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Angels, Thieves and Winemakers by Joseph Mills

Clare and I are very fond of saying that wine is more than just a beverage, it is a memory book in a bottle. It triggers our senses to depths that few other things can. It instantly transports us back to a simpler place and time or indelibly imprints the present moment and files it under future memories.

No one that I know of has captured those very same beliefs as well and as artistically as Joseph Mills in his collection of poems, "Angels, Thieves and Winemakers". He wallows in the joy of wine and winemaking from its sober poignancy to its inebriated glee. But more than anything else, for me his collection was, itself, like a fine bottle of wine. Through his words and images I relived the wine-sparked moments of my life.

If we could rid the world of all of the snobs that have put this aura of preciousness and intellectualism around wine, then we would all be able to follow the lead of Mr. Mills; relax and let the world's greatest social lubricant take us away. From now on, whenever I have that same Zinfandel, I will think of "Angels, Thieves and Winemakers".

“Introductions Made Easy”
by Joseph Mills

If only people wore labels,
their foreheads clearly displaying
their appellation and varietal,
their alcohol content,
think of the time it would save.
We could cut out the small talk,
the “where are you from?”
and “what do you do?”
Appropriate pairings
would be more obvious,
we might know if they met
government standards,
and we would have a better idea
who might improve with age
and who we should enjoy
right now.

To learn more about Joseph Mills, please click here.
To purchase his collection, please click here.

Summer Book List from National Public Radio

Every year NPR announces the "it" books for summer reading. Here are our Top Ten favorites from that list, in alphabetical order.

America America, by Ethan Canin, Random House, hardcover, 480 pages, List Price: $27.00 (to read an excerpt click here)

Exiles, by Ron Hansen, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, hardcover, 240 pages, List Price: $23.00 (to read an excerpt click here)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Dial Press, hardcover, 288 pages, List Price: $22.00 (to read an excerpt click here)

My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead: Great Love Stories from Chekov to Munro, edited by Jeffrey Eugenides, Harper, hardcover, 608 pages, List Price: $24.95 (to read an excerpt click here)

Now You See Him, by Eli Gottlieb, William Morrow, hardcover, 272 pages List Price: $22.95 (to read an excerpt click here)

The Prince of FrogTown, by Rick Bragg, Knopf, hardcover, 272 pages, List Price: $24.00 (to read an excerpt click here)

The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry, Viking Adult, hardcover, 304 pages, List Price: $24.95 (to read an excerpt click here)

The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, hardcover, 208 pages, List Price: $22.00 (to read an excerpt click here)

Trauma, by Patrick McGrath, Knopf, hardcover, 224 pages List Price: $24.95 (to read an excerpt click here)

What Happened to Anna K., by Irina Reyn, Touchstone, hardcover, 256 pages, List Price: $24.00 (to read an excerpt click here)

World Food Café: Global Vegetarian Cooking By Chris & Carolyn Caldicott

The holidays are fast approaching, which can be a time for reflecting on special gifts we have received in years past. While every gift received is special, those chosen for special reasons for a particular person are the gifts that are sure to mean the most to us as the years past.

With this line of thinking, I realized that my sister-in-law had given me a wonderful cookbook one year for Christmas. Her thoughtful gift was one that I have cherished for many years, and I think of her every time I cook one of the delicious meals from World Food Café by Chris & Carolyn Caldicott.

My sister-in-law and I have been close since the day we met. She and I are not merely sisters-in-law. To me, she is just my sister, plain and simple. In fact, when I write of her, I refer to her as my “sister(-in-law).” (Those parentheses are indeed intentional and are placed just as I want them to be!)

Ever thoughtful and one of the best, most generous gift-givers on the planet, she gave me World Food Café: Global Vegetarian Cooking for Christmas several years ago. This cookbook, to be sure, is full of unique vegetarian dishes perfected over centuries and general come from traditional cultures. Being a world-inclusive cookbook, recipes from the Middle East, India, Nepal, & Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia & China, and South & Central America are included. In addition, this cookbook is full of some of the most beautiful photographs of food that I have ever seen.

