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| Photo via Pure Green Magazine |
I hate waste. My friend Candice used to joke that I'm like a grandpa raised in the Depression: fishing scraps of materials out of your waste basket to put on my craft supply shelf and turning off lights and unplugging appliances behind you. I feel guilty when I let leftovers age past the point of safety, and even guiltier when I let produce go untouched completely. In our house, when we know we won't get around to our produce, it is pickled, turned into preserves, or just plain frozen. Less guilt, money saved, and I always have a jar of something tasty on hand when I'm a dinner guest or when I'd like to repay a small favor.
Athenians may know author Tamar Adler as the founding head chef of Farm 255, a restaurant I miss sorely already. The book is subtitled "cooking with economy and grace." I love this book so much and I feel like a broken record excitedly referring to it in conversation daily. With thought, care, and a little planning, you can eat and entertain well on a budget. The leftovers from last night's meal become the inspiration for tonight. Quality ingredients are worth their cost when nothing goes to waste, and an egg a pot of beans can be magical and delicious enough for company. While full of recipes, I think of this book less as a cookbook and more as a strategy. The prose is enjoyable, and I've been reading it start to finish rather than jumping around to recipes. This book really warrants it's own blog post, and if I had the funds, I'd buy a copy of it for everyone I know.
Colin Meloy's story-telling (already known to Decemberists fans) is engaging but approachable enough for a bedtime read on the drowsiest of nights, and Carson Ellis's woodland illustrations are magical. Now that there are three books in the series, I need to catch up!
A book about a bookstore with a secret section of esoteric antique texts eccentric nocturnal customers borrow. That's all it takes to hook me. The glow in the dark cover beckons from the dresser once you've turned out your bedside lamp.
Okay, so I fibbed with this one for the sake of having five items. I'm not currently reading this, but my roommate is, and I'm next in line when she finishes.
What are you reading this month? Leave me recommendations in the comments, please!
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