I love walking through antique malls. Shelf after shelf, booth after booth of other peoples stuff (or junk, or prized possessions). I went through one this week in Chattanooga, and some of the best stalls had shelves lined with cookbooks.
Cookbooks to me have to be more than good recipes. I can find those online. Cookbooks have to tell a story, have to link me to the food through more than just my tastebuds, and have to make me want to cook most of the recipes in the book. XX Dinners by Schori and Taylor entices me with craftsman pictures, gorgeous photographs that make me want to eat (especially the tomato section), and instills in me a love of new food – simple food, staple food.
I love having folks for dinner. Whether it is simply a bowl of soup and hot crusty bread, or an extravagant lasagna and a glass of wine – or just a bowl of ice cream – you can learn a lot about a person by sitting around a table with them. And I’m thankful that my husband joins in this love with me – a love of sitting, talking, eating good food, and looking at people in the eyes and leaning into their lives.
What I like most about this cookbook: the photographs, the wine/cocktail pairings, the menu sets, and the little blurb at the end of the book: “They (the authors) believe that great meals are as much about the people you cook for and with as they are about the food.”
Yup. Sip something and cook something. Its that simple.
(Blogging for Books sent me this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.)