I have found a new, free hobby: book signings. I get to listen to incredible authors and learn something new. For example, today I learned that in France, one sign of spring is that the butter is very yellow. Apparently, it is because the cows change their diet from hay to grass, turning the butter to a bright yellow compared to a mild yellowish-white.

I have been reading Dorie Greenspan’s blog for a while now, and she was a good food reference for when we went to Paris almost two years ago. Tonight, I “met” her and she struck me as adorable and unpretentious. I mean, here is a woman who has been a well-published, very established woman in the food world. She co-wrote Baking with Julia, contributed regularly to Bon Appetit magazine and published two of her own cookbooks. And yet she was funny, humble, and very personable as she shared how her recipes are never complete until we have made it our own, adapted to our own liking.

Listening to Dorie (yes, we are on a first name basis) inspired me to start on my cookbook project. I feel so daunted with the hugeness of the project, especially since I don’t have anything written down, and most of my stuff is not super precise. But if anything, it can inspire me to have a consolidated kitchen journal, where I can reference what my favorite things to cook are, and others can learn and grow as confident home cooks.

Maybe I just need some testers…

 

Advertisement