Maeme was gifted the green thumb in the family. During the growing season, where can you find Maeme? In the garden of course! This month her recommended reading is the cookbook "Let's Stay In". Yes, Pinterest is a source of inspiration, but there is something about the feel of a book - cookbook for that matter.
Let’s Stay In: More than 120 Recipes to Nourish the People You Love by Ashley Rodriguez
Let's Stay In is all about effortless hospitality, meaningful family meals, and an appreciation for the magic of meals shared with others. Families, neighbors, friends, and loved ones will find a different kind of love around the table together, connecting over memorable meals. The recipes walk you through every meal of the day with delicious breakfasts, easy lunches, inviting dinners, and Ashley's signature incredible desserts:
Breakfasts of Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew with Poached Eggs, Breakfast BLTs, and Spiced Raisin Scones
Midday meals of Zucchini, Gruyere & Basil Quesadillas, Ricotta, Speck and Plum Salsa Tartine, and Ivy's Split Pea Soup
Table-groaning dinners of Steak Tacos with Radish and Pickled Onions, Oven Baked Risotto with Squash and Rosemary Candied Walnuts, and Grilled Leg of Lamb with Green Sauce
Sweets and drinks like Blood Orange Poppy Seed Upside Down Cake, Guava Coconut Punch, The Easiest Pear Tart, and Cardamom Cream Soda
Ruth Reichel visiting Sun Valley was definitely a 2019 highlight for Callie. (Thank you Sun Valley Center for the Arts for bringing her here!) Winter is a good time to grab a cup of tea, a cozy blanket and a good book. This is Callie's February pick for recommended reading. Enjoy!
My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl
My Kitchen Year follows the change of seasons—and Reichl’s emotions—as she slowly heals through the simple pleasures of cooking. While working 24/7, Reichl would “throw quick meals together” for her family and friends. Now she has the time to rediscover what cooking meant to her. Imagine kale, leaves dark and inviting, sautéed with chiles and garlic; summer peaches baked into a simple cobbler; fresh oysters chilling in a box of snow; plump chickens and earthy mushrooms, fricasseed with cream. Over the course of this challenging year, each dish Reichl prepares becomes a kind of stepping stone to finding joy again in ordinary things.
The 136 recipes collected here represent a life’s passion for food: a blistering ma po tofu that shakes Reichl out of the blues; a decadent grilled cheese sandwich that accompanies a rare sighting in the woods around her home; a rhubarb sundae that signals the arrival of spring. Here, too, is Reichl’s enlivening dialogue with her Twitter followers, who become her culinary supporters and lively confidants.
Do you have a new favorite book or cookbook? Let us know what it is! We love recommendations too!