Julia Child

I must admit that I have never attempted any of Julia's recipes, except maybe the Scrambled Eggs, that said, her book My Life in France is one of my favorite books. On August 15, 1912, Julia McWilliams was born in Pasadena California.  In 1942, Julia was declared too tall to join the Women's Army Corps and so, she joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) as a typist but soon became a researcher of the top-secret variety, working directly under William J. Donovan, head of the OSS. Her file from OSS became available to the public in 2008 and can be seen here: Child, Julia [McWilliams, Julia] - OSS File.  Part of her duties included helping to develop shark repellant that is still used to this day.  While working for the OSS, Julia met fellow OSS officer Paul Child.   They married in 1946 and remained so until Paul's death in 1994.  It was Paul who introduced Julia to French Cuisine. When Paul was assigned to France with the US Information Agency in 1948, Julia began her foray into the world of French Cuisine by attending Le Cordon Bleu.   After Cordon Bleu, Julia, along with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, created L'école des trois gourmandes (The School of the Three Food Lovers), to teach American women in Paris how to cook. In 1961,

Mastering the Art of French Cooking. was published and the rest as they say, is history. 

People Who Love To Eat Are Always The Best People : And Other Wisdom by Child, Julia

"If you're afraid of butter, use cream." So decrees Julia Child, the legendary culinary authority and cookbook author who taught America how to cook-and how to eat. This delightful volume of quotations compiles some of Julia's most memorable lines on eating-"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook"-on drinking, on life-"I think every woman should have a blowtorch"-on love, travel, France, and much more.

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Spitz, Bob

Here, in Spitz's biography, the Julia Child we know and love comes vividly to life. Spitz provides a clear-eyed portrait of one of the most fascinating and influential Americans of our time - a woman known to all, yet known by only a few. 'Dearie' is a story about a woman's search for her own unique expression.

Dear Julia by Zemser, Amy Bronwen

Shy sixteen-year-old Elaine has long dreamed of being the next Julia Child, to the dismay of her feminist mother, but when her first friend, the outrageous Lucida Sans, convinces Elaine to enter a cooking contest, anything could happen.

Born Hungry: Julia Child becomes "the French chef" by Prud'homme, Alex

"In Paris, Julia devoured recipe books, shopped in outdoor markets, consumed all kinds of foods, and whipped through culinary school. And although she wasn't always successful in the kitchen, she was determined to "master the art" of French cooking. Through perseverance and grit, Julia became a chef who shared her passion with the world, making cooking fun, and turning every meal into a special event." --Publisher's website.

Bon Appetit! : The Delicious Life of Julia Child by Hartland, Jessie

Follow Julia Child-chef, author, and television personality-from her childhood in Pasadena, California, to her life as a spy in WWII, to the cooking classes she took in Paris, to the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to the funny moments of being a chef on TV. This is a comprehensive and enchanting picture book biography, told in many panels and jam-packed with lively, humorous, and child-friendly details. Young chefs and Julia Child fans will exclaim, "ooooh la la," about this book, which is as energetic and eccentric as the chef herself.

Julie and Julia

Julie and Julia is the story of Julie Powell's attempt to revitalizeher marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, VolumeI, in a period of 365 days.The result is a masterful medley of BridgetJones' Diary meets Like Water for Chocolate, mixed with a healthy dose oforiginal wit, warmth, and inspiration that sets this memoir apart from mosttales of personal redemption.When we first meet Julie, she's a frustrated temp-to-perm secretary whoslaves away at a thankless job, only to return to an equally demoralizingapartment in the outer boroughs of Manhattan each evening. At the urging ofEric, her devoted and slightly geeky husband, she decides to start a blogthat will chronicle what she dubs the "Julie/Julia Project." What follows isa year of butter-drenched meals that will both necessitate the wearing of anunbearably uncomfortable girdle on the hottest night of the year, as well asthe realization that life is what you make of it and joy is not asimpossible a quest as it may seem, even when it's -10 degrees out and yourpipes are frozen.Powell is a natural when it comes to connecting with her readers, which isprobably why her blog generated so much buzz, both from readers and mediaalike. And while her self-deprecating sense of humor can sometimes dissolveinto whininess, she never really loses her edge, or her sense of purpose.Even on day 365, she's working her way through Mayonnaise Collee and endingthe evening "back exactly where we started--just Eric and me, three cats andBuffy...sitting on a couch in the outer boroughs, eating, with Juliachortling alongside us...."Inspired and encouraging, Julie and Julia is a unique opportunity tojoin one woman's attempt to change her life, and have a laugh, or ten, alongthe way. --Gisele Toueg

Kitchen Klutzes of America Day

 

If you, like me, have ever accidentally set fire to a spoon rest, neglected to add key ingredients to Mac & Cheese, forgotten that you were boiling water and opted to take a nap,  added salt to your cereal instead of sugar, suffered colossal cake collapses, or managed to simultaneously over and under bake a batch of cookies, or constantly wonder how you'd fair on  "Worst Cooks in America" then June 13th's celebration oof  Kitchen Klutzes of America Day is for you.  

