Hi there, happy Thursday! We’ve got a great chat with Smitten Kitchen herself (aka Deb Perelman) this week, so let’s cut right to it: Episode 161: Deb Perelman In this week’s episode, of and I discuss: * Her initial foray into blogging—from her short stint chronicling her dating life in New York City and shifting the focus to cooking; * How she approaches cookbook writing, from her initial reluctance to write a cookbook to what makes “keeper recipes;” * Where she finds inspiration, including which cookbooks she turns to. Plus, as always, we put Deb to the test in our signature culinary game. Hey there, do you love Salt + Spine? We’d love if you shared this email with a friend who might want to #TalkCookbooks with us, too: Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics For Your Forever Files by Deb Perelman In her third book, Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files, Deb Perelman gives us 100 recipes (including a few favorites from her site) that aim to make shopping easier, preparation more practical and enjoyable, and food more reliably delicious for the home cook. What's a keeper? * a full-crunch cucumber salad you'll want to make over and over again for lunch * a tomato and corn cobbler that tastes like summer sunshine * an epic deep-dish broccoli cheddar quiche that even quiche skeptics love * a slow-roasted chicken on a bed of unapologetically schmaltzy croutons * a butterscotched apple crisp that will ruin you for all others * perfect spaghetti and meatballs, better than ever * Deb's ultimate pound cake, one to redeem all the sleepy ones you've eaten over the years These are the fail-safe, satisfying recipes you'll rely on for years to come--from Perelman's forever files to yours. We 💚 local bookstores. Pick up your copy of Smitten Kitchen Keepers here: This week, paid subscribers will receive a recipe for Ginger Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup, the first recipe she worked on for this book and “the definition of a keeper.” Salt + Spine is supported by listeners like you. For this week’s recipe—plus exclusive content and hundreds of other featured recipes—become a paid subscriber today. New Cookbook Releases* *from this week and last week, as we’re behind! 😊 * The Ranch Table: Recipes from a Year of Harvests, Celebrations, and Family Dinners on a Historic California Ranch by Elizabeth Poett * Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers by Tiffani Thiessen * The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp: Spicy Recipes and Stories from Fly By Jing's Kitchen by Jing Gao * Always Hungry! by Laurent Degenais * Sohn-mat: Recipes and Flavors of Korean Home Cooking by Monica Lee and Tien Nguyen * Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking by Jacques Pépin * The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen by Bee Wilson * Seafood Simple by Eric Ripert * Lidia's From Our Family Table to Yours: More Than 100 Recipes Made with Love for All Occasions by Lidia Bastianich * The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park and Jungyoon Choi * Scandinavian from Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden by Nichole Accettola * Unwind: A Devotional Cookbook for the Harried and Hungry by Aarti Sequeira * The Lula Cafe Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories by Jason Hammel * Zingerman's Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day: A Year's Worth of Favorite Recipes for Festive Occasions, Big and Small by Amy Emberling, Lindsay-Jean Hard, Lee Vedder, Corynn Coscia * A Man & His Kitchen: Classic Home Cooking and Entertaining with Style at the Wm Brown Farm by * Slow Drinks by Danny Childs * Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster * The Chocolate Chip Cookie Book: Classic, Creative, and Must-Try Recipes for Every Kitchen by Katie Jacobs * Now & Then: A Collection of Recipes for Always by Tessa Kiros * Natasha's Kitchen: 100+ Easy Family-Favorite Recipes You'll Make Again and Again by Natasha Kravchuk * Latinísimo: Home Recipes from th