My favorites
I love cookbooks. I haven't counted recently but I probably have close to 50 of them. Not all of them are big ones. I have lots that are thin booklets from a variety of sources (a Pennsylvania Dutch one, English cooking, dutch oven cooking, etc). But I do have my favorites. I use my 'Joy of Cooking' a LOT. It was a gift from my Mom when I moved away from home 25+ years ago and is showing it's age. The spine is cracked, the cover ripped, the dust cover was destroyed long ago and it's definitely not the latest edition. But I still treasure it. It has lots of information about a great variety of foods and cooking techniques in addition to recipes.
Another couple of favorites are from the Mennonite Central Committee. When we lived in Pennsylvania, my MIL got me this great one called 'Extending the Table... A World Community Cookbook'. It is a collection of world recipes from missionaries with lots of tips for frugal living and cooking since most of the world eats much more frugally than do we here in the US. It's fun if you want to have an African or Latin American meal.
And speaking of frugal cooking. A few years ago I treated myself to the 'More-with-Less Cookbook'. It is wonderful!!! It is worth the read even without the recipes! It has information on substitutions, complementary proteins, comparison of protein costs (not recent) and so much more. I also love it because of the attitude it promotes: That we need to do more with less, to be good stewards and not take more than is our share. It's definitely worth checking out from your local library if nothing else. It's worth the read.
I have other cookbooks that I use regularly but these are some of my favorites, just thought I'd share.
I am the cook book shelf this week and I honestly found myself getting rid of a lot of them. We are keeping only the ones we use on a fairly regular basis. So many of them are ones we were gifted over the years that call for a lot of ingredients we just don't use.
ReplyDeleteThe cookbooks we use the most are the Moosewood Cookbook, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest and The Vegetarian Times cook book. I also I have a battered old copy of the Frugal Gourmet which I will never part with. I have Simply in Season which is a World Community cookbook also. I have only had it for a couple of years now but I really have found good ideas in there.
I have seen the 'more with less' cookbook before-i may have to visit the library tomorrow on my cherished day off without children! Did you get your beef yet? I'm trying to figure out how to decrease our meat consumption-Unfortunately my DH will polish off a one lb. steak in a sitting-(or maybe supper and a midnight snack!) I guess that means I am in charge of meal preparation! That's ok -he's got the laundry right?! Kris
ReplyDeleteNice! I know the feeling of collecting books. You would love (if you don't already have it) "Simply in Season" by the Mennonite Central Committee. That cook book has become my bible and the first cookbook I reach for every time I want to use up something from the garden. Its organized by seasons, but the index is by ingredient. Its one of the best for a locavore.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love the Enchanted Broccoli forest.
ReplyDeleteSince 2 of you commented on the Simply in Season book I'm going to have to go on a quest- that's one I don't have. I don't always use all my cookbooks regularly but I like to have them for reference.
Hickchick- for reducing meat consumption- just start cooking and serving smaller portions. Even my hubby has cut WAY back now. Not that he couldn't polish off an entire steak by himself if given the opportunity. Our beef was supposed to go to the processor yesterday so we should have it in a couple of weeks.