Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Check out this great New York Times article about San Francisco's Litquake and "Lit Crawl." Truly a city that cares deeply for its books and bookstores!
And don't worry! Holiday recommendations coming As Soon As Possible!
xoxo



Holiday (Cook)Books!

Ho Hooo Ho! Well it's that precious time of year again, when bookbuying comes crashing into your life like an Iranian mistle-toe. So what if you haven't bought any in awhile. All you have to do is remember that your friends like books, your mom likes books, your kids like books...everybody likes books! And anyways a book is the gift that makes you the thoughtful giftgiver!

That being so, we're going to do this thing hockey-style, in shifts of three. And TODAY'S is COOKBOOKS!
Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen by Ethan Stowell and Leslie Miller(Ten Speed Press, $28.00, 240 pages) -- A Seattle favorite, Stowell is as much a chef as he is a living piece of Northwest culture. If you haven't been to How to Cook a Wolf, Anchovies and Olives, Staple & Fancy Mercantile or any of his other restaurants consider your tastebuds may still be ungraduated. An homage to Italian cooking and a celebration of Stowell's own creativity and excitement for food, New Italian Kitchen is a great gift for the advanced chefs in your family or friend group.

Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich (Artisan, $20.76, 384 pages) -- Packed full of deliciously quirky recipes like salted Thai cashew cookies or gluten free cheesecake bars, this delightful cookbook reimagines and updates all your favorite sweet treats! Great for that chef you know who always seems to need a nudge in the direction of organization.
Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?: Fabulous Recipes and Easy Tips by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $28.00, 256 pages) -- You've seen her magically simple dishes on TV, now learn to recreate them yourself! Frighteningly easy, always scrumptuous, and never not-fun to make or bake -- a great gift for anyone who's tired of Easy Mac and Top Ramen.

Or lastly, the absolute Classic:

The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century by Amanda Hesser (W.W. Norton and Co., $32.00, 932 pages) -- A encyclopedic tome that deserves to sit right next to The Joy of Cooking on your kitchen bookshelf, this fairly new cookbook is your all your mother's recipes but legible, and, frankly, just better. Grab a few and gift them to anyone you can't figure out what to get!
xoxo