Gift Guide | 12 Food Books of Christmas
- Allie
- Dec 4, 2016
- 7 min read
Hey again, Friends! Whew, what a crazy last couple of weeks. In the time since we last met, I've traveled to Birmingham and Florida, we've moved into our new house, and both kids have gotten pink eye. I really wish you could insert emojis into a blog post because I pretty much think in emojis these days, and that last sentence would have ended with lots of stressed out and crazed little yellow faces.
Anywho, I wanted to ease back into writing with a fun little round up of Foodie books that are perfect for the hard-to-shop-for person on your list (well, if they happen to love food, but I mean, who doesn't?) A lot of them are ones that I reach for on my own bookshelf over and over again. Some, I do not own [yet] but have on my list this year ***HINT HINT, HONEY!*** And, BONUS, they're all available on Amazon Prime with 2-day shipping so I've included the affiliate links to them within the post, for all you last-minute-like-me type of people.
Is anyone surprised that this is first on the list? It's my favorite book -- not just my favorite food book -- my favorite book, ever. My copy is covered in scribbles and notes, circled and underlined things. The pages are stained, and it gets so much use as a reminder, energizer, and life-giving resource for why and how I do what I do. If you even remotely care about food, OR (and maybe this is more important) if you're interested in how you can ease your way into the kitchen in a completely non-intimidating, economical and graceful way, this is an absolute. must. read.
This is on my personal wish list for this year! I listened to Lynn Rosetto Casper interview Tony about this book on Splendid Table and instantly texted Ryan, instructing him to let all the in-laws know that this is what I want. In the interview, he talked about how it's a fun take on a former professional cook trying to navigate the whole Patriarch role with a nine-year-old daughter and a crazy household with lots of different ethnic influences. It cracks me up that he is constantly trying to amaze his daughter (and, I'll bet since it's Tony, a small part of him wants to slightly terrify/mystify the other kids) with what he puts in her lunch box at school. I'm just so excited to see this side of him. Also, the food photography is completely accessible which I'm ALL ABOUT. Fingers crossed that this is under someone's tree waiting for me.
Another one on my list for this year! That Lynn Rosetto Casper totally gets me -- she sold me on this one, too. I am really interested to read this one because the flavor combinations Rachel uses in her recipes are completely unexpected, drawing from her experience growing up in a Philippino house, then attending school in Paris and working all around the world. So I feel like reading this could really help me to shake things up when I get into a food rut. She graduated from Art & Design school before attending Le Cordon Bleu, so she feels relatable to me on the creative side, too! The book even includes Rachel's own food illustrations. Swoon!
Calling all vegetarians and anyone who isn't but loves vegetarian food (am I speaking to everyone in the room yet?) This book is gorgeous. The way Ottolenghi writes is so casual and relatable, which, for some reason, kind of caught me by surprise at first. He is world renowned, after all. But he just has a way of talking about his recipes as if they're no big deal. Does that make any sense? It builds confidence in the reader, for sure. Not to mention, the way he combines flavors - like one of my favorite salads from the book which calls for pearl barley, ground clove and pomegranate seeds - will blow your mind. His style and recipes are influenced by his growing up in Jerusalem and incorporate an approchable take on ethnic cuisine. I've also learned everything I know about cooking eggplant from his books, so that's a huge plus because we got a LOT of it in our CSA basket this summer.
This is, quite obviously, the sequel to the aforementioned Plenty. It is just as tantalizing as the first but broken down by cooking method rather than ingredient (which is how Plenty was arranged). I appreciate this update because it makes it easier to search for salads versus fried things when you're in a particular mood. Another thing I LOVE about his recipes? You can find almost all the ingredients at Aldi. And anything you can't find, you can certainly substitute and you'll be just as satisfied with the result, I promise.
I recommend this one even if just for the huge sigh of relief it will allow you to experience if you're a parent and trying to keep it all together. Talk about real -- Jenny gets me. There's a whole page of the book that references her 5:00 medicine (gin and tonic). Can I get an amen? It reads as part memoir, part cookbook which is totally my jam. Aside from that, the recipes are just easy and down to earth and delicious. A favorite of mine is her Pasta con Cecci - little ditalini pasta that is cooked with tomato paste, garlic, olive oil salt and pepper and a can of garbanzo beans tossed in. I mean, can it get any better than that? Can we even call that a recipe? In any case, my whole family loves it and I feel OK making it once every couple weeks because, um, garbanzos are protein.
