My current favorite cookbooks

Kristi saw the little bookshelf where I keep most of my cookbooks.  Both of the pictures I'm showing today were taken in the past so the books are a little different today.  My new memory card has broken already, the old one had lasted for a year... go figure.

I gave away many of my cookbooks years ago, all of them that were more gourmet.  Just not into that these days!  I still have lots of favorites (so many purchased at library sales).  I think everyone should have a basic cookbook like the original Betty Crocker.  I still go back to it for reference.

Picture taken last year

The above red wire basket holds my current favorite cookbooks that I love to just read through (although all have recipes I have marked to try soon).  The basket now sits on the old sewing machine table.  To the right of the books (in the basket) are booklets that have great recipes.

Being a rather nosy interested person myself, I thought you might like to know my favorites that are in that basket.

Tyler Florence Family Meal is my newest fave cookbook.  I had perused it at the bookstore over the winter and I was so happy to find it at a great price on Amazon (using credit... thank you!!!).  Except for using credit for family gifts (especially for grandchildren's birthdays), it gets used for my homemaking library.

This book reminds me of Jamie Oliver's books with a concentration on fresh, local foods but the recipes are more like what I'd cook for my family (not being British and all).  It contains many delicious family friendly recipes as well as a small section of more complicated bistro style.

It also has lots of pictures, which I prefer these days.  I've tried the hummus recipe and found it easy and yummy (and healthy!).  I have his wife's meatloaf recipe marked to try as well as his recipe for grilled pizza.

I'd seen The Pioneer Woman Cooks on a lot of blogs so when Amazon had it at a very low price, I used credit to purchase it a few months ago.  I absolutely love this cookbook, the recipes are very similar to the Midwestern-southern style I grew up with.  Most are not at all expensive to make.  There has been come criticism as to the amount of fat and calories for many of the recipes but I'd say many are what I'd make for Sunday dinner or celebration meals when I know I don't want diet food.

With Ree's typical use of pictures taken in the entire process of cooking, this makes a great beginner cookbook.  I gave it to my nine year old granddaughter (hmmm... either her birthday or Christmas which are within weeks of each other) and she enjoys it.  She reads cookbooks just like Grammie.

I bought The Reluctant Entertainer with credit after bringing it home from the library and being sorry I had to take it back.  While not a cookbook exactly, it does contain many excellent recipes.  I already have a few marked to try soon... her zucchini noodles and the chocolate chip date brownies, not to mention the watermelon salad when that season comes around again... which is why it now rests in the red wire basket. 

I'm an experienced "entertainer" but Sandy's book taught me a lot that I had never thought of before.  This book is fun to read, it is like chatting with a good friend.  It would make an excellent gift for a bridal shower or a person moving out on their own for the first time... and it's surprisingly inexpensive.

I also adore The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen!   I had purchased it when it first came out but gave it to Elisabeth when she visited that year (as I said, we both love cookbooks with pictures).  I was able to purchase it again at a nice price third party at Amazon (although it is now available in paperback).   This book is a combination of recipes and vintage decorating ideas... it makes me happy.

I have the butterscotch pie recipe tagged to try, it reminds me of the pies available at our favorite cafeteria that three women in my family have loved (my mother, my daughter, and moi)... okay, the guys loved it, too.

I've had the Get-togethers with Gooseberry Patch cookbook and Coming Home With Gooseberry Patch for awhile now but I find myself constantly going back to them.  They are permanently in the red wire basket.  The pictures are vintage style and beautiful, they also make me happy.  But... in typical Gooseberry Patch style from their spiral books... the recipes are tried and true and all fairly easy... and yummy!

They are a nice combination of seasonal recipes, mostly "from scratch" but also some recipes with such shortcuts as cake mixes.  I absolutely love these two books and you'll find them on my coffee table in mid-winter when I need cheering.

It would take forever to mention all of the cookbooks that remain on my shelves but I have to say most are either there because they've been "tried and true" over the years, contain lots of recipes for herbs and vegetables, or like those in my basket... they are just fun to read when I need a pick-me-up (like the wonderful Susan Branch books!).

My cookbook collection covers over thirty years but what book have I gone back to the most?  The cookbook my in-law's Lutheran Church put together long ago... it contains many of my mother-in-law's family recipes... and since she left us in the mid-90's, I check that recipe book to see if one of our favorites is there.  :)