A box of inspiration

My amazon.com box came! I love getting mail, especially when it is a big box filled with these:

So excited about this cookbook! I love Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's podcast, and this cookbook is really well laid-out and beautiful. It's got great graphics and mouth-watering photos, which makes a huge difference. Plus, it notes if recipes are wheat-free, soy-free, or oil-free (or if they have the potential to be). And it gives menu suggestions, as well as food facts, and which recipes fit into which season. I was so excited to start cooking from The Vegan Table that I made a recipe from it for dinner tonight. Well, I actually took inspiration from her recipe and made it my own (which she condones!). Brown rice risotto with asparagus, peas, mushrooms, and carrots. It took a while, but it was delicious.

I'm less excited about this cookbook because it's all in black & white text. No photos. No tidbits. The recipes sound good, but I don't feel like this cookbook will be as inspiring. Just gotta keep open to it, even if it's less pretty.

I've been wanting to read a good novel (I'm having a hard time getting through The Lost Symbol), and I've heard great things about this book. I was planning on waiting for it to come out in paperback - not only because it'd be cheaper, but also because I like the way paperback books feel when I hold them (silly, perhaps, but true). I read, though, that since the novel's been selling so well, they're pushing back the paperback release date. So, I went for it. It was only like ten bucks on amazon.com, so I couldn't pass it up.

I had a lunch bag that I was using, but after the last spill that turned into a stain that wouldn't come out, I ditched it. Plus, the shape wasn't quite right. So, I invested in this hip new lunch bag that's made out of the material they use for wetsuits. Yes, it's cute. Yes, it's a good size and shape. But get this - it's machine washable! It's a good thing, too, because that neoprene materials stinks. Hopefully it'll be dry and ready to go on Monday morning.