Acknowledgements and Introduction - The Essential New York Times Cookbook

I’ve read a few books by Amanda Hesser and I’ve always enjoyed her style. So, I loved this section about the process of creating a collection of recipes that spanned 150 years. In it she dishes about her husband’s irrational hate of biscotti (he despises its unfriendly crunch) and what it was like to test thousands of recipes while pregnant with twins.

My favorite part was the amazing timeline. It was interspersed throughout the section and it contained mind blowing tidbits about food history in the US. (I am so happy I live in a time when I can get Florida strawberries.)

Today I learned: meats cook 2 times as fast as they did 100 years ago because the way we raise them now makes them more tender. Sorry vegetarians for grossing you out; I found that fascinating.

This is going to be fun!

The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser

I grew up near Boston in a home where you could be forgiven for anything except rooting for a New York sports team. I’ve stayed true to my father’s wishes even though I probably still follow Max Scherzer’s career more than he would like. Dad never told me not read read The New York Times though, and over the years I’ve developed a real love for their food section.

Until all of their recipes went behind a paywall.

I was so, so very happy when I found out Amanda Hesser published a doorstop of a cookbook in 2010 that contains the most noteworthy recipes from the 1850’s to the early 2000’s. And my library had it! For free! Take that New York Times paywall. (Yes I know I should be willing to pay for good content. I’m just in a mood. So many subscriptions taking tiny chunks of my paycheck every week. I’ve had enough.)

You guys, I love this book. I know it’s been around for 22 years now, but it’s new to me, and it’s fabulous.

I’ve been reading a bit of it each night, and even though time and budget constraints keep me from cooking everything in this book, I’ve enjoyed reading the story behind each and every recipe. For the month of May I’m going to be all about this book, so expect to see a lot of it here!

Food and Lit: the Philippines

December’s country for #FoodandLit was the Philippines. December wasn’t a great month for trying new recipes. The holidays plus my busiest few weeks at work just don’t give me a lot of spare time or days to experiment. I did find a great cookbook at the library though (The Food and Cooking of Indonesia and the Philippines), and tried a delicious mango and lime drink.

I didn’t read a book set in the Philippines, but I did devour Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas. This book brought the immigration process to life like no other book I’ve ever read. This should be required reading.

I’m excited to continue #FoodandLit in 2022. Next up is Egypt!

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Food And Lit for Thanksgiving: Mexico

I used the 2021 Food And Lit challenge as inspiration when I planned our Thanksgiving dinner. Our country for November was Mexico, and I love Mexican food, so this wasn’t much of a challenge for me.

For inspiration I checked two cookbooks out of the library:

I think it was my favorite Thanksgiving meal ever. The main event was still the turkey, but we used an adobo rub. For sides we enjoyed street corn and pickled onions along with traditional sides. For dessert we had tres leches cake and meringue cookies. Yum, I wish I could go back in time and eat that again!

For the Lit portion of the challenge I read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This one had strong Northanger Abbey vibes and I loved it!

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Food And Lit: Pakistan

August’s Food And Lit country was Pakistan. There were a ton of books I wanted to read (and will get to some day.) Finally I settled on Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal on audiobook. It’s a modern Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan. I thought the restraints and rules of Pakistani society really worked in a comparison to Jane Austen’s time. The narrator was great too!

For food I had a little bit of trouble, but luckily Unmarriageable helped me out- the family loved tomato rice, so I made that. I had never spent so much time making rice, but it was oh so worth it. Delicious. I happily ate leftovers all week long.

This month we’re on to Guatemala. Yum!

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Cooking And Reading From Morocco

Last month’s #FoodAndLit challenge was Morocco. I thought I would love Moroccan food, but didn’t really, sorry. But! My kids loved it.

I started with herb and yogurt spread from the cookbook Mourad: New Moroccan by Mourad Lahlou. I tried it once on a sandwich and the next day spread on crackers with honey. I just didn’t like it. It contained both cucumbers and nutmeg, and I think that combination wasn’t my favorite.

Next I made briouats and kefta from Jamie Oliver’s Food Escapes. My kids LOVED this meal, but again I was turned off by the savory foods with nutmeg in them thing. I did love the harissa and yogurt though. Harissa is going to become a go-to condiment for me.

While all this cooking was going on I read The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah. This was a light memoir about a family that buys and restores a house in Casablanca. It was billed as a Moroccan Under The Tuscan Sun which is fair I think.

Next month we’re on to Pakistan!

Food And Lit June: Russia

June was a really busy month for me with school ending, and all of my kids’ activities suddenly wanting to have an end of year party JUST BECAUSE WE SUDDENLY COULD. So I did a lot of cupcake baking instead of experimenting with Russian food.

Russian food sounded surprisingly excellent judging from the cookbook Please to the Table by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman. I was able to try two recipes- mushroom caviar and the herb omelette. Both were good although there were grumbles at the table about green eggs for dinner. Something along the lines of I am glad I’m a kid in America not Russia.

