It's that merry time of year again! Being Jewish, I get that Christmas isn't my holiday, but I can't help anxiously awaiting It's a Wonderful Life and the SNL Christmas special and Harry Connick, Jr. on the radio. It makes me so happy!
Ok, I suppose it's much easier to revel in the merriment of the season since I don't have 1001 Christmas gifts to buy. But for the rest of you, if you're looking for that perfect foodie-gift, I have two excellent suggestions. Both landed on my shelf by way of Hannukah (thanks, Ima!) and I couldn't be happier.
1) Pictured above is Nigella's new cookbook, Nigella Express. If you love Nigella (which we most certainly do), you'll love this larger, just-as-beautiful cookbook of recipes that can be made in a flash. If you've never opened a Nigella cookbook, now's the perfect time to start. Her photographers are amazingly talented, and everything looks mouthwateringly delicious.
2) This one is a must-have. I heard an interview with Judith Jones on the latest episode of The Splendid Table (a public radio food podcast), and she's an absolute delight. Jones grew up in the days of ladylike behavior and stockings draped over the bedside...but she was in Paris, living with a man (yes! a man!) whom she later married, discovering all that is wonderful about French food-life. Jones had a sixth sense about chef-authors; she has "discovered" trailblazers such as Julia Child, Madhur Jaffrey and Claudia Rodin, and she was the editor of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. She's now a VP editor at Knopf, and her story is worth hearing, or reading about, in full. Best of all, this book is less than fifteen bucks! Make someone happy without breaking the bank, will ya?