At first glance I thought this little paperback was not going to work for me. Boy, was I wrong! I ended up reading every page and learning a lot. I also started tabbing pages to mark recipes that I wanted to make and finally stopped because I would have tabbed practically the whole book. 

We've all seen these lists before, of the essential ingredients we should keep in our well-stocked pantry. Pennington takes this a step further and gives you lots of great ideas for food that you can make reasonably quickly if you keep the makings on hand. She is...

I'm going to buy this book. I don't have much of a taste for baked goods anymore, and I stay away from them because most recipes are nothing but sugar and fat and my body really doesn't need that! But this book sounds like it could have some things for that occasional treat. Thanks very much for the review, Heidi.

I like single-topic books like this one because I feel like if I really study it, I can master, or near-master a technique or ingredient. That seems like progress! This book is filled with ideas for using simple, fresh ingredients to create delicious dishes. I'm drawn to the idea of adding more beans to my diet because of it. Wish I had more access locally to the heirloom beans Sando describes, but there is always mail order.

I discovered this book from reading David's blog, which I love, so it's a great deal of fun to read a whole book written in his entertaining style. I generally don't bake or eat desserts, so, unfortunately, I can't make the most of the recipes, although they look very tempting. I highly recommend the book, though, as it is sure to make you smile, if not laugh out loud. 

This little book from San-Francisco-based food writer and teacher Tori Ritchie is a gem. Lots of yummy ideas for cold weather, both meat and vegetables. Since they are braised dishes, they do take some time, so I tend to turn to this book mostly on weekends. Every recipe has turned out very well except the Turkey Posole, which lacked flavor, and I thought was really not worth the effort. 

I love cooking braised dishes as they are "forgiving," and usually turn out well even if you don't follow the recipe exactly. Braises and Stews provides a great jumping-off point for those...

This is a great paperback book to keep at your desk or in your car so you can refer to it quickly when you need help with weekday dinners. I've tried a lot of the recipes, and they are tasty, easy and relatively quick to make. Recipes are arranged by season, which is a nice touch, and each recipe has a picture, which always helps inspire me. One irritation: The nutritional information is published in an alphabetical listing in the back of the book, not on the same page as the recipe. These recipes were originally published in the Everyday...