Last week I wrote about a number of cookbooks that I’ve recently been obsessed with. But here’s the thing, there’s been SO many awesome cookbooks that have come out recently that I had to split the list in two. It was an arbitrary divide. The ones on this list are just as awesome as the ones in the previous list (and in some random alternate universe, maybe even more awesome). Here’s part two of my favorite summer cookbooks for 2013, along with ANOTHER cookbook giveaway. Details on which one at the bottom of the post!
Classic Snacks Made From Scratch by Casey Barber
When Casey posted on her Facebook and Twitter a question on whether she should include a recipe for Chicken in a Biskit crackers I was the SOLE person that responded telling her she HAD to put it in her book. Thankfully she ignore everyone else and listened to me, because the recipe made it into her book and it’s gotten rave reviews. Am I proud that I am a fan of what sounds like a ridiculously disgusting snack food (chicken flavored crackers)? Heck yeah I am! I grew up with it and though I probably wouldn’t touch it now, I have fond memories of it. Thanks to Casey I can now make it at home with my own ingredients, along with Funyuns, Twinkies, Goldfish Crackers and more. Yay!
Cheesecake by Hannah Miles
It’s a well-documented fact that I love cheesecake almost as much as my partner AJ loves it. I’ve made him whole cheesecakes for his birthday (one time I had to make him two cheesecakes as the first suffered from a midnight snack accident). So imagine his excitement when he saw an ENTIRE book dedicated to cheesecake. AJ rarely gets excited about cookbooks, especially since I seem to get so many of them, but this one had him grinning from ear to ear. It’s no surprise as the 60 recipe include such awesomeness as peach melba cheesecake, chocolate hazelnut cheesecake and salty honey cheesecake. Excuse me while I go put my elastic pants on now.
I Scream Sandwich! by Jennie Schacht
Summer is here and I’m feeling the heat. Well not really, as San Francisco is pretty cool and chill (to the surprise of nearly all the tourists that come here). But I always want to PRETEND to be in hot weather and that means lots of ice cream. Not that I need an excuse to eat ice cream, but thankfully there are books like I Scream Sandwich! which gets me excited for getting the ice cream maker out! I’m all over some of the more exotic flavors that Jennie came up with including Rosewater Ice Cream with Pistachio Cardamom Sandies and Date Sorbet on Brown-Sugar Walnut Bars but I know the more traditionalist of my friends would probably gravitate toward the S’Mores sandwich (with homemade marshmallows, homemade graham crackers and fudge ripple vanilla ice cream) or the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream on Cookie Dough. Hello slabs of cookie dough to hold in the ice cream. Genius!
Bakeless Sweets by Faith Durand
So continuing the fake sympathy I have for all you out there at are suffering 90+˚ weather (it was a cool 66˚ today in San Francisco) I present to you the perfect sweets cookbook, one that does not require turning on the oven in all your unbearable heat. Bakeless Sweets by Faith Durand is exactly what it sounds like, a book of everything creamy, sweet and cool that doesn’t require the oven: puddings, panna cottas, ice box cakes, custards and more. Here’s the real secret though, you don’t have to wait until it’s super hot outside to make any of these treats. I could pretty much live on pudding. Truth.
The Secret Lives of Baked Goods by Jessie Oleson Moore
I love a good backstory (as evident by my obsession with pretty much any television show that J. J. Abrams and Joss Whedon writes) and it turns out that all those crazy baked goods that I love also have history. Cherries Jubilee? Created for Queen Victoria in 1887. Pecan Pie? One of the earliest recipes dates back to 1897. Gingerbread Men? Well that one dates nearly as far back as when they started to use ginger in Europe – the year 992. I’m telling you it’s fascinating to read the history of these recipes that I grew up with and Jessie Oleson Moore did a wonderful job not only writing about each of them but developing easy-to-make recipes to go along with the stories. It’s the sort of book you can read in your bed or couch as well as bring into the kitchen.
Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison
As much as I would love to live in fat pants and eat cheesecake and pudding all the time, I know better. In truth, I eat a ton of vegetables but I’m always looking for inspiration and Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy is exactly that. What I love about this book isn’t just that it’s a compilation of brilliant recipes (though it has them) but it actually teaches you about herbs, spices and produce and how they all work together. I love how each chapter is broken down into families (The Cabbage family, the Nightshade family, the Sunflower family) and who belongs where. Any cookbook that teaches me MORE about the ingredients and how to use them as opposed to just listing recipe after recipe is a book that will sit on my shelf forever.
Gluten-Free Girl Every Day by Shauna James Ahern with Daniel Ahern
Full disclosure here, I absolutely adore Shauna. And Danny. And their little girl Lucy. But that doesn’t mean that I will blindly love their cookbook. Thankfully I don’t have much to worry as their book is the sort of cookbook that I would pull out and make a dish from when I don’t know what to make for dinner. In short, I love their cookbook as much as I love them! Sure the recipes are gluten free, but most of the time you don’t even notice as the recipes calls for regular kitchen ingredients like pork chops, canola oil, garlic and rosemary. Or they call for salmon, peanut oil, garlic, dry sherry and a bunch of rainbow chard. Gluten? Whatever! Eating gluten free never seemed so easy, or so fabulous.
The Recipe Girl Cookbook by Lori Lange
There are some people out there in the food blogging world that make it seem effortless – nay super fun. Food blogging is hard work! But some people just whip up easy-to-make, totally accessible recipes with real ingredients that taste great AND that folks just swoon over. Lori is one of those people. I sort of want to hate her but I can’t because I’ve met her and she’s one of the nicest people in the world. So instead I take her cookbook and just marvel at the vast number of recipes that can be whipped up in less than an hour and still taste marvelous. Damn you Lori. Damn. You.
Sodium Girl’s Limitless Low-Sodium Cookbook by Jessica Goldman Foung
What? A cookbook dedicated to cooking WITHOUT salt? But doesn’t EVERY. SINGLE. FOOD SHOW. tell you to salt that dish within an inch of it’s life? Isn’t that what got (insert favorite cheftestant’s name here) kicked off of Top Chef Season 47 – Topeka, Kansas? Well it turns out that you don’t need salt to make fabulous food. Consulting with Top Chefs (see what I did there?) like Traci Des Jardins, Hubert Keller and Ethan Howard, Jessica not only has some beautiful looking (and tasting) dishes in her book, but also gives advice on how to live a low sodium life. Take that Gail Simmons!
The Fresh 20 by Melissa Lanz
So here’s the deal. You’re busy. I’m busy. The entire world is busy. So what can you do to actually get food on the table that’s decent to eat and decent for you? Melissa Lanz has your back. She’s come up with a shopping list featuring 20 fresh ingredients (get it? The Fresh 20? 20 fresh ingredients! Love it!) for the week and has easy-to-make recipes that kind of, sort of, actually totally and completely burst with vibrant flavor and color. True story. My life just got so much easier. Now if only I could get Melissa to help me extend that deadline I have for Monday. I’d love her even more.
Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher
I’ve talked about my wariness of single subject cookbooks, but there’s something utterly intriguing about the idea of cooking with actual flowers. I’ve occasionally used lavender before, and I love me some fried zucchini blossoms but I’ve never actually thought of using pansies petals in my crepes or creating lilac sorbet. A little flower power goes a long way (too much and it’s like your tasting soap or your grandma’s face powder) but thankfully Miche is there to guide you in discovering the culinary world of flowers.
What Katie Ate, Volume 1 by Katie Quinn Davies
So technically this book came out last year, but I’m totally going to ignore that because if you haven’t seen this book you need to. Sure the recipes are wonderful (I’m so making her mushroom and bacon risotto with poached egg as soon as I get my hands on some chestnut mushrooms, whatever the heck those are) but it’s the gorgeous dark and moody photographs that make me want to dive right in. Rustic and beautiful, I’m anxiously awaiting Volume 2!
