At Home with Magnolia

June 19, 2006
This cheery cookbook celebrates the timeless appeal of homemade chicken and chocolate cake on the kitchen table. Torey, owner of the Magnolia Bakery and author of The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
and More from Magnolia
, has built her culinary career on simple, classic recipes. Here the focus moves away from cookies and cupcakes (recently namedropped in a Saturday Night Live
sketch) to the dishes she makes in her own home in upstate New York. Colorful photographs depict Torey, her partner and collie dogs in their country-style house amid vintage textiles and tableware. Torey is a believer in fresh, seasonal eating. Her homey, elemental dishes span the seasons, from light summery Eggplant with Red and Yellow Cherry Tomato Sauce to an autumnal Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Onion. Dinners are divided up into no-fuss "weekday" and more complicated "weekend" categories. She's also included the formulas for two of her famous cupcakes: Chocolate with Butterscotch Frosting and Orange Vanilla. Torey goes easy on the text, offering minimal instruction, but these are straightforward recipes to follow, and the result is a tasty blend of nostalgia and innovation.

September 15, 2006
In 1996, Appel and Torey opened Magnolia Bakery in New York City's Greenwich Village, and they are the authors of The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. Of course, eventually they parted ways, with Appel opening her own Buttercup Bake Shop six years ago. She is also the author of an earlier Buttercup cookbook, and now she presents more of her favorite homey treats, from Peanut Butter Cheesecake to Peach Pandowdy. Recommended for larger baking collections.