wedding dress wedding dress rental honolulu hawaii 2011 for cheap on sale under $122 Lulu300x700

Photo Credit: Thread Social

prom dresses for 2010 2011 for cheap on sale under $134 Liddy214x500

Photo Credit: Thread Social

black bridesmaids dresses 2011 for cheap on sale under $108 Party_Dress308x412

Photo Credit: Thread Social

prom dresses prom dresses for 2010 2011 for cheap on sale under $128 Thread_Priscilla_1300x400

Photo Credit: Priscilla of Boston/Thread Social

0 2011 for cheap on sale under $126 Thread_Priscilla_2300x400

Photo Credit: Priscilla of Boston/Thread Social

0 2010 2011 for cheap on sale under $143 Thread_Priscilla_3300x400

Photo Credit: wedding dress strapless Priscilla of Boston/Thread Social

View full sizeWashington PostCelebrities have been busy writing cookbooks.

Here’s how the star cookbooks stack up. You’ll either love or hate some of the egos between the book covers, especially when it comes to celebrity mentions, shameless promotions and vanity moments.

The take-away messages are loud and clear, particularly when it comes to stars who don’t look like they eat much. If only we could all slip into a Gucci dress with heels, full hair and makeup and pull a perfectly roasted bird out of the oven. Well, not all of us would do so, then turn around to brag about it.

EVA LONGORIA

“Eva’s Kitchen: Cooking With Love for Family and Friends,” by Eva Longoria with Marah Stets (Clarkson Potter, $30, 100 recipes)

The actress shares Texan and Mexican recipes and pays homage to her late Aunt Elsa, a caterer.

Take-Away Message: She’s not some starlet who wouldn’t know a gizzard if it fell in her lap. She grew up on a ranch in Texas with real chickens!

Number of Recipe Photos/Number of Author Photos: 53/16 most irritating author photo(s): Those in which Longoria dresses as if she were ready for an afternoon tea, not an afternoon of chopping vegetables.

Simplest Recipe: Toast Triangles, Page 17. “Lightly spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread. Lightly sprinkle with garlic or onion powder discount mother of the bride dresses discount mother of the bride dresses, paprika, and salt, if using. Cut each slice into 4 triangles and place on a cookie sheet. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and serve.”

Most Ridiculous Recipe: Tie between Ceviche (Page 30; “In the beach towns of Mexico . . . people happily eat raw fish and shellfish. I, however, do not.”) and Turkey Shepherd’s Pie (Page 97; “The key to great shepherd’s pie is the ketchup”).

Ingredients She Demonizes: Trans fats and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.

Celebrity Watch: Her business partner in the restaurant Beso, celebrity chef Todd English, merits only a mention or two. Longoria has expunged from the uncorrected proof all references to former husband Tony Parker, star guard for the San Antonio Spurs, after the couple divorced this year due to Parker’s alleged infidelities. “Desperate Housewives” co-star Teri Hatcher contributes a banana bread recipe. Former supermodel Cindy Crawford introduced Longoria to strawberries and rhubarb.

Vanity Moment: “I cannot count the number of times that I’ve found myself in a Gucci dress and heels – with full hair and makeup, about to run out to an event – pulling a roasted chicken out of the oven in order to make sure that my family is fed before leaving the house to face a hundred photographers on a red carpet red carpet .”

She Might Rethink . . . : Calling rhubarb a fruit and including “Parker” in her name on the copyright page.

GWYNETH PALTROW

“My Father’ cheap formal cocktail dresses cheap formal cocktail dressess Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness,” by Gwyneth Paltrow (Grand Central Publishing, $30, 150 recipes)

The actress, author and singer has released a cookbook with an emphasis on clean flavors and vegetarian/vegan alternatives; it serves as a tribute to Bruce Paltrow, her late father informal short wedding dresses informal short wedding dresses, who loved to cook.

Take-Away Message: Daddy told her she could do whatever she wanted, if she just put her mind (and face) to it.

Number of Recipe Photos/Number of Author Photos: 65/26

Most Irritating Author Photo(s): The one in which she looks as if she just came home from judo class.

Simplest Recipe: Plum Ketchup, Page 103. “Stir the ketchup and jam together.”

Most Ridiculous Recipe: Wood Oven Pizzas, Page 174. “We&#8217 evening dresses london ;ve got a wood-burning pizza oven in the garden – a luxury, I know, but it’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made.”

Ingredients She Demonizes: Pork and beef.

Celebrity Watch: Chef Mario Batali writes the foreword, actor Leonardo DiCaprio offers dietary advice, mom Blythe Danner makes numerous cameos and, of course, the cookbook is named in honor of the late Bruce Paltrow, Gwyneth’s producer-writer father. She also suggests buying the Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker and drops references to his pastamaker and his duck ragu recipe.

Vanity Moment: “I fell in love with tortilla soup (and all things Tex-Mex) when I was doing a movie called ‘Flesh and Bone’ in Austin, Texas, in 1992. (I was nineteen.)”

She Might Rethink . . . : All the Jamie Oliver love. (Her husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, ivory dress shoes could be worried that his wife has that Tony Parker itch.)

TERESA GIUDICE

“Fabulicious! Teresa’s Italian Family Cookbook,” by Teresa Giudice with Heather Maclean (Running Press, $19, 60 recipes)

The author and co-star of Bravo TV’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey” follows her “Skinny Italian” cookbook with more of the same.

Take-Away Message: She will make you love her children.

Number of Recipe Photos/Number of Author Photos: 31/29

Most Irritating Author Photo(s): Every single one in which Giudice tilts her head to the camera and beams, as if she were still posing for the high school yearbook.

