Earlier this week la Poste's van came to a screeching halt in front of our house with a box from my mom in the US. She often sends me greatly appreciated reading material, so I ripped it open with gusto.

Inside were four current magazines, three of them cooking magazines! (well, current to me, if you've had these magazines sitting around for the past few weeks I doubt you're sharing my enthusiasm!)




The cover of Cooking Light was pure eye candy. The pairing of chocolate and peanut butter is one of my greatest loves, so imagine how heavenly a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie looked to my peanut butter deprived world. This was the August issue so it was brimming with burger ideas, vegetable-packed recipes from farmer's markets, a beautiful watermelon article, and dishes for hot summer days.

Bon Appetit's September issue is the Restaurant Issue, so the bulk of the recipes come from restaurants around the world. I really enjoyed the article about a mother and son in Spain who share two very different restaurants under a single roof. The son, who trained at El Bulli, serves very avant-garde fare, and the mother, who has earned Spain's highest culinary award, serves traditional Riojan cuisine.

September's Food and Wine is devoted to Italy and all things Italian. I loved the fresh and uncomplicated Recipes From an Italian Garden article by cookbook author Viana LaPlace. Also, Sting and Trudie Styler's chef, Joe Sponzo, shares his favorite Italian dishes inspired by the celebrity couple's mostly organic farm in Tuscany.

These three foodie magazines will give me inspiration and reading material for months.
Thanks mom!