The New Southern Table: Weird, but good.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi inspired by The New Southern Table by Brys Stephens

I am not a child of the South, nor am I a Southerner at heart, but I am a Midwestern transplant to the American South, and I like it here. The winters are mild, the summers are hot, the tea is sweet (and cold), and the food is fried.

Actually, not all the food is fried, but I will admit that my first Meat And Three was fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, fried okra, and sweet potato fries.

However, one trip to the Raleigh Farmers Market was enough to convince me of the natural, un-fried bounty of the Southeastern United States. Summer squash, strawberries, basil,  blackberries, fruits and vegetables of every size, shape and color lines acre after acre of the western Raleigh outcrop. It's a bounty so beautiful that it makes me want to do just two things: cook and eat. It's the way I feel when I pick up a great new cookbook.

It's the very reason that I picked up a copy of Brys Stephens's The New Southern Table: Classic Ingredients Revisited. Stephens takes classic ingredients from the American South (field peas, sweet potatoes, and corn to name a few) and promises to spin them into something exotic yet oddly familiar. The recipes that he delivers are hands down a success, but the journey to get there was a bit awkward.

The New Southern Table: Classic Ingredients Revisited

Summary:

Stephens delivers 100 recipes that showcase *mostly* ingredients indigenous to the American South. However, he liberally draws on traditions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central and South America as well as elsewhere in the United States to concoct innovative and delicious new dishes. This is not your fried chicken cookbook; Stephens takes us on a Global culinary journey that is merely grounded in Southern ingredients.

The recipes are well-written and accurate, and they rarely call for ingredients that are difficult to track down at your local supermarket. Not only that, they yield delicious results on the first try. The highlights of the book for me were the Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Sweet Potato Corn Bread, Sicilian Watermelon Pudding and Collards with Peppers, Currants and Pine Nuts.

Although not every recipe is photographed, many are, and the photographs are stunning and inspiring. Nothing makes me want to cook more than a beautiful photography and Stephens's photography delivers (except, of course, the recipes that aren't photographed, which is truly our loss). It's the type of book that I am happy to sit down and look at because the food is so beautiful.

If there is one area that I am a bit critical of the book its his writing style. Stephens moves from folksy stories, to recipe or ingredient factoids, to random historical tidbits so fast that its difficult to find an anchor in the storm of words.  I recommend cooking the recipes rather than reading the cookbook since the words unfortunately distract from the real star... the food.

Who is it for?

I certainly recommend this for anyone who is looking to try out new recipes with familiar ingredients. Like I said in the summary, I was initially a bit intimidated by some of the techniques, but Stephens straight forward guidance made them easy to follow. If you live in the South or love Southern foods, you will find The New Southern Table: Classic Ingredients Revisited (currently $15.33) especially fun to use, since you will have a personal connection with each of the star ingredients.

Anybody with at least elementary cooking skills could pick this book up and use it tomorrow, but even master chefs might add a few fun ideas to their arsenal.

Who won't like it?

Anybody who is looking to learn Southern classics needs to look elsewhere. I thought he would for sure throw in a fried chicken recipe, but Stephens is truly committed to using only new techniques.

Like a good Southerner, Stephens heavily weights his cookbook towards "vegetables" (side dishes), so anybody looking to seriously ramp up their main dish production might want to look elsewhere.

print recipe

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

by Adapted from Brys Stephens June-9-2014

This is an adaptation of Sweet Potato Gnocchi from Brys Stephens's The New Southern Table Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 large Sweet Potatoes
• 2 Eggs- Whisked
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2-3 Cups Flour
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 8-10 Leaves Fresh Sage Finely Diced
• 1/2 Lemon's worth of Lemon Juice
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. Cook Sweet Potatoes in the microwave until soft (about 10 minutes on high, rotating one time)2. In a large bowl, mash the insides of the sweet potatoes until smooth, then add whisked eggs and salt. Mix until well combined.3. Add flour to the sweet potato mixture a half a cup at a time. Fold the dough in until you have added about 2 cups worth. The dough should be quite soft but not sticky.4. Flour a working surface, then divide dough into four balls.5. Use your hands to roll dough into a rope shape. Add extra flour as necessary. Once the dough is about 3/4" thick, cut the rope into 1" pieces and set them aside. Repeat for all 4 dough balls.6. Bring water to a boil and add 1/2 of all gnocchi to the pot. Stir it after 2-3 minutes. The gnocchi will cook for 6-8 minutes and you will know they are done when they float to the top of the water. Repeat in the same water for the remaining gnocchi.7. Meanwhile, heat butter and sage in a small frying pan until the butter takes on a beautiful brown color. Then remove the pan from the heat. Add lemon juice a splash of your cooking water and the Parmesan cheese to make a thin sauce.8. Pour sauce over gnocchi and serve.

