Cook Food Every Day

Mass Market 2011

2011-11-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!

Cook Food Every Day is going to be on sale at Mass Market, a wonderful DIY (do it yourself) flea market where artists, crafters, clothing designers, jewelry designers, photographers, record sellers, local bands, button makers, bookbinders, DJs, vegan and vegetarian bakers, and many others come together for a day of swapping, sharing, selling and buying art.

December 11th
12-6pm
Mass Art

Hope to see you there!

HTML to PDF to Book – The Making of a New Community Cookbook

2011-06-14T19:28:00.001-04:00

Last week, CFED went to Montana. Editor, Kristina Nies, gave a paper at the ASFS/AFHVS/SAFN conference about the creation of CFED and some of the ways it was different from traditional community cookbooks. Many of the paper’s points were elaborated, and there was some good feedback from conference-goers.

HTML to PDF to Book – The Making of a New Community Cookbook

Kristina Nies

Presented at the Joint 2011 Annual Meetings & Conference of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS), Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS), & Society for Anthropology of Food and Nutrition (SAFN), June 9-12, 2011.

Thank you – this paper would not be possible without the encouragement, resources and editing of Ilona Baughman, Netta Davis and Beth Forrest, and the hard work and dedication of the over 50 person volunteer team that contributed to the making of Cook Food Every Day.

In 2009, I compiled and edited a community cookbook entitled Cook Food Every Day. All the recipes, artwork, editing and contributions came from members of an online community, and all the proceeds benefited the Greater Boston Food Bank.

This cookbook originated in a digital community and how might it vary from one that is based in fixed, physical geography? Is it possible to glean insights into community members and structures when part of the virtual space becomes material? How does food function in the different spaces it inhabits with these community members – both online and in the physical realm? These are just some of the many questions that this project has raised and I welcome your feedback and input on how to further pursue this research.

History of community cookbooks

In the United States, community cookbooks date as far back as the Civil War, where they were created by women to provide funds to assist veterans, orphans, widows and those in hospitals.[1] The tradition continues today, where community cookbooks are used as fundraising tools by many local organizations.

In addition to being a creative means of raising money for non-profit causes, community cookbooks also function to define the culture of the community creating them. The recipes, and authors, that donned the pages, acknowledge who a community member is, and what she thinks others should be eating. Community cookbooks are a snapshot of a times, places, social statuses, access to foodstuffs, and an indication of what some community members where making, eating and what they deemed book-worthy.[2] As Ilona Baughman, argued: community cookbooks actually reflect “what authors want their audience to think they eat at home.”

Cook Food Every Day is a community cookbook that derives from a different start point. Rather than being a product of a group or organization that is community defined by religion, geographical proximity or a social club it stemmed from a large number of recipes shared within an online community – that were collected, bound and sold, with the proceeds being donated – rather than used as a booster.

Community

Traditional definitions of community require that the persons share a common shared environment. Online communities, allow people to be accessing these communities, via the internet, while living in different spaces (which can be multiple) while still retaining community membership.

Message Board defined

The community that created Cook Food Every Day is one that posts to an internet forum, an un-moderated message board. Anyone can create an account – by registering a username and password. Individuals also have the option to add a name, location, website url and/or photo to their account profile. Most users do not reference their legal name, but rather use an avatar.

Registered users can create threads, or topics, and can also comment on, and search for other threads.

Similarities to “traditional” community cookbooks

There are many similarities between Cook Food Every Day and traditional (or geographically-specific) community cookbooks. For instance:

Like most community cookbooks, Cook Food Every Day has a cover, and title page:

a forward or introduction

a table of contents

the recipes are organized by themes or categories

separated by section dividers

the contributors are acknowledged for donating recipes
and there are photos and drawings dispersed throughout – within the text, rather than on separate pages
and the recipes are titled, ingredients and quantities are listed followed by directions.

My original idea for this project, was to collect the recipes that people had posted on the message board, compile them, then go get them photocopied and comb bound at a copy shop, a cheap and fast choice that many community cookbooks follow. Three community members with printing, editing, and publishing experience offered to collaborate on the project. At our first meeting, we realized we could do 3 things: bind it, use color and complete it in less than 3 months.

