On the bookshelf: What (publishers hope) women are reading

Ladies, whether you’re looking to get healthy, get a man or get in touch with your inner cowgirl, a trio of new cookbooks unabashedly targeting women is eager to help.

Paula Disbrowe’s “Cowgirl Cuisine” (William Morrow, 2007, $29.95) is one part cookbook (with recipes such as cowgirl steaks with pink peppercorns and red onion marmalade) and one part memoir.

Disbrowe heavily seasons the book with photos and essays about her transformation from New York food and travel writer to Texas ranch hand (she took a job as “cowgirl chef” at a health resort).

While Disbrowe wants you to dig in to hearty venison burgers with pasilla chili mayonnaise, the folks behind the Betty Crocker brand have lighter ideas. Their “Cookbook for Women” (Wiley, 2007, $24.95) aims to help women of all ages eat and live right.

The recipes (such as grilled jerk flank steak and sirloin three-bean chili) are low in fat, offer simple instructions and are nicely labeled with their nutritional benefits (the chili offers vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, folic acid, fiber and potassium).

Then there’s “The Official Get ‘Em Girl’s Guide” (Subira Publishing, 2007, $19.99), which has the stated goal of uplifting women by helping them use food to get the man of their dreams. Which means this is not healthy Betty Crocker cuisine.

More about wooing than seducing, these recipes are serious comfort food. Authors Shakara Bridgers, Jeniece Isley and Joan Davis have assembled recipes such as buttermilk waffles and crisp bacon, sweet and spicy ribs, and fried catfish.

And don’t worry, they also offer advice for what to do after romance blossoms.

New gear: ‘My A to Z Recipe Box’

Kids love having their own versions of the tools and toys their parents use around the house. Which is why the “My A to Z Recipe Box” ($16.95, Chronicle Books) is a sensible idea for anyone hoping to inspire a love of cooking in a little one.

The nicely illustrated rugged cardboard box comes with 26 dividers, each of which is printed with a (mostly healthy) recipe (the D divider features deviled eggs), ideas for serving, suggested variations and fun facts about the ingredients and dish.

The recipes are simple to follow, highlight which steps adults should handle and include reminders to wear an apron and wash your hands. The company deserves extra credit for coming up with “X and O Cookies” (for playing tic-tac-toe) to print on the X divider.

Also included: stickers so children can personalize recipes with “Yum” or “Tasty” (corny, but kids will love it), and 26 blank recipe cards. The box design also is refreshingly gender neutral, making it equally appropriate for boys and girls.

– By AP Food Writer J.M. Hirsch

On the table: Banana martini

These days just about anything sipped from a conical glass can be called a martini. This sweet version combines banana nectar, vodka and vanilla liqueur for a refreshing take on this popular cocktail.

Ingredients:

1 cup crushed ice

1½ ounces chilled vodka

1 ounce vanilla liqueur

1½ ounces banana nectar (available at natural food stores)

Pinch cinnamon

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shake, cap tightly and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass, then dust with cinnamon. Makes 1 serving.

– By AP Food Writer J.M. Hirsch