Kitchen Favs

One of my favorite places to hang out is my kitchen.  I love experimenting with new dishes and desserts to the sounds of Diana Krall, Cesaria Evora, Michael Buble or whatever else I might be in the mood for.  And because I love to cook, I also love reading and collecting cooking magazines and books.

My favorite day-to-day magazine is Everyday Food--which is also available in TV format on PBS stations.  When I have more time, or I'm looking for tips on kitchen tools or the best brand of (say) olive oil, I like Cooks, Illustrated by the authors of America's Test Kitchen (also viewable on PBS).

In terms of books, I've some standards which I rely on:  Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Taste of Home Cookbook, or Nancy Baggett's The All-American Cookie Book.  But recently, the publishing world has released some great new cooking and baking books that not only include great recipes, they include engaging stories, and useful kitchen tips.  Here are my top 5 new-ish recommendations (in no particular order):

1)  The Amish Cook's Baking Book, by Lovina Eicher (2009)
2)  The Farm Chicks In the Kitchen, by Teri Edwards & Serena Thompson (2009)
3)  Healthy Bread In Five Minutes A Day, by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois (2009)
4)  America's Test Kitchen: The Complete TV Show Cookbook (2009)
5)  Love Soup:  160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure, by Anna Thomas (2009)

To search for or place a hold on one of these items, check out our PrairieCat link (left sidebar).  Then, simply type in the book or magazine title, or artist/author and click search.  If we don't have the item you're interested in, select select "All Locations" under the Select Locations heading on the right sidebar.  To place a hold, select the "Place Hold" icon.  You'll need your library card on hand to enter your barcode and pin (usually the last 4 digits of your library card).  After you place a hold, the library will call you whenever the item comes in.

Bon appetite!