The list of those involved mushroomed to meet and exceed the needs and deadlines. Artists donated drawings, cover art, poster designs; reporters drummed up support and helped get write-ups in local papers; show promoters and bookers helped with the logistics of securing a venue for its release party; people contributed over 100 recipes and stories about the dishes; community members from out-of-state helped set up websites and blogs to promote the book and secure a Paypal account for shipping, and people stepped up at the last minute to help edit the 130 page book two days before the final print deadline.

On Friday, December 11, 2009, the impossible, creating a book in under three months, was accomplished.

The very small window of recipe collection and book printing was only possible because of the online community. The internet as medium, allowed for several people to be in charge of promoting and working on the project simultaneously, from a variety of locations. It was not just me, but a network of people convincing others to donate their recipes or reminding people about the stories behind dishes or encouraging people to illustrate recipes. Community members could “top” discussion threads throughout the day and evening, so a variety of people would see the topic.

Many of the contributors have met or interacted with each other outside of the online community, but not all have. The message board is Boston-based, but many people continue to participate after they have moved away. Several recipes came from California, New York, Washington D.C., a few more off the coast of Maine, but the majority of the recipes came from residents in and around Boston, including Allston, Brighton, Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, and Watertown.

Food as a starting point

Unlike other community cookbooks that have fundraising as a reason for starting a project, Cook Food Every Day began because I noticed there were a large number of threads discussing food, many of which contained recipes. While the message board is primarily focused around music shows, topics of discussion are by no means limited to just music. From debates over where one can find the best burrito, to someone asking for Photoshop help, the online forum runs the gamut of topics, including parodies, news items, pop and (and not so pop) culture. I did notice a large number of discussions about food and proposed the idea to collect the recipes, bind them, and have them ready for the holidays. There is also lively discussions about dietary restrictions, which is visible in the final product that indexes “gluten-free”, “dairy-free”, “nut-free”, “vegetarian”, and “vegan” recipes.

After some people said they might purchase a book, it was decided that all of the proceeds should go to a food bank or shelter.

While some members people remarked that they were surprised anything “good” was coming out of this online community, there is a history of members holding fundraising events and participating in several different non-profit organizations.

Some recipes previously posted were combined with new suggestions. The only guiding theme was “food to share” which was open to the broadest interpretation of food, causing some to donate recipes of dishes they had made or shared with other community members. All recipes submitted were included.

The layout design of the recipe pages encourages a more conversational tone. The format consisted of:

Recipe Title

Contributor’s Name

Website

Brief description of the recipe

Ingredients and quantities

Directions

Optional photos could be contributed

Optional artwork – though most of this was done secondarily

Some pages include conversation bubbles where people who have consumed the recipe talk about where or when they ate it and how it tasted.

Much of the current analysis regarding reading community cookbooks as “texts” focuses around looking at how current-day researchers can use community cookbooks to better understand the lives of the women who shared recipes and the communities they were a part of. In Eat My Words, Theophano states: “in displaying their cuisine, the compilers and editors of [community] cookbooks also self-consciously portray and define an image of themselves, their cultural groups, and their own rendering of their groups’ history and identity.”[3]

While this analysis rings true for most community cookbooks, it is not 100% accurate for Cook Food Ever Day. There was an intentional rejection of most references to the message board – it is not directly named anywhere within the book, though the introduction acknowledges its existence. At the same time, there are some “inside jokes” and references that non-community members would not know have double or triple meanings to community members. So the identity of the community through the cookbook is actually different to outsiders and insiders, which is unlike most community cookbooks.

One example is the title itself. Cook Food Ever Day is a reference to an art show Draw Drawings Every Day, which began as a 2008 thread where a community member encouraged others to post images of their works and works-in-progress. It became a way for people to showcase their work, discuss techniques and offer and receive encouragement to draw more. The thread inspired the 2009 art show, with the same title, which featured many of the online community members works. Copies of Cook Food Every Day were sold at the 2010 incarnation of the show, which was titled “Hey I Know That Guy” but was still referred to by some community members as “the draw drawings show”.[4]

What shows or events online community members attend “in real life” often dictate what conversations persons engage with online. People sometimes meet-up for drinks or food before shows and use the message board as a way of communicating with others – sometimes offering open invitations for meet-ups. Conversations about upcoming shows often continue at the venue – discussing other bands, other events, and sometimes leads to discussions of message board gossip. Some people, via texting and web-enabled phones, will discuss the goings on at a show on the message board during or between performances. After events or shows conclude, participants will often go back to the thread discussing the upcoming show and talk about the performances and goings on at the event. Persons who could not attend sometimes discuss why s/he were not able to go, others talk about the next event where ____ performer or act will be, etc.

