Pizza Evolution
My early memories of making pizza consisted of splitting an English muffin in two, slathering it with ketchup sauce, sprinkling cheese and if we had any, adding sliced bologna. Since those days my...
View ArticleMexico: The Cookbook
Every once in a while a book comes along that you just fall in love with. Right now I have stars in my eyes, and they only shine for Mexico: The Cookbook by chef Margarita Carrillo Arronte. Here is a...
View ArticleDid You Know? (Pasta Edition)
That the difference between noodles and macaroni is eggs? Noodles are made with egg solids and a finely ground semolina flour called durum. Macaroni is made from only normal semolina and water. This...
View ArticleStranger Than, er… , Non-fiction!
As I search for non-fiction books to read, I come across many titles that, while not of interest to me, are unusual, surprising or outlandish. Welcome to the world of: Stranger than, er…, non-fiction!...
View ArticleI Guess I’ll Grow Up: Adulting for Beginners
I was born middle-aged. I was always the kid that adults called an “old soul.” I was the responsible, dependable one, even though I was a middle child. Despite all that pressure (thanks, adults!), or...
View ArticleCrazy Fall Publishing Part 2: September 8th
Welcome to part 2 in the Crazy Fall Publishing series! If you’re just joining us, here’s the skinny: I’m highlighting the books being released each week that I am most excited to read. The list is...
View ArticleImagine a Blogger’s Holiday
‘Tis the season for giving, and as you may have seen here on A Reading Life, we love the idea of giving friends and family books, books, and more books for the holidays. Leslie wrote about book-gifting...
View ArticleMy Love-Hate Relationship with Valentine’s Day
When I was a little girl, Valentine’s Day was a special time. The green and grey corridors of my school would be awash in reds, pinks, and whites. It was an intense pop of color among all the grey...
View ArticleThe Means of Production
Growing up, there was always one person on the block who made their own home brew. Usually it was something really appetizing like ‘wine’ made from cherries/dandelions/elderberries that you would be...
View Article641.84: A Tale of Two Burgers
I. Love. Burgers. At any given moment I would like nothing more than to sink my teeth into a couple of juicy, almost sizzling patties smothered in cheese, grilled onions, and topped with a slice of...
View ArticleEating History
If you want to live, you gotta eat. A pretty basic truth and one we tend to take for granted. While gourmands argue about what wine to pair with what fish and health gurus debate the merits of protein...
View ArticleBest of 2016 Redux
It’ll probably come as no surprise to you that those of us who work in libraries tend to be voracious readers. We consume information, words, articles, books, and series as fast as we can manage. Part...
View ArticleAll I Wanted for Christmas was Time to Read!
Time, that precious and fleeting commodity. Like sand through the hourglass indeed, time just seems to slip right through my fingers. As soon as I get some it’s already gone. Etc. Etc. I know you know...
View ArticleThrills and Grills: Summer Cooking
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! When the gas grills are flowing and charcoal is glowing and we’ve got cold beers! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Seriously. Summer is my jam. Well,...
View ArticleDid You Know? Lobster Edition
That in 1880s Massachusetts servants went on strike so they wouldn’t have to eat lobster more than 3 times a week? I found this information on page 215 in the book Good Eats, the Early Years by Alton...
View ArticleJulie Does Some Cast-Iron Cooking
Enjoy this review, complete with an example of her excellent cooking, from Julie for the book: The Cast-Iron Pies Cookbook by Dominique Devito I usually only use my cast iron for searing steaks, but...
View ArticleReading That Satisfies
There’s still time to complete another summer reading challenge before the August 31st deadline! Today I present to you a bountiful feast of books about food. Most of these are straight-up cookbooks,...
View ArticleWarm Up with These Cookbooks
The days are getting shorter, the air is moving from crisp to cold, the furnace is kicking on more than I’d like to admit, and I’m staying inside as much as possible. It can be tempting to fall into...
View ArticleSnowpocalypse Reading List
Snowpocalypse. Oh thank goodness, the first two weeks of February are finally behind us. Yes, it actually happened. No, I didn’t enjoy it.* I mean, who would enjoy record-breaking snowfall in an area...
View ArticleDid You Know? (Hotcake Edition)
That the difference between pancakes, griddlecakes, johnnycakes and hotcakes depends mostly on if they are made with flour or corn meal? In researching for this blog, every time I thought I had it...
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