I love that the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook offers a broad range of recipes. If I am looking for some basic recipe, I can find it (or something similar) inside. However, I hate that this cookbook is not inspirational. I want a cookbook that inspires creativity and arouses the senses. In other words, I want my mouth-watering glossy photos. For example, i have flipped past the Dutch Baby Pancakes recipe on numerous occasions without the slightest urge to try it out. (I will note the the free, online recipe includes a photo, but the paid recipe in the cookbook does not.)

Anyways, I was over at the Steamy Kitchen website when I became entranced by the German Oven Pancakes photos. After I read through the recipe, I recognized it right away as a variation of Martha Stewart’s Dutch Baby Pancakes. Sufficiently inspired, I ended up making pancakes the next morning. Needless to say, my pancake ended up looking completely different, almost reminiscent of a pineapple bun (菠萝包). For 2009, my resolution will be to stop buying cookbooks that don’t have luscious photos.