Cookbooks

I can’t believe all of my favorite shows have ended for the season. I’m normally not much of a television watcher, but in the last couple of months I have been following three shows. Les started watching Lost after we bought him the DVDs for Christmas. He got me interested in Lost again after I spent a couple of seasons away. I also started watching Grey’s Anatomy about mid-season, right when Izzy discovered she had cancer. And, although I am kind of embarrassed to admit it, I have been watching Dancing with the Stars since the beginning. I don’t watch every season, because I get really nervous when they have “stars” on who only have one leg or who are deaf. I mean, really, how do they expect them to win a dance competition? It must be so hard!

Now that my shows are over, I have more time to read and cook. I thought I would share some of cookbooks I’m reading.

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
Lynn picked up A Homemade Life for me a couple of weeks ago (thanks Lynn!). I enjoyed the book, but I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet. I've been a reader of Molly’s blog Orangette for a while, and I enjoyed her articles in Bon Appétit before I realized who Molly Wizenberg was. Molly writes in a very lyrical style on her blog, and her book is no different. Her book is an autobiography through the lens of food. She remembers periods of her life by linking them to the foods she was eating at the time. I am in awe of her writing, and of her food memory.

Ratio by Michael Ruhlman
Ratio intrigues me. I'm good at following recipes, but have always wondered how you go about creating an original recipe. Ratio answered my question, at least where the formula is concerned. Every recipe, at its most basic, is a ratio. This makes perfect sense to me. I know salad dressing is a ratio of one part acid to two parts oil, and I usually make my own salad dressing using this ratio. I am free to experiment with any and all flavors as long as I stick to the ratio. I have to admit this technique is very freeing. I need to read more of this book to make any recommendations, but it looks promising, and I can’t wait to dive in.

Luscious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham
Lynn gave me this book as part of my “I Love Lemon” birthday gift. The gift was full of lemon themed items like this book, lemon tea towels, cocktail napkins, plates, and an apron among other things. This was such a fun gift to open, and I can’t wait to try a recipe from Luscious Lemon Desserts.

Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor
My friend Lisa gave me Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey for my birthday, and you should see the pictures! Every recipe looks absolutely decedent. I have a bunch of pages marked with post-it notes, so I can go back to try some of the delicious looking recipes.