The Bedside Table 5

Here's what I'm browsing through:

1. Laurie Colwin's "Home Cooking." I first read this nearly 20 years ago and it's just as wonderful each time I re-read it. Some folks re-read Proust every year; I read Colwin, she's essential.

2. Peter Reinhart's "Sacramental Magic in a Small-Town Cafe." Again, a re-read. I'd forgotten that there's so much more than bread in this book - salads, sandwiches and drinks. The tabbouleh sounds especially worth a try.

3. King Arthur Flour Baking Book (revised edition). I tried the Apricot Cream Cheese Scones and they were heavenly.

4. Pam Anderson's "Perfect Recipes for Having People Over." Much-needed inspiration for entertaining.

5. "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. What Marcella is to Italian cooking, Lewis and Peacock are to Southern regional culinary traditions.