Our New Favorite Cookbook:Tara Teaspoon’s Live Life Deliciously

(Gerry Furth-Sides)  Do you gauge  a new cookbook like I do by how many recipes you’ve tagged to make?    I tagged so many in Tara Teaspoon’s Live Life Deliciously,  I ran out of tags!  Another plus in a new cookbook is already loving the ingredients (sweeteners like maple syrup, molasses, dates in a salad), but finding the addition of classic ingredients in surprising formats, such a common throw-back ingredient that help make Tara’s chocolate chip cookies the “world’s best.”

Live Life Deliciously: Recipes for Busy Weeknights and Leisurely Weekends may be Tara Bench’s debut cookbook, but this seasoned food editor, stylist and recipe developer playfully known as “Tara Teaspoon,” has gathered a recipe collection of simple, sumptuous dishes that taste as delicious as they look.  It seems she saved the best to include over many years.  And they should look good.   Her impressive culinary background lists “food stylist” and editorial for the likes of Ladies Home Journal and Martha Stewart Living.  And, like Martha, there is a solid knowledge base and respect for the classics, with just enough of a twist to make them your own.  

For us who love authentic ethnic fare, Tara has pulled in the flavors and essence global classics.   Tara pulls into the book globally-inspired classics like Spanish Tortilla with Mushrooms and Bacon.  We marked Savory Romesco and Almond Tart with its bright red palette that contrasts so beautifully with the textured greens she pairs with it.

Tara transforms Potato Gratin into a colorful, dramatic dish  simply by arranging three different colored, thinly sliced, potatoes on their side like an accordion instead of flat on the baking dish.Tara shares fascinating, useful tips from the book, such as how to use a mandolin (and wearing a glove while using it for safety!) and the comparison to a food processor.  Also how the different characteristics potatoes make them better for certain dishes than others. The link to the video is below.

Helpful chapters on New Pantry Staples and The Right Equipment start the book.  Substitutions for spices, using leftovers to create a completely new dish, and best cooking and freezing methods, Bench shares secrets to help cooks feel more confident in the kitchen, and urges cooks to make each dish their own.  To make this easier, Tara has added a section on how to transform a basic recipe into two or three new recipes to make weeknight meal planning simple.

We already tried her Classic Pesto, and used the variation of using parsley and arugula instead of basil.  We cannot wait to try the Sublime Sausage Pesto Lasagna to use it in soon.

 Golden Roast Chickens with Pan Sauce almost has a sunset glow to it.  This dish easily adapts into brunch, lunch or dinner with a salad or side.

Bench describes her background as  “growing up in the kitchen, where “I developed her skills and passion for cooking from my mother, a talented cook and Home Economics teacher.”   She went on to study food science and culinary arts before becoming a food editor.  Tara has spent over two decades in the food publishing industry creating recipes and articles, and food styling for magazines, books, television and advertising.  Tara has recently been the food and entertaining director of the homey Ladies Home Journal magazine.  She  was a food editor at Martha Stewart Living, Kids, and Weddings magazines before that. You may have seen her on the Martha Stewart television show, The Today Show, and on The Food Network as a show judge and contestant. For details and more,  please visit her website at TaraTeaspoon.com