angelo suddenly finds herself facing a life without her beloved husband, Frank. Late one night shortly after the funeral, she makes her way down to the kitchen and pours all of her grief and anger into the only outlet she has left—her passion for cooking. In a frenzy of concentration and swift precision, she builds layer upon layer of thick, rich lasagna, braids loaves of yeasty bread, roasts plump herb-rubbed chicken; she makes so much food that she winds up delivering the spoils to the neighbors in her tight-knit Italian community in South Philadelphia. Retiree Basil Cupertino, who has just moved in with his kindly sister across the street, is positively smitten with Angelina’s food. In a stroke of good fortune, Basil offers Angelina (not only husbandless but unemployed) a job cooking for him—two meals a day, six days a week, in exchange for a handsome salary. Soon, word of her irresistible culinary prowess spreads and she finds herself cooking for seven bachelors—and in the process discovers the magical power of food to heal, to bring people together . . . and maybe even to provide a second chance at love. Filled to the brim with homemade warmth, Angelina’s Bachelors is a sweet tale of overcoming grief, redefining family, and following your heart—through food.

A Novel with Food

Angelina's Bachelors

Virginia O'Reilly

Newly-widowed Angelina finds that food is balm for an aching heart and the shortest distance between two people is the length of a kitchen table.

A Novel, with Food

Robert Irvine

The host of Food Network's Dinner: Impossible shows busy people how to keep food simple but delicious Chef Robert Irvine goes where few chefs dare. As the host of Food Network's Dinner: Impossible, he has cooked on a desert island, in an eighteenth-century kitchen, inside an ice hotel, and even for cowpunchers on a cattle drive. In Impossible to Easy, he converts the classical and improvisational kitchen skills he's learned during the past twenty-five years under some of the most challenging conditions into advice to help the home cook achieve mastery in his or her own kitchen. Irvine shows how to approach ingredients in new and familiar ways, how to plan and execute delicious meals every time, and how to guarantee maximum flavor from every dish. By establishing a few simple organizational, shopping, and storage habits, home cooks can not only get the most out of fresh foods and spices but elevate their everyday meals to a higher level of accomplishment and enjoyment. Here, too, is advice on useful equipment and implements, pantry staples, do-ahead tips, and 111 easy-to-master recipes (many complete with timelines, and half of which are gluten free) that are sure to keep family and friends coming back for more. By separating each process into its constituent parts, anyone can easily create such tasty dishes as Lime-Cured Shrimp and Roasted Corn Chowder, Porcini-Dusted Pork Chops with Cremini Mushrooms and Golden Raisins over Horseradish-Scented Potatoes, Pommes Frites with Chipotle Aioli, Duck Confit with Three-Bean Cassoulet, Windy City Stovetop Pizza, Braised Asian Pear with Roquefort and Sweet Port Wine Dressing, Banana Chocolate-Hazelnut Crepes, and dozens more right in his or her own home.

Brian O'Reilly

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