July issue

[aggie94]

I know many of you haven't received your July issue, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. It's taken a few days to get through the magazine cover to cover, but I didn't mark a single recipe that I plan to make. Of course, I realize that it is all because of me and my quirky food issues.

Since it's summer, the recipes reflect a lot of light fare -- TONS of salads, soups, sandwiches, and LOTS of desserts. I'm looking for main dinners, and two of my criteria are that it's got to be HOT, and it's got to be something that can be reheated for lunch leftovers the next day. Not many of these recipes were conducive to that. Plus, there is a whole section of lobster recipes. As much as I love lobster, it's a little spendy for me to be eating at home once a week for dinner, and unless I could pick up fresh lobster meat at the fish market, there's no way I'd be able to boil a live lobster, despite what the article says about them not feeling pain.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not disappointed. A lot of the recipes looked delicious, and I'd be open to making them for entertaining friends or dinner parties or something like that. Plus, if every issue had two dozen recipes that I couldn't wait to try, I'd be in big trouble! Instead, I'll spend July making more of the June recipes that I marked and haven't gotten around to making yet.

[Jewel]

I'm with you Aggie! I always look forward to CL every month and I'm not disappointed in the July issue as a whole, but maybe I'm one that cooks winter meals in summer? I also look for hot dishes that can be reheated. Plus, DH is allergic to all seafood but Tuna Steaks (and even that's iffy, 'cause he had a reaction to the Balsamic-Glazed Tuna Steaks last night even though he loved them!). Personally, I'm not allergic, I just don't like seafood! (well, except Tuna Steaks!)

I'm also not a big salad or dessert eater, so this issue didn't ring my chimes too much in the recipe department. Still, I'm not complaining, since I've got 11 years worth of Annuals, CL Complete, and CL Light & Easy to play with! There won't be a shortage of CL recipes to try in this household, let me tell you! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[HUNGRY!]

A section on lobster, yuck.

Oh well, I guess I'm glad I ordered CL complete last week!

[Joyce]

The first thing I do when I receive my new issue is to check the "dinner tonight" section for fast dinners I can make during the week, after work. I did the same thing when we received the July issue at C/L. I was EXTREMELY disappointed that there were two sandwiches in the section and one beef salad type dish that served six people on eight ounces of roast beef (that's 1 1/2 ounce per person) at 178 calories and it was called DINNER!! I might be able to serve a sandwich one night in a pinch, but this was the worst dinner section I have seen. I complained to C/L about the section while I was there.

[This message has been edited by Joyce (edited 06-18-2001).]

[comabri]

I didn't have as many recipes flagged as usual either but I did find a few that I think will be great for leftovers (two I've tried already and are repeaters)...

The Couscous salad with chicken, tomato and basil on page 178 was fast. The balsamic and feta made this one different than my usual couscous dishes. Pretty good.

The lobster chowder on page 116 - if you don't like lobster then you won't like this. I LOVE lobster. I tried it with cooked lobster meat from the market (for convenience) and it was really delicious. It was easy and I had enough leftovers for 2 days. Reheated well.

And the next ones to try - which I can tell from the ingredients that I'm gonna like it - the Teriyaki-Glazed Chicken with Tangy Apricot Ketchup on page 185 and the Rosemary rubbed Duck Breast with Caramelized Apricots except I'll probably substitute chicken for duck. I love rosemary and have always liked the poultry with fruit preserves glazes so I think I'll like this one too.

I'll let you know!

[This message has been edited by comabri (edited 06-18-2001).]

[LGBurns]

I agree with a lot of the comments here. What I find particularly interesting for me though, is that I noticed they have a huge list of Meatless Main Dishes in the back which normally I am very happy about, but when I went over them I wasn't that excited to make a lot of them. I agree that the lobster section did not really excite me and surprisingly, the Greek section left me flat (surprising because I love Mediterranean cooking), not much I thought I would want to try there. I don't have an ice cream maker so, although the gelato recipes look delicious, I can't make them. All-in-all this is my least favorite issue in a long time. We'll see what happens though--lately I've been in a bit of a slump about cooking (I overloaded myself a couple weeks ago trying to make too much new stuff in one week), and now it's hard for me to get motivated to make anything new. So maybe I'll feel differently in a week or so.

