Cookish Book: Bourbon & Bacon

I received a copy of Southern Living's Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South's Favorite Food Groups thanks to a giveaway on For the Love of the South. (Thanks, Amber!) I was surprised by this book in a few ways. It's a nice hardcover (no dust jacket) with lots of color photos, but it's a really handy size (about the size of a large-format paperback book). As soon as I got my hands on it, I thought what a great gift it would make. I several men in my life that I think are difficult to shop for, but this would easily please them, and with the holiday season approaching, I think you should give it a look for the bourbon-lovers in your life. It's really nice to flip through (I've left it on my coffee table since I got it because I really love the book design and I think others would enjoy flipping through it). I'm not a big drinker, but you can't go wrong with bacon, and there are several recipes I want to try: Sticky Bourvbon Toffee Pudding, Turtle Bourbon Pecan Tart, Bacon Popcorn, etc, I think this one might help you check off your gift list!

Bookish Review: An Everlasting Meal

An Everlasting Meal  is part cookbook, part cooking philosophy, with a sprinkle of memoir. Tamar Adler firmly believes that cook good, nourishing food need not be difficult, and doesn't need explicit recipes so much as mastery of a few techniques. This book should be encouraging to anyone who is unsure in the kitchen or thinks cooking is difficult or just doesn't know where to start. Allen encourages repurposing leftovers, and using every bit of a meal, from the beet tops that might be discarded to the pasta water that might be poured down the drain. It is a wonderful way to think about food--honoring ingredients and not being wasteful. It's also thrifty and smart. This was a really enjoyable and empowering read--I recommend it to anyone who could use a little confidence in the kitchen.

Slices of Life is taken from the author's newspaper columns. Some cover life with her husband or her kids, or stories from her own childhood. Each is accompanied by a recipe. This is a good book to pick up occassionally and read a passage or two and then move on. I couoldn't get in to reading it cover-to-cover because the columns didn't seem to be arranged in a cohesive way. However, many of the recipes looked good, and the columns can be entertaining--it's just better as a book you read while you're waiting in line, reading a column or two at a time, rather than a real page-turner.

I was provided an advanced e-copy of this title though NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. Receiving a copy did not affect my review. 

Bookish Review: Biting through the Skin

I really enjoyed Biting Through the Skin. I, for one, have a hard time imagining what it would have been like to be a blond-haired, blue-eyed American growing up in India--nor could I imagine growing up in America's heartland as an Indian girl from Bengal, but now that I have read Biting Through the Skin, I have a better idea of what that must have been like. Nina Mukergee was a girl caught between two cultures, longing to better understand her Indian roots. She paints lovely pictures with words and makes you yearn for the exotic smells and spices of her kitchen, while at the same time really feeling for her as she describes how she often felt out of place in both worlds--American and Indian. Her prose is lovely, and I always find reading about a different culture to be exciting and interesting, even when plopped within my own American context. This book is mostly memoir, but a little beit cookbook, too, and can take you on a journey to a new place. Recommended.

I was provided an advanced e-copy of this title though NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. Receiving a copy did not affect my review. 

Cook Bookish Review: My Paris Kitchen

I was very excited to read this book because I am a big fan of David Lebovitz's blog, and I downloaded his Paris Pastry app when I was heading to Europe for my honeymoon (I recommend it if you are a chocolate and pastry freak like I am and you are heading to Paris--it was great!) I read this book before heading off on that trip, to prepare me, and it was great inspiration (and also lead me to visit Bernachon in Lyon, which I am dying to go back to). I imagine that over the years I will turn back to this book to remind me of our honeymoon trip. I already whipped it out for advice on re-creating the delicious crepes you find all over Paris. This one is a great cookbook to read as well as to cook from. If you've ever dreamed of visiting France, I think you'll really enjoy it.

I was provided an advanced e-copy of this title though NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. Receiving a copy did not affect my review. 

Bookish & Cookish: Cookbook review

I had heard a lot of positive things about the Canal House cookbooks but had not gotten my hands on one before Canal House Cooking: Pronto! I can see what the fuss was all about. The authors are not just great cooks, but great writers, and the book was really a joy to read. I could almost smell the garlic sizzling and felt like I was being transported, either to Italy or to the Canal House table, depending on the sect5ion. For someone who likes to really read and savor a cookbook, not just jump to the recipes, I think this would be a delightful one for you. From what I understand, the Canal House books usually focus on seasonal cooking, but this one focuses on a cuisine instead: Italian. And wouldn't we all like to be on an Italian getaway? Reading this book will give you a taste of that, and then you can try out the recipes and get another kind of taste!

I was provided an advanced e-copy of this title though NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. Receiving a copy did not affect my review.

Bookish & Cookish: Cookbook Review

Come Home to Supper is a cookbook aimed mainly at parents who need to get a good dinner on the table relatively easily. The recipes are not especially fancy or complicated; it's just about getting your family fed a quick and tasty meal. Accordingly, there are slow-cooker options, casseroles, but even breads, sides, desserts, and pantry tips in addition to main courses (divided by protein). I don't have children yet, but I think many of these recipes will be easy for me to whip up for myself and my fiancé after we've both been working all day. The cookbook also contains family stories and memories mainly with the message to be thankful for what you've got and be in the moment--good reminders for busy families. I'm eager to try the lettuce wraps, Chinese chicken salad, and cornbread-topped chicken pot pie. Be aware, this is down-home cooking, and you're not going to find a lot of vegetarian meal options in here--lots of beef and pork! But for busy families, I think this book could be a help.

I received an advanced e-galley of this title from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. Receiving a copy did not affect my review.