Category Archives: Good Reads

Love at First Sight

It’s no secret that I love cookbooks, but when I found out the True Food Kitchen one was available, I had to get my hands on it.  My mom and I dined at True Food Kitchen this past weekend, and by the time the meal was over, I had the cookbook in my hands and was pouring over it.

Aside from the beautiful photography and the excellent recipes, this cookbook also has lots of useful information, such as the True Food Pantry, which lists out some of the main ingredients True Food uses in their recipes and what the health benefits of each ingredient are.  The book is divided into 9 different course sections including breakfast, appetizers, drinks and pasta to name a few.

I’ve already earmarked some of my favorite recipes from the restaurant (Chicken and Farro Salad anyone?) and can’t wait to try a few new to me recipes such as the Bison Chili and the Summer Vegetable Casserole.  There’s also a Parsnip, Carrot and Zucchini bread I have my eye on for making next weekend.

If you like good food made with fresh, natural, ingredients, I highly recommend getting this book.  You can get it at any True Food Kitchen restaurant or order it off of Amazon.com.

 

Currently Reading: Food Edition

I love to read.  Nothing beats a lazy afternoon lying in the sun with a glass of lemonade (or any beverage really) and digging into a really good book.  While I love a good novel, lately my reads have been much more food-focused.

Here are a few books that I’ve recently read or are currently reading.

The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten

My dear friend Kristin gave me this book for Christmas, and once I started I couldn’t put it down.  Jeffrey Steingarten is the award-winning food critic for Vogue, and his book The Man Who Ate Everything is a series of food essays that highlight everything from making recipes off the back of the box (Green Bean Casserole anyone?), to creating the perfect primal bread, and experiencing the exquisite Wagyu beef in Japan.  Each essay is humorous and insightful, and oftentimes leaves you thinking “Why didn’t I think to try/do/see that?”  My personal favorite chapter is The Mother of All Ice Cream, where Steingarten experiences granita in Sicily, Italy for the first time.

The Table Comes First – Family, France and the Meaning of Food by Adam Gopnik

Adam Gopnik is a staff writer for the New Yorker, and author of well-known book From Paris to the Moon, which I read a few years back.

I’m currently in the middle of The Table Comes First, and I absolutely love it.  This book talks about the origins of the word “restaurant,” discusses what goes on the table, and the philosophy of eating itself.  Once I finish this book I’ll provide a more detailed review, but it’s quite good so far!

Volt ink by Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio

Top Chef fans may remember Bryan and Michael Voltaggio as the two brothers who fought tooth and nail to be the last two standing at the end of Top Chef: Las Vegas, with Michael coming out on top.  Now the brothers each run successful restaurants:  Volt- Bryan, ink- Michael, and have created a gorgeous cookbook that showcases some of their favorite recipes.

Some of the recipes are more complicated than others such as the Foie Gras, Wild Strawberry, Wild Sorrel “Nori” Aerated Buckwheat Brioche; but there are also easy recipes you can make at home like the Cinnamon Coffee Cake and Parsley Root Caesar Salad.

Plus the Voltaggios are *big fans of Sweet Potato Bites, so of course I’m going to give them a shout out on the ol’blog!

*Many thanks to my dad who not only met the Voltaggios, but got my book autographed too.

Have any favorite food reads or recommendations?