All this month, our Cookbook Club will be making its way through Melissa Clark's Dinner: Changing the Game, and we hope you'll join us. Don't sweat it if you don't have her book on hand yet, we've got some of her recipes to get you started below.
Didn't know we have a Cookbook Club? We'll get you up to speed in no time with our quick, 3-step guide on how to participate—join us and meet 16,000 of your fellow cookbook-obsessed friends.
Whether you're waiting for your copy to arrive or your library hold to come up, either way, we've got a week's worth of Melissa's recipes to tide you over:
Note: These recipes don't necessarily appear in Dinner, our book of the month, but since we're sharing them here, these 7 recipes can also be considered fair game for sharing in the Facebook group.
Is our Cookbook Club news to you? Here's a quick primer to get you up to speed:
1) Get the Book
Pick up Dinner—either online or from your favorite local bookstore. Or, if you’re not ready to commit quite yet, check it out from your local library or borrow a copy from a friend.
2) Read & Cook
Rather self-explanatory, as this is one of the most important parts of participating in a cookbook club, right? If you’re not sure where to begin, take a page out of our Cookbook Editor Ali Slagle's playbook. When she reviews a cookbook, she reads through the entire introduction as well as 15 headnotes and recipes, and then cooks at least three recipes.
Not sure where to start? Let the stars guide you. Geminis, you should be cooking noodles this month, like the Spicy Pork Noodles on page 197. Aquarians, go for a torte that's savory rather than sweet—the Pasta Carbonara Torte on page 194 should fit the bill. Cancers, amaze yourselves with the power of cashews in the Spicy Coconut Cashew Dip on page 366. Everyone else, head here to see what food-centric divinations the stars have in store for you.
3) Share Your Opinions
We chat in our Facebook group all month long! Join the Cookbook Club here and post pictures of what you make from the book and share reviews, too. Fill everyone in on what you thought of the dish (remember to share the recipe name and even the page number, if possible). You can share photos on Instagram as well, just remember to tag them with #f52cookbookclub. (And, if you've followed the stars, add an #f52horoscopes on there, too.)
Tell us: Which recipe of Melissa's will you be starting with?
See what other Food52 readers are saying.