Received from billsmith as part of our 2004 BC Baseball pool. Finally, being a Red Sox fan has paid off! Thanks Bill!

The author is a wee bit pretentious, but I enjoyed this read anyway, since I'm nearly as much of a food snob as she is. I'll keep this in my reserve pile for awhile until I have a chance to experiment with some of the recipes.

Loaned to Meg.

Received back from Meg, who enjoyed it.

A chick lit foodie book? Is it really? Well, that's how it looks. And I'm good with that :) I've been totally into "junk food" reading to start my year, and this looks like it's right up my alley. And of course, being a fan of the cafe latte, (no, it's not a drink with an umbrella in it!), I like the title too.

Thanks -- this looks fun.

Ant, a Broncos fan

I needed something light and fun to read on the back deck yesterday when I finished working, and this was just the ticket! I had just put it into a pile of books to get ready for The Chef's Challenge hosted by eggiweg, in honor of her son. I have to admit I was a little disturbed that there are 5 of them I'd like to read before releasing, but the end of the challenge isn't until July, so I should be ok.

Anyway, I was glad for a reason to read this book, as it had been hovering around the mid-point level of my TBR for long enough, and it looked like just the thing to read while getting a bit of sun.

Little did I know I'd want to buy my own copy afterward! Yes, I could keep this one, but why not share it with the world and honor eggiweg's son in the process? So it's going out into the wild, and I just finished placing my order with B&N.com for another copy :) The other reason I decided to do that is that the author has a LOT of recipes in this book from different sources, and she encourages people to try them, and then if they like them, buy the original to support those people. I'm just doing my part, and I'm impressed that she makes that point in her book :)

Anyway, about the book. . .

I loved it, and want to be friends with the author! I love food and I love cooking and baking, but I'm definitely not qualified to be a foodie. Not a NY one, anyway. But that didn't stop me from loving this book and wanting to start branching out further on my own! And I'm definitely going to be trying some of the recipes in my new copy!

This book definitely inspired me. As I was preparing an egg fritatta (something we've been having a lot lately as it doesn't require turning on the oven), I separated several of the egg whites from their yolks. I kept some yolks, but not all. Then I chopped up mushrooms, green pepper, and snipped little green onion tips into the pan. A splash of olive oil and some salt and pepper on the veggies, and a little bit of heat. Over all that, pour the eggs. But after reading that book, what else could I do? Ahhh. . .some fresh-grated parmesan (not too much), and I used up a tomato that was on his last legs. YUM!

I read another foodie book recently that didn't resonate with me at all. Perhaps it was just over the top pretentious? Or unrealistic? I don't know, but I really liked this one, and I'm so glad you shared it with me. This is the book I wish Under the Tuscan Sun had been. In fact, if Ms. Hesser and Mr. Latte move to Italy, I'd buy whatever book she wrote next! This book had a story and heart, and you care about the characters. That one did not :(

There were several parts of this book that either confirmed something I'd been thinking or doing all along, or that made me go, "yeah!". For example, the idea of having a repertoire of recipes that you can make at the drop of a hat, or when someone asks you to bring X (where X=appetizer, dessert, salad, etc.). I realized that's how my mom raised us, and I do that, too. From time to time I add to the list, but I really do have a good number of "company" meals I could fix, that don't make me nervous, that I know how to time, etc. I also have a handful of things that people ask me to bring to different things. Everyone loves my Reuben dip and my guacamole. My brother-in-law is always asking me to make Puerco Pibil, and there used to be a man in my old office whose wife asked me to bake Mom Jarvis' Chocolate Cake for his birthday every year.

In addition, the author's comments about people not cooking any more echo multiple conversations I've had with my sister. Our mom stayed at home until my sister was in 4th or 5th grade, and then when she worked, it was to teach school. But during our entire growing up years, we were in cooking school with her. So much so that the one time she did use a cake mix (yes, I said ONE time), we told her it was "cake for mothers who don't love their children". Nice kids, huh? Anyway, we've realized that there is a whole generation of girls now who DO want to cook, but never learned, as they ate out or carry out or frozen stuff their entire lives. And so, in our own little way, my sister and I are both teaching cooking classes. And they're fun! And the best part is that these women are learning that a good meal doesn't need to take 6 hours to prepare (it can, for fun, but that's different). The best compliment? Some of the girls have told me that the recipes from cooking class have become the most popular recipes at their house, and oft-requested by their husbands :) yay!

Anyway, I think this book has no other choice but to be left at a coffee shop, so it'll be visiting Starbucks on my way to the dry cleaners. And even though it's after 11 (it's 11:26), I probably will be ordering a coffee drink with milk in it!

(pictured: cute little mugs I bought for my aforementioned sis when she was here)

RELEASE NOTES:

Left inside the Starbucks on the corner table nearest the front door. And enjoyed a mocha frapuccino at the same time :)

This is book #1 in the release challenge for me.

If you are new to BookCrossing and find this book and this site; welcome! Enjoy the site, the book and hopefully the BookCrossing community. I hope you'll join BookCrossing (doesn't cost anything to join!) and if you do, please consider using any previous reader of this book, or me, Antof9, as the member who referred you. If you are an old hand at BookCrossing, thanks for picking up the book! Either way, I hope you'll journal so all the previous and future readers can track this book's journey. Thanks, and Happy Crossing!