A HEAVY STOCKING THIS YEAR...

This Christmas a theme developed in my family's gift giving: sandwiches of knowledge wedged between two hardback covers. Fourteen to be exact, half antique and half contemporary. This was my brother's first year of actual gift giving, as for the first fifteen years of his life he got away with adding his name to the card and getting off scott free otherwise. Not so, this year. This year he had to think up a gift, and then have my dad or myself chauffeur him to procure said gift. So, he and my dad jetted off to Janet Jarvis's Cook Book Store in Pasadena, to hunt down antique cook books they thought I'd enjoy. Bullseye. My weakness had been discovered and thoroughly exploited. Hats off, Henry, on your first round of gift giving! These cookbooks are just too fabulous and I can't wait to read through all of them. Check them out below and enjoy!

The vintage books...

90% of his reason for buying this book was the inscription to the previous owner...

"It's a good thing that Thanksgiving turkey was already dead, cause the way you carved (?) it was really murder!"

HA! Awesome. I just love the pluck on Sandy for leaving that note in pen for all of posterity to enjoy. At least she had the decency to conceal the "murderer's" name.

Illustrations too!

My friend Carly got me these adorable pamphlets. I LOVE the house wife enjoying her new Osterizer.

Recipes from the 17th and 18th century. Looks like I'll be brushing up on my Dutch Oven skills.

This long-winded love letter to whiskey and the martini, America's greatest endowment to mankind, is utterly charming.

"California is more than a state-it's a way of life." Apparently salad has always been the lynch pin of our lifestyle, changed only by a slow evolution from cream cheese and buttermilk and egg yolks in our dressing to simpler vinaigrettes.

The ultimate dad gift. Now all I have to do is find some bear...

I love these pretend newspaper cut outs with wifely tips. My favorite idea: wrap a brick in decorative paper for an inexpensive book end!

The new stuff...
Sisters whose California style has gained favor with celebs like Jennifer Aniston, The Family Chef is a collection of their favorite recipes.
This famed bakery from NYC produces vegan and gluten free desserts. I can't wait to wrap my head around the science of it.

I bought my brother a tortilla press for Christmas, so I can't wait to bust out a few recipes from the master, Rick Bayless.

My boyfriend got me a fascinating exploration of the world of oysters. A Geography of Oysters is a lovely blend of geography, biology, history, and philosophy, and a necessary read for any blossoming ostreaphile.

The perfect blend of information and wit, A Hedonist in the Cellar examines the world of wine through the essays of Jay McInerney.

And then there's Momofuku, Japanese for lucky peach. Everything about this book appeals to me. Unapologetic recipes, candid writing, and intimate photography. The book is worth buying for the pork belly and slow poached egg recipes alone.