Have you curled up with Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life yet? If you like cooking even a smidge, you must must must check out this book. I couldn't put the book down — I licked the bowl clean would probably be the right metaphor. This food memoir of how Molly was shaped by food + family + her family's passion for homemade meals is served up as short essays recounting some touching or memorable moment in her life. And it was my favorite read in a long while. Suffice it to say, I'm now harboring a girl crush on Molly that rivals one I had on Keri Russell, which far outlasted Felicity's run. Molly's writing style is utterly charming, authentic, and delicious in describing her sweet perspective on everything from a childhood trip to Paris with her father to her seductive chocolate cake.
Molly is many things: a Seattle-based food writer who contributes to Bon Appetit, the creator of Orangette (where you can spot photos of Delancey, the Seattle restaurant she's working to open with her husband), and a great storyteller as shown by A Homemade Life. But in our apartment, she's known as Molly the Great. And it really has nothing to do with any of the above. In her book, Molly folds in 50 recipes that relate to her stories. I've made 5 of the recipes so far, and trust, I will be making my way through all of the recipes. Molly's managed to do something that no "30 minutes meals" or "easy weekday menu" cookbook or magazine has been able to do for me: she's given me the confidence to transform the way we eat with simple, good food. And she's helped me fall in love with cooking all over again. That, and I now have two of her recipes in regular rotation for weeknight meals (the cider-glazed salmon and tomato soup with two fennels.) Dan and I LOVE the salmon — it's amazing.
The photo above is her Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger (page 26 in the book.) I've also made the Roasted Eggplant Ratatoille (page 124), Italian Grotto Eggs (page 140), the Cider-Glazed Salmon (page 181), and the Tomato Soup with Two Fennels (page 256, which we pair with grilled cheese.) I will not be sharing the recipes from the book or an adapted recipe from Molly. (And I don't think she'd be pleased to hear I cut onions from the ratatoille because I hate onions for some weird reason.) I want you to get your own copy of her book to relish. It's delicious — and so is this banana bread, straight from the oven.
