celebrating shared meals
I have had The Homemade Kitchen cookbook for a while now and while it has taken me some time to get around to posting it isn’t because I didn’t like it. On the contrary, this book has been a fabulous read. Like some of the other cookbooks I have loved this one tells a story and offers a personal story about why she loves cooking. Even if you never intend to cook from the book it is worth getting for her writing.
Great new cookbooks are like having trusted friends over for dinner. They are an imaginary friend around the table, look who came to dinner at my house. My new dinner companions are an eclectic group of chefs, eaters, and storytellers. For Christmas, I got quite the collection of cookbooks. Hugh Acheson, Rick Bayless, Ruth Reichl and Audrey Hepburn’s son are my new companions for planning dinner.
Since we are on our Whole 30 adventure to start of the year I haven’t been able to cook from them much yet, but that actually hasn’t been all bad. It is extremely tempting, but it is encouraging me to read them like books. Not all cookbooks are set up to be read like a novel, but my favorites are and a few of these have even made it to my nightstand as evening reading. A turn of events that has my husband thinking I am a little obsessed. [Read more…]
I have read many arguments for eating less meat and more vegetables and I just can’t seem to get in the mood for it. It sounds so boring to be vegetarian like I would be subjected to the same boring dishes day in and day out. No variety and certainly no excitement. If a book could change my mind A Modern Way to Eat would be the book. I will kill the suspense and tell you it didn’t change my mind, and I served most of these dishes as sides, not the main course. This is the first vegetarian cookbook that had me thinking it might actually be more interesting, challenging and fun to cook without meat. I might even add in a few meatless Monday’s because of Anna Jones.
The first time I heard of monkey bread, I was reading the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook. It was one of the first yeast breads I ever tried to make. It turned out well and one piece lead to another, which lead to another and before I knew it the whole batch was eaten. Seeing a chocolate version in the Back in the Day Bakery Made with Love cookbook brought back fond memories of the cinnamon-y version I made years ago. With my new found confidence from my recent baking class it seemed like a good place to start in my month long journey through the cookbook for the cookbook club. It is also fit right in with #choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar. If you haven’t already signed up head over and enter the giveaway. The prize is sure to help with your holiday baking this year.
I received the cookbook from Artisan Books after I reviewed their book The Picnic. I wasn’t particularly excited to make anything from the book and honestly didn’t open it for months. I finally opened it because when I asked the cookbook club which cookbook they would be more drawn to between baking and vegetarian, baking won. I haven’t stopped thinking about the book since I read it a week ago in preparation of featuring it.
I kind of figured it would be complicated recipes that they only make at the bakery. Nothing I would want to spend hours making. I was wrong. There are some challenging recipes, but most are good for early to intermediate bakers. You can tell it is written by chefs though because there are descriptions like, “mix until a smooth dough forms”. I have no idea what that means. Should it still be clinging to the bowl? should it be shiny? should it be sticky? What exactly does that mean in relation to dough? I rolled with it fingers crossed that I did it correctly.
And the recipe tasted delicious. It didn’t look perfect, but no one in our house seemed to mind. My pan was a little small, they suggest a 9×5 loaf pan and mine was more 7×3, but it still tasted delicious. Like the monkey bread I made before you could do this in a bundt pan instead of a loaf pan, in case you too don’t have 9×5 loaf pan. The bundt pan would allow for the delicious lemon glaze to hit more pieces of bread!
Now that I have cracked this cookbook I am eager to try a few more of these recipes. Banoffee Pie and their trick for making caramelized milk in a slow cooker will be up later this week. I know I need to get the mexican spice cake in the mix and there are some savory recipes like, Sweet Potato PotPie that are irresistible. It is going to be a fun month. To hear more about these recipes come discuss this book and others with us in the cookbook club Facebook group. We would love to have you join the conversation about cooking and find some new cookbooks to try.
I received a copy of this book from Artisan Books. I was not otherwise compensated or obligated to write about this book and the ideas and thoughts here are my own.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.