Yet, for all of these excellent qualities, these are not the true reasons that I love this cookbook. I love it because, first, it is from my dear sister(-in-law). Second, she knew I was trying to learn how to cook global foods at that time and wanted to encourage me. And, third, though she herself is a meat-eater, she is a wholehearted supporter of my vegetarianism. And so she made sure the book held to my deeply held beliefs about food. Finally, she knew how much giving to charities during the holiday season – and in fact all year long – is to me, and so she made sure to bid quite high for a cookbook that probably cost no more than $20.00. And so, while I think World Food Café would be a wonderful addition to any cooking library, the reasons why this particular cookbook were given to me mean this is a book I will cherish for all of my days.

So, when choosing a cookbook for someone on your holiday shopping list, show them how much you appreciate their interests, values, and taste by taking just a bit more time to find the most perfect cookbook for them. Though the bookstore shelves groan with overcrowding, with a little time and insight, you can make an ordinary cookbook emblematic of your respect and admiration for someone.

Happy Holidays to all of you; be safe and be well.

To purchase this book, just click here.

Paris in a Basket: Markets - the Food and the People

By Nicolle Aimee Meyer & Amanda Pilar Smith

This beautiful book is both an inspiring collection of French recipes and a travel guide to a very unique part of Paris. Many are aware that Parisian markets are nothing short of an institution in France, and this book explores a number of Parisian markets and includes traditional recipes made from these markets’ goods. Paris in a Basket shows – in lovely color photographs – the everyday life of Parisians as they shop, as well as the sights Parisians see during their daily marketing.

The book is divided into sections based on the twenty arrondissements of Paris, and one market per arrondisement is explored. Each arrondisement has its own personality, and each market is a reflection of that personality. Each section starts with an introduction to the arrondisement and details the market and many of the specific vendors in the market. The recipes included in each section come directly from the vendors in that particular market.

Paris in a Basket is a beautiful book that captures everyday Parisian life in all of its colorful variations. The recipes are thoughtful and interesting, and range from appetizers, soups and salads to fish & shellfish, poultry, meat, and, of course, desserts. There are classic French recipes like Terrine de Foie Gras, but other recipes, like Tagine of Lamb, Olives, and Salt-Cured Lemons, reflect the ethnic neighborhoods in Paris.

The book’s organization is worth noting, making the contents easily accessible. Though organized by arrondissement, the beginning of the book lists recipes by type, such as appetizers, soups, salads, etc. While I recommend reading this book from start to finish, one will want to dive back in to find a favorite recipe or to “revisit” a favorite arrondissement. The book also includes a market schedule & the markets’ addresses, complete with the closest Metro station. Fish, cheese, and meat charts (with translation) are included, as is a glossary and the addresses of other notable Parisian locations and landmarks.

Paris in a Basket is a beautiful book that is well-researched and full of useful and interesting information. While there are many reasons to visit Paris, this book gives everyone just one more reason to visit the City of Love.

To purchase this book click here.

The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp

The Book Club Cookbook: Recipes and Food for Thought From Your Book Club’s Favorite Books and Authors

The return of September reminds many of us about the start of a new school year. Though, as adults, school is just a distant memory, September can also mean the resumption of book clubs. Having taken the summer months off, book clubs often restart with gusto with the start of fall.

Book clubs are oftentimes about more than just reading, discussion, and fellowship. Indeed, book clubs are often very much about food. Some book clubs build the meeting’s menu to match the book, taking the book’s geography, time period, or ethnic focus as their cue. Some book club members will even recreate recipes mentioned in the book.

Any book club with a strong focus on creating a related menu must have a copy of The Book Club Cookbook. This wonderful book includes 100 book titles with accompanying recipes. Book discussion suggestions are included for each title, and oftentimes the book’s author will contribute to the book’s entry. For example, the section covering Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier gives a solid summary of the novel, information on the novel from the author herself, and a recipe for Griet’s Vegetable Soup (in the opening scene of the novel, Griet is cutting vegetables for soup). The Book Club Cookbook also includes book club profiles, which are fun to read and a good way for readers to find new ideas for their own book clubs.

