Food, Glorious Food.

We received some wonderful cookbooks lately, the kind that are as fun to read and look at as well as cook from. First one is called SWEET by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Ottolenghi has a restaurant in London as well as several award-winning cookbooks. The cook book quality is outstanding, glossy heavy paper and beautiful photographs. The treats inspire the appetite, with a sometimes middle eastern flair, like sesame brittle, or shortbread with a halva middle and glossy tahini caramel top, as well as more conventional delights like lemon and raspberry cupcakes. There is a good notes section in the back that includes tips on baking and ingredients. ML

If travel is your love, or armchair travel the next cookbook, Istanbul and Beyond is for you! This book explores the diverse cuisines of Turkey. There are many wonderful dishes, like sweet corn and bean soup with collard greens, zucchini dolma with garlicky yogurt & tomato sauce, lamb and tomato curry, and creamy fig pudding. The directions seem clear and there are stories about where in Turkey the dish is from. Delicious! ML