Fall Into Fall Cooking

I love to sit at home with a hot tea at 5pm when it is dark out and peruse cookbooks (I feel like I need to be in bed when it is so dark so early). Thanksgiving is quickly approaching!

If America's Test Kitchen prints it I am lunging to buy it.

First off is When Southern Women Cook. It should be when "southerners" cook, but... This book is filled with stories of the south and, yes, Dolly Parton's Cinnamon Bread and pickle brined fried chicken recipe. It feels like home.

Also new is The Skillet, which sees ATK pushing the limit of what you can make in a skillet with 200+ recipes and inventive techniques that will forever change how you sear steak, roast chicken, simmer pasta, and even scramble eggs.

When you think of Stephen Colbert, you may not think of cooking but his new cookbook with his wife is just uncanny. Does This Taste Funny? sheds a light on Low-Country cooking. Red rice, crab cakes, okra and more charming southern recipes not only makes this cookbook imperative for your kitchen, but it is also like sitting with warm friends on their porch in Charleston.

Tieghan Gerard is my idol when it comes to cooking. Her book features recipes that you know, but are also just healthier (and they will wow your guests). Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple shows how far she has come. Her two previous books are dog-eared and stained on my shelves, as they are my go to for simple healthy but outrageously great meals. Some of my favorites are chewy browned butter chocolate chip cookies and lemon chicken with burst cherry tomatoes.

Last on my list is one I never thought I would talk about, Pamela Anderson has certainly grown and changed and her cookbook I Love You: Recipes from the Heart outdoes itself. Mostly vegan, it is a down to earth recipe book while also being a love letter to her sons. I have tried the pot pies, and you won't miss the chicken.  All of her recipes are easy and so good!