I love cookbooks! I love everything about them the pictures, the list of ingredients. But most of all I love the possibilities that cookbooks give me when I open one up. I read cookbooks like some people read novels! I love the thought that with the right ingredients I too can make this wonderful dish come to life in my very own kitchen!
Cookbooks allow me to find a voice for my food personality! I pick recipes that fit my mood that day, not only do I find recipes that fit my mood, the authors I pick also reflect what cooking style I most relate to on any given day.
For example, Nigella Lawson is my go to girl for comfort food! She is a woman who is passionate about food and she only makes dishes that not only taste good but make you feel good! I swear her chocolate cake is the cure for any broken heart or bad day. I also love her risotto which is like a big hug in a bowl, it’s steamy and rich and make the world feel like a much better place to live in.
If I am entertaining friends or want to make an impression I pull out one of my Barefoot Contessa Books. Her recipes are all about the details from homemade chicken stock, to high end cuts of meat and fish. She also makes a mean cocktail; her recipe for cosmopolitans will knock your socks of literally, it is perfect for girl’s night in with some great appetizers and laughing until your side hurts!
When I have those days when I feel like I have over done the rich foods and butter. Hey I am not Paula Dean I can’t live on a steady diet of butter and mayonnaise (at least not while I still live in Southern California)! I turn to my Cooking Light cook book! It has all my favorite foods from soups to pizza. All the recipes are lighter versions than the original but they don’t skimp on taste. I firmly believe healthy food has to taste good; it’s only healthy if you eat it. This is an excellent cookbook if your watching your calories or just want to lighten things up every once in a while.
I have lots more cookbooks then the ones I have mentioned here and I love them all! I love them all so much that I have set a goal to cook at least one thing out of every cookbook I own this year! So I can continue to explore all my food personalities! Next time your in your kitchen or bookstore open a cookbook you’ll be amazed at what you can learn about yourself!
Cookbooks allow me to find a voice for my food personality! I pick recipes that fit my mood that day, not only do I find recipes that fit my mood, the authors I pick also reflect what cooking style I most relate to on any given day.
For example, Nigella Lawson is my go to girl for comfort food! She is a woman who is passionate about food and she only makes dishes that not only taste good but make you feel good! I swear her chocolate cake is the cure for any broken heart or bad day. I also love her risotto which is like a big hug in a bowl, it’s steamy and rich and make the world feel like a much better place to live in.
If I am entertaining friends or want to make an impression I pull out one of my Barefoot Contessa Books. Her recipes are all about the details from homemade chicken stock, to high end cuts of meat and fish. She also makes a mean cocktail; her recipe for cosmopolitans will knock your socks of literally, it is perfect for girl’s night in with some great appetizers and laughing until your side hurts!
When I have those days when I feel like I have over done the rich foods and butter. Hey I am not Paula Dean I can’t live on a steady diet of butter and mayonnaise (at least not while I still live in Southern California)! I turn to my Cooking Light cook book! It has all my favorite foods from soups to pizza. All the recipes are lighter versions than the original but they don’t skimp on taste. I firmly believe healthy food has to taste good; it’s only healthy if you eat it. This is an excellent cookbook if your watching your calories or just want to lighten things up every once in a while.
I have lots more cookbooks then the ones I have mentioned here and I love them all! I love them all so much that I have set a goal to cook at least one thing out of every cookbook I own this year! So I can continue to explore all my food personalities! Next time your in your kitchen or bookstore open a cookbook you’ll be amazed at what you can learn about yourself!
6 comments:
You don't even own the Hellaceous Cookbook, who's books are those?...
Where is your Jamie Oliver cookbook, and your Silver Spoon, and your pink cocktail book, and so on? You know you should take a photo of yourself with all your books just like they did in the Vandy Hustler with my old friend who won the Rhodes with all of his favorite math and physics books. Just a suggestion.
By Hellaceous Cookbook, I mean the Gordan Ramsay book in the picture since his show is called Hell's Kitchen. ... Anyway, I just want to straighten up a misconception that has grown about my previous comment. I just want to see more of the author of the blog in the pictures. How about we take a picture of you and your books for the site. And it will be cool.
I love the verbiage "hug in a bowl." That sounds just perfect! I'm scouring the land in Rhode Island for some good local treats. will report back soon :)
Thanks for inviting me to your blog...I'm curious to see where this goes. I've always been impressed with your soups.
I am not so much of a foodie as you but I do have my all-time favorite cookbooks and hopefully you won't mind me sharing.
The first is one I acquired in 1990 but has been reprinted as late as 1996 I see. Barbara Tropp's "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques and Recipes." Ms. Tropp lived in China for a few years while working on her dissertation on Chinese literature. She was hosted by a husband/wife team of two chefs who taught her so much about Chinese cuisine that she put the dissertation aside and wrote the book instead. It is as much a Chinese philosophy book as it is cookbook. The techniques section alone is worth the price.
Sadly, Ms. Tropp died of ovarian cancer in 2001. There is a Wiki page devoted to her with a lot of great info.
My other all-time favorite cookbook is "A Taste of India" by Madhur Jaffrey. Full of great recipes and another one of those cookbooks that serves dual role as tourist manual as well as a nations gastronomic encyclopedia.
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