Weekend Cooking: Books on my Kitchen Table

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

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As each year ends, I always pretend to get more organized (see post from 2010). This week, I was going through the books on my eReader and tablet and realized that I have quite a collection of books I want to write about for Weekend Cooking posts. Some I've already read, some I haven't even looked at, and some I'm in  the middle of reading. In any case I'm still interested in these books, and over the course of the coming year, I hope to share my thoughts on many of them.

Let's Get Cooking

I love Ina Garten and her Barefoot Contessa Foolproof is sure to be a hit with me. I can't wait to get cooking from this 2012 book. (Clarkson Potter, 9780307464873) I often have mixed feelings about celebrity cookbooks, but Stanley Tucci seems to be genuinely knowledgeable about food and wine. I'll let you know how The Tucci Table holds up. (Gallery Books, 9781476738567) The Auntie Em's Cookbook by Theresa Wahl caught my eye because of the subtitle: "A Musician's Guide to Breakfast & Brunch & Dessert." Los Angeles tastes and punk rock culture meet in the kitchen--might be fun. (Prospect Park Books 9781938849268)

History, Science, and Culture, Oh My!

In A Curious History of Food and Drink, Ian Crofton searches historical diaries, cookbooks, and other documents on a hunt for the origin of foods both common (noodles) and unusual (bird tongues). (Quercus, 9781623658250) I love lemons, hoppy beer, and coffee, so Jennifer Mclagan's Bitter promises to be a book made for me. Part science, part cookbook. (Ten Speed Press, 9781607745167) I'm almost done with the wonderful The Culinary Imagination by the well-respected critic Sandra M. Gilbert. From literature to politics, this collection explores our never-ending fascination with food and food writing. (Norton, 9780393067651) Tasty, by Pulitzer Prize-winning John McQuaid, comes out next month. It's a fascinating look at the sense of taste, including why some people hate what others crave. (Scribner, 9781451685008)

Culinary Musings

In Jam Today Too, Tod Davies looks at the ways food enhances our friendships and gets us through life's joys and trials. I learned about this book from one of your Weekend Cooking posts. (Exterminating Angel Press, 9781935259251) Ted Genoways tackles our food supply as it travels from farm to processor to table. After reading The Chain, you might be adding a few more vegetarian meals to your weekly plan. (Harper, 9780062288752) Breakfast in Burgundy, by Raymond Blake, is a charming tale of travel, culture clash, and--of course--food. I love the subtitle: "A Hungry Irishman in the Belly of France." (Skyhorse, 9781629144740) Dan Pashman wants us to savor our food and get every bit of deliciousness we can out of every bite. Eat More Better might make you start playing with your food--in a good way. (Simon & Schuster, 9781451689730)

Just One More for the Road

Tim Federle's Tequila Mockingbird is another Weekend Cooking find for me. I love the idea of a special drink to go with a favorite novel, especially when they're given such fun names: Bridget Jones's Daquiri and Gin Eyre, for example. (Running Press, 9780762448654). I first heard of Of All the Gin Joints when I was at BEA last spring. Mark Bailey gives us the inside scoop on the drinking habits of literary giants and Hollywood's stars. Cocktail recipes are included. (Algonquin, 9781565125933). After seeing the Discovery Channel's fun documentary on beer and history, I couldn't resist William Bostwick's The Brewer's Tale, which covers 5,000 years of foamy stories. This well-researched book has it all, from the very first fermented grains to the modern craft beer movement. (Norton, 9780393239140)