Bookish Holidays | Cookbooks for your Favorite Foodie
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© 2024 Lain likes reading
Anddd we’re back with another bookish holiday gift guide! Today, we’re talking cookbooks.
One of my husband and I’s favorite gifts to both give and receive are cookbooks! He’s the chef in our house, and I’m the baker (though he is also the bread-master) so we have quite a variety of cookbooks in our collection.
A part of what makes a cookbook such a meaningful and reliable gift is that they’re convenient and easy to shop for but also offer utility — they can be a decorative addition to the kitchen while also being something you can use often.
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Read on for my husband and I’s favorite cookbooks, and a few I have my eye on to give and (hopefully!) receive this year:
Cast Iron Skillet One-Pan Meals by Jackie Freeman
We received this as a gift from my in-laws last year and it quickly became one of the most used cookbooks on our shelf. I mean, who doesn’t love one-pan recipes?
A few years ago, we experimented with eating primarily vegan and this cookbook was essentially our bible for months. While we don’t eat exclusively vegan anymore, we still cook from this book regularly — it helped us branch out and get more creative in the kitchen while also encouraging us to cook with a much larger variety of ingredients than a typical American diet. I especially loved learning how to make homemade sauces, dressings, etc. so we don’t rely on store-bought as much!
The First Mess by Laura Wright
My husband gifted me this cookbook for Christmas a few years ago and it makes me feel like a true homestead woman. It contains plant-based recipes and encourages cooking based on what’s in season — someday I hope to have a kitchen garden of my own to really put this cookbook to good use! This book also has beautiful food photography and is one of my favorites to flip through.
Run Fast, East Slow by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky
This was one of my Christmas gifts last year (are you seeing a theme here?) and I highly recommend it for runners/athletes! It’s co-written by an Olympian marathoner and chef and offers both inspiring stories and nutritional recipes. There’s no talk about dieting, restrictive eating, or obsessing over calories — it’s all about embracing food as fuel and emphasizing that a balanced diet can be attainable, delicious, and help you reach your fitness goals.
Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish
I gifted this to my husband a few years ago and it’s been a workhorse in his bread baking journey! Here’s his endorsement: “This is a great intro to understanding how to bake bread and holds your hand through the process. Also a great starting place for baking homemade pizza crust!”
Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson
This was my husband’s gift last year and seems to be his preferred bread book. His endorsement: “This is definitely a step up from Flour Water Salt Yeast. It has the best burger bun recipe and explains how to better manage and tend to your yeast culture.” (This one also looks real nice on a kitchen shelf book stack).
The Comfortable Kitchen by Alex Snodgrass
I’ve followed Alex on Instagram for a few years and I would love to add her OG cookbook to our collection! I’m immediately drawn to any type of home cooking that’s described as healthy, comfort cooking.
King Arthur’s Baking Companion
I have a current fixation on King Arthur and would love to add this baking basics cookbook to our collection. I often find myself Googling random baking questions and love the idea of being able to reference a tangible book instead.
We eat A LOT of Mexican inspired food both in and outside of our home and I’ve had my eye on this cookbook for a long time. This one seems to be both a love letter to Mexico and its cuisine while incorporating rich and complex recipes — also, how beautiful is this cover?
Happy Holidays & happy cooking!
Lain
