“My Drunk Kitchen”

Cookbook lovers are a special breed and seemingly always on the lookout for something new, different or simply with awesome pictures. We have stacks and stacks of books — never mind that the Internet has all the recipes you’d ever need, it just not the same as those gorgeous, picture-filled manuals of timeless wonder. Rest assured, cookbook fanatics, I feel your pain and have a great new offering for you to add to your collection.

By Hannah Hart
Dey Street Books
240pp
Aug. 12, 2014
$22.99

“My Drunk Kitchen” by Hannah Hart is chock-full of ridiculous tidbits of wisdom, deliciously simple recipes and fantastic cooking hacks for even the most skill-challenged chef. “My Drunk Kitchen” began when Hart decided to get a little drunk and record a video for a friend. The rest is Internet history, as Hannah is a certified Internet star and one of the most popular channels on YouTube. This book reflects her signature style, complete with pop culture references, rambling stories and words of advice for everything from hosting a party to romancing your crush. There is a rather large dollop of irrelevance throughout the book, and the recipes are very open to interpretation, a nice change from the traditional lists of ingredients and instructions. This is very much a source book for new ideas, concepts and creativity, a wonderfully refreshing change to traditional cookbooks.

While many of the references and “single 20-something” vibes may put off some people, there is a great deal of humor and information to appeal to nearly everyone. And who wouldn’t want to drink a few beers/whiskeys/vodka shots and try their hand at such culinary delights as “Things in a Blanket,” “Pastafarian” and my favorite, “Pizza Cake”? CV

Julie is a collector of dangerous words, weird magnets and obsolete college degrees. She lives in Grimes with an obscene number of books. She’s fairly sure that’s no moon.