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The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

THE NEW BASICS Cookbook comes from Silver Palate chefs Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. The book, as its title would suggest, is meant to serve as every cook’s "basics" bible. Though no longer "new," the book is full of great, easy recipes and a TON of advice for any chef --- whether you've been cooking for years or are just starting out. Useful extras include "trade secrets," fun quotes and information about the ingredients you are using. (There's even the address for a farm from which you can order blue corn flour. Who knew? We wonder if it still exists...)

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The Big Book of Easy Suppers: 270 Delicious Recipes for Casual Everyday Cooking by Maryana Vollstedt

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

THE BIG BOOK OF EASY SUPPERS is a great staple. Each dish can stand alone as a meal --- no need to plan side-dishes or appetizers, requires few ingredients and only one pot or pan. A great weeknight reference book full of good advice like "stir fry basics" and how to make your own pizza (so easy you'll NEVER order out again!).

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A Man, a Can, a Microwave: 50 Tasty Meals You Can Nuke in No Time by David Joachim

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

Who says cooking is only for girls? Get with the times buddy --- boys and girls are sharing time in the kitchen now and you had better shape up. Next time you are asked to chip in, don't quake with fear and order out. Locate the canned food aisle and cook up a pretty little meal with nothing but your microwave. When you greet your little lady with some homemade meatballs or peanut-butter fudge she'll totally be pleased ---and she never has to know it only took 2 minutes on medium-high. (Cooking-phobic ladies --- this goes out to you too!)

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How to Cook Everything - 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

I like to think of HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING as a modern version of THE JOY OF COOKING. Like JOY it's so chock-full of recipes that there is no room for pictures. That being said, Mark Bittman gives you advice on any and every everyday meal you could ever want to make, and his choices rarely exceed 8 ingredients. These recipes are delicious and won't break the bank.

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Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: How to Get Great Flavors from Simple Ingredients by Ina Garten

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

You know when you were little and built clay volcanoes and got to watch them explode when you filled them with baking soda and vinegar? Ina Garten's cooking is sort of like that. Somehow she can take five simple ingredients and cause a chemical reaction that creates a whole that is WAY more than the sum of its parts. These recipes are SO easy and delicious --- the perfect party food ‘cause they are both yummy and stress-free. Ina understands that as a host you already eighteen hundred other things on your mind besides the food--- like how many solo cups to buy or whether streamers are still cool.

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A Twist of the Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes by Nancy Silverton

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

We are so thankful that Nancy Silverton has descended from perfect pizza paradise (aka her Mozza restaurants) to lend us 20-somethings some advice. Had a party and don't know what to do with the leftover tortilla chips? Why not throw them into a Mexican Chicken and Garbanzo Bean Soup? Doubtful about your roommates ability to follow through on her V8 juice-cleanse? Use the rest of the ¾-full bottle for Spaghettini with Tuna and V8 Sauce. These recipes are quick and easy and all designed to be made with stuff you'll just have lying around.

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The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

The Silver Palate girls Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins are known for their clear, concise recipes for everything from basic pesto to stuffed Cornish hen. This book is a classic and chock-full of surprisingly easy recipes that'll have you cooking up a storm with a “silver” lining.

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Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition by Irma S. Rombauer

Cookbooks to Get You Started, February 2012

Not someone who thinks cooking is any fun? You just haven't found the Joy of Cooking. This book is a staple and though something of a retro throwback (does anyone really eat Oysters Rockefeller anymore?) it's chock full of all the basic recipes you could ever need. Surprisingly useful are the charts of different meat cuts --- everyone should be a little bit educated before heading out to the butcher!

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February 23, 2012

Richard Mason: Why I Wrote HISTORY OF A PLEASURE SEEKER

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Posted by Katherine
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Richard Mason was born in South Africa in 1978 and lives in New York City. His first novel, The Drowning People, published when he was 21 and still a student at Oxford, sold more than a million copies worldwide and won Italy’s Grinzane Cavour Prize for Best First Novel. He is also the author of Natural Elements, which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the best books of 2009 and longlisted for the IMPAC Prize and the Sunday Times Literary Award. History of a Pleasure Seeker is his fourth novel. Here, he talks about the process of writing the book.  

Miriam Tuliao

Assistant Director of Central Collection Development, NYPL

Miriam Tuliao is the assistant director of Central Collection Development at The New York Public Library. She currently serves on the American Library Association’s Reference User Services Division’s Reading List and Collection Development Education committees. In late June, she plans to participate in the fourth annual Liberty Island Swim to help raise funds for ALA's Spectrum Scholarship program. Her contact information: miriamtuliao@nypl.org.

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