What's cookin'?

It is lunch time at Grass Roots, so it must be time to discuss food. At least we should talk about books about food. Oh, I do love a good cookbook...

The inventory surveys we asked people to complete a few weeks ago has brought some lovely changes to our shelves, including an increased cooking section with more variety. (Thanks for the feedback!) One of the significant changes I noticed right away is more ethnic cookbooks. Yum!

We've included a few Indian cookbooks in our inventory, including 660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking by Raghavan Iyer, and How to Cook Indian by Sanjeev Kapoor, who is quite the celebrity chef in the rest of the world. Personally, I am not familiar with Indian cuisine, but there are over 1,100 recipes between these two books. That sounds like a pretty good foundation to me, and one to explore. You could make a night of it and read A Passage to India by E.M. Forster with your book group, and enjoy a recipe out of one of these cookbooks.

Italian cooking is something I have considerably more experience with, though I there's no way I could compete with Giada. The Glorious Pasta of Italy by Domenica Marchetti may just up my game, however. Sadly, I'm a sucker for a well-designed cookbook with nice pictures, but that is not the only reason I admire this one. There's a lot of information about pasta here, including buying and using dried pasta, a glossary of pasta shapes, and recipes and tips for making your own pasta at home. (I admit I cheat; I use a Kitchenaid. But it's still delicious!) It also covers basic sauces, but then it moves beyond. Bake it, sauce it, stuff it--heck, you can even make it sweet! If you love pasta, you've got to check this one out.

I can not not talk about international cookbooks without mentioning something French. This recommendation, however does not include pretty pictures. To make up for it, there is a recipe for Oreilles de Veau Farcies, Sauce Bernaise. I'm not going to translate that for you. The French Menu Cookbook, a classic tome by Richard Olney, will do that for you. It's a tidy little book organized with menus and wine pairings. If you think an evening reading The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathlenn Finn while nibbling on Fonds d'Artichauts aux Deux Mousses with a fine wine is your idea of a good time, I recommend this book.

Surely that's enough to keep your mouth watering until you come by and visit us. If you can't wait, you can click on the titles that interest you, and the link will take you right to our fantastic new website, www.grassrootsbookstore.com. Easy browsing and ordering right there!

Hopefully, though, you'll still come by and visit us. See you in the bookstore!

Pamela.

Cookie Cravings

In case you don't know us very well, we are VERY fond of food at Grass Roots. We are fond of cooking and baking and eating and sharing and reading about food. Most of us come from small households, so any baking tends to yield shareable amounts, because really--who can eat that many cookies??? Well, as a team we manage quite well, thank you. And cookies continue to tempt, especially with such a fantastic selection of cookbooks focused on cookies out this fall. Get comfortable with a glass of milk while I tell you about my favorites.

Hardcover, $18.00

Gourmet magazine is heartbreakingly missed, but at least the publisher still collects the best recipes from its pages and compiles them in a book. Recently they published The Gourmet Cookie Book, and I have to say: I WANT IT. I can assure you that the Polish Apricot-Filled Cookies are labor-intensive, but completely delicious and worth it. (Grandma used to make Kolacky, which I suspect are the same thing. Gourmet's are better than Grandma used to make. Don't tell her I said that.) And there are the Scandinavian Rosettes that my Honey would like...and Glittering Lemon Sandwich Cookies...and Chocolate Peppermint Bar Cookies... Beyond all this goodness, the photography is FANTASTIC. I hope you don't have to wait until Christmas to lay your hands on this one...

Paperback, $25.95

Sometimes when you're craving a cookie, you're not exactly certain what it is you're craving, but you might be able to describe it as crunchy, crispy, chewy or gooey. That's where Alice Medrich's book Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies comes in. Do not fear, since she also explores Chunky and Flakey, insuring there's something for everyone. The book is short on photography (I really love to see what I'm baking) but long on creativity. Some of her recipes delve into dietary restrictions, and some explore unique flavors. When I say there's something for everybody, I really mean it!

Paperback, $19.95

Now that we've baked all of these cookies, what are we going to do with them? Bestowing them on our co-workers and customers is an obvious option that we delight in. If we ever decide to get organized and plan a holiday cookie exchange, Very Merry Cookie Party: How to plan and Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange, by Barbara Grunes and Virgina Van Vynckt. Now then, right on the front cover this book are some spritz cookies. I LOVE me some spritz cookies! I even have an electric cookie press just like Grandma used to use. It's like a gun that shoots cookie dough, and it makes a very satisfying "WHIRRRRR" sound when I use it. That is neither here nor there, but I like the sentimental factor of finding spritz cookies in this book. AND there's a recipe for Toffee Squares. It's like another little shout out to Grandma Kelm from this book! This book also helps you plan your Cookie Party, offering themes and ideas for appropriate accoutrements.

I am ready for my hot cocoa now!  Really. NOW. Time to explore these recipes some more and create a little treat for the store. I'll let you know how it goes...

See you at the bookstore, brushing crumbs off the counter!

Pamela.