Though there are 100 titles included in The Book Club Cookbook, the vast majority are fiction and range from classics to contemporary novels. A few examples are: Jane Eyre, The Age of Innocence, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pope Joan, Waiting, and The Weight of Water. Some of the nonfiction titles included are: Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, and The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother.

The Book Club Cookbook will give any book club great ideas on what to read next and how to deepen the experience of that book. For book clubs that seem to be waning, using ideas from this book would be a great way to revivify your book club. However, The Book Club Cookbook will not appeal just to readers who belong to a book club. This book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves food and reading and exploring the deep connection between the two sensory experiences.

To order this book, click here.

The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka

The Not So Big Life is, in a nutshell, a guide to creating a more satisfying life and then learning how to inhabit and maintain this new way of living. Just as Thoreau recognized over 150 years ago, Susanka understands that many people today “lead lives of quiet desperation.” Susanka hopes to guide readers out of desperation to a life of authenticity, of less haste, and of fewer unwanted obligations.

Several years ago, architect Susanka wrote a book called The Not So Big House. In that book, she helped people understand how to design interior spaces to make a house a home, wherein comfort and usable space are priorities, not square footage. The Not So Big Life extends these concepts to designing a new kind of life, one that is more satisfying, more personal, and less obsessed with wealth accumulation, materials goods, and to do lists.

The Not So Big Life starts with a section called “Blueprint for a New Way of Living.” In this first chapter Susanka outlines the components of a smaller life and suggests that readers keep a “Not So Big Notebook,” for the exercises at the end of each chapter. The next eleven chapters delve deeper into the different components of a Not So Big Life, including: noticing what inspires you; learning what is not working in your life; removing clutter (read: unwanted obligations); listening to your dreams; overcoming obstacles to an authentic life; improving the quality of the things you have (especially time); beginning to make the necessary changes to implement your new life; and starting and maintaining your new life. Each chapter ends with helpful exercises, and the book’s final section is an appendix called “Owner’s Manual for Your Not So Big Life, Step by Step.”

With Susanka’s guidance, many readers will feel ready to start leading a Not So Big Life, wherein prosperity is measured not in wealth and materials goods, but in how much room one makes in their lives for what really matters.

To order this book click here.

French Provential Cooking by Elizabeth David

David’s French Provincial Cooking is something much more than a recipe book. In fact, this book will remind many readers that there is a wide gap between a good and a great, timeless recipe book. While a good recipe book makes one a better cook, a great, timeless recipe enhances the way we cook and something more. A great recipe book can take the willing reader on a wonderful, unforgettable journey, a journey that adds to our understanding of the world. David’s French Provincial Cooking, does just that.

The “journey” begins with two enlightening sections called “French Cooking in England,” followed by “The Cookery of the French Provinces”. After these first two “stops,” readers visit a French kitchen, taking in all of the sites (read: cooking equipment and utensils) of the “Batterie de Cuisine.” It is fascinating to learn which tools we still commonly use, those which we no longer seem to need, and which tools, having once fallen out of popular use, are reappearing with gusto today. After viewing these “monuments,” readers progress to a language lesson. In “Cooking Terms and Processes,” readers learn a great number of French cooking terms, and while many of these terms may not be practical, the section lends insight into the French language.

After the language lesson, readers take in the finer points of French culture by reading about wine, herbs, spices, and condiments that are particular to French Provincial cooking. Following this, readers take a trip through the metric system, learning about weights, measurements, and temperatures in France, getting a glimpse as to how the French mind evaluates and quantifies.

It is interesting to consider that this “tour” of French Provincial Cooking takes place in the first 100 or so pages of this book and before any recipes have been set forth. Clearly David was committed to making her readers truly understand French Provincial Cooking. As a result, reading these sections is pure delight and adds great depth and breadth to one’s understanding of France as seen through one of the French’s greatest pleasures – food.

To purchase this book, click here.

Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis

Giada’s latest cookbook takes what is now considered more or less a staple of the American dinner table - pasta - and shows us how to make it soar. Everyday Pasta is divided into three major headings, which are subdivided into smaller sections. The “Pasta Go-Withs “ section includes “Antipasti and Appetizers” and “”Something on the Side.” Her recipe for Cornbread Panzanella is a nice twist on a delicious classic Italian salad without getting too far from the classic taste. Some seemingly standard recipes are included in this section, like sautéed spinach, but Giada’s recipe includes soy sauce and red onions, two ingredients that marry beautifully with spinach.

The “Pasta for All Seasons” section is further divided into five sections. The first section, “Soups and Pasta Salads” includes some interesting recipes, and Giada might even re-ignite some people’s interest in pasta salad. The “Hearty Pastas” section does indeed include some very filling recipes, such as Baked Gnocchi and Crab and Ricotta Manicotti. This section also some creative recipes, such as Tagliatelle with Short Rib Ragu and Cinnamon-Scented Ricotta Ravioli with Beef Ragu.

The next section, “On the Lighter Side,” has nearly just as many recipes as the “Hearty Pastas” section. This section has a “No-Cook Pasta Sauces” page, which has some excellent ideas for anyone pressed for time but in need of something tasty. The recipe for Spaghetti with Sautéed Onions and Marjoram is quite good, though the recipes in this diet conscious section definitely benefit from using higher quality ingredients. In other words: No skimping on the quality of the cheese and pasta and the amount of fresh herbs used!

“Quick and Easy Weeknight Pastas” will appeal to many readers. The use of flavored pastas in this section is clever, as the “built-in” flavor in these pastas contributes to the expedient nature of these recipes. The second to last section of the book, “Pasta for Special Occasions,” really does include some innovative, special recipes, perfect for romantic dinners for two or for small dinner parties.

The last portion of the book includes information on making fresh pasta and a handful of basic pasta sauces, flavored oils, and vinaigrettes. Finally, there is a brief section on Italian wine, which, while interesting enough, may very well be too basic for any regular wine drinkers or readers of A Big Slice.

This cookbook is another fine addition to the Italian cookbook market, and possibly Giada’s most worthy effort yet. It is worth the money if you want to have a fine collection of pasta recipes in your library. However, if you can live without the beautiful food photography, many of these recipes are available for free at www.foodtv.com.

To purchase this book click here.

My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde

Joanne Harris’s name might be familiar to you. She’s a fairly well-known novelist, perhaps most famous for authoring Chocolat, a fine novel that was made into a charming movie several years ago. But, Harris is also something of a foodie, and a French foodie at that. Together, Harris and her co-author Fran Warde have created a genuinely French cookbook, full of delicious recipes and lovely color photos of France and French life. In fact, this book could almost be classified as a coffee table book if the recipes weren’t so tempting.

The cookbook’s organization is simple, with the recipes categorized into eight sections: Salads; Soups & Starters; Fish; Poultry; Meat; Vegetables; Desserts; Chocolate. This book naturally includes many traditional French recipes, like quiche Lorraine, bouillabaisse, coq au van, and ratatouille. But, there are also a number of less well-known French recipes here, such as quail with cherries, tartelette méridonale, black sausage and apples, and gratin dauphinois. For the most part, the ingredients one needs to cook these recipes are easy to find, if not already in one’s pantry, and there are no overly fancy techniques that one must know to complete these dishes. Though the book does teach certain techniques, like how to cut artichokes; how to chop garlic; how to peel and slice potatoes; and tempering chocolate, anyone buying this book for the recipes (as some may want to buy it for the pictures alone!) will most likely be familiar with these basic techniques.

In the introduction, Harris writes, “Food and its preparation should be a pleasure.” My French Kitchen is a perfect pleasure to both cook from and to peruse. In fact, this book is so lovely to leaf through that cooks will have to take care not to burn the meal as they wander through the book, admiring the lovely French scenes and choosing tomorrow night’s menu.

(For those who enjoy My French Kitchen, Harris and Warde have a second cookbook entitled The French Market: More Recipes from a French Kitchen, which is also highly recommended.)

If you would like to buy "My French Kitchen" click here.