Details

Prep time: 40 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 4 Servings

Free Cookbook Friday No. 1

If there's one thing I love more than a cookbook, it's a free cookbook, which is why I love the internet so much. 

While its not quite as good as a physical cookbook passed down from you Grandma, I've carefully curated the entire internet (or at least my favorite food blogs) to present you with my first ever Free Cookbook Friday.  I hope you enjoy it!

Breakfasts:

Breakfast Pizza Waffles By Foxes Love Lemons

A stunningly original savory waffle topped with pizza sauce parmesan and an egg. Sometimes I eat breakfast for dinner, but this weekend I'm eating dinner for Breakfast!

Breakfast Pizza Waffles by Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons

Lunch:

Vegetable Fajita Salad By Domesticate Me

A salad loaded with plenty of Tex-Mex flavors like Fajita Style Peppers and Onions, Corn, Avocado, Zucchini and an Amazing Chipotle Vinaigrette.  You won't want to miss the dressing, just don't forget to pick up a can of Chipotle Peppers packed in Adobo Sauce when you grocery shop this weekend.

Vegetable Fajita Salad by Serena @ Domesticate Me

Dinner:

Steak Wonderbowl by Framed Cooks

A perfectly balanced meal (Steak, Farro, and a Roasted Tomato and Romaine Salad) in a single bowl. When you are out grilling this weekend, throw an extra steak on because you will not want to miss this dinner. The balsamic drizzle ties every element of the dish together, so that your last bite will be as good as your first.

Steak Wonderbowl by Kate @ Framed Cooks

Budget Friendly:

Grilled Fish Tacos By Good Cheap Eats

If you are trying to avoid the food trucks and beach front restaurants, slash your costs by enjoying even better food at home.  These Fish Tacos are flaky, creamy, crunchy and juicy, and you can balance out the acidity of the tomato with some fresh avocado. Cut your budget but not your enjoyment this weekend.

Grilled Fish Tacos by Jessica @ Good Cheap Eats

Vegetarian:

Sweet Potato Noodles with Miso Dressing By To Her Core

Made with the newly famous Spiralizer, these Sweet Potato Noodles are a super healthy choice for anyone hoping to lighten up this weekend.  The rich, bold flavor of the Miso and Tahini Dressing are the perfect compliment to the fun and fancy noodles and the tofu, sesame seeds and spinach that Dearna suggests.

Sweet Potato Noodles with Miso Dressing by Dearna @ To Her Core

Paleo:

Paleo Burgers by Civilized Caveman Cooking

While it might be a bit stereotypical to put a burger up for Paleo contention, this is no ordinary bunless burger. Topped with Avocado Mouse and Shoestring Parsnips, Mr. Bryant is making his Paleo Burger picnic ready. The beautiful curls of fried parsnips made me want to lose the bun!

Paleo Burgers by George @ Civilized Caveman Cooking

Desert:

Watermelon Sorbet by A Kitchen Addiction

Last week, I enjoyed my first Watermelon of the season. It was ripe, sweet and oh so juicy. Now it's time to get creative with Watermelon deserts. This watermelon sorbet is just watermelon, simple syrup, and lime (or lemon since the lime crop in Mexico seems to have failed this year). The ingredients are simple, the technique is basic, but the results are mind blowing.

Watermelon Sorbet by Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction

Popsicles and Frozen Images: The start of my Family Cookbook Adventure

Although I love cookbooks, I've never attempted write one...until now.

I am starting the process of creating a mini family cookbook in the hopes that I can nail down the process of writing a cookbook before I start on a full-fledged heirloom cookbook project.