This is such a wonderful take on whole foods, with mostly vegetarian recipes. It provides the perfect blend of snacks, main dishes, breakfasts and desserts, all healthful and real and totally my style. I have two favorite recipes in here, one of which I based my last frittata post on... the sweet potato crusted frittata with baby spinach and goat cheese is fabulous. My other favorite is the buckwheat crepes with smoked salmon, green apples and cottage cheese. It might sound like a weird combination at first but I promise it's SO GOOD.
Ahh, and oldie but a goodie. That is, if you consider 2010 old. This is one of the first cookbooks Ryan and I received as a married couple so it probably has a lot of sentimental value to me for that fact alone. BUT our favorite meal to make AND eat does come from this book, and I'm pretty sure it's not a sentimental thing... it's just damn good. Tyler's recipe for Chicken Paillard is on point and introduced me to anchovies as an ingredient for dishes other than weird pizzas. Thanks, Ty. There's also a pasta dish that uses toasted Panko bread crumbs as a main ingredient, proving that simple food is often the best food. For brevity's sake, I'm also going to suggest his book, Dinner at My Place (2008) within Number 8 on this list. It contains a tortellini and chicken meatball soup that I cook every winter (and was also one of the first recipes I ever taught to my dear friend, Casey) and "My Wife's Pregnancy Pasta" -- basically a super easy carbonara with baby spinach that's the bomb.
Not necessarily a recipe book but ohmygosh I loved it. It's like the chick flick version of a cookbook. Mostly novel-like memoir with recipes sprinkled in. She talks a lot about French culture, cuisine, and mindset in a way that doesn't necessarily make you hate the USA, which I find refreshing while still fascinating. Such a guilty pleasure and, bonus, I am able to better relate to the wonderful French foreign exchange student that feels almost like a brother now, who my family semi-adopted.
OK, I haven't read this one cover-to-cover, but I just flipped through it today at a local shop and I have to have it. If you're like me and secretly (or, not so secretly) wish your kids were super foodies, this book is perfect. It includes the most clever little recipes that combine ingredients in interesting ways that are totally not scary for kiddos. Even if you don't care about your kids being foodies -- hello, unrealistic expectations -- it has lots of great ideas for introducing them to new combinations and fresh ingredients. And I totally plan on telling Julep it's her very own cook book. That will definitely spark her interest and, I hope, make it easier to get her on board.
My mom got this one for me a few years ago when I had Julep and was desperate for crock pot recipes that contained neither cream-of-whatever soup nor baby carrots (just so y'all know, those two things qualify for automatic recipe dismissal in my book). Williams Sonoma to the rescue, reinventing crock pot recipes for people like me, who actually care about texture and color on my plate. I will say, this did spur me to add a crock pot with a browning feature to my wish list because most of the recipes require you to brown certain ingredients in a separate pan on the stove before adding them to the slow cooker. Essential in flavor-building, but also kind of an annoying extra step.
Finally, the quarterly publication for which I have the great honor and pleasure of being a Food Editor. Part&Parcel Magazine is not a food book but rather a Gospel-centered journal of sorts that is not only gorgeously designed, but, more importantly, encourages its readers to be intentional about building community. We provide practical ways to engage your neighbors, encouragement for your walk, and of course, recipes for gathering. We break down the food section into recipes For Two, For a Few, and For a Group. You'l find a perfect balance of accessible, healthful, and decadent meals within the pages and if that wasn't sweet enough, back issues are currently on sale!
This was such a fun post for me to write because, if you know me at all, you know I'm completely obsessed with food books. Not only are they a great resource, but they're often so beautiful that they can also serve as decor. I love that you can write a sweet little inscription in the cover so that the recipient feels loved whenever they open it to make a recipe. I hope you found something intriguing on this list for yourself or a loved one! Merry Christmas!
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