[AD]

Nothing really sounds good in this issue to me. I also had bad luck with the last issue. I often look at breads and desserts. I never prepare my own seafood, meat, soups or poultry, and I never grill. Also, I almost never use a skillet. I also avoid lots of spices and won't eat anything in which I can taste any hint of garlic or onion. So, it's really my own fault I haven't liked many of the recent recipes, but CL more than compensates with recipes in other issues.

[joyous]

I'm not terribly excited with it, either. As I look over my back copies, I see that I never seem to like the summer issues as much as the ones from the other seasons.

[BlueMoose]

I didn't really see anything I'm planning on trying. But, I probably differ from a lot of CL readers...I like things that are quick and easy to prepare, since I have 2 little kids who don't like to nap! I liked the veggie IQ test. I did pretty well, how about the rest of you? I did learn something new...that baby carrots are made from regular carrots (maybe I shouldn't admit that I didn't know that...where did I think they came from?)

[SandyM]

Originally posted by BlueMoose:
baby carrots are made from regular carrots

Ummm........excuse me? You're not the only one, Blue Moose.

What, does some guy actually have the job of putting a big ole carrot between clamps and whittling it down to those gorgeous little baby carrots that I adore? Where do all the shavings go, into some mass-produced cole slaw mix?

I am aghast......and obviously in the dark.........

I don't have my July issue yet (not complaining, mind you, just stating a fact), so if someone could enlighten me (no pun intended)...... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Wendy w]

I agree with so much that has been said here. I received mine on Saturday and am not disappointed but not exactly drooling through this issue. That's ok though as I just went on a cookbook shopping spree on half.com and have a lot to go through.

[Jewel]

You know that Baby Carrot thing kind of shocked me too! Since I'm not a raw veggie eater, I've had several people to tell me to try baby carrots...that they're so much sweeter and more tender than 'regular' carrots and that I'd be a convert as soon as I tried them. I haven't bought a bag yet, but now I'm not so sure! Those little puppies are expensive! I can probably buy the big 3 lb bag at Safeway for $1.39 and make my own! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[HUNGRY!]

You know, they actually are sweeter (in my opinion). I wonder how they do that if they are really just pieces of normal carrots?

[SandyM]

They are sweeter and better than regular carrots, Jewel. Try 'em. But make sure they're not dry inside the bag.

[gabbyh]

Oh my god Wendy, me too!
I went nutz on half.com...was going back and forth to the CL BB searching for critiques of books others liked...then ordering...got all of the "Moosewoods" I've been dying to try...isn't the Board "the ultimate"!!
...I'm dying to get my July issue...lobster is my favorite food!

[joyous]

Originally posted by HUNGRY!:
You know, they actually are sweeter (in my opinion). I wonder how they do that if they are really just pieces of normal carrots?

Well, if you really want to do a carrot experiment, you can try this. Get a big raw carrot, and chop off the skinny end, so you can see a cross section, sort of like you're looking at rings in a tree stump.

See how there's an outer layer, and an inner core?

Nibble on the outer core, rabbit-style. (Go ahead, no one's looking.) Try to get all the way through to the inner layer, without actually biting into the inner part.

Now, taste just the inner layer. It's noticeably sweeter than the outer part.

So, if you whittle down a carrot so that it's mostly core, you're left with more of the "sweet stuff."

You can stop looking like a rabbit now.

[lorilei]

Just an FYI -- although most famous-brand packaged carrots are really just "whittled down" adult carrots, some bagged "baby carrots" are actually baby carrots... Usually they'll specify what they are on the label.

[mb]

SandyM, i think the article said the leftover carrot shavings get made into juice or cattle-feed.

