Once the butter wasn’t hot any longer, I added it to the bowl of sugars and mixed it using a whisk until well-combined. In a different bowl, I combined the flour, baking soda and a teaspoon of salt. In a large bowl, I added ¾ cup each of granulated sugar and brown sugar (packed). Meanwhile, I gathered the rest of the ingredients. He started by melting 2 sticks of butter, so they had time to cool off a bit before we used them. I enlisted Scott to help me in the kitchen this time. It’s definitely a recipe I’ll be keeping around! Or, at the very least, they’re way better than any of my previous failed attempts at making the perfect chocolate chip cookies. She finally settled on a recipe she considered to be the best, and after making them, I have to say I agree. Still, that didn’t stop Lucy from making them constantly they’re her source of comfort. She claims her mother’s are the best, something she has been unable to achieve, though not for a lack of trying. But it’s Lucy’s appreciation of chocolate chip cookies that I could most relate to. She is endearing in her attempts to make the perfect croissant, before suggesting you just by them from the store and enjoy some homemade sangria instead (recipe provided, of course).

She also bestows some key tips for cooking mushrooms and picking out cheeses. Lucy isn’t afraid of intimidating foods, like huevos rancheros which requires some multi-tasking or sushi rolls, and her step-by-step drawings make them seem doable. There are more complex family recipes like marinated lamb that was served on special occasions, and there are kitchen classics like pasta carbonara and pesto. As she described it, her family “worships nothing so much as we do food, and the trinity of cooking, dining out, and eating.” Her vivid memories transform into vivid illustrations and quick, to-the-point prose that had my mouth watering. Lucy was a child raised by foodies, before being a foodie was as mainstream as it is today. Every chapter revolved around her memory of a food experience and nearly all of them featured a whimsically illustrated recipe at the end. I’m going to guess the main difference here is the way food was constantly incorporated into the story. I decided to give graphic novels one last chance with Lucy Knisley’s Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. I appreciated the talent that went into creating them, but for some reason, I haven’t been able to connect to these types of stories emotionally. I’d read a handful of graphic novels and a couple of comic books - mostly all recommendations from friends but a few piqued my curiosity on their own - and just wasn’t a fan. At this point in my life, I thought I could safely say graphic novels aren’t for me.

Relish my life in the kitchen