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If, like me, you want to make sure they balls of dough are exactly the same size, weigh the dough in ounces, divide by 16. Then measure out 16 pieces of dough that are that weight. For example my dough weighed 28 oz so I ended up with 16 pieces that weighed 1 3/4 ounces.
Cooking and creating meals isn’t just about what you put on the table. It is also about the behind the scene prep, the organization of the kitchen, the right ingredients and the conversation that happens while you are eating the meal.
I haven’t found another cookbook that combines all of that the way The Kitchn Cookbook does.
This is our August cookbook for the cookbook club. I sat down to start reading it last night and was amazed at the thought they put into making this a book for all levels of home cooks. The recipes don’t start until page 130. The first 129 pages are all about setting up a kitchen, getting the right tools and learning the basics.
If you have been daunted by cooking or just want some great easy weeknight recipes I recommend trying this book out. You can read and cook along with us in the cookbook club.
If you are interested in getting the book you can use the following affiliate link* to get a copy.The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking
Not a member of the cookbook club?
Join the group today and share your favorite cookbook with us and find some new ones to love. 
*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.
Fried chicken, slaw, pickles, iced tea and crumbles are lying in the pages of The Picnic, the inaugural Wit Wisdom & Food Cookbook club selection. Just waiting for you to turn the pages and plan your summer picnic before it is too late and fall is upon us. Seems like that is far away but we are just over a month away from Labor Day. Around here kids are already heading back to school this week. Whether we like it or not summer is drawing to a close.
If you have been on a lot of picnics or never been on one, The Picnic has all the information a beginner could need and new recipes for the seasoned picnickers. They will clue you in on how to pick the perfect picnic blanket, tips for picking the best spot and how to pack all the tasty morsels you will be making from the cookbook. Overall, I really enjoyed this cute little cookbook. I tried a handful of recipes and found quite a few recipes I still want to try. I will be reaching for this cookbook the rest of the summer. It is a book geared towards an experienced and sometimes expensive palette so don’t expect your run of the mill picnic fare here. If you want to really impress your date, husband or friends this is the kind of picnic food you want to pack.
Excerpted from The Picnic by Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker, and Jen Stevenson (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2015. Illustrations by Emily Isabella.
I made the Smoky Tea-Brinded Fried Chicken which calls for, you guessed it, a smoky tea in the brine of the chicken. It gave it such an amazing smell and flavor. I was worried it would be hard to find a smoky tea, but found it at many of the large grocery stores. Twinings made the version I purchased. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup which is about 10 tea bags. Bonus for using tea bags you don’t have to strain out the tea.
There should be pictures of that tasty chicken, but I learned a few things about frying chicken by making this recipe. 1.) don’t the oil too hot or your coating will burn and your chicken won’t be cooked. 2.) If this happens to you just finish the chicken in a 350°F oven until it is done. Our chicken was delicious both that night and cold the next day it just wasn’t camera ready.
I also made my own version of their Quickles, quick pickles. I used radishes and apple cider vinegar and I am very much looking forward to putting them on a pork tenderloin sandwich tonight. You can almost guarantee that will make an appearance on Instagram. They are so delicious on their own and I am finding it hard to keep my hands out of the jar. There are a variety of Quickle suggestions like fennel, beets and your regular cucumber pickle in the book. They take less than 20 minutes to make and will sit in your fridge waiting for that perfect picnic day. It is a great way to use some of your extra garden produce or in the off-chance (aka likely-event) that you over buy at the farmers market and don’t want anything to go to waste.
The Candy-Striped Beet, Fennel and Apple Coleslaw was good. I didn’t have beets but really liked the flavor of the dressing on the fennel and apple so I am certain it will be even better when I try it with the beets.
If you won’t be picnicking any time soon don’t despair all of these recipe work great in your backyard or the comfort of your air-conditioned home. Want to get really playful spread a blanket out in the living room and have an indoor picnic on a rainy day. Too much? Well at least try the Pecorino Popcorn with Tarragon Popcorn on movie night. Fresh popped popcorn is so much better than microwaved and easier than you think.
Excerpted from The Picnic by Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker, and Jen Stevenson (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2015. Illustrations by Emily Isabella.
