Three Many Cooks

Mom knows best... but she may not know it all. That's the thinking behind this week's featured blog, ThreeManyCooks.com -- a site where a mother and her two (very different) daughters provide personal and culinary anecdotes with family-favorite recipes.

Pam Anderson started her career at Cook's Magazine, working her way up from test cook to Food Editor, and has written extensively for Cook's Illustrated over the years. With five books under her belt (and a fifth due this September), the Anderson clan was always congregating in the kitchen. It was only a matter of time before her two girls got in on the action: Sharon's a reformed food snob who looks at things from a young adult's perspective (and budget); her New York-based sister Maggy only recently decided that she needed to add more recipes to her newlywed arsenal. 

With such a diverse group, topics range from pig roasts (mom's contribution), to cooking with leftover ham hocks (from Sharon, the frugal gourmette) to weight issues (from Maggy, a self-proclaimed "hippy adventurer and 1950s housewife"). No two posts are the same so it's likely that at least one will speak to you. But given the fluidity and comfort with which they're composed, you'll probably want to read them all.

Setting them apart even more are the beautifully detailed illustrations, a nod, no doubt, to Pam's days at Cook's Illustrated. Artist Kevin Anderson (Pam's nephew) peppers the site (no pun intended, we swear) with unique depictions of the girls in all their glory. It's like a culinary graphic novel, and a breath of fresh air from the usual glossy photos on so many sites.