Introduction

Cooking your way through a cookbook... I know it's a little Hollywood and I can't say that isn't where I got the idea.  I have about 150 cookbooks sitting on my shelf and while I have cooked perhaps one or two recipes from each one, I can't help but feel that I am missing some opportunity by picking and choosing out only a few recipes from each one.  I decided that I wanted to cook every recipe on every page out of one of my books.  I started by googling the idea and was amazed at how many people are doing the same thing.  This further convinced me that I too can do this, and if I am going to go to all the trouble...why not go ahead and blog about it?

I'm not a writer, chef, comedian, or likely blogger but my hobby is food.  I like to cook, try new restaurants and dishes, and most importantly eat.  Some of my travels have taken me to fantastic restaurants with creative and excellent food and I want to bring a part of that back to my kitchen.  For that reason, I have selected Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller.  http://www.amazon.com/Ad-Hoc-Home-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579653774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288547414&sr=8-1I.  I received this book as a gift last year and sadly up until this point it has taken on more of a home decorating coffee table fixture status than a cookbook but that is about to change!  While I haven't experimented much with the recipes, I have browsed the pages and admired the pictures and the stories that accompany each one.  The book is approachable for the home cook and doesn't require a lot of expensive equipment or complicated techniques. 

While many people would say that the ingredient list is accessible, those same people may not live in a small town like I do.  In the past the many dishes for lamb, fish, quail, etc. that I admire from the pages has also discouraged me from trying at home because my local supermarket is more of a beef, chicken, or pork kind of place. However, the book has a great index of recommended sources and with the Internet shopping that is available, I will not let this be an excuse!  I plan to document my search for ingredients, progress of making my way through the book, hopeful successes, and certain mishaps.  So here goes...