California Artists Cookbook

For inspiration, we turn to the California Artists Cookbook (Abbeville Press, 1982), an oddly beautiful collection of artists' recipes—Ansel Adams' sorrel soup, Wayne Thiebaud's spaghetti with mizithra—and food-centric artwork like Thiebaud's iconic paintings of cakes, Mark Adams' luminous watercolors of vegetables, and a photo of a plate from Judy Chicago's famous "Dinner Party" installation.

California Artists Cookbook, $35 used at Amazon

See the recipe for Wayne Thiebaud's Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese»