the preservation kitchen

I’m probably being a bit ambitious, but I’m still planning to get some preserving done this spring/summer/fall even though I now have a little one who loves to be in my arms at all times. To pump myself up, I bought a new cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-Doux. 

It was just what I needed for inspiration. Pickled cherry bomb peppers, milk jam (sort of like dulce de leche), pressed eggplant in olive oil...so many good recipes!

I won’t be tackling anything too crazy, but I am hoping to at least add a couple of new pickles or preserves into my repertoire and my pantry.  

farm anatomy

Farm Anatomy has quickly become one of my favourite books from 2011. Covering everything from barn styles to how a cow's stomach works, this illustrated guide to the basics of farm living has me daydreaming about moving out of the city and settling down on a small hobby farm somewhere in rural Ontario. 

books, books, books

Here’s a pile of books that my bro gave me for Christmas this year. It’s a mix of novels, manga and, of course, cookbooks. I’ve been on a self-imposed cookbook-buying ban since mid-October so it felt good to get some new food porn.

food manga

I've always been a bit of a graphic novel nerd, and lately I've been reading a lot of Japanese food manga. It started with my favourite food manga so far, the Oishinbo series, which I read a couple of years back. Each volume focuses on a category of Japanese food (like rice, sake or sushi). The lead character has a condescending and sarcastic sense of humour which I particularly enjoyed.

I started reading Yakitate!! Ja-pan a couple of months ago. It's about a boy on a mission to create a national bread for Japan. I love how his "gift" is his exceptionally warm "solar hands" that allow the yeast in his bread to ferment faster and rise better when baking. 

Toriko is the most recent addition to my manga collection. It centres around a "gourmet hunter" who specializes in acquiring rare and extravagant ingredients. I've only read one volume, but so far it's action-packed (in a hilarious way).

odd bits

Jennifer McLagan's cookbooks are some of the most-loved (and most-used) cookbooks on my shelf. Bones, Fat and now Odd Bits, all celebrate the parts of an animal that often get neglected—the innards, organs and leftover cuts.

I’m actually a fan of those parts. It's the odd bits that offer such great textures and tastes. Saute me up some gizzards (just a splash of soy, lots of green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil). Trotters and tails? Yes, please (they do wonders for soups). And don’t get me started on my love for pig face (sisig is one of my all-time favourite Filipino dishes and consists of a sizzling plate of sliced pig ears, jowls and other random head pieces).

But then there's tripe. My arch nemesis. I can't stand it. But I'm willing to give it another try. I might even try McLagan's minted tripe and pea salad. 

lucky peach magazine

I finally received my first issue of David Chang's Lucky Peach magazine and it's all about ramen. I attempted to make ramen from scratch once (actually using Chang's recipe from the Momofuku cookbook) and the entire process took days. Not sure I'll be doing that again.

books!

Two new cookbooks somehow appeared on my bookshelf this week.

The Japanese Grill was a bit of an impulsive buy. I had just spent an hour or so looking up authentic tabletop yakitori grills (I don't even remember why) and came across this book. I wish there were more pictures, but most of all I wish I had a bbq that I could try some of the recipes on.

Check out those macaroon ice cream sandwiches! Jeni's ice creams are apparently delicious so I was super happy when I spotted this book a few weeks back. Now that it's sweltering outside I've been craving ice cream like a madwoman. I'll be giving my ice cream maker a good workout this weekend.

great food series

Recently, I've started reading Penguin's Great Food Series. A tribute to some of the most influential food writers of all time, the series spans the last 400 years and celebrates everything from recipes and entertaining to etiquette and social issues. I only have six of the 20 books, but am excited to add the rest to my ever-growing book collection. So far, I've found each volume to be relevant, amusing and most of all, inspiring. Also, take a look at those covers! They're a thing of beauty.

* images from Penguin

yard sale-ing

I dropped into the annual Trinity Bellwoods yard sale on Saturday morning. It was busy (and hot!), but I scored a couple of sweet deals.

This General Food Kitchen Cookbook from 1959 was $1. Some of the recipes and pics are hilarious (who wants to fight for that sardine, boiled egg and tomato sandwich?) and uber-kitschy (where can I get a soup tureen that looks like a head of cabbage?).

I was really drawn to these needlepoint pieces for some reason. They were $1 each.

bags packed

Joe and I booked a 10-day trip to London and Paris way back in January. We found some good deals on flights and hotels and figured the advanced planning would give us something to look forward to. Well, we're finally leaving! There will be lots of eating on this trip, so expect to see too many food pics when I return. 

preserve planning

I sat down over the weekend and started thinking about what I wanted to preserve this summer. On my list: candied jalapenos (blogged here), red pepper jelly (blogged here), crunchy dill pickles/cornichons, peaches, cherries and some sort of relish or salsa.

I'm also pumped about this book arriving in my mailbox soon!

Some of last year's goods.

country life

I recently subscribed to this magazine and I'm pretty excited to get my first issue. Even though I live in the city, I often dream about moving to the country.