David Chang wins $1 million for charity

Chef David Chang has been vocal in both his support for restaurant workers and criticism of how national, state, and local governments have failed to protect the restaurant industry during the pandemic. The outspoken chef recently competed on the celebrity version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, playing for his chosen charity the Southern Smoke Foundation. Chang became the… read more

Food news antipasto

Several weeks ago we posted about Kitchen Arts & Letters starting a fundraising campaign to help save their store. The appeal was successful, with KAL raising enough money to keep the doors open despite a huge drop in foot traffic. An EYB Member provided us with a link to an interview with owner Matt Sartwell on how KAL is coping… read more

Great British Bake Off – Recap – Weeks 9 and 10

Because Darcie posted about the hate mail Laura received after making to the final, we decided not to bombard everyone with another GBBO post and combined the final and semi-final recaps into one. Each of us will take turns with our own impression of the last two episodes after the rundown of challenges. Reminder: New shows for those watching on… read more

Making the case for instant coffee

Until the pandemic hit, I hadn't given instant coffee a thought for years. I used instant espresso in baked goods on occasion, but the idea of actually drinking instant coffee did not cross my mind. Why would I do that when I have a world of flavorful, aromatic, high-quality coffee available at my fingertips? If my local supermarket did not… read more

The last two weeks: Holiday cookbooks, shopping deals, gift guides, cookbook and product giveaways, EYBD Previews & more

We skipped last week's roundup as the monthly newsletter was going out around the same time and we try to respect your inboxes. While many of us in the US are still recovering from turkey comas, the last thing we want to read about today is more recipes! Instead, I'll share a short roundup of some special holiday-themed cookbooks that… read more

Gingerbread house season is here

In my post on 'charcuterie chalets' a few days ago I mentioned that I usually find a magnificent gingerbread house to share with you during the holiday season. It didn't take long for one to find its way to my news feed, and this one is a doozy. Joseph Daigle submitted his gingerbread house to a contest held in Newark,… read more

Not your grandmother’s Brussels sprouts

A couple of weeks ago Jenny rhapsodized over Brussels sprouts, and the image that accompanied that article received more clicks than almost anything else we have published this year. The most popular Thanksgiving recipe "by far" on NYT Cooking's website is Mark Bittman's Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic (pictured below). My neighbor's 12-year-old daughter requests the tiny brassicas for almost… read more

Using up the leftovers

This Thanksgiving I'm cooking for a 'crowd' of only four, and both of the guests will be at their own home, where I will deliver the food for them to enjoy. Despite the fact that this is one-third as many people as our usual gathering, I seem to be incapable of reducing the size of the meal. I had pre-ordered… read more

Holy Sweet! Cookbook & Emile Henry Loaf Pan Giveaway

Enter our US giveaway to win one of three copies of Holy Sweet!: 60 Indulgent Recipes for Bigger, Better Desserts by Peabody Johanson with one grand prize winner receiving an Emile Henry loaf pan. Holy Sweet!: 60 Indulgent Recipes for Bigger, Better Desserts by Peabody Johanson is an innovative, maddeningly creative collection of recipes from this talented baker/blogger. I continue to… read more

Ottolenghi Flavor & Smithey Oval Roaster Giveaway

Enter our US giveaway to win one copy of Ottolenghi Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ixta Belfrage, and Tara Wigley and a Smithey Oval Roaster. Ottolenghi's latest book is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - I had to use that "word" because I am sure you are tired of amazing, gorgeous, beautiful as am I. I made two recipes from this title (and plan on… read more

All in the (allium) family

Popping out to the grocery store to pick up a single item you needed for a recipe seems like such a luxury these days. Most of us make do with what we have, even if it means finding another dish to make instead. Thankfully there are substitutes for many ingredients, and when it comes to onions, shallots, and leeks, you… read more

Food news antipasto

Weeks after vanishing abruptly, Fine Cooking's website is back up and running. The return was announced via tweet on November 19. I was able to log in to my Fine Cooking account, and the site appears to be fully functional, although I did not have any recipes saved to my Recipe Box so I do not know if that also… read more

