During this bout of cold weather that we’ve had recently, I’ve been perfecting my chicken and vegetable soup recipe. I start with onions, garlic, carrots, and spices, cooking them down in olive oil. Then, I add stock, unsweetened regular almond milk, and frozen peas. We always have leftover chicken that could use a little makeover, so my go-to is adding that last. Then, I cook it down for an hour or two. It’s not a science, but it always turns into an incredible soup with so much depth and flavor.
I’m always looking for more cooking inspiration, and what could be better than fellow Appalachian cooks? So today, we’re looking at two books from two of my favorite Appalachian food people. But first, bookish goods!
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Bookish Goods
Mountain Hiker Handmade Engraved Wooden Bookmark by Minecraft
I have to admit, I love woodcrafting. I know there are these fancy machines that cut out all sorts of designs now. But still, it’s beautiful. $12+
New Releases
Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World — And How You Can, Too by Ijeoma Oluo
From the author of So You Want To Talk About Race, Be a Revolution looks at the everyday people working to bring change to systems of oppression that have harmed so many. Oluo also highlights ways readers can make change in their own communities.
Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in Six Scenes by Moshe Kasher
Moshe Kasher grew up as a CODA (child of Deaf adult) in an ultra-Hasidic Jewish family and eventually left his community to become a comedian. His memoir follows his experience on the edges of different communities, never quite fitting in but always trying anyway.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson
From the moment that I heard Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts was coming into the world, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Crystal Wilkinson served two terms as Kentucky’s poet laureate and has long been a member of the Affrilachian Poets. With Praisesong, Wilkinson gives readers a look into her family’s history, starting with her ancestor Aggie, an enslaved woman born in Kentucky in the late 1700s. From there, she traces her family’s history through food and the recipes passed down from mother to daughter. She celebrates Black country cooks and shares Appalachian recipes from her own box of recipe cards. The book is full of beautiful photos of her family and the food they make. This book is such a beautiful, one-of-a-kind reading experience.
Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes by Ronni Lundy
Victuals, which won a James Beard Award, is a cookbook I picked up because of Wilkinson’s recommendation, and I fell in love with it from the moment I saw it. In the last several years, Southern Appalachian cooking has been making its mark on the literary world. Ronni Lundy looks at traditional, heritage recipes from Appalachia, celebrating simple ingredients like beans and greens. The photos by Johnny Autry are gorgeous, taking me back to summers watching my grandparents eat salted tomato slices while relaxing on the back porch of their cabin.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy Reading, Friends!
~ Kendra