DING! DING! DING! There's the bell. That means my OpenSky shop has another opportunity for you. You ate up every bit of the last one so, I thought you deserved seconds. I hope you saved some room because I like this deal even better.

20 lucky people will be able to purchase a (nearly) $15.00 Prepara 'Power Scoop'  ice cream scoop for the amazing price of $1.99. But don't worry, there is more. Many other people will get 15% off codes for any Prepara product from any of the other great OpenSky Shops.

This special deal is only good for me and my readers, so don't say I am not looking out for you. 'Cuz that's all I do... I work hard to bring you these great opportunities, and all you need to do to take advantage of my sweat and toil is go to the special SippitySup Promotion Page at OpenSky. CLICK here to be taken straight there. All the details you need are on that page.

This book immediately caught my eye, so I knew it belonged in my OpenSky shop. CLICK here to purchase or browse. Use the coupon code REDESIGN for 10% off through January 31! The book feels so right to me because it seems to sense my mood just right.

You might not know it (by the way I am dressed) but Sup! can be quite the fashionable devil. I am pretty good at whiffing out the "now" and the “hot”. I immediately know what the next "new black” is just by looking.

I am here to proclaim the "new black” in cookbooks focuses on books that have a specialized niche. You can thank the web for this trend because there is so much information available to us now and with just a few quick keystrokes we can edit out all that is superfluous.

Which is why Stonewall Kitchen Winter Celebrations is the next must have kitchen accessory of the season. Because these guys were smart enough to make it perfectly seasonable. It is the au courant little book of fashionable self-indulgence. It’s filled with recipes that make you want to (yes!) celebrate the season in style.

There are a lot of cookbooks out there. Too many of them come from expected sources and feature too many of the same recipes highlighting whatever ingredient du jour is making the Iron Chef circuit.

I tend to skip right past those books when I am choosing a cookbook to bring to you here. That’s because I love the cultural aspects of food and cooking as much as I do the eating! There is so much to learn about other parts of the world and other people’s lives and food is a great avenue towards understanding other cultures.

These are the reasons I was drawn to this book, Nirmala’s Edible Diary. This book is satisfying to me on many levels. It is colorful and simply laid out. There are (almost) enough great photos of interesting dishes and beautiful places to keep me glued to this book for long stretches of reading pleasure.

What makes this book special though is the adventurous spirit that weaves it’s way through the pages. The author herself, Nirmala Narine, personifies that spirit.

Well, Diane Morgan has done it again. There are some cookbook authors that you just know can hit the ball good and solid every time. Diane Morgan is just such an author. She seems to have found a formula that just keeps working.

That’s because she is a sensible cook and a straightforward writer. Diane’s approach to food is practical. She seems to know just what her audience expects, and she delivers exactly that. Yet somehow, without ever straying too far from the tried and true she manages to bring something fresh and modern to her work as well.

When I first picked up her latest title from Chronicle Books, The New Thanksgiving Table, I was a little confused. After all, I considered her previous book The Thanksgiving Table to be the definitive guide to this particular holiday.

But I have to admit, I was taken with just how easy this new book is to read. Which to me translates into a cookbook that is easy to use as well. It is laid out with plenty of space between the text and recipes. The useful information is highlighted with simply shaded boxes. The ingredients are in bold type, which makes list making a breeze. So despite my pre-conceived notions of redundancy, I found myself already liking this book.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about SippitySup lately. It’s developed a bit of a life of its own. Which is very exciting but also comes with some responsibilities.

As blogging has developed into a powerful voice on the web, people in marketing and publicity have begun knocking on our doors. They have noticed that bloggers are gaining influence with their readers. Many of the better-known blogs have become taste-makers and opinion-setters.

So as SippitySup has grown I have gotten more and more requests to promote things right here on this blog. Of course it’s flattering, but it also presents a conundrum. Because Sup! is a picky bastard.

Sup! likes, quality­– but demands value. Sup! likes style– but there needs too be substance too. Sup! is concerned about the environment and the impact of consumer products. Sup’s! tastes run to simple and modern, but there is plenty of appreciation for the classics and quite a few of the old favorites. Even some stuff my mom had.

So in truth I have to turn down most of the offers I get at promotion because, well, I just don’t like, trust, use, or enjoy the silly products they want me to promote.

Sup! has integrity, despite the snarky attitude…

Guy Mirabella is much better known in his native Australia than he is here is the United States. But a cookbook newly released by Chronicle Books may change all that. 

That is because Mirabella is a creative man with a love of food and life. He is the son of Italian immigrants who passed their tradition of freshly prepared food, with a strong Sicilian influence along to their children. Many of his childhood memories revolve around his family influenced philosophy of eating seasonally and simply, yet with an honest extravagance that honors the greatest of food traditions.

His eatery– Shop Ate Café, on the Mornington Peninsula of Australia, further reflects these ideals. But he is also a painter and a graphic designer with 25 years experience in publishing.

All these talents are showcased in his recent cookbook Eat Ate. It is the first cookbook I will be featuring here at SippitySup as part of an ongoing monthly series with Chronicle Books, called Sup! Loves Cookbooks!