Cookbook favorites

[Heidi]

I was working at job #2 today after working at job #1. One of the tasks on my to-do list: "List 10 cookbooks you'd like to sell at the store"

So. This is what I came up with...:

1. Barefoot In Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home - Ina Garten

2. Farmers' Market Desserts - Jennie Schact

3. The Big Summer Cookbook - Jeff Cox

4. Screen Doors & Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook - Martha Hall Foose

5. Canyon Ranch Cooks - Barry Correira & Scott Uehlein

6. The Art & Soul of Baking - Cindy Mushet & Sur la Table

7. My New Orleans - John Besh

8. Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives: An All-American Road Trip with Recipes - Guy Fieri

9. The Deen Family Cookbook - Paula Deen

10. Fast, Fresh, & Green - Susie Middleton

with added suggestions:

- Food of Our People - Greek Food Festival Cookbook (locally made and distributed - LOVE IT!)

- Deceptively Delicious: Get Your Kids Eating Good Food by Jessica Seinfeld

- The Taste of Home Cookbook

- Porch Parties, Cocktail Recipes, & Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining - Denise Gee

I had a REALLY hard time narrowing it down to 10 cookbooks (clearly) and decided to stick with the ones I knew had great illustrations, photos, easy and delicious recipes, and were affordable... and seasonal. I mean, clearly, I wouldn't suggest a book of chili recipes in the middle of 102 degree humid weather.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OKAY. SOOOO, now it's YOUR turn. :)

If you had to pick one cookbook, a favorite of yours, what would you suggest? Okay... you can make it 3 suggestions.

[Cosmic Sher]

Actually, my favorite cookbook is a hodge-podge of recipes that I've hand gathered from family & friends, or revamped from other books or online with my own flair. (I can make a mean revamped boxed brownies w/cream cheese & raspberry topping)

I had one cookbook years ago that was my fav, International Cookie Cookbook, or something to that effect. Sadly it got lost in one of my moves, and I've never been able to find it again. :|

But, I may have to check out some of yours now, Heidi. :)

[Phil]

I like the things I've tried from Southwest Slow Cooking.

[ms.petra]

the stars must be in alignment, because an acquaintance of mine gave me a copy of his new cookbook yesterday. "The Single Man's Guide to Cooking With Beer" by Streeter F. McClure. It is fun for summer and get togethers. Check out www.singlemansguide.com
I just look up stuff on Food Network for myself.

[RandomAnthony]

Ooh, I like this category, but I need more time to think on it...I have to go to a meeting soon.

[Sarah]

I like all of Jamie Oliver's books, and all of the Moosewood books.
One that has been very useful for me has been the Student's Vegan Cookbook (the add book link isn't working) -- even though I'm not vegan. Good, simple stuff.
We also have an awesome 1950s cookbook for men that was put out by Esquire magazine. It gave us the recipe that Zu riffs off of for beer pancakes, which are the best pancakes ever.

[Mona]

Heidi: The publisher of the Taste of Home line of books/magazines/cookbooks, Roy Reiman of Reiman Publications, used to live next door to my parents. My parents still live in the same house but he and his family moved. I think he sold the company to Reader's Digest.

[Kevin]

btw - ever seen in like a local cook book where some culinary genius submits a recipe for something lame like pigs in the blanket? then they give incredibly simplistic instructions?

1 can biscuits
1 pkg hot dogs

1) Wrap biscuit around hot dog
2) Bake at 350 for 5 minutes or until brown
3) Serve

really? really? that's it? is this your grandma's secret recipe?

[Sally, la reina]

Wow, Heidi, what a great topic. I'm totally mining yours and Bun's lists. Here are some of my favorites:

1.The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition with 1,000 Recipes
2. The Art of Simple Food: Notes and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution
3. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
4. High Altitude Baking: 200 Delicious Recipes & Tips for Great Cookies, Cakes, Breads & More
5. Colorado Colore: A Palate of Tastes
6. Creme De Colorado Cookbook
7. I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking
8. I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking
9. Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Jars
10. Cheap. Fast. Good!

[Heidi]

My sister called to tell me I should add to the list:

Commanders Kitchen

"Anything by Francois Payard"
Bite Size Elegant Recipes for Entertaining

and she and I were on the same page with "Anything by Ina Garten"

She has all of Ina's books. :) In fact, she paid $50 to stand in line to get autographs in her cookbooks and a picture taken with her at some Dallas event.

[Sally, la reina]

::googles Ina Garten::

[Heidi]

You guys have given some GREAT suggestions.

I can't wait to peruse your lists. I recognize some of the names of the books you've listed.

