It seems the only time I need trivets is when guests are over. And, unfortunately, my motley collection of trivets does not match and it makes the dining table look a shade of ridiculous. These bakers from Crate & Barrel may be the answer. They come with their own custom cork trivet and look so sleek and modern. For other platters, you could simply custom cut pieces of cork (easily found at hardware stores or online) to keep the look uniform.
White Cork Bakers from Crate & Barrel
How adorable are these polka dot baking dishes from Spode? Can you imagine serving up a dish at a baby boy’s shower in the light blue polka dot baker? Or seeing little Grand Marnier or lemon soufflés popping out of the top of the ramekins? Too cute!
Baking dishes from Spode (available at Belk or Macy's)
The bottom shelf features "staple" cookbooks along with inspiring reads
When we remodeled our kitchen last month we added custom built-in shelves for cookbooks. It was quite an ordeal, let me tell you, to decide which of our hundred-plus cookbooks would receive the honor of being placed on one of the three shelves. After a painstaking, exhausting process, I narrowed down the list to a select group of dog-eared, food-stained favorites. In the second part of this series on my favored “go-to” cookbooks, I’ll start the process of working, shelf-by shelf, through the cookbooks — some of which are classic and time-honored and others that are great sources of culinary inspiration.
The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
I’ll start with the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. This was THE cookbook that perpetually graced our kitchen countertop when I was growing up. It has been so well-used in our family, that my mother’s copy is completely tattered and torn, and rightly so. She has been using it since August 31, 1964 — the day she bought it and signed her name and date on the inside cover. Her’s is the 10th edition of the original version, called the Boston Cooking-School Cookbook (we’re from Boston so it seems only right that it was a staple in our library…). The original version was written by Fannie Merritt Farmer and published in 1896. Marion Cunningham updated it in 1979, making it a household name once again.
And so you can understand why this was one of the very first cookbooks that I ever bought when I moved away from home. Flipping through the pages is like channeling my mother’s cooking.
The cookbook is perfect for staple recipes and classic dishes and I find it to be a great reference for understanding the building blocks of recipes. It’s a throw back to simple, fuss-free entertaining, which is one of the things that I love about it. Marion Cunningham says that, “every meal should be a small celebration.” I couldn’t agree more!
On the inside covers of the book are convenient conversion charts and tips and tricks: “A brief blanching in boiling water often facilitates peeling…”; roasting temperatures; and what to do to correct a broken hollandaise…
The inside front cover of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook
The cookbook has recipes for classic chicken coup, the “Best Brownies,” Coconut Macaroons, Beef Stroganoff, “Special Waffles”…
One of my favorite recipes from growing up was “Shrimp Wiggle,” which my mother re-named “Sunday Delight” so us kids would actually eat it. It’s essentially peas and shrimp stirred into a béchamel sauce and served over toast or crackers. It is like comfort food to me (and nothing short of bizarre to my husband and friends) — and it was the recipe that taught me how to make a good béchamel, for which I am grateful!
The first shelf of our kitchen cookbook selections also include Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home, The Martha Stewart Cookbook, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol 1, and Patrick O’Connell’s The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion – out of which I’ll pull a few favorite recipes and tips for coming posts. So stay tuned!
The central element to any at-home celebration — be it a cocktail party, engagement party, or a casual dinner with friends — is food. Not mediocre food. Good food.
My goal is always to create a menu that guests will devour with their eyes and nose before they even take a bite. Doing that is rarely a quick process, though. Like studying for an exam, building a great menu takes time and research and so I often find myself typing that magical URL, Epicurious, into my browser as a way to get started. But for me, there is still nothing better than flipping through the pages of a well-worn cookbook to create a fabulous menu.
For me, a cookbook reads like a novel. I pour over its pages, soaking up every word and picture, analyzing the list of ingredients, and figuring out whether the instructions would be like attempting a Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle — frustrating and rarely completed.
Over the years I have found myself turning to some of the same cookbooks time and again, and falling in love with new cookbooks when they are added to my shelves.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some of my favorite, go-to cookbooks that I keep in my cookbook shelves in my (new!!) kitchen.
I am head-over-heels for the built-in cookbook shelves in our new kitchen!
Some of my favorite cookbooks...
Stay tuned for a shelf-by-shelf look at a few of my favorite cookbooks and some tried-and-true recipes I love from each. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
We’re remodeling our kitchen in a couple of weeks and so I’ve begun the process of cleaning out cabinets and drawers in preparation for the new cabinets. It’s amazing what kitchen tools we’ve accumulated over the years. As people who love to cook, we’ve become “gadget and appliance freaks,” always loving to try new tools.
But the process of purging and sorting has really made me think about what the essential tools of the kitchen really are. What are the things that I could not do without? Here’s a list of my essentials — which I’d highly recommend adding to any registry!
All Clad Measuring cups and spoons — I am in love with these measuring cups and spoons and am still grateful to the friends who gave them to us as a wedding present! I love that the 1 cup measuring cup has marks for smaller quantities like 1/4 cup and 3/4 cups, that way I don’t have to dirty multiple measuring cups. They are also very sturdy and feel substantial in the hand.
All Clad measuring cups and spoons
Kitchen Aid Mixer — Makes the perfect batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. Need I say more?
Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer
Heat-resistant silicone spatula — I use this when I cook, when I bake… it is my go-to mixing spoon and I love that I never have to worry about it melting.
OXO heatproof silicone spatula
Nesting bowls — I use these every day. Ev-er-y-day! I keep them in the cupboard in two sets so that they are easier to lift out.
glass nesting bowls
Colander — I prefer this type of colander to the large mesh colanders as the latter are very hard to clean — especially after draining pasta.
Footed Colander
Creamer — My Apilco Creamer comes in handy for not only serving up cream with coffee, but also when making small batches of vinaigrettes or for serving sauces.
Apilco Porcelain Creamer
Zester — We use this microplane zester way more than I ever would have imagined. It is easy to use and washes fairly easily, too.
Microplane Rasp Grater
Whirly Pop — OK, this may not be an essential, but I really can’t live without it! My husband and I love homemade popcorn and the Whirly Pop makes the best popcorn we’ve ever had.
Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper
The Rex & Regina Blog shares both trendy and traditional ways to extend gracious hospitality through weddings, other social occasions, and at-home entertaining. Learn more about Rex & Regina.