I was also excited about getting the July CL, but after going through it, I'm also a little disappointed. I'm with LGBurns: i don't have an ice-cream maker (although those gelato recipes look great!), and i'm not a lobster-eater either. i was excited when i saw the section on greek cooking, but when i looked alittle closer, none of the recipes really seemed too tempting to me. plus, many of those recipes looked too involved for me. some of the salads look good, and i liked the tomato & apricot sections, so it looks like there will still be quite a few things to try this month. (plus, i'm still working on may and june, plus june and july of last year!) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[slknight]

Originally posted by SandyM:
They are sweeter and better than regular carrots, Jewel. Try 'em. But make sure they're not dry inside the bag.

I'd have to respecfully disagree with this one. I look for ones that ARE dry inside the bag. Sometimes the bags are really wet, and I find that the water tends to make the carrots pretty slimy, especially if the carrots are really small. (I find that some brands have smaller ones than others). I prefer the thicker, dryer ones. Just my 2 cents.

Found this information about baby carrots for those who are interested: http://www.grimmway.com/baby.htm

-Susan

[This message has been edited by slknight (edited 06-18-2001).]

[SandyM]

Indeed, they shouldn't be floating in water, but IMHO, the dry ones (speckled white, and/or cracked) are old and less sweeter than the others.

I have had the slimy baby carrots (ick), and I found that those are the ones absolutely swimming in water.

Again, just my opinion.

[Beth]

I'll be honest, I haven't made it through much of the July issue. DH told me it came while we were with our supper club Sat night and I spent most of yesterday trying to get DS ready for scout camp.

I tend to agree with the sandwich dinner ideas, but more because I don't think of sandwiches for dinner. It's getting hot enough that the salads are appealing to me, and maybe after a while, I'll think of the sandwiches that way.

If we're not willing to think of food in different ways, the number of new things we can try is limited and it's harder to stay excited about food or cooking. Also, I think CL is probably responding to the number of folks who post that it's too hot to cook, they grill to not heat up the house, they want something fast and easy, something that can be at least partially prepared in advance and/or work for leftovers, need some encouragement to try new things, etc. The salads and sandwiches do a lot of that. If something isn't hearty enough for you, think about what else you might have with it, or be grateful for a guiltless dessert night!

I think that's where this BB and our supper clubs really make a difference. The BB causes me to go back and see recipes I hadn't noticed AND to try things I didn't think I would. Sat. night was a perfect example. Luv2cook brought the split pea-galic dip out of the July issue. I don't think I would have tried that on my own, but DH and I both loved it. Since then, the three of us have talked about other ways we would use it. For instance, use it to stuff snow peas, cherry tomotoes or mushroom caps if you want appetizers on a tray rather than a dip; use it as a sandwhich spread with a meat, or make a veggie sandwich with grilled peppers and onions or a portabella mushroom and the dip/spread, maybe with tofu, in quesadillas. You get the idea. And don't be turned off by the name -- the garlic is not a pronounced flavor. You garlic lovers may want to add more, but I thought it was great just as written.

[greysangel]

While I haven't gotten my July yet, I definitely feel the same about June. I have earmarked a couple recipes but just haven't felt any excitement over trying them vs. trying out old recipes I hadn't gotten too.

I like my dinners to be hot http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I love salads and don't mind the recipes but there is only so much salad one can eat!

JeAnne

[KLynn]

I am in agreement about July. Sometimes I really wonder if people read the articles like the one about lobster and actually make the recipes.

I must confess, I would never, ever go to the trouble of bringing home live lobsters and cooking them in an 8 gallon pot (can that even fit on the stove??). I can't even fathom it, honestly...

Articles like this one really seem irrelevant to me...anyone else?? I hope CL doesn't get too off the wall in future issues.

Those of you that end up actually cooking those live lobsters...I admire your adventurous spirit...let us know how it turns out!

