Seeing as I would like to eventually share some of the recipes I've come up with, I figure I should share my favorite cookbooks so that ya'll can see where my inspirations come from. That and I have no idea how long it will take me to write a recipe...I don't usually measure, so it could take awhile.
One of my favorite basic cookbooks is The Taste of Home Cookbook. For my wedding shower my aunt gave me a subscription to their magazine. I quickly fell in love and ordered their cookbook. What I like about this franchise is that its made for home cooks. It shares basic recipes with basic ingredients. It is very accessible. I use Taste of Home for everything from Eggs Benedict to scalloped potatoes to Christmas cookies.
Another amazing cookbook is The Pioneer Woman Cooks. My girlfriend and I both swear by this book. I have cooked recipes from both her book and her website. Like Taste of Home, because the author lives on a remote ranch, the food is also easily accessible. Between my friend and I, everything of hers that we have made has been a hit! It is a staple in both of our kitchens. She has a wide range of recipes including pico de gallo, red velvet cake and pasta dishes. Her recipes are inspired from both her time in the city and her current life in the country.
When it comes to canning, I can not thank my sister in law enough for recommending Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. When I wanted to start canning she insisted the first thing I do was buy this book. And I now know why. In addition to its wide variety of canning recipes, this book also the VERY important safety information to can correctly and make safe food. So, I will second my sister in law's rule and tell you all to buy this book before starting to can!
There are two cookbooks I have that I am looking forward to exploring. The first is Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. Lets be honest, what busy twenty-something doesn't like her slow cooker? However, I want to make a wider variety of stuff then soups and stews. As soon as I saw this cookbook I was interested. The variety is amazing: veal, chili, cake, wings and seafood are all included in this cookbook. The second cookbook I want to explore is The Chicago Diner Cookbook. This cookbook shares recipes from the vegetarian and vegan restaurant on Chicago's North side. While I am far from a vegetarian, I LOVED the food I had there and look forward to the experimentation and variety it will bring to my kitchen.
Now to be fair, I have been cooking for less then three years. Seeing as I am FAR from an expert, I polled my friends on Facebook and Twitter and asked them to share some of their favorite cookbooks. Here are the results:
- Forever Summer
- Earth to Table
- Canning for a New Generation
- Food for Friends: Simply Delicious Menus For Easy Entertaining
- Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
- The Joy of Cooking
- The Pillsbury Cookbook
- anything by Gordon Ramsey
- anything by Alton Brown
- anything by Rick Bayless
- and family cookbooks
"Taste of Home Slow Cooker" (ISBN: 978-0-89821-845-9) is EXCELLENT! I made three recipes from it this week and they were all very good. I think I may make the frank and beans recipe for dinner tonight! My slow cooker is fast becoming my favorite kitchen appliance! Oh, and the annual compilations from "America's Test Kitchen" are also great cookbooks!
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