cookbooks

Even more than I like cooking, I like reading cookbooks.  Stellar cookbooks are inspiring. I love the idea of making people happy with food.  When I cozy up to a cookbook I conjure up imaginations of fun parties, a healthier family, and more composed me. Eating is about so much more than food so likewise a cookbook should be much more than a list of ingredients.

I love to cook recipes that elicit warm memories of people and destinations. I enjoy dishes that instantly create atmosphere.  I want the author of a cookbook to walk me through the recipe like they would if I was a friend sitting in their kitchen. I want to hear a few 'secret' tips or pictures that make their recipes come alive, I want to read a re-telling of where they got the recipe, and why the book just wouldn't be complete without it.

My favorite cookbooks are ones that:
Read like a journal with chummy and sincere notes
Include bold, colorful pictures
Are effortlessly veggie-centric, not too meaty
Teach me how to cook

 I don't even attempt dishes that:
-Are convoluted, tricky, or easy to ruin.
-Take longer than 1/2 an hour
-Main dishes that will kill my health (that's what dessert is for!)
 -Require weird, expensive, or time consuming ingredients