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Saturday, March 7, 2015

Weekend Cooking- The Book Cellar

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Last June, I began volunteering at the Book Cellar, a wonderful used bookstore located in the Webster Library branch of the New York Public Library on the Upper East Side. It is a fantastic place, often called a 'hidden NYC gem' by people when they find it.

The Book Cellar has been open for eleven years, which is such an accomplishment, made even more impressive by the fact that it is operated by the Friends of the Webster Library and staffed completely by a terrific group of dedicated volunteers.

I enjoy spending four days a week at The Book Cellar, and one of the many reasons for that is that I am always finding great books to purchase, most for under $3. It does cause a problem in that, while I frequently donate my books to the Book Cellar after I have read them, I somehow end up bringing home just as many (OK, maybe more) than I donate.

Recently, I found some books that relate to Weekend Cooking. As I was looking through my cookbook collection to see which ones I could donate (not as many I as should have), I discovered that I did not have a copy of The Silver Palate Cookbook, a classic that should be in every kitchen.

I was able to rectify that error by picking up a copy at The Book Cellar for just $3. Does anyone have any favorite recipes from the book that I should try? Let me know in comments below.

Calvin Trillin's book about his lovely wife who passed away way too soon, About Alice, holds a special place on my Favorites Bookshelf, and so when I saw that his book Alice, Let's Eat was at the Book Cellar, I snapped that up too. Trillin is so funny, and I adore Alice, so I can't wait to dig into this one.

The last book I purchased is Julie Powell's Julie and Julia, about a young woman who begins a blog writing about her quest to cook every recipe in Julia Child's classic cookbook Mastering The Art of French Cooking in her tiny kitchen apartment. I can't believe I haven't read this one yet.


Now I'm off to work my shift at the book store where maybe I'll find even more treasures to bring home. (Just don't tell my husband.)

You can like The Book Cellar on Facebook here.

9 comments:

  1. Oh, I would be in trouble for sure working at a bookstore! It sounds like a nice used book shop. Great bargains you grabbed there.

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  2. How fun-I just found the Silver Palate at our library also.

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  3. Lucky you -- what a great gig to volunteer in a bookstore and to find such gems! I do not own a copy of the Silver Palate Cookbook and must do something about it.

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  4. Sounds like you've got a few winners there to cook your way through. I haven't read any of them, so be sure to let us know how any recipes turn out.

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  5. What a great place to spend your time. I hope I'll be able to get to visit one day. I know I'd bring home books every day if I volunteered there. I've read Julie and Julia, it was fun. I have an old copy of Silver Palate sitting about somewhere.

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  6. Great haul!!! And guess what? I haven't read J&J either. Now for Silver Palate: the two chicken salads & Chicken Marbella (THE classic Silver Palate dish) come to mind immediately. I've made a ton of things from that book.

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  7. I love Calvin Trillin's writing, too, and he's an author favorite that my husband and I share. Sounds like a wonderful used bookstore!

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  8. I've never had a failure from the Silver Palate -- and the carrot cake is ahsolutely delicious.

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  9. The Book Cellar is a total find - thanks for introducing me to it! It could be a problem that it is so close to my apartment and chock full of books!

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