This format was mirrored throughout the Cook Food Every Day release show. The format of the event, was a bit different than an art show or musical performance. Billed as a “Cookbook Release Party, Show & Bake Sale” the event was held at a bar in Somerville, MA.

Contributors to the book were invited to cook one or more of their recipes to sell to help defray the cost of the room rental. People volunteered to work the door, sell books, emcee, and others collected bake sale donations. Four cookbook contributors that were in bands and performing acts were invited to perform throughout the evening.

Throughout the night, several attendees where posting to the message board, via their cell phones, updating on the status of the event.

After the show, where all 150 cookbooks sold out, many made comments online about the event – how the bake sale items tasted, how the bands sounded, others posted photos and videos from the performances. I shared with the group the tally of the funds and promised a second printing.

After expenses, $1077 was donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank. An additional book order was made for 100 copies, and I continued to make arrangements with local bookstores to carry the cookbook, on consignment. There are still 80 unsold books, boxed in my living room.

After publication, the book continued to weave in and out of online and physical spaces. With people discussing the book online as well as cooking and sharing recipes.

So what can be gained from looking comparatively at traditional community cookbooks vs. one created from an online community?

The food and discussion of food, is woven in and out of the online and tangible world spaces of community and non-community members alike. Eating food, is an embodied experience – one has to be present, in a physical body to consume physical food. Talking about food, can be both embodied and disembodied. I can talk to you now about how something tasted – remembering an embodied experience. Or I can think about how something might taste, something that is not a memory of an embodied experience, it’s a slightly disembodied imagination of what something might taste like. But both still rely on me engaging with my embodied senses – imagined or otherwise.

This speaks to the newer understanding of the embodied experiences of interacting in digital communities. Logging onto Facebook involves me either typing on a keypad or speaking into speech-to-text software, requires me to physically engage with a machine to participate in a digital community. Here I am intentionally not using the term “virtual” because like the message board community, I have digital and tangible relationships with many of my friends in both communities. Both communities have social rules (even if they are broken, it is clear to community members that a line has been crossed), there are language rules (again, that are sometimes broken) and rules of social engagement. Both systems have “private message” options for different forms of communication than that that is appropriate for the general community.

It may be that in the absence of legal names and photos of community members physical faces, that food preferences – like musical choices – are heightened markers of personal identity. These embodied aesthetics are present in both the virtual and physical worlds, and offer particular ways of knowing and understanding community members who can – and often do – obscure most aspects of their physical world identifiers, like legal names and photos.

Food as a window into a virtual community can help reveal the very complex, woven relationships that develop in both virtual and physical spaces. The connections between community members are not restricted to only the message board, they often reach into the physical worlds, whether it being the sharing of a recipe, or attending a show together.

[1] Janet Theophano, Eat My Words: Reading Women’s Lives Through the Cookbooks They Wrote, 1st ed. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), 253.

[2] James R. Shortridge, The Taste of American Place: A Reader on Regional and Ethnic Foods (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999), 112.

[3] Theophano, Eat My Words, 83.

[4] The thread was started in June of 2008. The first art show was held 2 January 2009 at the Washington Street Art Center, 321 Washington St. Somerville, MA. The cookbook was available for purchase at the January 23, 2010 show. The event was held again this year on January 15^th.

In Montana

2011-06-10T20:35:00.001-04:00

Cook Food Every Day - well one copy of it - and editor Kristina, are in Missoula Montana at the ASFS/AFHVS/SAFN conference, where the making of the book is the subject of a paper. Its finally stopped raining and the big sky is out and the mountains are pretty amazing. Hopefully good stuff will come out of thinking more about online communities and the making of a community cookbook.

CFED now at Magpie!

2011-03-02T14:58:00.002-05:00

Magpie in Davis Square is now carrying Cook Food Every Day!

Magpie
416 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02144
617.623.3330

CFED @ Schelsinger Library

2011-02-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Schlesinger Library at Harvard University now has a copy of Cook Food Every Day! The library is non-lending, but it will be housed with the other community cookbooks. You can check out the details here: Hollis library link.