This picture is the inspiration for my cookbook:

This is me, my sister, and my three cousins eating popsicles on my parent's front steps around 1991

For some reason, I have always loved this picture. I don't remember the picture being taken, but it reminds me of everything that I loved about my childhood, about summers in Minnesota, and about my family. We were the family that ran around with popsicle stains on our mouths and clothes, chlorine in our blonde hair, and allowed dubious fashion choices from the younger set. I loved popsicles then, and I still love them now.

It might seem strange to you that a picture of popsicle eating youngsters would prompt me to write a cookbook, but let me explain further.  It was less than two months ago, that I snapped this picture of my son.

This is my son eating his first popsicle on Easter Day 2014

If it's not obvious from these pictures, my family loves popsicles! We actually love frozen treats of every type.  My mom often talks about the first time she visited my Dad's house (they were high school sweethearts), my auntie Maggie asked her if she wanted ice cream.  My mom agreed, and Maggie proceeded to put three enormous scoops of ice cream into a bowl and hand it to my mom. At first, my Mom was a bit shocked at the amount, but now my Mom could eat that amount every day (although she refrains for health reasons).

My parents almost always have popsicles and ice cream in the freezer, and every time I go home to visit them, I ask if there is any "Strawberry Crap" in the freezer, my younger Brother's name for Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.

All of these fun memories surrounding frozen confections make me want to create a little cookbook for my Mom, my grandmother, my Aunt, my sisters, and a few other people who I love.  In addition to a handful of family recipes (such as my Auntie Maggie's Famous Ice Cream Desert, or my Mom's Grasshopper pie, and my Dad's perfect Ice Cream Milk mixture), I have a few popsicle recipes that I've developed (like Frozen Mocha Pops, and Berry Creamsicles) that I want to include.

On top of that I've got pictures, quotes, and memories galore that I want to incorporate into a fun Christmas gift (which is why I am starting right now).

My plan to write a family cookbook:

Collect: 

For the next 6 weeks, I will spend time collecting recipes, photographs, and memories from my mom, my sisters, my brothers, my dad, my aunt and my cousins. I will try to talk with my Grandma on the phone too, but she is getting quite old and has a hard time of keeping track of the conversation.

I am committing myself to not editing anything during this time.  I think editing to early is destructive to the writing process, but I am giving myself full liberty to follow any rabbit trails that I want.

I know that I won't be as organized as this. Instead of a recipe box, I will just throw everything into one paper folder and one electronic folder

Curate:

After six weeks, I am going to start organizing my memories, the photographs, quotes, recipes and the memories of others that I've collected and attempt to craft a powerful story line out of each artifact. I know that I will have a hard time discluding certain facts, but I will pare down everything that I've collected so I can start to make the best possible product.

I think that this will be the most painstaking portion of the process. I am planning on spending just 10 days on it because I think having a short focused deadline will help me to savor the memories, but I will feel just enough pressure to cut the fluff that I will actually do the work that I need.

I'll be a curator...It's kind of a big deal.

Write:

During this phase, I will plan to take the memories and use powerful descriptive and metaphorical language to turn memories into written stories that make sense and convey the beauty and depth and inevitable humor of the real life characters. I might even enlist my English Teaching older sister, and my thesis Published younger sister to help me out.

Since this is a relatively short book, I think writing out memories will only take one week, but for a longer cookbook, I would set aside at least 30 days for this.

Test:

For the recipes that I have never made, I plan to test the recipes to ensure that the proportions make sense (after all, I could use a few more frozen deserts in my life). Importantly, I plan to photograph the results since these photos might prove to be valuable assets in the design phase of the cookbook writing.

I may actually start doing this during the curation phase, but I expect this to take one day per recipe.  My guess is that I won't test more than 6-8 recipes for this, but for a full fledged cookbook it might be a few dozen.

I'll be getting my inner Julia Child going as I test the recipes for my cookbook.

Scan:

I plan to scan pictures, recipe cards, and anything handwritten that made it through my curating stage. It will be much easier for me to design the cookbook if everything is digitized and in a single place (in the cloud).

This should just take a few hours.

