Feasting

In warm-weather months, it's possible for me to be well-fed on a light vegetarian diet with a lot of raw foods. Once it gets colder, my inner carnivore comes out in full force, tearing through poultry and seafood until I get to, and exceed, the red meat stage. There are also those times when there's, say, too much amaranth or squash in the house, and it's nice to try new things.

Fortunately, the Library has a lot of cookbooks for every end of the voracious spectrum. For the vegetarian end, there are classics like Laurel's Kitchen, modern classics such as Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and the soon-to-be classic Veganomicon. Also recommended are any of the Moosewood cookbooks.

For cold-weather cooking, I get tried-and-true recipes from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook and Joy of Cooking. Jacques Pépin's Simple and Healthy Cooking is also good. For a taste of the Mediterranean, there's Mario Batali's Simple Italian Food. Dinner can take me around the world with Chinese, Thai, Indian or tapas. When I need to brush up on an old favorite or try a dish a new way, there are plenty of New Mexico cookbooks at all Libraries.

And for dessert... ah, I think dessert can wait until spring. We still have all the holiday feasting to get through, after all!

[The writer would never let dessert wait until spring. - Ed. ]