A big thanks to Steve Gisselbrecht who planted the seed that made this happen!

$3415.11

2011-02-15T11:10:00.000-05:00

To-date, Cook Food Every Day has totaled $3,415.11 in sales!

HTML Giant write-up

2010-12-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

Cook Food Every Day has been featured on HTML Giant (the literature/publishing blog)!
Many many thanks to Nicole for putting this together.

Check it out

Cookbooks on Sale

2010-12-14T12:19:00.002-05:00

If you are in need of a gift, CFED is on sale at the following locations, and online via PayPal:

Porter Square Books
25 White St.
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 491-2220

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: (617) 661-1515
Toll Free: (800) 542-READ

Brookline Booksmith
279 Harvard Street
Brookline, MA 02446-2908
(617) 566-6660

Cook Food Every Day on TV!!!

2010-07-25T16:24:00.000-04:00

Cooking Channel--the new tv channel, spin off of the Food Network--has a show Food(ography) hosted by Mo Rocca. The producers contacted Cook Food Every Day a few months ago, saying they were profiling new community cookbooks. Well their episode about cookbooks is now on the air, and during a portion on community cookbooks, the camera pans over a pile of books, and at the VERY TOP is Cook Food Every Day!

If you have access to the Cooking Channel, its going to be on a few more times:

June 29, 2010 10:00 PM
June 29, 2010 2:00 AM
July 03, 2010 7:00 PM
July 06, 2010 12:00 PM
July 08, 2010 8:00 PM
July 08, 2010 12:00 AM
July 19, 2010 9:00 PM
July 19, 2010 1:00 AM
July 24, 2010 10:00 AM
July 25, 2010 6:00 PM
August 01, 2010 9:00 PM
August 01, 2010 1:00 AM
August 03, 2010 10:00 PM
August 03, 2010 2:00 AM
August 07, 2010 7:00 PM
August 08, 2010 8:00 AM
August 10, 2010 12:00 PM
August 12, 2010 8:00 PM
August 12, 2010 12:00 AM

Cook Food Every Day in GBFB's Newsletter

2010-05-12T11:35:00.000-04:00

CFED is in this month's Greater Boston Food Bank's Newsletter.

Cookies

2010-04-07T11:01:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Lauren for continuing to share her culinary successes!

Spicy Carrots

2010-03-30T11:11:00.000-04:00

Lauren made a batch of Deb's Spicy Carrots, page 40.

Thanks Lauren for sharing!

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

2010-03-15T10:57:00.008-04:00

Steve G. and Laura F. made Lindsay's Stuffed Zucchini recipe, page 91.

Thanks to Steve G. for the image!

A twist on Cacao Maple Bacon Bites

2010-02-24T11:06:00.001-05:00

Tom Wethern, who submitted the recipe amazingly addictive Cacao Maple Bacon Bites (page 33), is at it again!
Here is his latest version of his dish:

Here is his latest version of his dish: The pieces on the right include bacon that has been lacquered first, then covered in the maple cream and topped off with a whole cacao bean.

Thanks to Tom for sharing his photo!

Nellie enjoying some Hallelujah the Tomato Soup!

2010-02-19T10:59:00.001-05:00

Nellie, one of the designers and editors of CFED is here enjoying a hearty bowl of Hallelujah the Tomato Soup, cooked from page 66.

Thank you gift

2010-02-02T22:29:00.004-05:00

The Greater Boston Food Bank sent a thank you gift for the donations made by Cook Food Every Day. Its this really fantastic insulated bag!

If you are having a hot or cold picnic and need to borrow it, just give a holler!

Become a fan on Facebook

2010-01-28T14:02:00.001-05:00

You can become a fan of Cook Food Every Day on Facebook!

Who doesn't like clicking on things?

Toffee Almond Crowns, with a twist

2010-01-26T11:22:00.003-05:00

The amazing Steve Gisselbrecht modified his Toffee Almond Crown recipe [pages 131] and swapped out the wheat flour for arepa (corn) flour and made these beauties for my birthday! (Typically subbing out flours like this doesn't work, but in this recipe it did and boy were they delicious.)

Books available this Saturday

2010-01-21T15:23:00.003-05:00

Cook Food Every Day will be sold at the "HEY I KNOW THAT GUY" portrait show this Saturday, January 23rd at the Washington Square Arts Center. The event is free and showcases the work of over 50 artists!