Design:

I'll have everything that I need to start creating a cookbook, so I'll actually start. I know that there are resources that are specifically devoted to cookbook writing (such as HeritageCookbook.com, but I might prefer the asethetics of a site like Lulu.com of Snapfish.com), but in all honesty, my combined desire for freedom of design and a spiral bound book might lead me to create my own process altogether.

I will be combining pictures, words, recipes, quotes and graphics to create my final product.  I don't want to skimp on this part at all.  I expect that this will take about 3-4 weeks if I do it on my own, or just 3-4 days if I go with a prepackaged solution.

Design? I don't have a clue.

Print:

Depending on the source for the design phase, I may need to find a printing service and have these books printed (which I expect would take at least one month), or if I go with a packaged solution, I think this could be ready in just a few days.

Enjoy:

I almost always give horrible Christmas gifts (Chipotle Gift Cards every year), so this year I am excited to give a gift that I know everyone will enjoy.

Making a family cookbook for these special ladies, and me!

Well Fed: Pale Recipes For People Who Love To Eat- A Cookbook Review

Do you love to eat?

The only thing that makes me happier than a person who loves to eat
is my baby who loves to eat.

My best friend and I like to claim credit for my Sister and Brother-In-Law's marriage.  Although, we had little to do with setting them up or even encouraging them to start dating, we both prayed extensively that they would get married.

Just three weeks after their second date (their first one was in eighth grade, their second was their junior year of college), my brother in law almost ruined everything. How? Gum.

You see, He and Emily went to my parents, and my mom offered him some freshly made homemade cookies. He responded, "No thanks, I've got gum."

Gum! You have Gum! These are freshly baked homemade chocolate chip cookies.  My mom is practically famous for them, and he rejected them for gum. This is how we know that God answers prayers, because my mom forgave that, and she didn't stage an intervention when she learned that Kevin did not drink coffee (at the time, now he's an avid fan).

Needless to say, I come from a family that loves food:

Some people, like me, are food lovers.  I love to feel wet, raw vegetables in my hands as I slice them for a stir fry, and I love to smash raw meat and eggs with my bare hands as I make burgers. There is no smell that I love more than that of freshly baked bread except maybe that of applewood smoke on the grill, and there is no sight I love more than a table full of food and people enjoying it. I even love to listen to food sizzling in the frying pan or on the grill.

In her first book Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat, Melissa Joulwan writes for people like me.  In her well written intro Joulwan writes about her own family and her love of food; she writes about her struggles with her weight, and her journey to health. She also gives a few scientific explanations of the Paleo diet.

Although I do not eat Paleo, I loved this book, and every recipe in it. When I lent it to a friend who was diagnosed with Celiac disease, I highlighted no less than 14 recipes that I considered a must try. A few of the pages in this book are grease stained and the back cover is a little ripped from the time I set the book in some unknown sticky substance...for a few days.

Are you going to love Well Fed?

Well Fed: A Paleo Cookbook

Summary: Well Fed has about 120 pages of Paleo recipes and pictures (each recipe has a corresponding picture), along with advice on "clean eating" and a heart warming introduction.  Joulwan also gives a bit of advice on her signature "weekly cook up" a method for preparing meat and vegetables that can be used ad-hoc throughout the week.

The recipes are delicious and accurately written (Joulwan also provides tips to change up the flavor profile just a bit). Her recipe introductions are brief, but they do convey her love for the dish, and they are sufficient to help you understand.

Though the book is printed on traditional paper, the photography is still stunning.  The photos inspired me to try new dishes, but it wasn't so intimidating that I thought that I could never make it.

Ingredient lists tended to be reasonable in length (6-12 items, almost all can be purchased at a traditional grocery store), but if you're not used to buying Paleo products you might not be used to the calls for coconut aminos, various vinegars, and a large number of spices.

The book covers, tips and tricks, sauces and seasonings, proteins (main dishes), veggies, and a few fruit recipes.

The book has thus far failed to convert me to a Paleo diet, but I have begun to adhere to clean eating principles more often than I used to.

Best For: Of course, people who follow a strict Paleo diet will be the most inclined to buy this book, but as a non-Paleo eater, I loved it too.  This book is best for people who enjoy spending time in the kitchen, and who prefer a wide variety in their diet.  While the recipes are easy to follow, they took take a little bit of skill, so its a book I recommend for home cooks that have the basics down, but are looking to grow their culinary chops.

