Weekend Cooking: What Katie Ate on the Weekend by Katie Quinn Davies

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Two summers ago, I wrote about Katie Quinn Davies and her journey from graphic designer to award-winning food and photographer blogger to author of the cookbook What Katie Ate.

When I said her first book was a joy to look through and that her "stunning photos project a rustic, vintage, casual style and are incredibly inviting," I guess I knew what I was talking about. Davies won the James Beard Foundation Award for Excellence for Photography and was nominated for Best General Cookbook.

In the blush of success, Davies was lucky enough to have traveled the world, meeting fellow food enthusiasts and getting to taste and learn about all kinds of new delicious dishes. Fortunately, Davies had her notebook and camera in tow because her new book, What Katie Ate on the Weekend, was clearly influenced by these experiences.

As you can imagine, What Katie Ate on the Weekend is absolutely beautiful. I love the matte pages and full-page photographs. I'm so happy that Davies has stayed true to her signature style: lovely colors, wood and cast iron, and a definite casual feel. Seriously, you need to sit quietly and just absorb each page.

Of course you want more than just a pretty face, you want a cookbook with recipes that you'll really want to make. Fortunately, Davies delivers on this front too. One of the important things to remember, however, is that this is a weekend book. This doesn't mean snobby fancy, but it does mean that most of the recipes will take you more than thirty minutes to put on the table.

The good news is that the directions are clear and the recipes are within almost everyone's abilities. The dishes range from lazy Sunday morning breakfasts to snacks and drinks with friends and from festive main dishes and rustic pizzas to yummy desserts. Katie Quinn Davies has you covered for almost any weekend occasion.

As with Davies's first book, the ingredients are familiar and are generally readily available. Of course, those of you living well inland might have some trouble with fresh seafood, but that's just the way it is if you live far from the ocean.

There are a couple of extras you don't want to miss. First, throughout the book, Davies includes terrific features of some of her travels. These multi-page side trips include amazing photographs and fun stories. She even lists URLs so you can learn more or plan a dream vacation. Some of the features contain menus, so you can bring an authentic meal into your own dining room.

Also be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes section at the back of the book, the photos of Davies at work give you a peek at messy kitchens and miles of beautiful serving pieces.

What Katie Ate on the Weekend has all the elements I really love about a cookbook: a broad range of flavors, dishes for all kinds of occasions and meals, a stunning design and photos, and straightforward directions. I can already see that this is going to be food-splattered and beaten up in no time--signs of a well-used cookbook.

(Photo credits: the photos are copyright by Katie Quinn Davies and appear in the book.)

Take a look at the following scan (click the image to enlarge) to get a feel for the cookbook and to read a recipe. This pork looks sooooooo good to me! And I love how the left page looks water stained! Fun design element. This recipe is definitely first up when the weather turns cool in the fall.

Reprinted by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Katie Quinn Davies, 2015.

To see more photos and more recipes, visit Davies's blog What Katie Ate.

Published by Penguin Putnman / Viking Studio, 2015
ISBN-13: 9780525428954
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)