Tales from the Trenches: Recipes & Stories from Family and Friends

Friends! I am still reeling from the amazing number of good cookbooks that came out this spring. I’ve been having such fun profiling them here and I hope you like reading about them. So, recently my friend Pamela came out with this terrific book called Kitchen Matters: More than 100 Recipes and Tips to Transform the Way You Cook and Eat — Wholesome, Nourishing, Unforgettable. For me it’s the perfect book for healthy eaters who don’t want to give up all their favorites. Pamela is the master of healthy cooking with tons of flavor. She knows what we all like and makes dishes healthier without becoming dull and flavorless.

My friend Phoebe is so accomplished. I love reading her blog Feed Me Phoebe for all kinds of great recipes and her instagram account is amazing. This spring I am proud to say she came out with a terrific new book called The Wellness Project: How I learned to Do Right by My Body Without Giving Up My Life. In it she chronicles her year of trying new wellness solutions to combat her Hoshimoto’s disease and several other chronic ailments. It’s terrific for anyone looking for concrete solutions to long term problems, or just for general health tips!

Every time I learn that Elizabeth Bard is coming out with a new book I pre-order it immediately and wait, very impatiently, for it to arrive. You see, I adore her first two memoirs and cook from them all the time. I basically wish she would write a new book every quarter to fuel my ongoing fascination with French food and life. Though I am well aware that is unlikely to happen, so far she seems to be publishing delightful new books every two years and this year happened to be one of them! Dinner Chez Moi: 50 French Secrets to Joyful Eating is her latest inspirational book that is part memoir/part French recipes. It features beautiful watercolors of ingredients and Provence and in it she shares all sorts of lovely recipes and tidbits about life in France.

It’s rosé season! I’ve always been on board with sipping rosé in the summer months, but in recent years it’s become a real trend. Everywhere I go I see the #yeswayrosé hashtag, right along with #roséallday. While I don’t recommend downing a bottle a day, I do think rosé has a rightful place among the most refreshing wines of summer. I am still working hard on my WSET degree and part of that includes reading as much as about wine in my free time as possible. Thankfully, my rosé knowledge just got a huge boost from Victoria James’s delightful new book, Drink Pink: A Celebration of Rosé. Illustrated by Lyle Railsback, this fun book is informative and enlightening. It covers the entire history of rosé, since, despite its recent trendiness it has been around for centuries, and includes several delicious recipes.

I first met Ali Stafford several years ago at a gather in New York. Since then I’ve been following her wonderful blog, Alexandra Cooks, and was so excited when her first book was published last month. It is called Bread Toast Crumbs: Recipes for No-Knead Loves and Meals to Savor Every Slice and is easily the best ever guide to bread baking I’ve ever read. The key? She starts off with a family no-knead bread recipe that is hands down amazing. From there is riffs on all kinds of breads with add-ins and flavors, all of which are easy to make. She also features a whole chapter on recipes featuring toasted bread and, finally, a chapter featuring bread crumbs. It is basically all you’ve ever wanted to know about bread and I couldn’t be happier to share the little chat we had:

Last month a super fun book arrived in the mail for me to peruse, Stirring up Fun with Food: Over 115 Simple, Delicious Ways to Be Creative in the Kitchen. Initially I figured it was just another celebrity cookbook, but upon further inspection I realized that it is not just a just-for-kicks publishing project. This book is, in fact, amazingly cool and features terrific recipes for families. Sarah Michelle’s whole premise is making food fun for kids. But the key is that it is regular food – not “kiddie” food that a parent would never want to try. Here she and Gia have taken delicious recipes and made them a little more fun for children, but kept them perfectly appealing for the whole family.

Last month I had the pleasure of reading In Winter’s Kitchen: Growing Roots and Breaking Bread in the Northern Heartland by Beth Dooley. While I’ve never spent time in the mid-west in the winter, I certainly know what it is like to live in Central New York in February. The very thought of eating local foods at that time seems downright impossible! In this inspiring and warm volume Beth details her experience living in the mid-west and the local farmers and producers that live, and thrive in her area. She delves into food politics, environmental realities, and personalities at play. It is inspiring and heartwarming and I highly recommend this book to anyone interest in slow-food and winter fare.

Last year my friend gifted me this gorgeous copy of The Crabtree & Evelyn Cookbook: A Book of Light Meals and Small Feasts. I don’t think I should call a cookbook with copyright of 1989 “vintage,” but the style is definitely of the late 80’s ilk. Yet, unlike many cookbooks that are almost 20 years […]

Stacie has been one of my blogging friends from the very beginning. Waayyyy back in 2009, when all these blog shenanigans began, we met for lunch in New York and totally hit it off. It was one of those lunches were we could’ve chatted all day long and well into the evening, except there were babies to tend to so we didn’t. Fast forward a few years, and a few more babies, and Stacie has written is first book: Make It Easy: 120 Mix-and-Match Recipes to Cook from Scratch — with Smart Store-Bought Shortcuts When You Need Them. I am SO proud and happy for her. This has been a long time coming and now it is here and the time is right. Brava, Stacie!

I’ve known Amie of The Healthy Apple since we lived in NYC several years ago. We’d bump into each other time and again at blogger events but I really didn’t get a chance to speak to her in earnest until last fall. After following her medical events on her blog I was so pleased to […]

Last year I spoke with Erin Gleeson about her magnificent book, The Forest Feast. I couldn’t get enough of the beautifully illustrated volume featuring mouthwatering vegetarian recipes. It is one of a kind. This spring she followed up that book with a second volume aimed at children. It features beautiful photography and watercolors, as well as dozens of recipes children will love to make and eat. Last week I had a little chat with Erin about her latest endeavor which you can read below. And don’t forget to enter to win a copy of your very own!

My friend Jocelyn has the coolest blog called Grandbaby Cakes. If you haven’t read it before, go over and read it right away. It is full of warmth and love and amazing recipes! This year she also came out with her first book, Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories. It is chock full of recipes for cakes inspired by her family, specifically her grandparents, and they all look so delicious and lovely I want to make every single one. Today I am thrilled to share a little chat I had with Jocelyn and give away a copy of her book!