One of my New Year's resolutions in 2010, was to not buy any more cookbooks and magazines as I had developed a strange addiction to both. I subscribed to about ten magazines and I loved and read them all, but when I realized my magazine addition had spun out of control, as in, I was buying magazines at the grocery store that I already subscribed to and had already read...well, I had an intervention with myself: My name is Nan and I'm a magazine addict. I girded up my loins and quit cold turkey. Standing in the line at the grocery store was torture for me...I had to resist the urge to grab a magazine...ANY magazine...I must have looked like a junkie going through withdrawals...biting my nails, shifting my weight from side to side...frantically digging through my purse for gum or mints or anything to distract me until it was my turn to put my groceries on the moving conveyor belt and inch past the magazines that had such power over me. And now, a year and a half later, I can tell you, like most addicts, I have had some slip-ups...but, like a social drinker, I have learned to manage my addition and now only subscribe to THREE magazines - Bon Appetit, Cooks Illustrated, and Southern Living...the holy trinity when it comes to magazines.
Cookbooks are a whole 'nuther thing. I have tried, I truly have, and while I have done better, I am not yet cured and can't even claim to be a "social cookbook imbiber." My name is Nan and I'm a cookbook addict! But I do have new, self-imposed parameters when it comes to buying cookbooks...I will only purchase a cookbook that comes highly recommended by someone I trust or from a place where I have personally eaten." And that was the case with Planet Barbecue by Steve Raichlen. I first heard about this book from my friend Chris, the mastermind behind Nibble Me This. If you haven't been to Chris' blog, you need to go - right now - but first put on a bib because everything he posts will make you drool. I read Chris' review of Planet Barbecue and ordered it straight away. When it came I quickly browsed through it but half way I discovered I was late to a wedding reception and had forgotten to buy a gift...so I stuck a check in the book, wrapped it up and gave it away then quickly forgot about it! A few months later I purchased it again...because the newlywed couple I gave the book to wrote me the nicest note and raved about all the great food they had made from Steve's easy to follow recipes...I bought myself a copy...but once again, it turned into a gift. And then the rains arrived, our grill was tucked away for the winter and I put Planet Barbecue our of my mind until last week when I saw it for half price at Barnes and Nobles (and you can order it now through Amazon for practically nothing!!) This time, I did not give it away! I read it cover to cover and it is fascinating! I have dog-earred about half the book and have made 3 dishes so far - all outstanding - and I'll share those with you soon.
From appetizers to desserts, there are over 300 recipes from around the world - it's as much as a travel book as it is a cookbook! If you're not up to speed with your barbecue techniques, this book will get you there...even if you're a highly-challenged-gas-grill-gal like myself.
