This is a cookbook junkie's favorite time of year. And though many new lip-licking books are prettier, few are better at all-around recipes than the Cook's Illustrated crew's new offering. Am I starting to sound like a broken record? I've said it before and I'll say it again and again, but it's so very true. The self-proclaimed "cooking geeks" really do know how to put together a good, goof-proof recipe.