“Food is, of course, a social thing, one of the most positive, primal ways of spending time with people, but eating alone is also an affirmation. It’s a way of enjoying me.“
–Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade Life
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Summer is beginning to wind down and as we transition into autumn, it’s time to wander in from conjuring spells in the garden and hunker down with a new book. For our current Cook the Books pick, I have selected the foodie memoir / cookbook, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg.
Molly is the creator of the popular blog Orangette and a frequent contributor to Bon Appétit magazine. After her father’s death from cancer, getting back to her studies and life in Seattle didn’t feel right for grad student Molly, instead she headed for Paris, ostensibly to do research on her dissertation, but there she found herself following her heart and her stomach and turning instead to a life of food and food writing. A Homemade Life takes us into Molly’s kitchen with the skillful combining of her reflections and recollections along with delicious recipes inspired by them–making it an excellent fit for our virtual foodie book club.
With the book, her blog, and her magazine work, everyone should find plenty of inspiration to cook along with Molly. And guess what?!? Even though she is in the thick of writing her second book, Molly Wizenberg has graciously agreed to be our judge for this Cook the Books round and she is very excited to see what delectable dishes her book inspires.
Everyone is welcome to join in the fun–just read A Homemade Life and make a dish or meal inspired by it. Write a post featuring your dish and your thoughts about the book before the deadline of Monday, September 26th. Please leave a comment below to let me know that your post is up and/or send me an email at: debinhawaii@gmail.com. And of course, feel free to leave your comments about the book as you are reading it, anytime. 
Happy reading, cooking, and eating!
It is so exciting that she is judging this month’s selection! I actually started reading the book before I joined the club, so I am excited with this selection.
I can’t believe she has time to judge. I bought her book last year and loved it. Have made lots of stuff from it and will revisit it for the next post. I hope everyone gets a copy of this book—you will laugh until your sides hurt but you will also need tissue handy.
I just posted my recipe
http://lawstudentscookbook.blogspot.com/2011/09/pound-cake-french-toast.html
Great book pick, Deb. I really enjoyed these essays and recipes. Now to get cooking!
http://foodycat.blogspot.com/2011/09/white-chocolate-coeur-la-creme-for-cook.html Phew! I didn’t think I would make it to the deadline!
You made it Foodycat!
I forgot to link mine here but my post is up too. http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/molly-wizenbergs-banana-bread-muffins.html
I seem to be running late a lot at the moment! I made the coeur a couple of weeks ago, but the post itself took ages!
Mine is up! http://eliotseats.com/?p=5771
Me too! http://inkayeskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemade-life.html
Just got mine up. A fun book that really got me trying things.
http://honeyfromrock.blogspot.com/2011/09/cream-braised-green-cabbage-with-seared.html
JUST made it
http://www.thegrowingfoodie.com/2011/09/time-out-chocolate-things.html
My post is up. I made several of Molly’s recipes – So. Good!
http://tinaculbertson.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemade-life-by-molly-wizenberg.html
Got my post up at the last second as usual, but it’s up! Could not miss this one as it’s one of my favorites. I really enjoyed everyone’s posts and recipes, will comment soon, Enjoy!
http://literaryfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/09/another-taste-of-homemade-life.html