Cardigans, Tea and Cooking

Well, I've not started back on the socks yet.  After a major project I do tend to take a bit of a breather.  What I have got is a new 'cookbook'!

In closing off the Cardigan tale, my wife came for her visit.  She brought me a lovely set of Tazo brand tea in a beautiful spun bamboo container!  A truly tasteful  gift that I am thoroughly enjoying!

I gave her the Cardigan and she loves it!  Yay!  The only problem was that she didn't have enough space to fit it into her luggage.  So ... I'll be snail mailing it to her in a few days.

I put 'cookbook' in quotes because it is more of a how and why book than a recipe book. The cookbook is "Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" by Michael Ruhlman.  Instead of giving a collection of new and wonderful recipes, this one gives the basics as well as how they work.  For me, the big benefit is that you learn to "use what you have" as long as you keep a few basics in the pantry.  I've only just started reading it, but the pancake ratio / recipe is to die for.  :-)

Are there any 'how cooking works' or 'how to cook' books that you'd recommend to myself or others?  Post a comment for us all to see!