Winnie the Pooh X Cath Kidston Collection

(Cath Kidston)

Christopher Isherwood FSG Classics Wallpaper Covers

(Macmillan)

The Penguin (Books) Shop in Toronto

There are many things to love about a shop dedicated to Penguin Books, but the giant Penguin Book spine pull-out shelves are my favorite detail!

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Book Review: A Modern Way to Cook by Anna Jones

Anna Jones' new cookbook, A Modern Way to Cook, is even more wonderful than her last book, A Modern Way to Eat.  A Modern Way to Cook is arranged by how long the recipes take to complete, and they range from 15-minute to 40-minute meals.  While this is a book full of quick recipes, it is no Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee-type of book.  The recipes are sophisticated and original, and they all rely on whole fresh food.  Everything is also vegetarian.  All of the food here looks so much more complex and tasty than you would expect from such quick recipes.  Almost everything sounds incredibly delicious here: Kale, tomato, and lemon magic one-pot spaghetti; Spiced pea and paneer flatbreads; Plantain, avocado, and black bean bowl; Sweet potato, lime, and peanut soup; Cashew, kale, and lime nachos; Sesame, pistachio, and preserved lemon crispy rice; Carrot and chickpea pancakes with lemon-spiked dressing; Butternut and canellini gratin; Crispy chickpea and harissa burgers; Tahini-drizzled superfruit; Avocado fritters.  Need I say more?  As with A Modern Way to Eat, my favorite part of the book are the mix-and-match recipes, like at-your-desk salads (you start with a "hearty base," add veggies, leaves, crunch, flavor, and dressing, which you pick from various lists) and goodness bowls (heartiness--grain, bean or legume, seasonal veggies, flavor booster, dressing, herbs, texture), and spreads like "10 favorite suppers from 10 favorite vegetables," "10 simple baked potatoes," "5 one-pan dinners," and ideas for various kinds of morning smoothies or overnight oats.  This is a brilliant, useful, and original cookbook that makes my mouth water. 

(I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Cath Kidston Story Books Print Dress

(Cath Kidston)

Review: Modern Potluck by Kristin Donnelly

Modern Potluck is the first book from food writer Kristin Donnelly.  The straight-forward title tells you the basics about this book: it is indeed a book of recipes that would work well for potlucks.  But not, of course, old school potlucks replete with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup-based casseroles, warm deviled eggs, and Country Time Lemonade made from powder.   Instead, Donnelly has created a beautiful book full of delicious recipes that focus on fresh, whole ingredients and complex flavors inspired by many types of global cuisine.  When I first heard about this book, I was not super excited by the concept.  Why do you need a book all about potlucks??  Just make whatever you want!  But in looking through the book, I remembered the times when I have gone to potlucks and worried about what to bring.  For the most part, you want dishes that don't need to be hot and don't require much on-site preparation.  It needs to feed a fair number of people, and it will ideally fit in with a wide variety of other dishes.  In other words, the seemingly straight-forward potluck is actually a minefield of mistakes waiting to happen, particularly if the potluck you're attending is a "modern" one and you don't want to embarrass yourself with something of the Cream of Mushroom Soup-casserole variety.  So in fact, a whole book of tasteful yet not fussy recipes for potlucks is actually really useful!  It's great to have a book full of recipes that you know will travel well and otherwise check the boxes I noted above.  The recipes also just sound and look delicious, and sine I don't actually attend that many potlucks, these are recipes that I will mostly be making for dinner, rather than for potlucks.  The recipes are all quite straight-forward, and yet sophisticated and beautiful.  Every recipe includes a "Potluck Prep" note that includes information about preparing parts of the dish the night before, and what you should assemble on site.  Among the recipes that I found particularly compelling were Spice-Roasted Carrots with Lentils, Kamut and Cauliflower Salad with Smoked Almonds and Marmalade Dressing, Miso-and-Molasses Baked Beans, Smoky Squash Mac & Cheese, Caramelized Onion, Gouda, and Pecan Scones, Caramelized Kimchi Corn Bread, and Potato Chip-Crusted Magic Bars.

(I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Cath Kidston Story Books Print

(Cath Kidston)