Many of the artist from the cookbook have artwork in this show!

Cook Food Every Day in the Boston Globe

2010-01-20T07:39:00.002-05:00

Pick up today's Boston Globe or click away on over to the food section's articles about the needs of food pantries in Massachusetts and a Community cookbook with a heart!

Now at Brookline Booksmith

2010-01-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

Cook Food Every Day is now available at:

Brookline Booksmith
279 Harvard Street
Brookline, MA 02446-2908
(617) 566-6660

The Best Part of Waking Up

2010-01-19T12:02:00.005-05:00

Three cookbook fans collaborated this weekend to make tempeh bacon and vegan corned beef hash from Cook Food Every Day and had a fakemeatstravaganza!!!

Thanks to Aimee for sharing.

CFED @ Rodney's in Central Square

2010-01-14T14:03:00.002-05:00

Cook Food Every Day is now available at Rodney's Bookstore in Central Square Cambridge.

Rodney's Bookstore
698 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 876-6467

Grab a copy, they are at the front desk!

January is Super Hunger Month

2010-01-14T09:38:00.002-05:00

January is Super Hunger Month, and the Greater Boston Food Bank. There are lots of ways to participate including: Super Hunger Events.

Brunch anyone?

Cookbook Photo Project

2010-01-08T15:11:00.004-05:00

Have you made a tasty treat out of CFED and you want to brag?
Do you love taking photos?
Have a panache for seeing your work on the internet.

Perhaps this is for you!

Cookbook Photo Project
Step 1 - get a copy of Cook Food Every Day
Step 2 - procure a camera
Step 3 - photograph yourself, loved one or completed dish with said cookbook
Step 4 - email your photo (jpeg or url) and caption to: kristina [dot] nies [at] gmail [dot] com

Wait with anticipation to see it up on this fine blog!

Thanks to Lauren for getting the ball rolling with: "buy a cookbook, stack it on your kitten."

Cookbooks for Sale @ Draw Drawings Every Day

2010-01-06T15:13:00.004-05:00

Itching to get out of the house and see some art and perhaps pick up a cookbook? Come check out this amazing event, part of Snow Project. With over 30 local artists contributing, its going to be amazing - plus there will be live music, and its free!
Cookbooks will be for sale too!

Draw Drawings Every Day - Art Opening
This Saturday
January 9, 2010
Washington St. Art Center
321 Washington St.
Somerville, MA
6-10pm
DJ B-Train, mR. id, and DJ Blue Wizard

Washington Street Arts Center

RSVP for the event on Facebook

Harvard Book Store

2009-12-29T21:59:00.003-05:00

Cook Food Every Day is now available at the Harvard Book Store.

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: (617) 661-1515
Toll Free: (800) 542-READ

Porter Square Books

2009-12-24T13:39:00.003-05:00

Porter Square Books is now carrying Cook Food Every Day!

Porter Square Books
25 White St.
Cambridge, MA 02140

Books are back in stock!

2009-12-23T18:19:00.005-05:00

Swing by the Sherman Market to grab a copy!

Sherman Market
22 Union Square
Somerville, MA

$1077.48 donation

2009-12-23T11:18:00.003-05:00

Using one of Brian Rusnica's holiday cards seemed like the perfect vehicle for sending in the $1077.48 donation to the Greater Boston Food Bank for the proceeds from the first printing of Cook Food Every Day.

Thank you to everyone for contributing to a great cause!

Second Printing - Pre-order Today

2009-12-22T11:39:00.002-05:00

By popular demand, a second printing of Cook Food Every Day is in the works. You can pre-order yours online via the "Buy it Now" link on this blog.

Copies will also soon be available in stores in the Boston area. More info to come!

SOLD OUT

2009-12-17T11:27:00.002-05:00

Thank you to everyone for making last night so fantastic!

Cookbooks sold out before Quoins finished their set!

With the bake sale, donations at the door and cookbook sales, YOU have helped raise over $1,000 for the Greater Boston Food Bank.

I will be looking into doing a second run, but if you still need a copy, there are a few for sale at the Sherman Market in Union Square Somerville.

More pictures from the release party

2009-12-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

Great snapshots from Gretchen:

Show pictures & videos

2009-12-17T09:27:00.003-05:00

So many amazing things happened last night! Cookbooks were sold, good food was eaten and more hugs were experienced than I have seen in a long time.

