This happens every year, without fail. The mornings become darker as we move through August, and I start thinking about the things I like about fall. I would even admit that I look forward to autumn....only for a moment, because then I remind myself that after fall comes WINTER...and winter is ok, but MUCH TOO LONG. But, I digress.
I, am known to my friends, as a fairly warm-blooded gal...let's be truthful here...I consider myself to be a sweaty kind of chick, and so summer makes that a lot worse for me. (I have been known to refer to myself as a sweaty piggy, from time to time!) Unless I am on a tropical vacation, where sweating is made a little more bearable by bikinis and vodka sodas, humidity = irritation.
But, cooler weather is coming, and coming fast, so I need to grab onto to the last bit of hot weather we have coming to us. But fall...how lovely will it be when I can wear a long sleeved shirt and NOT feel like a sausage in its casing??
For me, when fall hits, I get this crazy urge to cook and bake. Last night I was flipping through my Julia Child cook books, having a glass of red wine, and making a mental list in my head of what I want to cook first. (That reminds me...need to stock up in some butter...lots of it.)
I started to think about the cook books I have and which ones I LOVE to use. And which ones I still really want.
TO BUY:
This one is apparently a MUST have if you want to get better at making Italian food - and authentic Italian..not Olive Garden Italian, if you know what I mean.
Ditto for these ones - on the Mexican front. Must Haves I am told. Definitely NOT Taco Time.
Ok - this one seems kind of lame. Nothing exciting here. But, this one, over times has apparently proven itself to be an indispensable manual. It has THOUSANDS of recipes....you can probably learn to do most anything from this one.
My current Faves:
Julia Child's Mastering the Art books.....everything I have tried turns out lovely, and she goes through things in such detail, with black and white drawings to help you with technique. (Man, I love butter....if you buy this book, stop by the grocery store and load up on your way home.)
Donna Hay - any of her books! I love flipping through them and getting inspired. The recipes are delish, and the pictures make me salivate. (Oh, so now I am drooling and sweating. Double the fun.)
Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and her Cookies books. I have made some stuff out of there and they have turned out quite well. The pictures help me figure out what I really have to make, and I love the way the books are organized. (Side note - I am reading an unauthorized bio on her - I think from the 90's. If is is only ONE QUARTER true, Miss Stewart is a horrible person and for sure will be going straight to hell. I hope she knows how to fashion a bikini out of her premium silk coffin lining, because I hear it's hot down there.)
The Bon Appetit cookbook (the big orange one) and Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh ( the big green one) - both of these are good ones to flip through. They have tons of recipes, and everything I've made is yummy. There are no pictures, but that would be impossible because there are SO many recipes.
I have so many other ones - Nigella Lawson's, Gordon Ramsay's, some Jamie Oliver....but I don't usually use those ones as much. (Of course, I don't just have celebrity chef cookbooks..but those are the ones that come to mind right now.)
I WILL go as far to say, that I DO NOT have ANY Rachel Ray....I know, I know, there are lots of people that LOVE her and might think I am daft for totally dissing her. But come on - a garbage bowl isn't some big grand idea, and "stoup" (stew/soup) and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) make me want to punch the TV. I guess you could say she annoys me. Oh yeah, and I think her food looks like slop or vomit half the time (That's "slomit" to you Rachel Ray.)
What else can I say? I think once fall hits, my food and wine consumption increases considerably. But it's not my fault. I blame Mother Nature. Bring on the french onion soup and pitcher of red.
Jaime
