Right now I have a firetruck, a green crayon, a ridiculous amount of wooden blocks & a sippy cup on my coffee table but last week I had this nice stack of books! It makes me feel powerful knowing that I have all this knowledge & inspiration at my fingertips. I must say that I SAVOR every second of reading time I get when Cooper’s asleep. Reading at night is the best part of my day.
So here’s another round of What’s on my coffee table?!
1. In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite: 150 Recipes & Stories About the Food You Love, by Melissa Clark
This cookbook showed up on my doorstep as a gift and I’m LOVING it! I have to warn you, there are no photos in this cookbook BUT there are beautifully written stories and anecdotes for each recipe. Melissa’s words give every recipe life & legitimacy. And because there’s a context, it makes me want to make her food…to experience what she’s written….to put my own pictures to her words & recipes. I’ve already made her Apricot & Pistachio Granola and it was fantastic! Thank you, Anna for the nice unexpected gift!
I can’t wait to try:
Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs & Anchovy Bread Crumbs, Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Chiles & Pecorino, Port-Glazed Stilton with Homemade Oat Biscuits, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Snacking Cake, Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt, Rich and Nutty Brown Butter Corn Bread!
2. Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning & Pickling Recipes for the Modern Kitchen, by Kelly Geary & Jessie Knadler
On my 31 comes before 32 list, I set out to do some canning this year. This book arrived at the perfect time! I have all of the jars & canning supplies sitting on my dining room table waiting to be used & abused. There are so many fancy, yet uncomplicated recipes in this cookbook and the layout is beautiful and inspiring! There’s also a really great canning 101 chapter that helps you figure out what equipment you need & don’t need. What I like most is the canning party themes in the back. They suggest what you should can at your canning party, what to serve your guests, and what music to listen to while you’re canning with your friends! There’s an Indian theme with Chutneys & Chai, a Summertime Jam theme with cocktails & fruit jams, a Pregnant & Pickled theme for your pregnant friends with pickle cravings, a Butter & Bourbon theme with fruit butters and booze! The list goes on! I also love the jar decorating tips in the back; it’s made me excited for future homemade Christmas gifts.
I can’t wait to try:
Green Cherry Tomato Chutney, Fire Salsa Verde, Raspberry Rosewater Syrup, Sweet Apple Cider Baby Beets, Strawberry Bay Leaf Jam, Homemade Ketchup, Grapefruit Honey Jam, Blueberry Lemon Honey Jam, Wasabi Green Beans & Spiced Pear Cardamom Butter. Are you salivating yet???
3. Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling, by Helen Dujardin
I’ve been reading little snippets from this book before bed every night. I want to be a better photographer and Helen is helping me out! The 365 Food Project is keeping me actively shooting and this book is helping me to really THINK about Photography. I love how she breaks down the anatomy of a shot & how she shows comparisons of different camera settings for a particular lighting situation. I’m only a quarter way through the book and I already feel like it’s changed my view of photography. Thank you Helen!
4. Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen, by Heidi Swanson
I can’t rave enough about this book. I’ve made Heidi’s Roasted Strawberries, Baked Oatmeal, Cucumber Coolers (with Gin!) as well her White Beans & Cabbage (will post soon!) I have many more recipes to get to but I feel a little weird about binging so hardcore on a cookbook. I can’t help it; I feel truly inspired. Plus it makes me want to eat healthier and that in itself is a true blessing.
In case you missed it, here’s what was on my coffee table last time!
Now tell me… what’s on your coffee table??? What are you reading?