This cookbook also had some fabulous sounding sweets and bread that I’m dying to try. Just because things are opening up again does not mean we should abandon the restaurant appropriate quantities of yeast we purchased last year, my friends! Just as soon as the heat index goes back below 90 degrees that is.

Russian Reading

I did slightly better on the lit part of Russian Food and Lit. I read three books and liked them all.

Mud and Stars by Sara Wheeler - This was part travelogue, part Russian literature review, and part food diary. I wasn‘t sure if I would follow it because I‘m not a Russian literature expert, but I enjoyed it quite a bit despite my reservations. Sara Wheeler has a dry sense of humor, and a spirit of adventure that I like.

Stalin's Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan - This chunkster was a fascinating look at the life of Svetlana Alliluyeva, a.k.a. Stalin‘s daughter. It took me all month to read, but it was worth the time.

A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles - This is my 4th time trying to read this, and I even thought about bailing again. Then I got to the end and wow, I want to read it again.

In July we’re on to Morocco. I’m super excited to be back in Northern Africa.

Past months of Food And Lit:

Israel

Ethiopia

Vietnam

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COOKBOOK REVIEW: Shuk: From Market to Table, the Heart of Israeli Home Cooking

Last month’s #FoodAndLit challenge focused on Israel. I got Shuk by Einat Admony and Janna Gur out from the library. I really enjoyed this cookbook. I loved the focus on fresh vegetables and the market highlights. I cooked four recipes from this and liked them all but my favorites were Israeli salad and pita bread.

Cooking Ethiopian Food At Home

This month’s #FoodAndLit theme was Ethiopia. Before this month I had eaten Ethiopian food exactly once in my life, and didn’t really know a thing about it. I was really grateful that my library had a copy of Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions From The Horn of Africa by Yomanis Gebreyesus. This book is a beautiful education in the subject of food and traditions in Ethiopia. The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes all look delicious. I made chicken with tej sauce. The chicken was coated in the berbere spice seasoning, and I loved the heat. I also made Ethiopian Honey Bread that I saw posted on Litsy. That was amazing with coffee at breakfast.

While I was cooking all this I listened to the glorious audiobook Cutting For Stone. This was an amazing book that I’ll read again.

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Two Really Good Cookbooks For Cooking Vietnamese Food At Home

Last month’s #FoodAndLit challenge on Litsy was to cook and read from Vietnam. Vietnamese food is one of my favorite things to eat, but I had never cooked much of it at home before. My first stop was the library to pick up some cookbooks. They supplied me with two good ones: Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen and Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan.

I started small with Vietnamese Iced Coffee, but quickly expanded to dinner. We loved Hoisin Chicken and Sweet Potatoes from Vietnamese Food Any Day, and had fun spending two days making Pho from Vietnamese Home Cooking. Both recipes were easy to follow, and the results were delicious. I highly recommend both of them.

Of course while I was cooking I was also listening to an audiobook about Vietnam. I chose The Sympathizer by Viet Thahn Ngoyen. This book was illuminating and darkly funny, and I could see why it won the Pulitzer.

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COOKBOOK REVIEW: Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking

Still working on my 2020 cookbook project. This slow cooker book by Williams-Sonoma is gorgeous, but the recipes are involved and not really what I cook day to day. I was flipping through the other day though and found an amazing looking recipe for Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff. I decided to give it a try!

It wasn’t as exactly pretty as the picture but it was absolutely delicious as an early winter Sunday dinner. The beef was so tender, and I really liked the sauce. My kids liked it too!

None of this is anything I would make on a weeknight when I need a fast dinner, but I would probably try another recipe on a weekend when I have time to putter.

[REVIEW] The Pioneer Woman Cooks - A Year of Holidays

I’m slowly trying to catch up with my 2020 goal to cook from 20 new-to-me cookbooks. Last week’s choice was The Pioneer Woman Cooks A Year of Holidays. I love the idea of this book, but in the end the step by step instructions with a picture of each step drove me nuts. For some reason when recipes are laid out like that I just can’t follow.

I was inspired to break out my smoothie maker, and I’m looking forward to frying eggs in a tortilla. I just won’t be baking the delicious looking carrot cake because there’s no way I’d be able to follow the recipe.

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[Cookbook Review] Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule by Michelle Lopez

I don’t know if it’s the weather or that I can reliably get flour again, but I’ve been having a great time getting back into my 20 cookbooks in 2020 project.

Weeknight Baking is billed as a book of recipes for the end of the day when you want a little treat. I suggest that it also be modernized to include the 30 minuted between Zoom calls when you really can’t possibly concentrate on anything but cookies. Ahem.

This book has a nice selection of recipes with tons of variations so it’s likely you’ll find something to make that doesn’t involve a trip to the store. I made the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to rave reviews, and I’m looking forward to mixing up a batch of seriously spicy pumpkin spice for fall gift giving.

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REVIEW: Easy Chinese Cookbook by Chris Toy

My latest cooking experiment was from the Easy Chinese Cookbook by Chris Toy. We’ve been hungry for Chinese food, and looking for something to help take the place of our favorite local shop (closed due to COVID-19.)

