Wednesday, May 01, 2013

My "new" cookbook collection...


A few years ago I got rid of at least half the cookbooks in my rather large collection.  Even then it left me with a full bookshelf of cookbooks but those left were my very favorites, as well as those which I may not use often but kept for nostalgic purposes.

Then I began adding to my collection again, many with Amazon credit but some from Goodwill, thrift stores, and book sales.  These new books reflect the change in the way I cook now as well as what I look for in cookbooks these days.

All but one of these cookbooks were added to my collection over the past three years.  These are all the American (non-metric) versions but I believe all the cookbooks originating from other countries are available in their metric version, too.

I've been able to purchase most of these books at greatly reduced prices and some were purchased used.  While they are not all my collection of cookbooks, they are the cream of the crop... especially as I've decided one of my "empty nest adventures" is to try new recipes.

I must admit, I have been known to curl up on a chilly evening with a stack of these books and to enjoy them just as much as any novel.  :)

Ireland

I've written before how I love this cookbook by Irish chef Clodagh McKenna.  I enjoyed her PBS series and her use of local and in-season food is exactly where my attention is these days.

I liked this one so much, I gave a copy to my eleven year old granddaughter as a gift for her birthday (she's already a great cook and baker!).

To see inside this book, go here.

France
I first watched Little Paris Kitchen on YouTube and then the Cooking Channel began showing it.  Absolutely wonderful to watch!

Rachel is actually an English woman who went to France to learn to cook and her recipes reflect both cultures.  One reason I love this cookbook, she makes French recipes easy to make.

To see inside this cookbook, go here.

Australia
This is a huge book as it contains recipes that are "The best of Donna Hay magazine".  They are broken down by the seasons with beautiful pictures of the food (I like that). 

Some of the ingredients are different than what I use as a cook in the Midwestern United States but there are a lot of great "from scratch" recipes which can translate to our local and seasonal meals.

More information is available... here.

England
Love, love, love this book!  I appreciate all the River Cottage cookbooks but I only had the Amazon credit to purchase one and I chose this title because it is written for the entire family to be able to use.

I decided if children can learn from it, so can I.  This is "farm to table" at its' best with not only recipes but lots of "how to" information as well as photos.

For more information, mosey on over... here.  I plan to add a couple more River Cottage cookbooks to my collection someday.

Tessa Kiros (Italy, Finland, Greece, South Africa)
Tessa Kiros deserves her own section of cookbooks.  They are unequaled for beauty and the recipes are excellent.

Recipes and Dreams from an Italian Life is her latest, which I had preordered to make certain I set aside the credit for it.  She married an Italian man and now lives in Italy and these recipes reflect all that is good (and there is much) in Italian cooking.

As with many of the more ethnic cookbooks, most of the recipes are "from scratch" and use local, seasonal food.

More information about it can be found... here.



My first book by Tessa was Apples For Jam.  It is divided into sections by the color of the food, which is rather interesting. 

She calls the recipes in this book "food for families".  You can see the inside of the book... here.

Her cookbook which I have waxed poetic about from time to time is Falling Cloudberries.  The recipes in this book are also for the most part "local and seasonal" but I think it is the most fascinating of her books only because of the cultures she brings together.

The first section of the book reflects recipes from her mother's heritage, she is from Finland.  The second section reflects her father's Greek heritage and the third has recipes from South Africa where she grew up (I actually find those the most useful).

You can find more information about this book... here.

Farm to Table
I've been concentrating on "farm to table" books these past few years and many of the earlier cookbooks mentioned could also fall under that category.

The Family Meals; Creating Traditions in the Kitchen is (as you can guess by its' title) a family centered book with lots of ideas and photos for eating fresh, local, seasonal food.  It's not a children's cookbook but could easily be used to teach "from scratch" cooking to new cooks.

More information about it is available... here.

The Romantic Prairie Cookbook was put together by Fifi O'Neill and if you've ever read her blog or the magazines she's associated with, you know to expect something beautiful.  The recipes in this book are all from families (many are farm families) who cook with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

It isn't a very big book but it's fun to read and has great "from scratch" recipes... here.

Comfort Food
These three books were all gifts and they have all been used a great deal.