GBBO contestant bullied online for making the finals

Spoiler alert: if you haven't watched the semi-final episode of GBBO/GBBS, stop and return after you have done so. I have to admit that my favorite contestant of the series did not make it through to the finals. Hermine made an unwise decision to use untested recipes in the semi-final, and she paid the price by being eliminated. Up to… read more

Recreating lost family recipes

Most family recipes handed down from generation to generation relied on a tradition of daughters learning how to cook a dish from their mothers or grandmothers. It wasn't until very recently that written recipes became the norm, and in many families writing things down just wasn't the way these cherished foods were handed down. Some people (selfishly in my opinion)… read more

November 2020 New Cookbook Review

Welcome to the last unofficial month of the totally unofficial Cookbooktober. November has some exciting titles but far less in number than October. It seems as though I was just finishing up October's epic review yesterday and here we are nearing the end of the year. Some reminders before we dive into the cookbooks. Recently, I've published my gift guides… read more

Baking at the 20th Century Cafe Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US/CA giveaway to win one of three copies of Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake by Michelle Polzine. This beautiful book made my best books of 2020 as well as my baker's gift guide. This year there has been a wealth of jaw-dropping baking titles and Baking at the… read more

What’s on food writers and chefs holiday wish lists?

I gave up on making a holiday wish list years ago, as it became evident that my husband and family members all preferred to do their own thing with regard to gift buying. Nevertheless, it's interesting to see what others would put on their wish lists - especially chefs and food writers. What kinds of goodies or equipment would they… read more

Don’t have a sweet tooth? Make this instead of a gingerbread house

Every holiday season I usually post an awe-inspiring gingerbread house. I'm sure that between now and year's end, I will find another to share with you. But in the meantime, there's a new miniature house trend that caught my eye. Ingenious people with too much time on their hands (that describes a lot of us right now) have been creating… read more

Parwana Cookbook Giveaway & Quick Bites

Enter our giveaway to win two copies open to US members provided by Interlink Publishing and two copies open to the UK/AU provided by Murdoch books with one additional copy provided by Eat Your Books worldwide of Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen by Durkhanai, Farida, and with assistance from Fatema Ayubi. Often we are told not to… read more

December 2020 Great Big Cookbook Club Roundup

As our members know, each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. There are other fun cookbook clubs around the interwebs and we’d like to highlight those for those members who might want to cook or bake something other than our choices. We will try to keep you up-to-date on these clubs’ choices… read more

November 2020 Eat Your Books Cookbook Club Summary

Each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. This month we’ve been cooking from the following titles: Main Selection: Ottolenghi Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ixta Belfrage and Tara WigleyBaking Selection: 100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen, with Classic Cookies, Novel Treats, Brownies, Bars, and More by Sarah Kieffer (extending posts until 12/31/2020 due to backorder… read more

News from the Jacques Pépin Foundation

In 2016, iconic chef Jacques Pépin, along with his daughter Claudine Pépin and son-in-law Rollie Wesen, created The Jacques Pépin Foundation. The JPF supports community kitchens that offer free life skills and culinary training to adults with high barriers to employment, including previous incarceration, homelessness, substance abuse issues, low skill and education attainment and lack of work history. A couple… read more

Aegean Cookbook Giveaway & Quick Bites

Enter to win one of two copies of Aegean: Recipes from the Mountains to the Sea by Marianna Leivaditaki. Aegean: Recipes from the Mountains to the Sea by Marianna Leivaditaki delivers an authentic approach to Cretan food and culture with contemporary flavor combinations. This book is all about eating natural, fresh food, and taking the time to enjoy it. In… read more

It’s okay to hate cooking (really)

Whenever people hear that I collect cookbooks, they logically assume that I love to cook. That is true most days, but not always. There are times when I cannot stomach the thought of chopping a vegetable or stirring a sauce or cleaning up yet another sink full of bowls, so I fire up the oven and pop in a frozen… read more

Flavorbomb Cookbook Giveaway – Bob Blumer Quick Bites

Enter our US/CA giveaway to win one of three copies of Bob Blumer's Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better. When I received Flavorbomb, I was so excited I posted a photo on Instagram and began a conversation with the author, Bob Blumer. If you are a fan of Food Network - you might remember Bob, his toastermobile,… read more
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