I have been following the Food52 website for a while now and my favorite part of the site is the genius recipe section. Here are unique recipes that transcend the normal. In here is the amazing Mushroom Bourguignon from Deb Perlman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, the inspiration for my Mushroom Cacciatore. Catching my eye was Shrimp Grits from Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, a unique spin on shrimp and grits. There is an interesting article on the technique for creating poached scrambled eggs by Daniel Patterson. One of most amazing soups that I have ever had is Paul Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup which I have added to my repertoire. The ingredient list is simple, olive oil, onion, cauliflower, water seasoned with salt and pepper but the result is truly restaurant quality. With my wife urging me to add more veggies to my diet, there are a lot of options - I am going to try the Onion Carbonara from Michel Richard next. It looks great! Pick it up, you won't be sorry.

I have stated before that I do not buy cookbooks just for the recipes; this book is the exception. I was searching through the internet for a vegetarian recipe that would satisfy even the most die-hard carnivore. My wife was insisting we eat less meat and have more vegetarian meals. In the genius recipe section of the Food52 website I found a recipe for mushroom bourguinon that even Julia Child would love. That led me to Deb Perelman's well visited blog The Smitten Kitchen. This one recipe encouraged me to order "the smitten kitchen cookbook." There are more great vegetarian recipes but it doesn't end there; there are sections for breakfast (try the maple bacon biscuits), salads, sandwiches, tarts and pizzas, and also seafood, poultry and meat. Also there are sections for party snacks and drinks plus a great section just on sweets.