cookbooks

Moving to Virginia

Hey everyone, just a quick note to let you know that there won’t be a recipe this week, or next Tuesday either. Our family is in the middle of moving from Pensacola, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia; in fact, today is the day where the movers come and load up all of our boxes. Later this week we’ll start our extended drive through Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina before settling into our new home in Virginia late next week. Along the way, we’ll stop and visit our friend Sarah (aka The Paleo Mom) and her family, and a couple other friends who live near the route we take.

After 17+ years in the Navy, and over a dozen deployments, I’m fairly competent at moving across the country – but it still leaves me with a sense of melancholy each time it happens. When we first moved to Florida in 2014, we were a family of three; upon leaving, we’re a family of four, with Elliott joining us about a year and a half ago (the picture above is the photo I took with the boys for Father’s Day this past weekend). We’ve made a lot of great friends, and one of the many wonderful things about the age we live in is that they’re only a click/text/Skype away.

From a cooking and writing perspective, I’ve hit a few milestones over these past few years – I wrote my second cookbook, made the NYT bestseller list, started a third cookbook, and embarked on a book tour that spanned three months and 13 states. I’m excited to see what Virginia has in store for our family.

So I’ll see you folks in a couple weeks, once the hubbub of moving has died down and I can acclimate to my new kitchen. In the meantime, be sure to enjoy the summer weather – and while you’re at it, check out some of my favorite summertime recipes:

Ahi Poke
Gazpacho Cold Vegetable Soup)
Ital Stew
Grilled Romaine Salad
Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Huli-Huli Chicken Wings
Argentenian-style Tri-Tip with Chimichurri
Pad Priew Wan Goong (Thai Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry with Shrimp)

Review: Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book

I owe a huge debt to America’s Test Kitchen and their Cook’s Illustrated cookbooks, whether they realize it or not; their books have been a staple in my reading library for nearly 20 years now. Many of the techniques I use in my cooking are founded on principles and tips that I’ve gleaned from their work. In fact, eagle-eyed readers of The Ancestral Table might have noticed that I gave them a nod in the back of my book, for influencing three of its recipes.

When they asked me to review and help spread the word about their new book, The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book: The Game-Changing Guide that Teaches You How to Cook Meat and Poultry with 425 Bulletproof Recipes, I jumped at the chance. Read on for the full review, but if you’re looking for the short version, it’s this: this is an essential guide to mastering the subtle art of cooking meat, and will set you up for a lifetime of deliciousness.

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Paleo Cookbook Roundup: Fall 2013

It’s hard to believe that my last Paleo cookbook roundup was only two months ago, because I’m already getting overwhelmed with another stack of new books. So I think I’m going to continue to write these review roundups each season. Personally, I can’t wait for the next roundup, since by then I’ll finally get my grubby hands on the Nom Nom Paleo cookbook!

Since we’re talking about cookbooks, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I announced my own cookbook last week, which will be out next February. If you haven’t already, I’d really appreciate it if you considered pre-ordering my book; pre-order sales go a long way towards getting it distributed and placed in high-profile stores. I’m a relatively small fish in the big Paleo pond, so every sale helps. Thanks! Okay, enough about me, let’s dive into other peoples’ hard work.

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Paleo Cookbook Roundup: Summer 2013

It tends to happen every year, but this year’s summer months have been especially busy for our family and in truth I’ve had a heck of a time maintaining my weekly blogging schedule. I’ve been sent several excellent cookbooks over the past couple months and I wanted to take a second and do some quick write-ups about them in case you’re interested in expanding your Paleo and Gluten-Free cookbook library.

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Book Review (and Giveaway!): Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry

Update: Congratulations to Erin W., who won the giveaway!

I think the upcoming release of Elana Amsterdam’s Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry marks an exciting time in the Paleo movement. This value-priced book is coming right when Paleo is spiking in mainstream appeal, and the book sports some really delicious and ultra simple recipes, which will be really helpful for those curious about changing their dietary habits for the better. Moreover, there are enough new recipes in here to keep seasoned Paleo eaters busy for a while.

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Book Review (and Giveaway!) – Gather: The Art of Paleo Entertaining

Hey folks, I’m starting to get quite a collection of cookbooks (although it pales in comparison to this stash!), so I’m going to review some Paleo-minded cookbooks as I receive them, and give a copy away as well. If you have a book coming out soon, I’d be happy to have a look and run it through its paces.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Molly D. from Houston, TX, who won the giveaway. Thanks to everyone for participating!

I’m really excited about Gather: The Art of Paleo Entertaining, which releases next week. Personally, I think it is a huge step forward in the Paleo cooking world. Not only have Bill Staley and Hayley Mason created some really tasty recipes, they’ve upped the bar in terms of presentation and thoughtfulness. This is the first Paleo cookbook I’ve seen that I think can stand toe-to-toe with the best non-Paleo cookbooks coming out this year.

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