So I’m giving away a copy of Katie Quinn Davies’ What Katie Ate, Volume 1! As I raved about above, it’s an insanely crazy beautiful cookbook filled with moody dark images of food all dripping and crumbly. I’m super thrilled that I can offer one copy to you guys.
All you gotta do to enter is leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite blog or site is with the MOST GORGEOUS PHOTOS ever! I love discovering new blogs, sites and people, especially with all the incredible talented folks out there on the interweb. It doesn’t have to be a food blog (though I absolutely love to look at food photography). I just want to know where you go when you’re surfing the web for gorgeous photography. I need inspiration folks! Send me your recommendations! You could win a cookbook!
The fine print – PLEASE READ
By leaving a comment below to enter, you are agreeing to the Official Rules.
▪ NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
▪ VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
▪ You must be over the age of 18.
▪ This contest is only open to U.S. Citizens. Sorry non-US people!
▪ The contest starts as of today, and will run until Sunday June 30th, 2013, 9am PST.
▪ The retail value of the book is $40.
▪ The winner will be chosen by a randomly selected comment. All comments will be numbered and I will use Random.org to pick a random number.
▪ The number of eligible comments below determines the odds of winning.
▪ If there’s a problem with contacting the winner, I reserve the right to award everything to someone else randomly chosen. So in other words, make sure you type in your correct email address if you want the membership and respond within a week to me when I contact you or I’ll give everything to someone else.
▪ This book will be coming directly from the publisher, which means, I can’t guarantee that I’ll get it to you in a timely fashion. If you haven’t gotten the book from the publisher in a few weeks, please email me again and I’ll check with the publisher. Sometimes things take a bit of time.
This giveaway is closed! Thank you for entering
Special thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, John Wiley and Sons, Quirk Books, Ryland Peters & Small, Sasquatch Books, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, Ten Speed Press, Ulysses Press, Viking Studio, and William Morrow for providing review copies of their books. Even though the cookbooks above were provided without charge, I was not monetarily compensated and all opinions are my own.
Anna says
I would love to win these books!! Thanks so much for this opportunity! 🙂
Anna says
I forgot the website!! I love this site: http://www.latartinegourmande.com Béa is incredible with photos
Shannon says
use real butter is definitely a good one 🙂
Rebecca says
I think Faith G. at http://www.anediblemosaic.com is really coming along with her photography. She pays so much attention to detail, food styling, and props.
Magda says
Chestnut mushrooms are mini portobello mushrooms.
Julie says
I loooooove the photography + food on The Year in Food (theyearinfood.com) !
penny says
this guy and his thai food and travels. my poor mom gets my requests for random things whenever I see something that pops up that I NEED to eat.
http://www.austinbushphotography.com/blog
Amy says
These posts are totally not helping my bad bad cookbook addiction! Bookshelves are now groaning audibly…
As for beautiful, real food photography, I love
http://www.lottieanddoof.com/
Mariah says
I love her pictures and love she has a lot of sweet and savory recipes.
Mariah says
Opps forgot the website: http://joythebaker.com/
Heather says
I first found Billy’s blog as a year long visitor to Australia who was looking for good eats in Sydney. A year later he’s a contestant on MasterChef Australia, and shortly thereafter I was testing recipes for his first cookbook.
http://atablefortwo.com.au/
Katie says
Wow, what a gorgeous book/blog. Thank you for sharing. I would love to win this cookbook!
Ryan says
I’ve been eyeing Vegetable Literacy for a while – I can hear my bookcase groaning from here – and I love Shauna’s new book. The photographs on What Katie Ate are absolutely stunning. I really enjoy the photographs at Local Milk as well:
http://localmilk.blogspot.com/
Vanieca says
I love the recipes and gorgeous photos on http://www.smittenkitchen.com.
