First Look: Table for Two, Back for Seconds

I love cookbooks. There, I said it. I admitted it, in a rehab sort of way. I love cookbooks. I collect cookbooks. I hoard them. But like other people read best sellers, I read them. Cover to cover, page after page, ingredient list after ingredient list.

Some 400 plus cookbooks make up my collection. Some of them are old church cookbooks and some are the latest musings of the hottest celebrity chefs. Fundraising cookbooks, Better Homes and Gardens, heck I even have Julia Child's epic tome Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

There is a point to this story......I'm getting there. A while back I happened to "meet" a very interesting gentleman on Facebook along my blogging and Facebook page journey, the very talented and down to earth Chef Warren Caterson. The more we chatted the more I became interested in his cooking story. Among his many endeavors in his professional life, writing cookbooks happens to be one of them. Lucky for me !!!

Just the other day I opened my mailbox and voila! A copy of his latest book, Table for Two, Back for Seconds, was hiding in there! Autographed even! I felt like a little kid on Christmas. 

So now I have the book, it's time to do some reading. And cooking! Talking with Warren the other evening I tossed around the idea of cooking through the book, every recipe, just like Julie in the movie Julie and Julia. I think that's exactly what I am going to do. Not page by page of course, I'm going to mix it up, starting with Mexican Posole Soup. Why start there? One of the ingredients is salsa verde, and I just happened to have canned a batch. Second on the list, the Arroz Con Pollo.

The best thing about the recipes in Warren's book is the real-life ability to prepare these dishes. Now I have Mario Batali's books and there are ingredients in some recipes I have never seen, or even heard of- and I have lived, cooked and dined all over the world. From the humble Grilled Cheese for Grownups to Beef Wellington, everything is crafted in a way anyone who can READ can make these fabulous dishes. The ingredients are all readily available and most importantly- affordable.

This weekend, I am going to immerse myself in this book and cook up a storm. Why? Because I can!

You can get your own copy of this must-have cookbook, which is great for empty-nesters like me, newlyweds and even single people who might want to have a guest over for dinner, as well as Warren's first cookbook, Table for Two, by clicking here.