From our community to your inbox, we trace what's worth discovering—the finds, voices, and recommendations shaping how we choose.
Hello friends,
If you know me you know I love to bake. It may come from the years I ran an artisan cookie company with my friend, Sarah, or from the simple fact that I like to eat baked goods. Whatever the reason, if you invite me to a dinner party I’m most likely bringing dessert.
My favorite cookbook is Christina Tosi’s Momofuku Milk Bar. I love how approachable it is and how Christina grounds her recipes in her love for the mainstream junk food we all grew up eating. She's turned that into a series of innovative recipes that anyone can make. My #1 rec from her book is the corn cookies. They might sound weird, but they are INCREDIBLE.
For cookbook recs beyond baking, there's one person I always turn to because I know she's done the research. My sister is one of those people who shows love through food. She's also the person who will check out every cookbook that comes to the library, try the recipes, and then decide if it's worth buying. So when she says a cookbook is worth it, I take her word for it.
Meet Kelsey.
Kelsey has been cooking since the moment our mom let her near the oven, but she got serious about it roughly ten years ago when she got married.
“I love food! And cooking for people is probably my biggest love language. These cookbooks offer great recipes that can be enjoyed by my family and friends, as well as broadening my cooking skills and tastebuds.”
Her cookbook collection on hili is the shortlist of books that passed the test: delicious, approachable, and full of crowd pleasers. A few of her favorites are below, or you can check out the full collection on hili and save the ones you want to try.
Let’s eat.
-Karli
✨ Community hilight:
Kelsey’s Go-to Cookbooks
Dinner party host, recipe tester, the sister I call when I need to cook something that isn't dessert. Kelsey knows her way around a cookbook shelf.
Everyday Cook | Alton Brown
“I love him and his food knowledge And this has one of the easiest foolproof roast chickens I‘ve ever tried”
Cook with Me | Alex Guarnaschelli
“I love watching her cook and judge on Food network So getting one of her books was a MUST!”
Pasta Everyday | Meryl Feinstein
“I appreciate any pasta making cookbook that says not doing it by hand, to save time, is ok. Is something I can get behind”
101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die | Jet Tila
“He takes away the daunting task of making good asian food and makes it seem approachable”
Pretty Delicious | Food Dolls
“Fun recipes that use Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Flavors”
View Kelsey’s Full Cookbook Collection and save your favorites
💬 Community asks
Someone needs what you already know. Whether it's the morning ritual you've perfected or the bag that goes with everything—if you've got an answer, share it!
I seriously need to upgrade my home office set-up to be more ergonomic. Please share your ergonomic desk accessories with me! [Share your rec]
Kristine D. is looking for a holistic vet in the Kansas City area. “My dog (Flint, the silver lab) is like my baby. He has quite a few lumps and bumps and has been more lethargic than usual. My vet says "lumps are normal for labs" but I want to have a vet with a more holistic approach give a second opinion.” [Share your rec]
💜 Karli Loves
Here are a few things that have caught my attention this week with a focus on the Artemis II mission:
🚀 Breathtaking photos of the Artemis II mission. Seeing the Earth from this view really reminds me that we are all floating through space on this rock together.
🌖 Speaking of the Artemis II mission—NASA used images from the mission to create wallpapers you can download for your phone
🌑 A visual history of exploring the far side of the Moon. “The Moon is tidally locked, meaning that only one side of the Moon ever faces the Earth. [For millenia,] there was an entire half of our natural satellite that no human had ever seen before.”
💡 hili Tip
Did you know you can build your own collections on hili?
Kelsey's cookbook shelf inspired this edition, and you can create something just like it for whatever you recommend most. Cookbooks, kitchen tools, weeknight recipes. Save your favorites, organize them however you want, and share the whole collection with anyone who asks. You can even invite collaborators so the good stuff from your group chat isn't lost in the text thread.
Here's how:
Open hili at app.gethili.com
Go to "My Collections" in your profile
Tap “+ Collection” to create a new collection and give it a name
Start adding your recs or saving them from hili
Next time someone asks you "what cookbook should I buy?" you can just send them the link.