It’s the beginning of the month which means it’s time to gather up some of my favorite new reads. This month I am tackling cookbooks. I love being in my kitchen and trying out new recipes. One of my absolute favorite things to do is scour pages of cookbooks for inspiration. I love cookbooks because I feel they are a small (or big–depending!) window into the life of a chef. With beautiful mouthwatering pictures and directions from the hand of the chef, a good cookbook provides something tangible that is missed in the digital realm. Food nourishes, encourages, replenishes, comforts, consoles, and brings people together. A good meal can brighten any mood. So, for all you fellow foodies out there, here is a roundup of some of the cookbooks I’ve been coveting lately.
Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Teigen
What isn’t there to say about Chrissy Teigen? She’s stylish, gorgeous, smart and outspoken, has a wicked potty mouth to boot, and loves to eat. What isn’t to love? And her cookbook is nothing short of what you’d expect from such a dynamo woman. Her cookbook has recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and truly everything in between. Chrissy’s humor and personality fill the pages, and the book is as entertaining as it is instructional. My favorite section? “Sh*t On Toast.” Just like Chrissy, her cookbook is fun, insightful, and completely on point.
Plenty: Good, Uncomplicated Food by Diana Henry
Plenty is all about using food economically and to its fullest extent. The recipes are simple and cost-effective but are also incredibly delicious. Plenty teaches you how to eat locally and seasonally, and proves that sometimes less can definitely mean more. The cookbook has recipes from around the world and each is super adaptable in terms of ingredients. There are sections in the book on how to shop for the best cuts of meat and fish at the market which is so useful. Plenty is perfect for those cooking on a budget.
Night + Market: Delicious Thai Food to Facilitate Drinking and Fun-Having Amongst Friends by Kris Yenbamroong
My favorite type of takeout is Thai, so learning to cook it in my own kitchen is a huge bonus. Kris Yenbamroong has one of the best Thai restaurants anywhere, and every time I go to LA I try to stop by the original Night + Market location on Sunset Boulevard. I was so excited when I learned Night + Market was finally coming out with a cookbook that I had to pick it up right away. The cookbook has recipes for authentic Thai foods and most are spicy, spicy, spicy.
Breakfast: Recipes to Wake Up For by George Weld and Evan Hanczor
Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. I am so grateful for this cookbook. Author George Weld owns a restaurant aptly named Egg in Brooklyn, and I can attest, his food is pretty good. I love the variety of this cookbook. Everything from eggs (of course) to juices, this cookbook runs the gamut of breakfast. The book also has recipes from local farmers, fishermen, and athletes, and teaches exactly how to pump up your mornings. Also, Weld reminds us that breakfast isn’t just for the beginning of your day. Breakfast for dinner? I love.
Sarabeth’s Good Morning Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch, and Baking by Sarabeth Levine
Did I mention I’m really into breakfast? If you’ve ever traveled to NY, at least one person will mention Sarabeth’s as a morning (or lunch!) destination. This book is beautiful. The photographs are exquisite and mouthwatering. The cookbook is geared towards home cooks like me, and the recipes are so well detailed with tips and tricks, that all of Sarabeth’s delightful treats are nearly impossible to mess up. Sarabeth offers quick recipes for weekdays and more intricate ones for weekend brunch. You have no idea how thankful I am to have Sarabeth’s recipe for her lemon ricotta pancakes right at my fingertips.
What cookbooks are you loving these days?
13 Comments
Kim
The Plenty book looks especially good. Trying to eat “real” foods and limit baking (cause I’ll just eat it all). 🙂
Kendra
Thank you for sharing these!!!!
Elena Becker
I have a variety of cookbooks from Spain. My mom was born and raised in Madrid and was a chef. She taught me everything she knows and now that she is gone I am so glad I made the effort to learn all her recipes. I can cook her Paella almost like hers but I often give it a little bit of me 🙂 My favorite are tapas and Sangria or a margarita to spice up a dinner parrty. Thanks for sharing I am going to try the breakfast books because that too is one of my favoriate meals!
Rebecca from Austin
These are great recommendations! I already have Cravings and can’t wait to read the others. Thank You!
Katie
Thank you so much for sharing! I’ll definitely be ordering two or three of these!
Cindy
Thanks! Feeling very inspired…..and HUNGRY! 🙂
Jess
Hi Gen! Thank you for those great ideas! I have the series of cookbooks from Kimberly Snyder “The Beauty Detox” The first part of the book is education on food and the digestive system. It also teaches you how to pair certain foods for optimal digestion. Seems too much to think about but the idea is fairly easy. She has the best gluten free brownie recipe in the Beauty Detox Power edition! It really satisfies and is truly delicious! She uses avocado for the frosting 🙂 I’ve heard of this before and just couldn’t think how you could substitute this in a sweet recipe but it totally works lol. It’s a rich, creamy, beautiful frosting and no one would ever know! Another book I absolutely love is Kate Hudson’s “Pretty Happy”. Although it’s not a cookbook, it’s healthy ways to love your body and food is a big componet. She does share a few recipes but mainly it also can be used as a workbook to determine what foods work and don’t work with your body. She encompasses mood, ayurveda, exercise, meditation and food to be your best feeling self. It’s a great read! Have a fantastic weekend! Jess
Dia
Hi 🙂 I’m always read your blog posts, it’s amazing and qualitative as always! Thanks for your ideas! I like the ” Love Real Food by Kathryne Taylor”
Charlene Moncrief
I am a HUGE fan of all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks… I’m a busy working mama of 2, and all of Ina’s recipes are easy to follow, easy to prepare and always delicious to eat, which fits my busy family perfectly. Will definitely look into these other cookbooks – especially Sarabeth’s as those restaurants are a family fav. Great work, Gen… love seeing all the great recommendations on life, love and family 🙂
Jori
I’m glad to see someone as excited about breakfast as I am! It’s the bomb!! Also, I’m excited about your blog, and this post in particular. I was not aware of “Plenty.” I have had to move to a remote area of north central Minnesota, and we don’t necessarily have the access to the big bookstores here, so browsing isn’t an option. I’m fascinated by the premise of “Plenty” and may order it, though. Thank you for making me aware.
I’d love to order the Thai cookbook, but I suspect that it requires ingredients that I wouldn’t be able to obtain here. Boy do I miss Thai food – isn’t it the best?? I love it! And I’m loving your blog. I look forward to more.
Katie
I love ‘The Tomato Basket’ by Jenny Linford. It has lots of inspiring tomato based recipes. It’s my go to book in the summer.
Marlene
Yum & Yummer has some amazing recipes as does eat with intention.
Valerie Sampson
My treasured cookbooks are the ones my grandmas gave me, you know- the basic church cookbooks that I can find Tilley Dewald’s molasses cookies (I’ve made that recipe a dozen times and they STILL don’t taste like hers!); the cookbook my mom compiled of every family favorite, plus my great grandma’s recipe for headcheese (think I’ll take a hard pass on that!); and the handwritten book of my great grandma, where I found the absolute best recipe for chokecherry jelly.