Amy Kim (@kimchi_mom) says
MOST gorgeous? That’s a tough one, but here’s work that always surprises me. LOVE this work….
http://henryhargreaves.com/
I really enjoyed his series on Rock/Pop star’s riders… http://henryhargreaves.com/post/49592696482/band-riders
And this series were all taken using a scanner…
http://henryhargreaves.com/post/23937216541/jewelry-story-shot-with-a-scanner-not-a-camera
Awesome stuff!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
Thank you for the include on your fabulous round-up, my dear (and your sweet words… I’m glad you don’t hate me 🙂 ) I actually don’t have Katie’s cookbook yet, which is hard to believe since my shelves are overflowing with every cookbook ever made!
Sarah says
I love the Honey and Jam blog. The pictures are so gorgeous!
Angel says
I love pioneer woman’s blog,she takes incredible pictures, I also like smitten kitchen !
Kim McCallie says
One of my favorite blogs is Cookies and Cups, very much needs a cookbook. What a great selection of cookbooks. Would love to add to my collection!
Kristin says
This is such a great list, and I can’t wait to flip through them all! I think my favorite website to look at photos is Messy Nessy Chic – while it’s not a food blog or even a photo blog, the lady who runs it finds the most interesting stories (and then, of course, pictures!) and I love reading and looking at almost everything she posts.
Laura W says
So many books and so little time…I’m so envious of you Irvin!
Christina says
One of my favorite blogs is http://thevanillabeanblog.com/. Her writing and photography calm me after a hectic day. And because I can’t pick just one: http://pinkpatisserie.blogspot.com/, because everything looks beautiful and perfect and delicious.
Robin says
These cookbooks look fabulous! Some were already on my list–yay!
alexandra @ sweet betweens blog says
Thanks for hosting a fantastic giveaway for a cookbook junkie like me!
I have to shout out to local TN photographer/foodie Beth from local milk [http://localmilk.blogspot.com/] who has absolutely stunning photos.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I need to get a few cookbooks, i.e Katie’s, Cooking with Flowers and Ottolenghi’s fab cookbook — but unsure if my book case can hold any more weight!! Yikes 😀
Leslie N says
Other than your blog, I always check out Our Best Bites, David Lebovitz, and Tea and Cookies! Thank you for sharing your favorite cook books.
Eileen says
http://twistedsifter.com
Awesome awesome photo collections on this site!
Gerald says
I like http://www.whiteonricecouple.com
Glenn says
Great post. I would love to win!
I’m a big fan of http://www.cherrymenlove.com
Nancy A. says
I love your site!! The recipes are awesome, but when you take pictures of your road trips, they are gorgeous and make me feel like I am there! I show my husband your beautiful pictures and he is impressed with them. Keep the travel pics coming!! Would love to win this cookbook, I love cookbooks and read them like novels!
Caroline Bull says
Smitten Kitchen http://smittenkitchen.com/ never fails to inspire me to cook with her photos.
Barry Dixon says
What a truly great selection of cookbooks. Being a cookbook-aholic, I bought 2 immediately! Thanks for doing a great job!
Barry Dixon says
Oops! I love welled homestead.com
Barry Dixon says
wellfedhomestead.com. I’ll get this right yet!
Barry Dixon says
http://wellfedhomestead.com
Jessica @ Burlap and Butter Knives says
oh that is SUCH a tough one!!! I LOVE Healthy Green Kitchen (her photos are always amazing) but I also LOVE Sweet Remedy (her photos are like oil paintings and I love them)
Jeannine DiBart says
I love the photos on smitten kitchen. Great give-away, thanks!
Cori says
I love the blog Eat Live Run. Thanks for helping me expand my cookbook collection with your great suggestions.
Y. N. says
I am a huge of Sarah Britton’s website: http://www.mynewroots.org/site/. The recipes are delicious and the photography happens to be quite lovely and stunning. I highly recommend looking at her blog.
Holly says
I think the Roost blog has the most gorgeous photos. They are similar to Katie’s in mood. http://roostblog.com/roost?page=6 . I also love Hannah’s Honey and Jam blog http://www.honeyandjam.com/ and Emi’s Gobo Root blog http://www.goboroot.com/quinoa-and-poached-egg-salad/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+goboroot%2FxTfQ+%28Gobo+Root%29.
