Bon Appetit!

Literally.  I love Bon Appetit Magazine.  I look forward to each month's issue because it is a mini cookbook and food reference delivered right to my door!  I know some people become intimidated when they see an ingredient list with more than six or seven items.  Honestly, you are psyching yourself out and feeding your fears.  Take a chance and I can almost guarantee you will come out with more confidence and a greater sense of adventure in the kitchen.

Each issue has a theme and corresponding recipes.  Beyond that, there is always a featured ingredient for you to learn more about.  There is a focus on travel and food for at least one destination.  Not to mention the r.s.v.p. column where readers write in and Bon Appetit tracks down the recipes of the requested restaurants.  Furthermore, there is a column on an ingredient that is fresh in the market each month.  We really enjoy the wine & spirits column which has tastings and reviews.  There is also a prep school showing step-by-step instructions for a recipe in the issue.  Each issue ends with a celebrity interview focused on the role of food in their lives.  At the back of the issue is an index of all the recipes so it is quick and easy to look for desserts, starters, drinks, etc.

I try to cook something from each issue.  Rarely has the family not enjoyed a Bon Appetit recipe.

This past Sunday, we enjoyed the Pork Chile Verde which is a tomatillo-based chili made out of a Boston butt roast.  It took a bit of time to prep, but was FABULOUS.  Once the prep work was done, the chili slow cooked for 3.5 hrs.  We will most likely enjoy the Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts this weekend.

Another great thing about Bon Appetit:  it makes a great gift.

If you have a friend who is a foodie (or likes to think they are one), you can't go wrong with a $15 annual subscription for 12 issues!