Sunday, October 12, 2008

My Addiction


I've already announced that I am not a full-time vegetarian (and I wasn't kicked out of the sandbox!) Time for another confession: I'm an addict.

I'm addicted to cookbooks. All kinds. I love the Cooking Light series and have ever year's edition from 1998 to the present. Joy of Cooking. America's Kitchen Best New Recipes. I have ward cookbooks. A family cookbook made by my recently deceased grandma. Everywhere we travel, my kids pick up tshirts for their souvenirs....and I grab a local cookbook (my faves are a New England cookbook I picked up while in Boston, a Shaker cookbook from Cleveland, and a Hawaiian cookbook that has the recipe for Leonard's Bakery malasadas and recipes from locals. Mmmm.)

Then there is my collection of vegetarian cookbooks. The only ones I pick up again and again are the Moosewood Restaurant series. The ones I have are Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites, Moosewood Simple Suppers, Moosewood Daily Special (soups/stews, salads, and breads), and Sundays at Moosewood ( a collection of ethnic dishes that the restaurant serves only on Sundays).

I have so many cookbooks that I am looking for a bookcase big enough to display them all in my kitchen. Mr. Wonderful suggested that I don't buy any more books. Especially since my time for cooking has fallen drastically since I went back to University. (Psst...don't tell him that one is on its way from Barnes & Noble.)

I was given a GC from B&N for my birthday last week, so technically I did not spend any money. I diligently tried to find something I wanted. I have no time to read novels. None of the music or movies interested me. However, there was a cookbook I've wanted for a while - Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. I can't wait for this one to come. The best part about Moosewood recipes is that they family friendly. I've discovered that my Firstborn and Secondborn do not complain nearly as much if I make a veggie recipe from one of my MW collection.

Google Moosewood Restaurant and check out their website, particularly their restaurant menu which changes daily. That is one of my best sources of inspiration when I am wondering what to make for dinner that night. They also have a recipe section. Or head to your local library and see what cookbooks they have on their shelves.

What cookbooks are on your book shelves?

6 comments:

dalene said...

First I have to tell you I made shepherd's pie today w/o the ground beef and it tasted good but it was kind of runny and of course my kids blamed on my having left out the meet.*sigh*

One of my favorite cookbooks (and a friend of mine loves it so much she's given it to me for my birthday twice now) is The Best Recipe. I like it because I want to understand the chemistry of cooking and why I do some of the things I do as I cook, in hopes it will allow me to try new things. (I still remember one day calling the USU extension to ask their food expert why all the homemade ice cream recipes instructed me to scald the milk first. Turns out--there is no good reason. It's just how it was done in days gone by.)

Lisa said...

I have posted about my own cookbook addiction. I love Cooking Light and have a basket full of their magazines that I haven't taken the time to go through. But I also have 3 of their cookbooks. Recently I purchased the Hungry Girl recipe book, and I really like that, too. But what is taking up the most space is all the Pillsbury cookbooks I received early on in my married life. I had a subscription because I had no idea how or what to cook. And I still have them all and there are multiple years worth. That doesn't include the binders (3) of magazine or internet recipes or the other random cookbooks I've picked up. You'd think after looking at one of those recipe books I would know what we are eating for dinner tonight....

Elizabeth-W said...

One of my very favorites is called Soup Makes the Meal by Ken Haedrich. On Amazon it's got 10 reviews, and has a 5 star rating. I use this book from October to March/April on a weekly basis probably. At least every other week.
It goes by season, and it has a soup, a bread, and a salad. In fact, I have been meaning to post a recipe from it for a potato cauliflower chowder.
I love Moosewood Restaurant's Low Fat Favorites, and their Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day.
And I LOVE Cooking Light.

FoxyJ said...

My new favorite vegetarian cookbooks are by Nava Atlas. She has one called The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet and another called The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. I love both of them because she puts in simple recipes that use easy to find ingredients. I also like the fact that she puts menu suggestions throughout the book, so it's really easy to plan an entire meal. Both books include vegan recipes as well, so they are quite flexible. I've made a few tofu recipes from the family cookbook that my kids love.

nikko said...

I, too, love Cooking Light. I think I still have every issue from about 2002. ;o)

Kate said...

I know I'm about 2 weeks late on commenting on this post but I LOVE cookbooks too. My favorites... "Get Togethers" from Gooseberry Patch, Better Homes and Gardens Dieter's Cookbook, and my Pampered Chef Grilling cookbook. There are several (8?) Gooseberry Patch cookbooks in my cupboard along with over a dozen other cookbooks. I just LOVE them all!