Margin Notes: Bon Appetempt

Bon Appetempt: A Coming-of-Age Story by Amelia Morris

When Amelia Morris saw a towering, beautiful chocolate cake in Bon Appétit and took the recipe home to recreate it for a Christmas day brunch she was hosting, it resulted in a terrible (but tasty) mess that had to be served in an oversize bowl. It was also a revelation. Both delicious and damaged, it seemed a physical metaphor for the many curious and unexpected situations she's found herself in throughout her life, from her brief career as a six-year-old wrestler to her Brady Bunch-style family (minus the housekeeper and the familial harmony) to her ill-fated twenty-something job at the School of Rock in Los Angeles. 
As a way to bring order to chaos and in search of a more meaningful lifestyle, she finds herself more and more at home in the kitchen, where she begins to learn that even if the results of her culinary efforts fall well short of the standard set by glossy food magazines, they can still bring satisfaction (and sustenance) to her and her family and friends. 
Full of hilarious observations about food, family, unemployment, romance, and the extremes of modern L.A., and featuring recipes as basic as Toasted Cheerios and as advanced as gâteau de crêpes, BON APPÉTEMPT is sure to resonate with anyone who has tried and failed, and been all the better for it.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've followed Amelia Morris' blog for a couple years and I love it. I love her tone, I love her humor, I love her ability to churn out deliciousness with a hint of humanity. I want to be her friend. So, I've been excited to read this book since I heard about it. Also, that awesome cover!

I feel like Amelia and I might be friends?
I, too, love to cook.
I, too, had an awkward phase.
I, too, love to laugh.
I, too, love to dance around the house like no one is watching.
My mom is from outside of Pittsburgh.
My parents are also divorced.

So, her book felt familiar to me. I was rooting for Amelia. (view spoiler)[ I was rooting for her little family, for her MFA, for her husband's scripts to take off. I know where she is in life now (thanks, blog), so I knew she ended up with a lovely little family, a home in LA, a blog that has a whole lot of heart. I was excited to get the other details of her life--hear more about her mom, her grandmothers, her day job, her wrestling career and relationship with her dad. How she struggled to figure out what she wanted, who she wanted, and who she is.
(hide spoiler)]I enjoyed reading the memoir of a blogger I so admire. And I made Matt's lemon pasta, and it was delish! :)

View all my reviews