[GayeC]

A lot of our preferences may depend on where we live. I also would not consider cooking lobster at home, but people who live in New England probably do it all the time. And because I live in the south, in a particularly hot and humid city (no beach, no mountains), I think that salads (and to some extent sandwiches) for dinner are looking better all the time. I rarely cook casseroles in the summer -- no one wants to eat them.

I enjoy reading CL because it exposes me to new and different things. Even if I only make 2 or 3 recipes out of an issue, I look forward to reading it. And, as many others have pointed out, I often take a second look at a recipe I passed up after it has been reviewed on this BB.
Gaye

[Denise]

Alas, I have to agree with the disappointed ones...

I am very sorry to see the 30 minutes or less section (one I frequently cooked from) changed to the dinner menu section. In June it was pork tenderloins, hardly something I would cook on a weeknight, those expensive cuts of meat are only special treats for us! I miss the articles on ground round, hot sandwiches (remeber those great monte cristos!), couscous main dishes, wraps....

Lobster is in the same category for me as for many others. We don't get much good lobster here in Colorado and its not cheap. I'm sorry to see CL going more in the direction of Gourmet and Bon Apetite, gourmet instead of everyday! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif

I hope the editor reads these msgs and gets back on track!!

[bossy]

All of this over a little lobster article? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Seriously - why not a lobster article? So what if you don't like lobster or can't get good lobster? A lot of people can and do. Personally I don't much like lobster but OF COURSE the magazine should occasionally focus on lobster, as they should (and do) on all other kinds of foods. If you don't like the current issue much there is always the next one to look forward to.

I don't have this issue yet but can't wait for the salad recipes! But if there were no salad recipes this summer it wouldn't bother me. There is always something interesting to try - if none of the recipes grab you just read the articles - can you imagine another magazine as good as CL? I can't!

[Lynn B]

Another "dissenter" among the ranks, sir!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I personally am loving the July issue! I was excited to see the lobster article, the catfish recipes, and all those gelato recipes... the Fresh Tomato Pesto Pizza, Beef-Taco Rice w/ Refried Beans, the salads and the sandwiches look wonderful to me (and perfect for these hot summer evenings!), the Chipotle-Maple Sweet Potatoes sounds delicious and intriguing, and let's not even talk about the desserts yet!!! (Peach Cobbler, Apples Baked in Phyllo w/ Pear-Pecan Filling, Graham Cracker Pie, Deep Dish Apricot-Apple Betty...)

Mmmmm! I'll be quite busy, I'm sure... !

Lynn

[Laura B]

Wow! I just got my July issue and did a first look through. I am thrilled with many of the recipes in this one. The lobster, gelato, tomato, and apricot features all look fabulous. I also want to try the peach cobbler in Back to the Best.

I would say this issue has the usual ratio of recipes I like to those I don't. The ones I like this time, though, I REALLY like, so that makes me extra happy. I just ordered an ice cream maker the other day, so I was overjoyed to see gelato on the cover.

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 06-18-2001).]

[Grace]

Oh Lynn, I don't have my July issue yet, but with what you described, I mean, what's NOT to like???!!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

I'm SOOOO excited for the July issue....I'm quite sure I will find plenty to keep me busy in the kitchen! It really sounds like an especially GREAT issue, as opposed to a not-so-great one...

[charlie]

I made the Black Eyed Pea Salad for Father's Day and the Graham Cracker Pie for dessert. Both are great!!!
I did increase the amount of peppers (used orange and yellow), cucumber (used European Hothouse) and onion, plus I found the fat-free sour cream to be disgusting(and I do mean YUK!)so I added the same amount of light sour cream (and the threw away the remaining fat-free-OMG-who ever thought that stuff might taste good?). The salad has a nice crunch to it and I thought the dressing might be too bland but it wasn't (the veggies took over in that dept).
It was my first attempt at a meringue and while it wasn't as tall as the one in the photo it was a great pie! I was thinking next time I would use lemon extract and some lemon zest...and practice on my meringue!



[This message has been edited by charlie (edited 06-18-2001).]

[BosunsWife]

Although I probably won't get my magazine for a couple of weeks its interesting to see what your opinions are.

