I’ve been so excited to write these words: My next book, From Oven to Table: Over 100 One-Pan and One-Pot Recipes for Your Sheet Pan, Skillet, Dutch Oven and More, will be published by Penguin Random House Canada on February 5th, 2019.
Note: If you a newsletter subscriber, I apologize for flooding your inbox twice in as many days with this news, so please do forgive me. :)
I started writing this book almost two years ago, and by the time you are able to hold a physical copy in your hands, 26 months will have passed. In that time, my baby has grown into a full-fledged pre-schooler, my oldest son left home in pursuit of higher learning, and the middle one took on his first part-time job. We also experienced a few heartbreaking changes in our extended family, one of which required Rob to make near-daily trips to the hospital for four months. In addition to being incredibly proud of this piece of work, I also feel that so much of my family’s day-to-day life was weaved into the creation of it, and for that reason alone it holds such a special place in my heart.
The book recipes I was developing and testing during that tumultuous time kept us nourished and well-fed, and my belief in the ethos of one-pot cooking was only strengthened by how much I relied on, and appreciated, the simplicity with which these meals made their way onto our table day after day.
As a busy mom of three, there was already a natural appeal to this style of cooking, but when life became a little hard to manage I realized just how vital this strategy was to keeping my sanity amidst the hullabaloo of everyday life, and honestly feel that so many of you can probably relate. The good news is that in less than FIVE months, I get to share them all with you!
Okay, time to let the ideas and recipes speak for themselves, so here’s a little teaser of what you have to look forward to:
- The book is divided into SEVEN chapters: Breakfast and Brunch; Soup, Stews and Chilis; Breads, Sandwiches and Pizzas; Main Meals; Vegetables, Salads and Sides; Sweet Stuff; Sauces, Snacks and Sips.
- Using one of six groups of cooking vessels—skillets, sheet pans, Dutch ovens, everyday baking pans, enamel roasting pans, and stoneware casserole dishes—my one-pot creations are designed to bring a complete dish to the table using easy-to-source ingredients and a variety of foolproof cooking techniques.
- Each pot or pan is accompanied by its own “101” and includes: what to look for, how to care and clean for your (insert vessel name here), how to store, and top tips for use.
- There’s also a “Special Occasions Menu Planner” and “Find it Fast: Recipe Index by Vessel” at the back of the book.
- The photos were shot by me and styled by both the gifted Jennifer Bartoli and myself.
As for the recipes, some of my personal favourites include: Golden Apricot Granola; Spicy Corn and Bacon Frittata; Spring Italian Wedding Soup; Peach, Prosciutto and Brie Flatbread; Baked Risotto with Chicken, Leeks and Lemon; Roasted Lentil and Walnut Salad with Grapes, Spinach and Goat Cheese; Salted Chocolate Tahini Skillet Blondies (of which recipe tester Robyn said, “These were awesome Jan, I can't stop eating them!”); and Warm Artichoke, Kale and White Bean Dip.
The team at PRH has been working super hard behind the scenes for the last eight or nine months, turning my manuscript into real book pages. In my humble opinion, the overall look is clean and simple (like the recipes) with a muted colour palette that I love. A friend called it "Martha Stewart-esque" and if we're being totally honest, is there really be a more coveted compliment?
They also created this cover...
I had no idea this part of the process could be so labour intensive, but many hands and hearts were involved in the creation of this, and the end result is something the whole team really loves.
Now, here’s the really exciting news: Oven to Table is available for pre-order! If you’re not familiar with pre-ordering books, here’s what I can tell you: They truly make a big difference for authors as they create buzz among readers and booksellers, and can influence how many copies are ordered for release day and where the book will be sold come February.
If you think you’d be interested in reading and cooking from Oven to Table, and you’re inclined to do so, you can pre-order from any of these retailers:
… ON INDIGO.CA
… ON AMAZON.CA
… ON AMAZON.COM
… OR VIA YOUR FAVOURITE INDIES BOOKSELLER
Much, much more to come later, you can be sure of it! For now, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you SO much for all of your support! xo
