I often find it difficult to cook for just myself. I love to cook but when it comes to making meals for just me, I usually just heat up something frozen or make pasta with parmesan cheese, not exactly gourmet. I enjoy making a big production when friends or family come over because I know my efforts aren't wasted and I won't be eating leftovers for three weeks. The Pleasures of Cooking for One was written by Judith Jones (you may recognize her name as Julia Childs' editor) after her husband died. She realized that she enjoyed not only the cooking process but the event of dinner itself. She developed this comprehensive cookbook to show that even if you're dining alone, your meal can become a joy instead of a chore.

Judith sheds new light on the idea that cooking for just you can be freeing. You are free to experiment with new flavors and combinations, you are free to fail since there's no one to impress, you are free to splurge on fancy ingredients from speciality shops and farmer's markets since you aren't buying large quantities and you're free to make your favorite dish five nights a week if you wish. Judith gives instruction for basic recipes that no cook should go without and teaches new, innovative strategies to rethinking leftovers, building a weekly menu and using shortcuts to enhance a meal's flavor.

She warns that this cookbook isn't for the faint of heart in the kitchen, her recipes won't be found in any beginner cookbooks, but each dish is designed to give the cook an unforgettable cooking and dining experience. She urges the home chef to take time and enjoy the preparation of the meal. Take care in slicing, dicing, marinating, rendering and so forth and you'll appreciate your final product that much more.

To read more about Judith Jones' impressive career as a cookbook editor for acclaimed chefs Julia Childs and James Beard, check out her blog here.