Sunday, July 28 – 6:00pm
Summer has arrived, and with it – picnic season! Which seemed like an appropriate time to do a sandwich cookbook. We used Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book. The book’s subtitle is “The Best Sandwiches Ever—from Thursday Nights at Campanile”, which aptly describes what the cookbook is all about… the best recipes that came out of sandwich night at Silverton’s popular LA restaurant Campanile (sadly no longer open). (more…)
Sunday, June 9 – 5:00pm
In June we also had a bonus event thrown by Jennifer using Margarita Manzke’s Baking at Republique. Republique is a beloved LA eatery, especially known for its baked goods. Now for those of you who have been following along, you’ll know that we did an all-dessert event in the past (read all about it here) with mixed results due to sugar overload. But I personally am a big fan of Margarita Manzke’s creations, so I was willing to give this all-baked goods event a go. (more…)
Saturday, June 15 – 6:00pm
For our June cookbook, we used Marcus Samuelsson’s The Soul of a New Cuisine. Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden by adoptive parents. In this cookbook he returns to the continent of his birth to explore the foods and flavors of Africa, including traditional dishes as well as his own African-inspired creations. (more…)
Sunday, May 19 – 6:00pm
Our May cookbook was The Food Lab by J. Kenzi Lopez-Alt. The book delves into the science behind cooking. It includes experiments to test food myths, and provides techniques that the home cook can use to achieve better results than some conventional methods. (more…)
Sunday, March 31 – 6:00pm
I was traveling in April and wasn’t able to make either of the regular Cookbook Club events. Sounds like I missed out, because instead of using a cookbook they did an iron chef competition where I hear people went all out and made some spectacular dishes! Just before I left I did manage to make it to a bonus event where we used the Chin Chin cookbook by Benjamin Cooper, so that’s what I’m writing about this month. We did it as a bonus event because Chin Chin The Book is pretty hard to find – Sheana was gifted it by a friend who purchased it while visiting the restaurant in Melbourne, but I wasn’t even able to find it on Amazon! (more…)
Saturday, March 16 – 7:00pm
Our March cookbook was The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen by Amelia Saltsman. Her recipes offer a farm-to-table inspired take on traditional and contemporary Jewish cooking. The book is divided into six micro-seasons that tie the dishes to Jewish traditions. (more…)
Sunday, February 24 – 6:00pm
For February, we used The Immigrant Cookbook by Leyla Moushabeck. In the book, Moushabeck has collected recipes by immigrant chefs from around the world. Each recipe highlights the origin of the dish, and includes a pic and bit about the chef. (more…)
Sunday, January 27 – 6:00pm
For our first cookbook of 2019, we used Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries. In it, he presents a yearlong record of his cooking and entertaining. Because he talks about the food he eats as he progresses through the year, you get to see seasonal dishes and ingredients. And you can eat quite a lot in a year, so there are many recipes to choose from. (more…)
Sunday, December 9 – 6:00pm
To wrap up 2018, we decided to do December’s Cookbook Club as a year-in-review event – people could choose a recipe from any of the cookbooks we have used in the last year. This was a fun way to revisit an old favorite, or get another shot at a past recipe you might have been eyeing. And it was a great look back at all of the wonderful cooking and eating we did in 2018! (more…)
Saturday, November 10 – 5:00pm
We decided to reprise our Thanksgiving celebration of two years ago – foregoing the assigned cookbook and instead asking everyone to bring a favorite Thanksgiving dish or one they’ve been wanting to try. Having a Friendsgiving party is a fun way to kick off the holidays (or what I like to think of as the biggest eating time of year) before lots of people depart to celebrate with family. It was also a great time to take a moment to appreciate just how much joy Cookbook Club has brought to my life – I’m so thankful for all of the good eats and great friends I’ve made because of it. (more…)