Aside from all the great recipes and the cute tips for better picnicking I love this book for the cute illustrations by Emily Isabella. It is refusing to have a cookbook with cute drawings instead of photos. They put me in a whimsical kind of mood that makes me want to pack a picnic basket and go fly a kite.
Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest heights…. I have a thing for Mary Poppins and this song frequently plays in my head when I get excited about a fun, outdoor adventure that might involve kite flying. This happens to me more frequently than you might imagine.
So don’t hesitate get out there and enjoy one, or maybe a couple of picnics with your special someone, your kids, your dog or just a delicious afternoon by yourself. If you have a little breeze don’t forget a kite.
If you haven’t joined yet what are you waiting for, become part of the club at the Facebook group Wit Wisdom & Food Cookbook Club. The next book will be announced there later today.
I have a had a serious love for cookbooks for a while now. I realized that during our recent move I actually gave away too many of my cookbooks. Since moving is done by weight I thought I needed to pare down my collection. I sold some in a garage sale and the rest went to a charity thrift store. I now miss them on a regular basis, like when you go to the closet to find that cute shirt only to realize you gave it to Goodwill because you thought you wouldn’t wear it again. I find myself heading to the bookcase and reaching for them because I want to look up a recipe only to be surprised they aren’t there any longer. Don’t know what I was thinking. These are cookbooks not last years fashion statement. They don’t go out of style they just get better with age.
Now that we are in a permanent spot and I have a wall of bookshelves filling them up with quality cookbooks seems like the only natural thing to do. I won’t have to move them for years so aside from my budget there is nothing stopping me from filling them up again. To help with (and justify) my goal of creating a quality cookbook library I am starting a cookbook club. If you have been around the blog for a while you might remember my attempt to create a book and movie club on Facebook. I have turned that group into the Wit Wisdom & Food Cookbook Club. If you were/are part of that group you are automatically a part of the cookbook club. I hope you enjoy the new focus.
So a cookbook club on Facebook, exactly how will that work?
My main goal is to create a lively discussion about cookbooks and books about food. I will be adding questions to the group regularly as well as highlighting a cookbook from my collection each month. I will cook at least a few recipes from each cookbook so you can get an idea of the recipes in the cookbook and decide if you want to buy it.
My hope is that some of you will want to join in the cooking and will buy some of the books and cook along with me each month. This is NOT a requirement to be part of the cookbook club. If you want to participate you can add photos of the recipes, your reviews and thoughts on the cookbook to the group. At the end of each month I will feature some (or any) of the photos that were posted. If you are a fellow food blogger this could be a great opportunity for some increased traffic.
How the Wit Wisdom & Food Cookbook Club works
What I will do:
How you can participate in the cookbook club via the Facebook group:
What we shouldn’t use this space for:
If you have any questions or need clarification on anything please get in touch. I hope to see you all in the group I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
This month, July, the feature cookbook will be The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket.
photo from The Portland Picnic Society
Picnics are something I always daydream about but rarely take the time to make or plan. Maybe this summer will be different and even if it isn’t The Picnic is filled with recipe that look delicious for a lunch or dinner served on my back porch.
Written by the ladies behind The Portland Picnic Society; Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker & Jen Stevenson and boy did they think of everything when they made this book. 99 ways to use a Mason jar, rules for lawn games, and ways to avoid common picnic disasters. It is recipes like rainbow carrots with smoky paprika vinaigrette, smoky tea-brined fried chicken, and candy-striped beet, fennel, and apple coleslaw that have my mouth watering and ready to drive to the grocery store.
I must hunt down a smoky tea stat so I can make that chicken!
The cute little gingham ribbon bookmark that is part of the book and the adorable illustrations by Emily Isabella just send me over-the-top with giddy excitement. Can you feel the excitement?
You can purchase the book at Amazon through this affiliate link*: The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket
Are you a picnic person? What is your favorite picnic food to pack?
I received a copy of this book from Artisan Books. I was not otherwise compensated or obligated to write about this book and the ideas and thoughts here are my own.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small compensation at no cost to you.