Simplest Recipe: Roasted Asparagus Alla Parmigiana, modest christian wedding dresses Page 131. “Spread the asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil. Roll the asparagus in the oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning the asparagus after 5 minutes, until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. . . .”

Most Ridiculous Recipe: Audriana’s Creamy Polenta, Page 47, allegedly the favorite dish of Giudice’s 1-year-old daughter. The headnote is ostensibly written by the author’s 6-year-old daughter: “Hi, formal evening dresses online formal evening dresses online it’s me, Gabriella.”

Ingredients She Demonizes: Vegetable oil. (Giudice uses only olive oil.)

Celebrity Watch: Food personality and cookbook author Rachael Ray is mentioned, and Giudice drops Sophia Loren’s name (“one of my personal heroes”). There are the expected “Real Housewives” plugs, plus a mention of Andy Cohen, a Bravo TV executive vice president. Hold. Us. Back.

Vanity Moment: “As so many of you have written me and attested – I already knew this because I have four kids and don’t work out – if you eat home-cooked, fresh, authentic Italian food, you can have your pasta and your skinny jeans, too.”

She Might Rethink . . . : pink bridesmaid dresses short The title, other fabricated words (“sauce-tacular”?) and the Faulknerian stream-of-consciousness biography attributed to Audriana.

SHERYL CROW

“If It Makes You Healthy: More Than 100 Delicious Recipes Inspired by the Seasons,” by Sheryl Crow and Chuck White with Mary Goodbody (St. Martin’s Press, $30, 100-plus recipes)

The author, rock star and breast cancer survivor offers healthful recipes devised, in large part, by chef Chuck White and a nutritionist.

Take-Away Message: If Lance Armstrong can beat cancer in style, so can she – and without the doping charges.

Number of Recipe Photos/Number of Author Photos: 32/22

Most Irritating Author Photo(s): None, unless you’re Armstrong, who must be slapping his forehead for letting this Crow fly away.

Simplest Recipe: Chuck’s Creme Fraiche, Page 153. “In a glass bowl, stir the cream with the buttermilk. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours, or until thickened.”

Most Ridiculous Recipe: Lemon-Vanilla Panna Cotta with Basil-Apricot Compote, Page 122. This Italian “cooked cream” is made with lemon soy yogurt.

Ingredients She Demonizes: cheap medieval wedding dresses Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.

Celebrity Watch: Does Jack Daniel’s count? Because other than the name of that Tennessee whiskey, there’s nary a celebrity in sight. Aside from the author, of course.

Vanity Moment: When was the last time a cookbook author admitted to “not being a great cook at home”?

She Might Rethink . . . : The title. The awkward twist on Crow’s 1996 hit “If It Makes You Happy” is cheesy and detracts from an earnest, change-the-way-you-eat cookbook.

ALICIA SILVERSTONE

“The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet,” by Alicia Silverstone (Rodale, paperback, $22, 100 recipes)

The actress has issued a soft-cover edition of her 2009 bestseller, written to help people transition to veganism.

Take-Away Message: She’s cooler and far hotter than you icky meat eaters.

Number of Recipe Photos/Number of Author Photos: 32/21

Most Irritating Author Photo(s): The two in which Silverstone, the home cook, feels the need to lie in a pristine white bed.

Simplest Recipe: Basic Rice, Page 233. Wash rice. Soak rice. Put rice in pot, add water and salt. Boil on high heat, black strapless gown cover. Turn the heat down. Simmer for 50 minutes, remove and let rice sit. “Serve warm.”

Most Ridiculous Recipe: Alicia’s Sexy Inspired Salad, Page 174. A mixed-greens salad that calls for truffle oil, “which, though a bit expensive, is used so sparingly it lasts forever and is really worth the cost.” Except for one problem: Truffle oil has a shelf life of three to six months.

Ingredients She Demonizes: Everything that comes from an animal, plus white sugar and processed foods.

Celebrity Watch: Paul McCartney, who wrote the preface. Other name-dropping: actors Kathleen Turner, Jason Biggs, Woody Harrelson (canoeing naked down the Amazon!) and a small army of vegetarians and purported vegetarians, dead and alive, including Ovid, Voltaire, Leo Tolstoy, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, John Lennon, Kate Moss, Natalie Portman, Bruce Lee and Carl Lewis.

Vanity Moment: “By following the Kind Diet, you will lose weight easily, your skin will absolutely glow, you will have tons of energy, and you will become more sensitive to all the important things in life – like love, nature, and your deepest, truest self.”

She Might Rethink . . . : Blindly parroting a handful of special-interest groups trying to push their agenda via Hollywood fame.

SAVORY RICE BOWL (Makes 4 servings)

1 cup short-grain brown rice

6 cups water

Regular or low-sodium soy sauce, for serving

Toasted sesame oil, for serving

Sesame and seaweed rice condiment (available at Asian markets), for serving

Finely chopped scallions, for serving

Finely chopped kimchi, for serving

Finely shredded nori, for serving

Rinse the brown rice, if desired.

Combine the rice with 5 cups of water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low; stir, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Ideally, the rice should have a porridgelike consistency.

Uncover; if you still see a fair amount of liquid in the saucepan, cook for 15 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, if the rice seems dry, add as much of the remaining 1 cup of water as needed; cook for 15 to 30 minutes (on low or medium-low heat) to achieve a porridgelike consistency.

To serve, divide the rice among individual bowls. Top with dashes of the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, and with sprinkles of the sesame-seaweed condiment, scallions, kimchi and nori.

– “My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness,” by Gwyneth Paltrow (Grand Central Publishing), 2011