I enjoy watching The Pioneer Woman and Trisha Yearwood's shows on The Food Network, as well as Ree's famous blog.  These two women know how to cook good, old fashioned, comfort food and they are wonderful cookbooks (albeit not diet food).  ;)

Every recipe I've tried has been fabulous and all of them are recipes both women cook for their families and friends.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks... info here.
Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood... info here.
Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen... here.

Oldie but Goodie
This is one of my all time favorite cookbooks that I had to include with the others even though my copy is so old it is falling apart.

This book is the first cookbook I peruse when I want to use a specific vegetable, especially if it is one I haven't tried to cook before.  It has been out of print for years but you may be able to find reasonable used copies of it... here.

I'm certain I will continue my collection, there are cookbooks remaining on my Wish List.  I think Mexico will be my next culinary adventure.  ;)

Legal Stuff:  All links are Amazon Associate links.

10 comments:

Heather Anne said...

I love your cookbook collection Brenda and I have put several that you've got on my 'to look for' list! One can never have too many cookbooks, can they?

Vee said...

I used to love watching the cooking portions of Victory Garden to see Morash make something out of nothing. She was plump. I liked that. And she had that tone of voice and conversational lilt that was wonderful. This photo shows a much younger lady, but I still see her as I remember...plump, graying hair, bangles on her wrists. Is that show still on and is she writing cookbooks? Must Google.

I do know about the Paris Kitchen probably from you. Have loved watching that. Have yet to see Ree on the Food Network, but I'd enjoy watching, though I gave up reading there some time ago. Something got me knickers in a knot. ☺

Keri said...

What a collection! So many lovely-to-look-at books, along with (I'm sure) tasty recipes to enjoy! I foresee many fun experimental meals in your empty-nest future.....

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I need to update my cookbooks! These have made me want new ones. All mine are old, and I don't really use them.

I love to watch Rachel Khoo on YouTube. I am going to start looking for some of these.

Deanna

Beth said...

Hi! I just wanted to comment on a comment YOU left. You said that when Stephanie was expecting her fifth child, she got all kinds of stares, etc.
When I had MY fifth child, I had a doctor ask me what makes it ok that I have five children and some people can't have any.

Then a woman in a store actually approached me and REPROACHED me...saying that she is an economics major and that we are leaving too large a footprint in having five children. I promptly told HER that MY children will be an asset to society, not a drain.

I had people say OUT LOUD that it looked like a Daycare when we went to McDonald's. (My children were born in a space of 14 years....not exactly a Daycare....)
We now have recently adopted a little boy, working on adopting a little girl, and have a blended family of nine children. They are wonderful and God's Blessing to us!! One son is a police officer and one is working on being in full time Christian service. They are ALL wonderful to us!!
Blessings to you, dear one!!
Beth

Anonymous said...

I hear so many people say they don't buy any cook books just use the internet...not me!! I like to read them and browse them and just look at them!!! In my hand where I can turn the page or even fall asleep while reading it! :) My Victory Garden Cookbook also is falling apart but it still gets much use!! I never dreamed that we would so soon have books on Kindles and such. That people say the libraries are a thing of the past. Remember when they said soon there would not be any bank tellers either. How many many years ago was that? !! :) I still love the card file though and wish they still used them! Oh books, don't ya just love em!!! Sarah

La Tea Dah said...

Wow, oh wow. You really do know how to find beautiful books! They are colorful and inviting. Thanks for the head's up on new titles!

LaDonna
Gracious Hospitality

Dianne said...

So many great-looking cookbooks here - I'll have to spend some time browsing through them at the library or bookstore (as if I need more temptations LOL) Tessa Kiros looks especially appealing. I'm just waiting for delivery of the new Mennonite Girls cookbook - you might enjoy theirs too.

Kim said...

Thanks so much for sharing! I love Pioneer Woman. I have both of her cookbooks and use her Tasty Kitchen site.

Heather L. said...

I love your cookbooks! It's always fun to find someone who has very similar tastes in cookbooks!!! We love the River Cottage one too! I don't actually tend to buy too many cookbooks at this point, but if/when the day comes, it will be many of the ones you mentioned. First thing I plan to do in Scotland is buy my favorite magazine: BBC Good Food and cook from it while I am there!