Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Summer cookbooks

Is there a 12-step program for cookbooks? Because I think I might need to enroll. Not that I'm complaining at all--I love all the ones I have, and I've acquired four more in the past couple of months. First, my mom gave me a cookbook she found while on vacation, Nantucket Beach Picnics, by Deborah Moxham and Carla Finn. It's full of great summer-time food--salads, grilled foods, yummy desserts ... all so fresh. Plus there's a section on cocktails. How about a Moscow Mule? So then I went on vacation and just happened to stop in a book store in which they happened to have cookbooks. Not wanting to be rude, I bought two cooking-type books. Full Moon Feast, by Jessica Prentice, is something I'd seen discussed recently and had wanted to investigate. This is a discussion of the connection between food, hunger, and the moon's cycles, with various related recipes at the end of each chapter, or moon. Prentice talks about the need to eat locally grown and well-raised foods, using more traditional techniques. It's an interesting book, though perhaps not for everyone. Did you know that ants essentially herd aphids and then milk them? Apparently they do and, according to my grandmother, they do so by stroking the aphids in a certain way (aphid seduction??), which makes them quite docile. The second book I bought is Dishing Up Maine, by Brooke Dojny. The recipes are totally typical of Maine--which is why I wanted them, being in Maine and all. Lobster and other seafood, corn, tomatoes, blueberries are all well-represented. I returned from vacation to find a surprise on my doorstep. Susan had sent me From Manna to Mousse, a cookbook from the Beth El Sisterhood in New London, Conn. It's great--recipes ranging from mandel bread, which I love, to kugels and challah, which I also love, to beans upon beans and apple cakes etc. This is so perfect, as Jewish cooking season is just around the corner and I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. Thanks Susan! :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was delighted to see you enjoyed Nantucket Beach Picnics. It was a true labor of love. It is a little more difficult for those of us who self publish to get our books out there. But we think this one has user -friendly, exceptionally tasty recipes, proven popular again and again. Thanks for your support. Deborah Moxham

Kt said...

You are quite welcome. I'm enjoying this during the cold weather, too. Thanks for stopping by!