I, for one, love meals that aren't hot. Since its always so warm out, the last thing I really enjoy doing is heating up the kitchen at night. So bring on the cold salads and sandwiches!

As for lobstah, when we lived in Rhode Island, we ate it a lot! Same for blue crabs, DH would take chicken legs, pole with string and a hook and his net and get a lot of them. Boil those babies up, yummmm!

[SusanT]

I was dissapointed with the Greek cooking article in the July issue. I love Greek food but really didn't see anything I wanted to make.

[valeriek]

Bosunswife - I'm with you. Bring on the salad's and sandwiches when the weatehr gets hot. I hate running the air conditioning (I swear it trigger's my migraines) but I live outside of Washington DC where the weather can be so humid you can't breath. My apartment is alway a little on the warm side, and because of that, I like simple meals in the summer. I haven't gotten the July issue yet, but now I'm kind of looking forward to it to see what kinds of salads and sandwiches are in it.



[This message has been edited by valeriek (edited 06-18-2001).]

[Sara Emily]

A voice of dissent here! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif I just received my July issue a couple of days ago and, while I've not had the opportunity to try out anything yet, I was quite pleased over the recipes I saw! Here in the deep south, the hot, humid, busy days make us RAVENOUS for light fare - sandwiches, salads, and quick seafood dishes. When I saw the section on lobster, I was elated, and eager to try out most of those recipes. And ... then I got to the part of fresh apricots - one of my very FAVORITE fruits, and felt like CL knew just what I needed for the next couple of months to make summer eating fun and memorable!
Now, I am eager to shop and cook and see how I rate the recipes. I'm looking forward to everyone else's recipe comments as they come pouring in! It's ALWAYS fun to compare notes on culinary matters!

[donleyk]

I just want to throw in my .02. I don't like sandwiches for dinner, but with the heat coming on so fast here in the mid west I won't consider turning on my oven. We won't even consider stir fry right now because I don't like to sweat while I eat.

We've been having wraps and fruit for dinner and I think it has worked out wonderfully. Plus, for us, we don't eat too much food either.

I haven't seen July yet, but I am looking forward to some different ideas for cool dinners.

[Liz K]

I like the salad section. There aren't very many recipes in this issue that I want to make, but I did like the lobster and ice cream article. They're something I'll probably never make any time soon, but it's nice to be informed.

[Ralph]

Gotta put my $0.02 in!

Not everybody is going to like every recipe in every issue, nor even every issue. Think about that with other non-cooking magazines. I'm quite willing to experiment with new ingredients and/or techniques, so I can usually find several, hopefully soon-to-be-enjoyable, recipes to try. I agree that in the summertime, I like grilling out more often & trying to avoid heavier meals. In particular, I was disappointed with the chili recipe in the July issue; frankly, I don't want a steaming hot bowl of "stew" when it's in the 80s! As for more obscure things in the issues, I don't like lobster; but this issue's article (plus a recent episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats) sure make it look good!

[gertdog]

Got my July issue last night (didn't I juuust receive my June one?) and thumbed through before falling asleep on the couch.

I will definitely be trying the sorbet recipes, and the apricot things. Some of the Inspired Vegetarian recipes sounded good too. And the tomato and pesto pizza, minus the chicken broth!

No lobster for me, though. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[SusieO]

It might just be the circumstances under which I received it (at CL, in Birmingham), but I think the July issue will probably be one of my all-time favorites. Many recipes looked good to me. I'm just anxiously awaiting the arrival of my ice cream maker so I can try those gelatos!

[Julie A]

I got home tonight, and the July issue was there...it looks great! Unfortunately, I got the week wrong with the lobster sale, so looks like I'll either have to wait or splurge, oh well... I have to wait another month for tomatoes.

[Julie A]

I'm sitting here eating my baby carrots and craving lobstah! I live in Massachusettes, and lobsters are buy one get one free at the grocery store this week...I sure hope my July issue comes soon!