Not For: Vegetarians. Although this book does have a few recipes that are certifiably vegan (and delicious) recipes, Joulwan has a heavy focus on meat throughout the book (even when its used as a condiment). People who don't particularly like adventurous eating might not like this cookbook. Joulwan's inspired recipes come from all around the globe and emphasize the use of spices to enhance the flavor of a dish. Finally, extreme beginners in the kitchen might be too intimidated to give this book a try.  Although there are several simple recipes, the ingredient lists have enough strange ingredients and the recipes require enough technique that a true beginner may need to look elsewhere.

Recipe Highlights: Joulwan's sauces cannot be rivaled. Stir-Fry Sauce, Sri-Lankan curry Sauce and Moroccan Dipping Sauce regularly make it into my dinner line up. Paleo Pad Thai (actual recipe linked) is Joulwan's signature dish, and Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) is another one of her famous works, but the highlight for me was "The best Chicken You Will ever Eat" which indeed lived up to its name.

If you're like me, and you love food, I hope you choose to buy a copy of Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat, $17.37 on Amazon right now.

Vintage Cookbooks Make Me Giggle

Ladies drinking smoothies in the 1950's: They are wearing hats! Love.
photo Courtesy of vintagecookbooks.blogspot.com

When I was researching the history of cookbooks, I came across some fairly hilarious pictures that I think are important for me to share.

If nothing else, these pictures will prove to you that American Cookery has come a long way, and that we can all be thankful to be living in an age where we can start Cookbook Clubs without fear of the content of the books.

Before I dispense with my self-imposed giggle fest, if you are a real vintage cookbook fan, I recommend that you visit Amy Alessio's site where she cooks from Vintage Cookbooks.

From Sophia Loren's In Cocina Con Amore Cookbook

Back in the 70s, it was cool to pretend like tossing pizza dough was easy.
Perfectly coifed hair, check. Makeup, check. Smile...well.

Actually this whole cookbook is a gem. Checkout this post from Swide for more pics!

The Jell-O Trend that lasted way too long

Adorable lady holding a ring of olives and meat slices in lime Jell-O.
Vintage Cooking at its finest
Courtesy of Living Out West

No seriously, this was a big trend. In fact here's a link to an awesome Jell-O Recipe. Are you wondering what you will make? Ring Around the Tuna!

Ring-Around-the Tuna: I know what I'll be eating tonight!
Photo Courtesy of Lakehouse Publishing

If you enjoy making fun of the surging Jell-O trend of the 1950's, 60's and 70's be sure to check out this post from Collector's Weekly, and this highly engaging Buzzfeed.

The Supersizers TV Show!

Are Sue Perkins and Giles Coren totally plastered throughout the show?
Yes, but don't be jealous. They have to eat really weird food.
Photo Courtesy of  Genevieve Valentine

I didn't give any credit to this show in my inagural post, but these Giles Coren and Sue Perkins are absolutely brilliant in this show.  They "travel" through time and reference the cookbooks of the day, all while making snarky comments with British accents in period costumes.  True Genius if I do say so myself.

Weiner Nation Cookbooks

Hot Dog Ring with random greenery
I'll take mine with a glass of wine.
Photo Courtesy of Lola Vintage

For some reason (and I think it was a cheeky reason), hot dogs were all the rage in the 1970s.  As was candle salad which recently appeared in a Penzey's Spice Catalog.  Well done Penzey's (I do love their spices though)

Candle Salad: That's not phallic at all.
Photo Courtesy of TallSkinnyMom

Do you have any vintage cookbooks, recipes or pictures that make you giggle? Let me know in the comments section.

Three cookbooks for Chili-Heads

Good news everyone: Sriracha is back in business!

Hooray! Sriracha is back in business:
Photo Courtesy of trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com

For those of you who haven't been following this important story, the city of Irwindale began a lawsuit against Huy Fong Foods Factory (where Sriracha is produced) in October 2013. Their crime? Leaking noxious chili fumes into the air.