I had a good time flipping through this book. It has a nice variety of approachable recipes. We decided to start with the homemade dumpling wrappers, and had so much fun! I didn’t think we could manage these, but between the three of us we got it done!

I recommend this book if you’re looking to try some of your take out favorites at home.

Note: This book was provided in exchange for a honest review by the publisher. Links are affiliate links with bookshop.org. Thanks for your support!

REVIEW: Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown

Talk about finding the right book at the right time. I jumped right into this book as soon as I downloaded it from the library. I am in desperate need of simple recipes that I can make with the limited groceries available to me, and this cookbook didn’t disappoint.

I marked dozens of recipes to try, but started out with barley risotto since that’s what I had ingredients on hand for. It was really, really good! I can’t wait to try more from this book.

You can buy this book from the usual places, or get it from the library. However it’s also available as a free PDF download on Brown’s website!

REVIEW: The Complete Italian Cookbook by Manuela Anelli Mazzocco

The Complete Italian Cookbook by Manuela Anelli Mazzocco hit all of my quarantine food longing buttons just right. This is a great book for browsing, with enough every day recipes that you probably have ingredients for even during Covid-19 lock downs.

The soup section in particular kept me dreaming of big bows of deliciousness served with bread. I can’t wait to cook my way through the chapter. I also appreciated the dessert and drinks chapter. I always feel cheated when I get a cookbook and the author says they didn’t include a dessert chapter because they feel just as satisfied with a piece of fruit after dinner. That is definitely not me.

I made the Hunter’s Chicken Stew with just a few adjustments to make it a pantry meal. It was so good! Even my picky eater ate two plates. I’ll be returning to this feel good cookbook often.

Note: The publisher sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Kneadlessly Simple BY Nancy Baggett

Potato bread from Kneadlessly Simple topped with avocado and tomatoes

I first reviewed this cookbook back in 2016, but wanted to bring it back up again. If my grocery store is any indication people are baking up a storm. For anyone who has not baked bread before Nancy Baggett’s method is really user friendly. I don’t think it’s available in print any more, but you can get it on kindle. (Note: Right now it’s free for Kindle Unlimited members!)

Some recipes are also available on her website. Look for anything that says no knead or kneadlessly simple.

Here’s my original review from 2016:

This time of year things start to get crazy, but we still like our freshly made bread. Enter one of my favorite cookbooks, Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett. In between swim camp and trying to get everything ready for back to school I was able to knock out 4 loaves of bread with about 20 minutes active work.

This is a great book for reading too. The varieties and instructions are interesting. Baggett really goes into the science behind her bread.

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COOKBOOK REVIEW: The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners by Laurie Fleming

Cinnamon rolls from the air fryer are perfect for Sunday mornings

My husband was worried that when my kids gifted me an air fryer for Christmas I would take it the wrong way. My kids had seen a very persuasive infomercial though, and talked him into it. The kids were right. I love that thing. I use it at least once a week, mostly to roast vegetables.

When I got the chance to review an air fryer cookbook I jumped at it. I was ready to graduate from roasted broccoli.

The book was great. I was amazed at all of the things I can make in my air fryer. I made hard boiled eggs and cinnamon rolls right away, and they kind of saved the weekend. My only complaint is that many of the recipes called for specialty pans and ramekins.

My conclusion: it’s okay to gift your mom an air fryer, but you should buy her this book too.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

COOKBOOK REVIEW: The Peached Tortilla by Eric Silverstein

I was surprised by how much I liked this cookbook. Going in I thought it would be full of pretty looking but impossible to cook at home restaurant food. There were some involved recipes, but there were a lot of attainable ones too.

I also loved reading Silverstein’s story. Growing up as an American in Asia, then moving back to America having never actually lived there was an interesting way to develop a palate. I also appreciated his realizations that his career as a lawyer was killing his soul, and was glad he shared his first few years of floundering as a food truck operator. We can all use a reminder that hip restaurants and gorgeous cookbooks don’t just get awarded because you’re a nice person.

One night after work last week I whipped up some Chinese BBQ sauce and the Bacon Jam Brussels Sprouts to go with a ham dinner. Both were delicious. Next I’d love to try my hand at making some of the street tacos and cocktails from this book.

Messy weeknight kitchen

Visiting Austin has been on my travel bucket list for a few years now, and when I go visiting The Peached Tortilla is high on my list of things to do.

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Spiced by America's Test Kitchen

One of my goals this year is to read and cook from twenty new to me cookbooks. My first of the year was Spiced, a book I had really high hopes for because it’s from America’s Test Kitchen.

And this book did not let me down. I loved the look of all the recipes and really liked how they included many sauces, spice mixes, and dips since that’s what most of my cooking consists of these days.

There were many things I would have loved to cook, but the only recipe I had everything on hand for was the Sriracha salt. It was very easy to make, and smelled amazing. I can’t wait to try it on popcorn and scrambled eggs.

Even though I really enjoyed flipping through this book I probably won’t buy my own copy. I would need to buy so many specialty spices and new pieces of equipment that it’s just not practical.