Lina says
Food photography is the best…I get to admire the beauty and artistry that others have put into food, but without the calories 🙂
Call me cupcake is one of my favorite sites for food gawking.
http://www.callmecupcake.se/
Michael says
So many pictures, so much to eat, so many belt notches to add. . .check out this site: http://sweetapolita.com/
Margie MacKenzie says
Caroline of Taste Love Nourish http://www.tasteloveandnourish.com is a true artist. Her photos are stunning and her recipes inventive, healthy and fun.
Sue says
I’m a fan of http;//www.thelittlekitchen.net/
Would love to win this time around!
BhiveDesign says
Love, love Katie Quinn Davies…and What Katie Ate. It was the first food blog I ever read in earnest and her Christmas editions were wonderful! Her story is a great one and her photography top notch. Would just love that cookbook.
Zan C says
The Pioneer woman does a great job with her photography. I have to have a cookbook that includes chestnut mushrooms as an ingredient! Thank you for the giveaway offer!
Robyn says
Amazing giveaway! I really love Roost (http://roostblog.com/) and Cannelle et Vanille (http://www.cannellevanille.com/)!
Lacey says
I love Flak Photo!
k.d. says
I have two favorite blogs, yours and http://www.remedialeating.com Molly’s blog is delicious in every way! Hope you love it, too!
jennifer says
Great list! I definitely have to try a few of them. For me it’s all about the pictures, I need to see what it is I’m supposed to be creating!
NN says
A favorite blog of mine is My New Roots by Sarah Britton.
Arthur in the Garden! says
Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” is THE manual for vegetarian cooking.
S. I. says
I love sweetapolita too! This cookbook looks fantastic! I am trying your speculaa recipe this minute. Just chilling the dough for a sec. My 4 yr old and I could have devoured it before baking, even.
skeindalous says
One of my favorite blogs is ‘Needled’ by Kate Davies. She lives in Edinburgh and writea about Scotland (especially the wilder bits, and the islands) and knitting and textiles. Her photos are wonderful of the countryside, the city, the flowers, and…..the textiles! Highly recommended.
Tess says
These cookbooks look incredible! I’ve always dreamed of working my way through an entire cookbook and maybe this is the summer I’ll do it!
Katherine says
I really like the Edible Perspective – http://www.edibleperspective.com
JoAnn says
I LOVE the photos in all Thomas Keller cookbooks. Bouchon would probably be my favorite. 🙂
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
There is so many sites with gorgeous photos that I love. One of them is definitely Vanessa Rees’ site: http://vkreesphotography.com/
Love this giveaway!
Katy says
What Katie Ate is one of my favs! I bought that book for my dad for Christmas and would love a copy for myself!
Jager Foods says
I made a Ratatouille Roman Style from a German cookbook I’ve had on my shelf for the past 20+ years and never used before. It turned out great and got me looking at the rest of my German cookbook 🙂 Here is the recipe if you’re interested:
http://www.jagerfoods.com/food/ratatoull-roman-style/
Marcia says
Joy the Baker has just beautiful pictures! I love her writing, and story telling too.
Miss Kim @ behgopa says
Joy the Baker and your blog are two of my favs! I love both your styles of writing and humor..and of course, the jazzy photos.
I love summer in SF. It is just way too hot here in LA. I lived in SF for a year way back when, and I totally remember wearing puffer jackets in the middle of June. Envy you guys!
Nicoletta 72 says
Thank you for this opportunity. I made so many of the recipes you suggested!!! And they all turned delicoius. One of my favourite blogs is MANGER http://mimithorisson.com , great recipes and marvelous pics.
Brittany says
Amazing! I love all these recommendations. I’ve been eyeing Kate’s book for a while now…fingers crossed!
Karen says
Willow bird baking, has gorgeous desserts, yumminess!,