Its all because so many people donated their time to making a book, bake sale and show happen.
Big thanks to everyone who worked the tables and stayed late to clean up!

Send more images this way and they will be added!

Danielle with a last minute frosting job on her vegan coconut cupcakes:

Matt's fantastic job as the evening's emcee - he is reading from the cookbook!

Theory Engine:

Mind Yeti:

Videos of Quoins & Theory Engine

Cook Food Every Day in the Weekly Dig!

2009-12-15T21:46:00.002-05:00

Run out and grab a copy of the Dig and check out the article by Rachel Katz, "Boston musicians and artists collaborate on a charity cookbook"

The Dig is a free weekly paper, the one in the bright orange box on the street corner.

Show Tomorrow

2009-12-15T20:44:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day!

Cookies are being baked, books are counted, posters are shiny and at the ready.

Hope to see you tomorrow night!

PAs Lounge
8:30 doors
9pm
$1 donation

Cookbooks available for $15-20 donation

Purchase the book

2009-12-12T12:21:00.005-05:00

You can now purchase a copy of Cook Food Every Day! You have two fun options:
1. at the cookbook release party on Wednesday, December 16th @ 9pm at PAs Lounge in Somerville!
2. online! (Look to the right for the "buy it now" button)

Important notes:
$7.80 per book covers the printing cost, the remainder of your donation will go to the GBFB.
No cookbooks will be shipped before release date (12/16/09)
Shipping is available in the USA ONLY. Everything will be sent USPS, flat rate.
All proceeds benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank but this purchase is NOT tax deductible.

Books!

2009-12-11T11:51:00.002-05:00

One very large bill was paid.
Three very discrete boxes are being transported to a secret location.

Cook Food Every Day is bound and hot off the presses!

A giant thank you to Mike Clark at BFS Printing for taking an idea and pixels and turning it into a real book!

Boston Locavores

2009-12-10T15:46:00.001-05:00

The Boston Locavores blog just posted about this project!

What's inside

2009-12-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

For all looking for a few more hints as to what's included, here is the Table of Contents:

Breakfast
Maple Granola.............................................12
The Pancakes..............................................13
Vegan Corned Beef Hash..............................14
Vegan French Toast......................................15
Cinnamon Buns...........................................18
Vegan Killers...............................................20
Tempeh Bacon............................................21
Lazy Man’s Banana French Toast Sandwich....24

Sides & Snacks
My Favorite Popcorn Topper..........................28
“Chex” Mix.................................................29
Bacon Maple Caramel Corn...........................30
Buffalo Chicken Dip.....................................31
Stuffed Mushrooms......................................32
Cacao Maple Bacon Bites.............................33
Pesto Cones................................................34
Twin Slaws..................................................35
Potato Salad...............................................36
Chili-Lime Roasted Corn...............................37
Broccoli with Garlic Sauce............................38
Carrots and Beets........................................39
Spicy Carrots...............................................40
Mieng Pla...................................................41
Best Ever Brussels Sprouts...........................42
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Garlic.........43
Bacon Pomegranate Salad on Endive.............44
Cranberry Orange Sauce...............................45
Eggy Bap....................................................46

Soups & Stews
Roasted Vegetable Stock..............................52
French Lentil Soup......................................53
Sweet Potato Chili.......................................54
Cambridge Skyline Chili...............................56
Vegetable Minestrone...................................58
Vegan Beef Stew..........................................59
Miso Soup..................................................60
Weird Carrot Soup........................................61
Cream of Mushroom Soup............................62
Tortilla Soup...............................................64
Hallelujah The Tomato (Soup).......................66
Deconstructed French Onion Soup................68
Ultimate Feel-Better Soup............................69