As ridiculous as it might seem, the judge determined that Irwindale's claim had some credence and he ordered for the plant to partially shut down.  Due to the large volume of posts on my Facebook feed, I immediately purchased six bottles in the event that Huy Fong Foods might be shut down forever. In retrospect, I'm not sure if this was too much or too little.

 In late December, the state of California ordered a 30 day shipping ban on Sriracha after which the company was allowed to ship the product again though they were still under a partial operation shut down.

The shipping ban was announced when I was going on a two week business trip with only carry-on luggage.  I underwent a panic when I realized that I might never have the opportunity to purchase Sriracha again. Thankfully, when I arrived home in early January my local grocery store was still in stock and I bought four more bottles.

After the partial shutdown, Huy Fong Foods was given time to work with air quality management, but by April of this year, the City Council of Irwindale voted that Huy Fong Foods Factory was a public nuissance and an offiicial trial was set for November of this year.

Thankfully, Huy Fong Foods was able to make air quality improvements, and the city council dropped its litigation on Wednesday! After the announcement, Chili-Heads everywhere rejoiced! Meanwhile, I will be actively working on "burning" down my Sriracha inventory.

Just because you haven't been following the news, you might still be a chili-head and in need of a few cookbook recommendations. If you don't know if you are a chili head or a Sriracha addict, take this quiz from the Oatmeal, and if the results are positive keep reading.

The pages of the following cookbooks are peppered with great recipes and photography, and I'm sure you will experience a burning desire to consume everything in them.  What can I say? These books are Hot!

Three cookbooks for Chili-Heads

The Sriracha Cookbook: 50 "Rooster Sauce" Recipes that Pack a Punch

The Srircha Cookbook by Randy Clemens:
Photo via Silverinthecity.com

This cookbook has a few elementary recipes for Sriracha lovers who can barely find their way to a can opener (Sriracha+Mayo or Sriracha+Ranch Dressing anyone), but avowed chili-lover and author Randy Clemens also has some serious culinary chops.

His spicy party nuts and five alarm lentil soup are two examples of recipes that I've made before but the addition of Sriracha was a game changer for me. Game changing in a good way; the added heat added flavor but it didn't burn off my tastebuds.

For serious Sriracha lovers, he even has close to half a dozen COCKtail or desert recipes.  Peach-Sriracha Sorbet... yes please!

Melissa's The Great Pepper Cookbook: The ultimate guide to choosing and cooking with peppers

The Great Pepper Cookbook
Photo Courtesy of LAweekly.com

From their introduction of the Scoville Scale, to tips and tricks for preparing seriously hot peppers (get out of the way Habaneros, the Scoprian Chile is the real king of heat), this cookbook has everything that a serious Chili-Head needs to navigate a heat map. If you want basic instructions of roasting, grilling, drying and re-hydrating peppers then look no further.

The folks at Melissa's Produce (author of the book) have a tremendous respect for the different flavor dimensions of various peppers, so they aren't always trying to kill you with the heat. Instead, this cookbook gives you a wide range of recipes to infuse with your favorite chilis.

Love chocolate cake? Why not chipotle chocolate cake? Aguas frescas? What about Chile-Berry aguas frescas? In addition to the expected salsas and standard Central and South American fare, this cookbook infuses down-home classics like Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Soup, and Barbacoa with delicious, peppery goodness.

Beautiful Scorpian Chiles!
Photo Courtesy of Kent Rayhill Adoboloco.com

1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes

1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes

Chili-Heads who are on a culinary mission need not look any further than 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes.  The New York Times called author, Dave DeWitt, "The Pope of Peppers", and his expertise shines through in this tome.

With over 900 pages of recipes, this cookbook runs the gamut of breakfast, to cocktails, to barbecue and salads. DeWitt helps the reader understand the region of origin, and his brief introductions help the reader to understand the dish even before you make it.  By the time you are done reading his 3-4 sentence introduction, you feel an old familiarity with the dish even if you've never made it before.

Whether you want Indian chutney, Thai curry, Mexican Fajitas, or Southern Barbecue, 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes is a culinary tour de force that brings the perfect amount of heat to every recipe.

So you want to start a cookbook club?

The three cookbooks that your cookbook club should use:

I've always been envious of Movie people.  Not celebrities, but the characters in the movies.  Do you want to know why? Movie people are always having dinner parties!