[Sally, la reina]

Bun, I almost put the improv. cook on my list. That's a great one too.

[Heidi]

Sally wrote: "::googles Ina Garten::"

She's "The Barefoot Contessa." :)

Ina's recipes ALWAYS turn out to be a HUGE hit at any gathering.

[Mary]

Back when my first husband was going to grad school and I was the sole breadwinner, I used 365 Ways to Cook Chicken a lot.

My favorite cookbook now is probably China Express by Nina Simonds.

[Sally, la reina]

Have I told you how I get the barefoot contessa and the clevage lady confused in my mind? Having never seen either's show, it just seems like the really pretty one would be called something nice like barefoot.

[Heidi]

Sally wrote: "Having never seen either's show, it just seems like the really pretty one would be called something nice l..."

I sure hope you're referring to Ina, because I get that I look like her on occasion.

[Heidi]

BunWat wrote: "Is the cleavage lady Nigella Lawson?"

It is. We have a thread in the food section of TC, but I'm too lazy right now to find the link to it.

Ohhh... alright. BRB with a link in a bit. Twist my arm.

[Heidi]

POOP!!! I ran a search for the link and GR posted a message saying "The search function is not working right now. Try again later."

POOP! Poop poop poop.

: /

[Sally, la reina]

poop indeed

[janine]

poop in a cookbook thread?

[ms.petra]

here i would expect CHEESE not poop!

[Heidi]

Ms. Petra, I've been around TC long enough to know that poop always makes an appearance in the most unexpected places around these parts.

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

I've been having no luck with the search function for weeks now. :(
Fix it, Goodreads!

[Donitello]

Yeah, me too.

A million thanks for these suggestions, everyone!! I've yet to find a really good slow cooker book, and you've given me renewed hope.

Sadly, I've lost some good cookbooks over the past few years, but the California Culinary Academy series always seems to deliver. I think their Soups and Stews edition may be out of print, which is a sad, sad thing.

[Phil]

I neglected to mention another book I've been working from lately. We've liked most of what we've tried from So Easy Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week

[[deleted user]]

I love cook books. My all time favourite has to be
1.Margaret Fulton's Encyclopedia of Food & Cookery: The Complete Kitchen Companion from A to Z when in doubt this book always supplies the answer. An oldie but a goodie. It also only cost me a dollar.
2.My Favourite Hot & Spicy Recipes this book has oodles of wonderful recipes. Great for a summer barbeque.
3.Island Harvest for a dinner party, a must have.
4.Cafe Morocco delicious easy to prepare.
5. Delicious Magazine http://www.taste.com.au/delicious/ the recipes never fail. When you are bored with your cook books this is the place to turn.
6.Gabriel Gate's Family Food great for the family & always, plus GOOD FOOD FAST.
7 Poop. The search could not find Charmaine Solomons - Thai Cook Book, yum, yum.

8.
Gary Rhodes at the Table scrumptious desserts, great for dinner parties.
9. Ken Hom's Hot Wok: Over 150 One-Pan Wonders, great for family meals.


I also have cook books by Jamie Oliver & Nigella Lawson. I have cooked one or two things out of them but find them a bit so so. Jamie has some great serving suggestions for oysters, apart from that...Meh.

[janine]

was it this thread: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...? ?

[Heidi]

If you guys are okay with it, I think I'd like to print this list and share your suggestions with the store owners. Apparently my 14 books were added to their list - a bit over a hundred books - cookbooks, moleskine journals (to write recipes in), nonfiction related to food and cooking, etc. We're stocking up for Christmas shopping time.

[[deleted user]]

There is not a lot of point in adding my books to the list but you are welcome anyway.

[Heidi]

Well, at this point... they would only be suggestions. I don't have the ultimate say-so in what we sell and don't sell. What I DO like is I have their ears. They listen to me, and it's nice to be validated. :)

[RandomAnthony]

Unusual cookbooks...including, uh, a Twilight-themed cookbook...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07...

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

I always wonder who buys these things:



But then, I still have my Nancy Drew cookbook somewhere, from when I was a kid.

[Sarah]

I have the DC Superheroes Super Healthy Cookbook, and the Harley biker cookbook, and the Esquire Cookbook for Men from the 50s, and several cookbooks of recipes by rock stars. I usually find them at garage sales and the free book store. There's some good stuff hidden in most of them, plus as Bun said, they're good for a laugh.

[Heidi]

We just got a large bunch of the cookbooks in yesterday. They look even cooler in person!

My new faves are "The Field Guide to" books - Seafood, Meat, Herbs/Spices, Farmers' Market, Cookies, Candy

:)