Main Dishes
Curry (the basics)........................................72
Aloo Gobi....................................................75
Coconut Fish Curry......................................76
Poached Salmon with a Dill Yogurt Sauce......77
Sully’s Simple Salmon.................................78
Weirdo Vegan Tuna.......................................79
Poached Hake with Polenta & Greens............80
End of the Week Mac-and-Cheese.................81
Spinach Lasagna.........................................82
Sweet Potato Spaghetti................................84
Pasta & Artichokes.......................................85
Baked Pasta and Cauliflower.........................86
Pasta with Sausage, Leeks and Broccoli
Rabe.......................................................88
Kitchen Sink Carbonara................................89
Red Pepper Pesto........................................90
Stuffed Zucchini..........................................91
Stromboli di Allston.....................................92
Pizza..........................................................94
Irish Pizza...................................................96
Perfect Quiche Lorraine................................98
Mushroom Marsala Sauce.............................100
One Man’s Pot Roast....................................101
Always-Perfect Pot Roast..............................102
Spicy Bourbon Chicken................................104
Spanakopita................................................106
Ilona’s Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki
Sauce......................................................108
Mustard Chicken.........................................109
Stuffed Portobello Caps................................110
Corned Beef & Cabbage................................111
Mexican Golumpki aka Polish Gumbo............112
California Carne Asada Tacos........................114

Bread
Lemon Garlic Basil Bread.............................116
Perfect Banana Bread..................................118
Oatmeal Bread............................................119
My Mother’s Honey-Egg Bread......................120
Zucchini Bread............................................122
Grandma Scally’s Irish Bread........................124
Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread........................125
Scones, In General......................................126
Cheddar-Onion Scones.................................128
Thanksgiving Biscuits..................................129

Pies & Cakes
Super Simple Crumb Top Apple Pie...............132
Caramel Apple Pie.......................................134
Chocolate Almond Cherry Pie........................135
Peach Chiffon Pie........................................136
Real Pecan Pie............................................137
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.........................138
Strawberry Mousse Pie.................................139
Gluten Free Flaky Pie Dough.........................140
Cashew Peach Tart.......................................141
Kitchen Sink Cheesecake.............................142
Ultra-Vanilla Cheesecake..............................144
Cookies and Milk Cheesecake.......................146
Neapolitan Cheesecake................................148
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Rum-Raisin Glaze.150
Chocolate B-52 Cake...................................152
Caramel Cake..............................................154
Raspberry Chocolate Cake............................156
Evan’s Birthday Cake...................................158
Russian Tea Cakes.......................................159
Salted Caramel Buttercream.........................160
Pecan Dacquoise with Caramelized
Honey Ganache........................................162
Pumpkin Custard.........................................164
Pumpkin Trifle.............................................165
Caramel Apple Trifle.....................................166

Cookies
Quadruple Chocolate Cookies........................170
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies......171
Fruit & Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies...............172
Espresso Shortbread Cookies........................173
Raspberry Crunch Cookies............................174
Monster Cookies..........................................175
Lavender Chocolate Sandwich Cookies...........176
Thick Mints.................................................178
No Bake Peanut Butter Squares....................179
Cinnamon Brownies.....................................180
Toffee Almond Crowns..................................181
Teething Biscuits.........................................182
Candies & Ice Creams
Tempered Chocolate.....................................184
Almond Balls..............................................186
Hazelnut Balls.............................................187
Caramel Cups..............................................188
Candied Ginger............................................190
Lassi Truffles...............................................192
Vanilla Cups................................................193
Vegan Coconut Milk Ganache and/or Vegan
Truffles....................................................194
Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream..........................195
Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream with Greek Yogurt....196
Lime Rosewater Cheesecake Ice Cream..........197

Beverages
Lime/Cardamom Deliciousness to Drink.........200
Cute Bloody Mary........................................201
New Fangled...............................................202

Clean Up
All Purpose Fix Everything Magical
Magic Spray.............................................204

Proof PROOF

2009-12-10T09:55:00.001-05:00

The grainy picture comes courtesy of my cell phone camera, but that is the cookbook proof sitting on my desk!! Next stop, a bound book!

Why this project?

2009-12-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

The Weekly Dig interviewed me this weekend- fingers crossed the story will be out next week - and the why and how of this project has been something that I have been asked a ton lately. I feel slightly uncomfortable speaking about it because I feel strongly that I am more like the ringleader, that sans contributors and artists, this would still just be an idea, not a book. That said, here goes...

This cookbook project stemmed from a Boston-based online message board for arts and music. I asked members if they would be interested in purchasing such a book, then asked about contributions and then it snowballed from there. People jumped in with printing, publishing, editing, InDesign knowledge and experience. Others helped spread the word and drum up recipes and work to book a venue for a release party and a show. Still more have looked into working with local bookstores to get the final product on shelves.