Seriously, why would anyone allow me into a kitchen...

You Suck at Cooking: The Absurdly Practical Guide to Sucking Slightly Less at Making Food.

Do you crave food all the time? Do you think you might want to eat again in the future? Do you suck at cooking? Inspired by the wildly popular YouTube channel, these 60+ recipes will help you suck slightly less. -- amazon.com

The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have, and Enjoy It Like Never Before by Adachi, Kendra

Not a cookbook, but a way to organize your kitchen-- and everything in it-- so that it will work for you. Adachi teaches you to apply a five-step process-- prioritize, essentialize, organize, personalize and systemize-- so that you can turn your hardest-working room into your favorite one, too. .-- adapted from back cover.

Clueless in the Kitchen: A Cookbook for Teens by Raab, Evelyn

• Taking a basic and humorous approach, a columnist for "Today's Parent" magazine gently leads culinary neophytes through the entire gamut of kitchen experience--from cleaning a stove to outfitting a first kitchen, from boiling an egg to planning an entire meal. Each of the 200 recipes is organized by course and main ingredient, and coded to fit the new cook's requirements.

The clueless Vegetarian: A Cookbook For the Aspiring Vegetarian by Raab, Evelyn

The Clueless Vegetarian is designed for vegetarians who love good food, cooked from scratch, but also want to have a life. If you've just switched to a vegetarian diet, The Clueless Vegetarian gives you the straightforward nutritional information you need to help you make good food choices (without obsessing). If you're a practicing vegetarian looking for some good old fashioned cooking, then this is your guide. There are lots of hints for concocting vegetarian versions of your favorite old recipes, and suggestions on preparing meals for the mixed household. You'll even find survival tips and cooking advice that's just plain useful for everyone, vegetarian or not.

Meal Prep Cookbook for Dummies by Peterson, Wendy Jo

With simple prep each week, you can stock your fridge and freezer with heat-and-eat meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner or do partial prep and make dinnertime a breeze. Meal Prep Cookbook For Dummies can help you spend less time in the kitchen, meet health goals, save money, and just plain eat better. With over 125 recipes, plus tips and techniques for making all your favorites ahead of time, this book lets you breeze through your week. Imagine the possibilities that will open to you when you can just pop a healthy and delectable pre-made meal in the microwave, and--ding!--your made-from-scratch dinner is ready. Prep ahead and toss vegetables and your favorite protein on a sheet pan and dinner is ready in under 20 minutes. What will you do with all your extra time?

The Can't Cook Book: Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified! by Seinfeld, Jessica

"Many smart, accomplished people don't know how to cook - and they feel embarrassed and anxious about not being successful in this area of their lives. Whether they are single or raising families, they lack confidence in the most essential space in their home: the kitchen. If you add up all the take-out meals, processed snacks, and other shortcuts to good, old-fashioned "cooking" that non-cooks use, you're left with diets that are unnecessarily high in salt, fat, sugar, and monthly food bills that are through the roof. But cooking doesn't have to scary or stressful - even if you've NEVER read a recipe or used your oven. Jessica will show you how to prepare the deliciously simple food you love to order in restaurants: from caesar salad, butternut squash soup, and roasted asparagus to lemon salmon, roast chicken, and pasta with clams. Each recipe is written in Jessica's calming, confidence-building voice, which tells you up-front what the challenge will be and then shows you exactly how you overcome it in easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. The definitive guide to cooking, Jessica's cookbook is designed for anyone who wants to whip up delicious dinners but is fearful and intimidated. THE CAN'T COOK BOOK will empower you in the kitchen, and it can be either the first and only cookbook you ever need or the perfect prequel to the cookbooks you already own that until now, have simply been serving as coffee table decorations"-- Provided by publisher.

Simple Comforts Step-By-Step Instant Pot Cookbook: The Easiest and Most Satisfying Comfort Food Ever -- with Photographs of Every Step. by Eisner, Jeffrey

With hundreds of crystal-clear pictures guiding every step, and recipes featuring easy-to-find ingredients and even easier-to-master techniques, The Simple Comforts Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook combines the magic of your favorite comfort food with the speed and simplicity of your favorite kitchen appliance. Get cooking--and put a smile on your plate.