The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

Everything I know about cooking I learned from my mother.

True, she's never taught me any recipes but she taught me to cook with my imagination.

I never once saw her consult a cookbook, but yet dinner every night was always delicious and satisfying. And a better meal than you would find at many restaurants in Baltimore.

Thanks to her I've never been contained by recipes. If I'm cooking something for the first time, I'll read several similar recipes and then make it up from there.

I use measuring cups but I'm never precise about cooking measurements. And I love to experiment with different flavors and spices.

Sometimes my creations flop, but I'd like to think that they are successful more often than not.

So I'm thrilled to hear that Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have written a book about "culinary creativity":

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

Page and Dornenburg are the team that has brought us many award-winning foodie books including:

• Becoming a Chef
• Culinary Artistry
• What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea - Even Water - Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers

Honestly, I rarely buy cookbooks-- I just don't use them since I prefer to make it up as I go along.

The last "cookbook" I bought was How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science by Russ Parsons which I highly recommend; in fact I'd like to also get a copy of Parsons's How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table.

I think I'll put both The Flavor Bible and How to Pick a Peach on my Christmas list!

Summer Reading

As you have no doubt noticed, my reading pace has slowed down considerably now that it's summer time.

For a lot of people, summer means finally some time to read.

For me, summer means warm sunny days, long walks, breathtaking hikes, kayaking, swimming, and playing tennis.

I read more frequently the days are shorter and the nights are cold.

For those of you looking for some summer reads, I'll recommend three books.

Fiction
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I've written about this book quite a bit so I won't bore you with a re-hash (click here for all my posts about this book).

It's an easy read, beautifully written, and thoroughly enthralling. You'll have trouble putting it down.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Non-Fiction
How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science by Russ Parsons

I love to eat and for me Summer is all about grilling and cook-outs.

How to Read a French Fry is one of my favorite books because it teaches readers all about the science of cooking in clear, concise, entertaining writing. And it's got great recipes!

Check out this review from the Atlantic to learn more and to try some of Parsons's recipes.

Bachelor Girl: 100 Years of Breaking the Rules–a Social History of Living Single by Betsy Israel.

As one reviewer on Amazon.com says:

Betsy Israel's book takes a look at single women in the United States, specifically in New York City. I think because Israel isn't single herself, she's able to approach the subject with more objectivity. She begins at the end of the 19th century, with the "singly blessed," (a great term, I think) and continues through the decades, with the Bowery Gals, shop girls, flappers, Gibson Girls, the Riveting Rosie of WWII (both of the latter being completely made up stereotypes), the career girl. It seems as though single women in America have never fit into one category, even though the rest of society tries to place her in one.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Happy reading!