Fresh Find | Penguin Books Great Food series

I am a collector of cookbooks and among my collection are memoirs that found themselves centered on food somehow. It should be no surprise that when I found out back in April 2011 that Penguin Books (in the UK) released a series entitled Great Food, a collection of twenty previously published titles with each of their covers redesigned by Coralie Bickford-Smith, running the color spectrum with "its striking and elegant" prints of whimsy on the covers and their respective spines. Some of the books are "tasters from the best-known of our cooks and food writers," while some of these books "aim to reintroduce the forgotten cooks of the past." Titles include works by Brillat-Savarin, Alice B. Toklas, Alice Waters, Calvin Trillin, Artusi, Alexander Dumas, and M. F. K. Fisher.

Unfortunately, the collection is abbreviated here in the United States (only about five books), so acquiring the entire collection may pose to be difficult, but look at those beautifully arranged book spines, all waiting to be opened, cracked, and cooked from! Where there's a will, there's a way! :P

Penguin Books

Great Food box set

Price point: $12 per book here (US only), £140 for the entire set here (UK only).

Book Signing | Kelley Lilien

I have been an avid follower of Mrs. Kelley Lilien's blog, Mrs. Lilien Styling House, for the last couple years, falling in love with her impeccable taste and style as well as her adventures as a stylist/designer/bon vivant! Her new book, Mrs. Lilien's Cocktail Swatchbook, was released at the end of May, and I had already preordered my very own copy. Once she announced her (swatch)book tour would be stopping in New York City (at Jonathan Adler's eponymous shop in SoHo, I couldn't contain my excitement! I would be able to meet her and have her pen my copy of the swatchbook, so I invited Jess to come along for the fun!

Jonathan Adler's quirky little shop always finds a way to brighten my day -- the bold colors, whimsical fanfare, and amusing accessories never cease to make me super giddy. Mrs. Lilien couldn't have picked a better spot to host her book launch in this very fine city -- it has her name written all over it. Plus it helps that she and Mr. Adler are quite good friends!

Little treats were spread out and housed in Mr. Adler's array of fantastic homewares.

The (swatch)book signing table, decked out with flowers, books, treats, and Sharpies, of course!

A glimpse of Mrs. Lilien mingling with her book launch/cocktail party guests!

Caught a gratuitous shot of Mr. Adler and Mrs. Lilien posing for their fans! Too adorable! :)

Our cocktails at the party!

Mrs. Lilien preparing to sign (swatch)books!

View from the entrance of the store and of the attendees.

Mrs. Lilien signing my copy of Mrs. Lilien's Cocktail Swatchbook!

A little look at the dynamic little cocktail swatchbook. Mrs. Lilien "takes a fanciful approach to cocktail-making in this retro-chick swatchbook" which takes inspiration of those good ol' Pantone swatchbooks for paint color (it also reminds me of those childhood relics of mine -- the Brain Quest multi-grade trivia packs). The swatchbook includes 20 recipes for blended cocktails, 20 recipes for shaken cocktails, and 10 recipes for punch bowls. "Every classic recipe is accompanied with a modern twist and chic accoutrements" which can be perused by simply fanning out the swatches that have printed on them color photographs, detailed instructions, and tips.

This is the recipe for the cocktail that was served that evening at her book launch party -- the New-Schooler Wine Cooler, which consists of Chardonnay, raspberries, limes, simple syrup, and sparkling lemon-lime water. Simple, refreshing, and so delicious! Perfect party punch! :)

My signed copy of Mrs. Lilien's Cocktail Swatchbook -- "Bottoms up, Stefie!" Love her signature -- those cutely illustrated lips are the spot-on alternative to "xoxo" for sure!

Findings: Jess and I had a lovely time mingling at the book launch as well as finally meeting Mrs. Kelley Lilien herself! The affair was very well catered -- cocktails and snacks inside Jonathan Adler's gorgeous shop of whimsy can never be a bad idea! It was also nice to see one of her large-scale party cocktail recipes put into action to accommodate all of the attendees. The colorful design and the meticulous, visual recipes make for quite a uniquely dynamic go-to cocktail book. I can't wait to use it for any future parties/events/occasions coming up! And of course, finally meeting the ultimate bon vivant herself was such a lovely treat as well -- she was so friendly, warm, welcoming, and so very enthusiastic that it was contagious! No wonder she's the hostess of all hostesses and one extraordinary designer -- all of these winning character traits were churned into the wisdom that's behind each of these cocktail swatches.

For only $14.99, this will be a no-nonsense gift for any hostess, lady, bon viveur, foodie, and all related individuals in your lives!

Price point: $14.99 for each book.

--June 14, 2012

Jonathan Adler

47 Greene Street

New York, NY 10013

http://www.jonathanadler.com

Mrs. Lilien's Cocktail Swatchbook

Kelley Lilien

available here on Amazon.com

Literary Fare | Life, on the Line

Guess what I ordered for my Android Kindle app this morning? Grant Achatz's new memoir, Life, on the Line, which was officially released to the public today. I snubbed a read of the first couple chapters, and I'm really enjoying what I'm reading. I can't wait to learn more about the brilliant chef, his life story, and how he was able to find strength in his cancer diagnosis, one of life's most discouraging obstacles.

Findings: I plan on reading this hand-in-hand with my Alinea cookbook, which is somewhat collecting dust on the nightstand in my bed room. Things have been super crazy in the bean-counting world, so hopefully I'll be able to snag some time to read a few pages before I go to bed and on my daily commute. So far, I'm liking what I'm reading--he starts with a preface that details the night he received the James Beard award for Outstanding Chef in 2008. I plan on attending a free lecture at the New York Public Library on May 10 at 6:30 PM, where Chef Achatz and his business partner and co-author, Nick Kokonas, will "discuss the inside story of what it takes to rise to the top of the restaurant world, as well as Chef Achatz's intimate and inspiring battle with cancer." I'm looking forward to this very much--perhaps I'll finally get to meet the dynamic duo in the flesh, and just maybe, I'll be able to have my copies of the memoir and the Alinea cookbook signed and added to my bookshelf of signed books!

Price point: $12.99 for the Kindle edition of the memoir.