A cookbook is an invitation; at it’s most basic, an invitation to try an unfamiliar ingredient, learn a new skill, or a new approach to an old favorite. In the ones I like best—like all books I like best—it is also an invitation to a story, with personal reflections and insights on history, landscape, culture, traditions. In other words, there is life in the pages. This series is about the experience of accepting that invitation: not as a chef or expert, but as a home cook.