I've been to plenty of dinner parties, and I've hosted my fair share, but it seems like the movie people are constantly moving from one dinner party to the next.  Can you imagine how much delicious food you would eat if you were a movie person?

Maybe that's just me.  Other people watch the movies and are moved by the characters and the plot; me, I'm moved by the food.

Alas, filling this dearth of dinner parties is something that I can easily fix by starting a cookbook club!

A cookbook club is a group of people who get together and eat food made from recipes in a single cookbook! Then at the party they can all discuss what they love about the food, the photography, and the writing. A little bit like a dinner club, a cooking club and a book club rolled into one super club. What a brilliant idea!

I can never make all the recipes in a cookbook, but I always want to taste everything.  The cookbook club makes it possible.

These are the three books that I would use if I started a cookbook club today.

If you're cooking club is with close friends: Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist

Bread and Wine By Shauna Niequist via Teaandcookiesblog.com

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes is a combination memoir/recipe collection. Niequist weaves stories of sorrow and loss with joy and elation, feelings of guilt and shame contrasted with confidence and forgiveness. Her book is filled with personal essays that point to timeless truths that revolve around life around the table. A recipe accompanies every essay.  While a lot of the recipes have been published elsewhere, her helpful tips, conversational recipe writing, and excellent taste make this a unique and accessible cookbook. It's a perfect mixture of fancy gourmet dishes and simple daily fare, and would make a great cookbook for any party that has a mixed bag of culinary skills.

I love this cookbook because it is first and foremost a book and secondarily a recipe collection.  The old saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words, but Niequist prefers to use 1000 or more beautiful words and a winding life adventure to show us her food.  The book itself has no photographs even though she discusses dozens of dishes and hundreds of meals.

I would especially love to use Bread and Wine in a cookbook club with close friends because Niequist emphasizes the role that food plays in deepening her faith and her friendships. Like Niequist, I believe that life frequently begins around the table, and I yearn to bolster those friendships with a little more time and a lot more delicious food.

If your cookbook club is full of foodies: Jerusalem a Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Jerusalem Cookbook: Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce. Courtesy of Jonathon Lovekin via tablemag.com

Has any other cookbook in recent memory garnered as much attention as Jerusalem: A Cookbook? Personally, I cannot think of another one.  This cookbook has been inspiring home cooks with gourmet Middle Eastern flavors to the extent that cooks have started their own Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest campaign with the handle #TastingJrslm.

The excitement from this book is partially due to the fact that it elevates a lesser known cuisine (Middle Eastern food) to culinary prominence, and it is always exciting to try something new.  Additionally, the controversial melting pot methodology (featuring Jewish, Christian and Muslim dishes in a single cookbook) is an exciting connection.

Ottolenghi and Tamimi are sure to connect each recipe to the deep rooted history of the people and places in Jerusalem.  The combination of culture, the photography (second to none), and the unique cuisine, Jerusalem is the perfect cookbook club cookbook for foodies and culture aficionados everywhere.

If your cookbook club loves Pinterest: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook via Thephoenix.com

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is another example of a cookbook that I use all the time, but my favorite use is for coffee parties and dinner parties. Deb's humor shines through on each page, and her rambling in the recipe section is surprisingly helpful.  While some of the recipes in this book are likely to make it into your everyday repertoire, there are some (especially among the deserts) that require an event to get you into gear.

With the deep and wide range of meal types (breakfast, sweets, seafood, salads and more), the book feels like a Pinterest Board that has come to life.  I would love to attend a cookbook club meal where each person got to choose their favorite recipe from a certain section. It would be a regular smorgasbord of delicious food.

This is an especially great choice for cookbook clubs that have a wide variety of tastes and skills.  While some of the recipes are time consuming and technically tricky, others are quick and simple (all are delicious, at least among the recipes I've tried).

If your group is beholden to a sweet tooth, this is an especially great book to focus on the desert section.  Perelman's cookies, pies and cakes are second to none.  They are a combination of home baked with love and French bakery style.  Like your grandma ran off with a mysterious French Baker.

What about you? Are there cookbooks that you want to try for your cookbook club? Do you have a cookbook club? Can I join?