I own a lot of cookbooks.
Probably too many.
This is partly my own fault - in my weakness, I have been seduced by many a hardcover promising euphoric experiences with melted cheese - and much of it is due to my recent marriage. I can imagine how this situation might not warrant anxiety for a very balanced person with common sense and know-how, but for someone like me, (a halfway perfectionist with formidable inertia who really likes to make lists,) it's a perplexing conundrum.
I really like to cook. I believe in meal planning. I enjoy grocery shopping kinda-sorta. I'm dismayed at the amount of energy, time, vigilance, patience, and money that must be spent to secure quality, wholesome, real food, but I am willing to do it. I don't have a whole lot of money to spend, and I don't have a whole lot of mouths to feed. I mostly just feel my way through a recipe instead of following it exactly. I feel sometimes like this profusion of recipes is a hindrance to really developing skill in the kitchen, instead of the opposite.
Nevertheless, they are a reality. Here's the whole caboodle:
1. Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook: Celebrating the Promise Limited Edition
A kitchen classic, undoubtedly, though kind of all over the place. A lot of the recipes sound nice - pork pot roast in cider, for example - but there are so many, of such variety, organized rather unappealingly (to my taste) in a five-ring binder, that I doubt I'll have the energy to thumb through regularly.
What I like: helpful charts on cooking substitutions, food storage, cuts of meat, etc.
What I don't like: The affiliation with Susan G. Komen for the Cure and their unfortunate entanglements. (Thus, the Amazon link to the unaffiliated one.)
2. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig
This one I've had for a while. It's got a cult following, which I don't necessarily subscribe to, but I really appreciate the emphasis on whole, traditional foods and preparation techniques. Some recipes are good, some not so much. Passionate; lacks a sense of humor.
3. Susan Branch books: Heart of the Home; The Summer Book; Autumn; Girlfriends Forever
I am a complete sucker for these. My husband likes to make fun of their extreme lack of hipness, but I declare he has loved every single one of Susan's recipes I've tried. I think her artwork and prose are lovely, if unabashedly girly (in a sort of middle-aged way.) Girlfriends Forever is the most laughable, I guess, but Autumn is divine. I bought this when I was still living in Florida as a way to reconnect with my favorite season.
4. Polish Holiday Cookery by Robert Strybel
My family's background is a riotous mix of Central and Eastern European bloodlines - plus some savage Briton to sweeten the deal - but what we have really held onto is our Polish heritage. My mother gave me this book at one of my bridal showers, and I'm really excited to try out one of its babka recipes this Easter.
5. Cupcakes by Susanna Tee
A wee book for a wee dessert. I must first acquire a muffin pan.
6. Paula Deen and Friends by Paula Deen with Mary Nesbit
I love butter, but I've never been a big follower of Paula Deen. I'm sure there are gems here, but I was surprised at her mention of purchasing chicken fingers for a tailgate from Zaxby's. If you've ever driven from Florida to Ohio playing the alphabet game, you know the distress of crossing the Mason-Dixon line before "z".
7. Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook by Gayle Pirie and John Clark
Like all Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, this is beautiful to behold. Good recipes for special occassions when I feel like blowing the grocery budget.
8. More-with-Less by Doris Janzen Longacre
The opposite of Williams-Sonoma, this is humble and not likely to be left out on the coffee table. It's layout is sadly similar to the Better Homes & Gardens book, but what I really appreciate about this book is its emphasis on fresh, easy, inexpensive food. A little bit preachy and puritanical, (it's a Mennonite cookbook,) and some recipes seem a bit too retro, but there are actually a lot of international dishes featured here, and most turn out better than they sound. Too much emphasis on soy and dry milk powder.
9. The Perfect Start to Your Day by Tonia George
A breakfast/brunch cookbook composed in a cozy English manner. I'm athirst for potato and rosemary pancakes with bacon and honey.
10. Southern Living's Easy Entertaining by Susan Hernandez Ray
See review for Paula Deen, above, minus Zaxby's reference.
11. The I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook by Cherie Mercer Twohy
Full of recipes using only ingredients from Trader Joe's, which could be frustrating or fantastic, depending on my mood.
12. From St. Hildegard's Kitchen: Foods of Health, Foods of Joy by Jany Fournier-Rosset
St. Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th-century Benedictine abbess and mystic, gifted in music and natural medicine. She wrote extensively about proper nutrition, emphasizing "foods of joy" that brought good health. This cookbook was written by a French chef as an attempt to share St. Hildegard's insight with modern eaters. A restrained and meditative book. The instructions for creating a sourdough starter are shockingly free-form.
13. New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein
I loooooooove making soup, particularly as a means of using up leftovers. This book would probably add some finesse to my random potions.
14. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
This came, along with some nice red oven mitts, as a bonus to a lovely lasagna pan gifted to us for the wedding. The pesto is phenomenal; Marcella seems like a bit of a fusspot. This one really does teach technique.
15. Recipes for Making Summer Drinks and Soft Drinks by C. Shephard
"...especial care might be taken to see that the glasses are well polished. This is not so important with hot drinks, as steam covers a multitude of sins. But cold drinks, served in the light of a summer's day, look their best in sparkling glasses. (And it is surprising how a household can become used to what we might call 'sub-bright' glasses without knowing it!)"
16. Taste of Home Grill It!
This grill it! book seems aggressive! to me!
17. Preserving Summer's Bounty edited by Susan McClure
Incentive for becoming a self-sufficient backyard gardener. Once I have a backyard.
Now, I know I could be all 101 Cookbooks and methodically work my way through these tomes, but that seems sloggish. (Yes. I just invented the word sloggish.) I need a focus. Preferably something easy-peasy and economical. Something like pancakes.
Let the ultimate pancake recipe challenge begin.
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