Being the cookbook fanatic that I admittedly am, I was thrilled when I received an invitation to join in a Food Blogger Cookbook Swap hosted by fellow bloggers Alyssa of Everyday Maven and Faith of An Edible Mosaic.  You might remember the Prop Swap they organized last year.  Quite brilliant, I’d say.  Who doesn’t like getting a surprise in the mail?  And what better way to re-purpose a cookbook for a second life than on someone else’s book shelf?  So, I passed along my copy of The Splendid Table to Desi Vick, author of the SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl blog.  In return, I received two books from Christy Majors of Confessions of a Culinary Diva.  (Thank you so much Christy!!!)  I was so please with the books Christy shared with me.  The first is by Chef Brian Malarkey and is titled come early stay late.  This is such a great book, and one I’m not sure I would have happened upon had Christy not shared it with me.  Brian Malarkey is chef/partner in five San Diego restaurants – Searsucker, Burlap, Gabardine, Gingham, and Herringbone.  Cute, right?  As someone who also loves to sew, I think these restaurant names as a group are so adorable.  Anyway, Malarkey’s book is packed full of recipes for my kind of eating – stick to your ribs comfort food with plenty of veggies and healthy choices mixed in.  Stay tuned for a post on something delectable from that book. Continue reading →