Seven Spoons

The first thing I have to mention about Seven Spoons by Tara O'Brady is the photos.

They're pretty photos, but not in that stunningly beautiful super-styled artistic way. They're photos that make the recipes seem attainable. You see the photo and think, "yes, that looks good, I want to eat that." And then more importantly you think, "yes, I can do that."

And I think that's really important in a book that you want to cook from.

As far as the recipes, they're also pretty doable. While there are quite a few recipes that lean towards Indian flavors, the majority of the ingredients can be found at a reasonably large grocery store.

But this isn't at all an Indian cookbook. There are all-American recipes like burgers and cheesecake and biscuits.

Recipes range from super simple (scrambled eggs) to moderately complicated. Although I haven't memorized the whole book, I didn't see anything that would frustrate a competent cook. And the recipes range from very familiar (roast chicken) to more creative.

One recipe I was particularly intrigued by was a gazpacho that included yellow tomatoes and corn. I'm taking that idea an running with it very soon.

While this isn't my favorite book of the year, it's a nice book and the recipes are solid. It'll find a nice place on my cookbook shelf.