Cookbook Collection - 2020
And quarantine project number two was organizing my cookbooks...
I started collecting cookbooks, mostly vintage and antique ones, when I was twelve years old and discovered the cookbook store Kitchen Witch in New Orleans, LA. I instantly fell in love with the cookbook-lined walls stacked to the ceiling. The books aged back to the 19th century and went up until present times. The sweetest couple ran the store and I made it a point to go back to Kitchen Witch every time I went to New Orleans. Unfortunately, they're permanently closed now, but the couple still sells their homemade spice blends on their website. Over the past 7 years, my little collection has slowly turned into a not-so-little collection. Since it looks like I'll be home from college for more months than planned, I decided to spend some time organizing the mess of about 50 cookbooks lying around my room. Through this I realized that I have come by a good amount of new ones since my last updated collection post in 2018 and thought it would be fun to share. Most of these books are newer as opposed to vintage ones, but I've been getting a lot of inspiration from them recently.
Here’s what I've collected since my latest collection post:
Chocolate: The Food Of The Gods - Chantal Cody
If you know me, you know about my love of chocolate. I snagged this book at Dickson Street Bookshop in Fayetteville, AR for $1.50. Yeah, one dollar and fifty cents. If you're ever in the area, that store is amazing for buying used, but in near perfect condition books for dirt cheap. This book is all about the history and the making of chocolate, along with some yummy recipes.
The Book of Coffee and Tea - Meri Shardin
If you know me, you also know about my love/addiction to coffee. I found this book at Dickson Street Bookshop for two dollars, as well. It's one of my favorite sources for all information on the history, brewing, and mastery of coffee.
The Cocktail Garden - Ed Loveday
This book is beautiful. Honestly, that's the main reason I wanted it. The illustrations and cover sucked me in from the beginning, but after flipping through it and seeing all of the gorgeous, botanical-inspired cocktails, I loved it even more. The book is separated into four seasons with different cocktails perfect for every time of the year.
Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give A F*ck - Rodale Books
This book is one of my favorites for healthy eating and vegan/vegetarian inspiration. It's also really, really entertaining to read.
Dining In - Alison Roman
Okay. This cookbook. This cookbook is everything. The sleek and modern cover makes it a great coffee table book, which I love, but the recipes inside are killer. I'm a sucker for the minimalistic food photography, and I love that it shows how simplistic food can be so divine. Dining In has definitely been my go-to for inspiration lately.
Jerusalem: A Cookbook - Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Growing up with my family's Lebanese heritage has made middle-eastern cuisine one of my favorites to cook and eat, so I had been eyeing this book for a while. I saw it at a store on my way home from college about a month ago and decided to finally pull the trigger and buy it. And I'm so glad I did. It's definitely a little more modern than traditional so I've loved learning new recipes and new spins on some of my family's favorites. If you love middle-eastern food, you need this book.
The Best American Food Writing 2018 - Ruth Reichl
This book isn't a cookbook, but a book about the best food writers. Hence the title. As someone who might potentially want to pursue a career in food writing, I think this book is really cool and inspiring.
Food Whore - Jessica Tom
I bought this book right after Jessica Tom won the 14th season of Food Network Star. She was my favorite throughout the entire season, and as soon as I found out she had a book, I knew I needed it. Food Whore is a fictional book all about a girl working in the New York City dining scene -- so basically what I aspire my 20s post-college to be.
Deep South: New Southern Cooking - Brad McDonald
Deep South is a modernized southern cookbook, mostly focusing on recreating traditional soul food. I can't remember how I got this book, but the author/chef, Brad McDonald, is also from Mississippi and I love his new takes on the food that I've grown up around.
Die Küchenclowns reisen ans Mittelmeer... - Ein Erlebniskochbuch
This last book is one I picked up as a souvenir from my trip to Germany in 2018. The title translates to "The Kitchen Clowns Travel to the Mediterranean..." It tells the comical story about the mythical "kitchen clowns" that travel to Italy, along with some classic German and Mediterranean recipes. The entire book is also in German, so that's purely a summary I got off of the internet.... I haven't attempted any of the recipes yet but that might just be my next "quarantine project."