With a coy smile on his face, he asked, “You were waiting for me, weren’t you?” (Omigod, did he really raise and lower his bushy eyebrows?)

I smiled (actually, smirked) back, in a totally non-flirting kind of way (he so wasn’t my type – he wore brown calf length socks with athletic shoes, for crying out loud – ewww - so not hot!) and replied, “No. I wasn’t waiting for you. I was waiting for my box. Now hand it over buddy, and nobody gets hurt.”

OK OK OK, before your twisted mind goes into overdrive, in the box were the latest additions to my food porn library – research material, so to speak.

Here’s what I got:

The Silver Spoon by Phaidon Press

This is THE quintessential Italian cookbook. I’ve been wanting to get this cookbook for a while, as it’s claimed to be THE bible of Italian cooking. There’s a bunch of recipes that I’ve already flagged to try. I’ll let you know how they turn out when I do try them out.

Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons

Ok – this one is dangerous. One, it makes me want to drool and two, it makes me want to go on a shopping spree. Talk about gadgets and ingredients aplenty! And what’s worse is they make you believe that you really need these gadgets by showing you how to use them and also includes recipes that require the use of these must-have ingredients. A whole book of eye candy – YAY!

Simply Sensational Desserts: 140 Classics for the Home Baker from New York’s Famous Patisserie and Bistro by Francios Payard

A great book for the dessert voyeur in everyone. Wonderful pictures of delectable deserts and recipes that seem simple enough for the average cook. I’ll be trying a bunch of recipes from this book also and will report to you in future posts. Payard recently opened a patisserie and bistro at Caesar’s Palace here in Las Vegas. I’m hoping to make a trip to the Strip soon to try out some of their desserts. Wanna join me?

Bake till Bubbly: The Ultimate Casserole Cookbook by Clifford A. Wright

I ordered this one on a whim. The title made me smile, so I said what the heck. Talk about comfort food overload. I love to make casseroles, especially for large groups. I especially love making breakfast casseroles for my “bed and breakfast” guests – it’s quick and easy and always a crowd pleaser.

Check out my online store, CRAVINGS, for these and other books and things.