If You Are Offended by Strong Language This Post Is Not For You {What The F**K Should I Make For Dinner? Review}

OK, I saw this in the sidebar of someone's blog and just couldn't resist.  I'm so glad I didn't because this cookbook is fucking hilarious.  Sorry, there's no other way to state it.  And best part it's got some awesome recipes, ole Zach can cook as well as he says the word Fuck {And he does that very well}.

It comes in a hard back spiral with glossy pages that will withstand a splatter or two {or your tears of laughter} over the years of well worn use.  

My College Roommates: Angel & Nero {The Nero Wolfe Cook Book Review}

When I was in college, I perused every used bookstore I came across in search of Nero Wolfe Mystery books.  This was in the stone ages and the PC was not a fixture in every home.  There was no Amazon to click on.  So searching through dusty shelves in little bookstores was what one did.  Rex Stout wrote over 60 Nero Wolfe books in the series and then a writer named Robert Goldsborough wrote another 1/2 dozen after Rex Stout had passed.  I loved these books and probably read most of them.  My roommate Angel shared my love of Nero and we swapped them back and forth, discussed them, analyzed them, loved them.  And interestingly, while they were mysteries they had a HUGE focus on food, gourmet food.   You see, Nero Wolfe was not only a wealthy detective living in an old brownstone in NYC solving crimes, he was a "foodie" {before the label had been coined}. His chef Fritz Brenner made his meals and the story always included his meals.... in detail.


In Too Many Cooks Nero said: 
"I beg you not to entrust these dishes to your cook unless he is an artist.  Cook them yourself and only for an occasion that is worthy of them."

Nearly a decade after Nero, Angel & I stopped being roommates a package arrived from Angel and it contained.... The Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout.   I still love the inscription and chuckle at the thought of where Angel "went wrong" with cooking.... but that's for another day.

Think Like A Chef, Seriously, THINK like a chef!

These are A Few of My Favorite Things

My all time favorite cook book is without a doubt Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef.   For me the book caused an epiphany that changed everything about the way I cook.  I know you're thinking draaaaahhhhma... but seriously, it's an amazing read if you are a cook.  


The Preface is a great short autobiography of how Tom went from 'rags to riches' so-to-speak.  Started cooking at 12 years old at home, then was a grill cook down the Jersey shore and after going off to train with some great chefs he now owns lord knows how many hugely successful restaurants all over the country.  It's truly a great self made man story but I'm a little old for that dream.  I just love to cook.  


And his Introduction is where it all went crazy for me.... it's about "thinking" and it affirmed what I always knew but in a way that I could put it into action.  It suddenly clicked.... don't pass a recipe up because it has peas and you don't have any or like them, think of what would work instead of the peas.... know how to cook a piece of meat or vegetable and modify the technique to match your time frame, audience, season or mood.  Recipes as IDEAS not rule books.  Ingredients as inspiration not requirements.


Learn the basic techniques:  roasting, braising, blanching, sweating {I don't think he was referring to my pre-menopausal hot flashes here}, stock making and sauce making.  He touches on them all to get you started, the perfection of course comes in the practice; but he gave me just enough cockiness to really COOK with abandon.  And from that comes great things.


I've already shared my first true love from him.... my Risotto that has evolved from his Lobster Risotto with Peas to My Risotto every which way.... and the most beloved Braised Short Rib Risotto.


There's a lot of Tom in all of my recipes and I'm sure I'll blog a bunch more of "his" recipes as the years go by but in the meanwhile, check it out yourself if you haven't already and then go COOK.