I have a special section in my bookshelf called “Inspiration and Eye-Candy” and only a handful of lucky titles get a coveted spot on that shelf. These are books that I reach for when I’m feeling hungry-but-not-hungry-but-hungry, which really means I want to eat but I can’t muster up the energy to be creative and whip up something in the kitchen on the fly. Currently on the shelf is Nobu, The Cookbook (recipe next week), Things Cooks Love from Sur La Table (recipe soon) and delicious days by Nicole Stich.

Nicky was kind enough to send me one of her books…she’s an an award-winning food blogger www.deliciousdays.com, amazing cook, detailed photographer, creative designer and naturally gifted writer. Oh, and she’s married to handsome Oliver, have beautiful friends and they live in Germany. Sounds so exotic, doesn’t it? Well friends, wait til you see this book, you will love it.

The cookbook contains hundreds of photographs so vivid and sharp that you can totally pretend that you’re there. Instead of traditional cookbook chapters, Nicky and Oliver bring you on a food journey and divide the book into mini sections like, “Boat Trip in Greece” and “Bella Italia.” Recipes that accompany these journeys are fabulous, many of them with only a handful of ingredients. A simple “Greek Yogurt with Honey and Roasted Nuts” is so much more special when Nicky and her friends are savoring it aboard a yacht sailing the Aegean.