I have been continuously amazed by the amount of time and dedication that so many people have been willing to donate to this project. From the amazing layout, design & editing work of both Martin Pavlinic & Nellie McKesson, to Brian's cover and the 36 other contributors who gracious donated their recipes and artwork... I still feel like I do not have enough words to appropriately say "thank you."

I chose The Greater Boston Food Bank as the recipient of all of the proceeds because they are a huge organization that works to distribute food to 600 hunger-relief agencies in eastern Massachusetts. Founded in 1981, they move 30 million pounds of food, which reach over 320,000 people annually. In 2008, the GBFB's Needs Survey found that 90.1% of the participating organizations saw an increase in demand for food. This large, broad-sweeping organization helps keep smaller, local soup kitchens, shelters, programs and food pantries supplied and running. This emphasis on helping support existing programs - located within communities - is essential. (If you aren't able to afford enough food, having a food bank 10 miles away, means that you need time, a way to get there, and if you don't have a car or money for gas, then you are limited to transporting what you can carry - if you are lucky enough to be on a bus line.)

It is more often than not, that this time of year people consider making donations, but the reality is, people are going hungry in this state every day. So while I am elated that this book is going to come out in time for the holiday season, my hope is that it will continue to gain momentum and be a sustainable project and we can keep contributing to the Greater Boston Food Bank long after the snow has melted.

Stay tuned for more news and updates about how and where to purchase the book!
And if you happen to know a thing or two about inventory systems that work with either PayPal or Google CheckOut, please teach me the way.

Marking Calendars

2009-12-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

I figured out how to add events on boston.com, and TA DAH!

And we are OFF... to the printers!

2009-12-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

Everything has been sent to the printers!! BFS Business Printing has been wonderful about working with us on a super tight deadline. They also given us a generous discount for this not-for-profit project.

Gretchen and Nellie really stepped it up this weekend pouring over 218 pages - multiple times - proofreading and editing like mad.

This last push has been a little maddening, but I cannot wait to hold a copy in my hands!

Bake Sale Treats

2009-12-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

In addition to an amazing night of music, the Cookbook Release Party will have a bevvy of tasty treats - you can taste some of the recipes before you buy the book!

What treats?!

-No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
-Zucchini Bread
-cupcakes
-homemade bread
-candies

Plus many more surprise tidbits!

Getting closer to the finish line

2009-12-04T22:30:00.001-05:00

The four team crew of editors are madly pounding the keyboards to get the final draft closer to perfection and ready for printing.

So what IS in this cookbook you ask?
Here are some stats:

81 vegetarian recipes
17 vegan recipes
40 gluten free recipes
28 dairy free recipes
97 nut free recipes

131 RECIPES!

Show poster

2009-12-04T16:29:00.000-05:00

The fantastic work of Nellie McKesson!

More sneek peaks

2009-12-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

Just a few more great illustrations that are getting imported into the book!

Steve Fournier did such a fantastic job!

Bands Announced!

2009-12-02T10:55:00.001-05:00

The line up is in! The following bands are playing the Cookbook Release Show & Bake Sale on December 16th @ PAs Lounge:
Theory Engine
Quoins
Mind Yeti
Dec. 16th
9pm
$1 donation at the door

There are also some rumors of some special surprise guests. Anything is possible!

Artwork

2009-12-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

More artwork is getting put into the giant document that is soon to be the book. Nellie has super-human powers to manipulate and re-size things to make everything look just right. (Martin's template skills and ability to make 30+ people's recipes look somewhat similar is astounding and laid the foundation.) Here is a sampling of what is to come:

Teething Biscuits

Lazy Man's Banana French Toast Sandwich

Mike Shea is an amazing artist!

Cover Art!

2009-11-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

Here it is:

Brian Rusnica really out did himself. Its so great!

Cookbook Release Party, Show & Bake Sale!

2009-11-29T01:55:00.000-05:00

The cookbook is in the final stages of having the images imported. Next up is the big final edit and then printing!

The final product will have over 130 recipes, 33 photos and 20 original illustrations created by 38 local artists.

In keeping with this theme, we will be having a fundraiser and cookbook release party, just in time for the holidays:

Cookbook Release Party & Bake Sale
All proceeds benefiting the Greater Boston Food Bank
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
PAs Lounge
Somerville, MA
9pm

So mark you calendars! More information about the bands very very soon!