How many~is enough?

~Most of them~

When I worked as a gardener on a nearby estate, I became friendly with the chefs. The first was a woman who authored at least two cookbooks. She once told me, "When you purchase your second cookbook, you have started a collection". The second chef was a bit eccentric and rarely used a recipe. I thought him to be a master at his homeland Moroccan cuisine. Back to the first-the lady author. She gave me a signed copy of one of her cookbooks, making that my second... and that, was the beginning of my cookbook collection.

~Joy~

~There are two copies of The Joy of Cooking. One is pretty old and tattered, and the newer one is the updated edition.

~The complete works of Ina Garten~The Barefoot Contessa. These are my 'go-to' books. I love the way this woman entertains and if I could have dinner with but one cookbook author it would be this lady.

~The New York Times Cookbook-this is my husband's favorite and is his 'go-to' book of choice.

~I am a soup maker and lover so there are several good soup cookbooks. Most of those were gifts from my wonderful son and daughter-in-law~Jonathan and Amanda.

~Two great Maine cookbooks are the Marjorie Standish-Cooking Downeast and Keep Cooking the Maine Way.

~I love Classic French Cooking by Elizabeth Luard for the fantastic recipes and its whimsical illustrations.

~The New Basics and The Silver Palate by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins are great sources as is, Great Good Food by Julee Rosso.

~I love Dean & Deluca The Food and Wine cookbook-pairing dishes with complimentary wines.

~From Maine-The Arrow's Cookbook by Clark Fraier and Mark Gaier. My husband and I have had the pleasure of dining at Arrow's in Ogunquit-it was memorable.

~There are a couple of cupcake books for those times that our Granddaughter Erin visits and we feel like baking.

~I treasure my Mother's old copy of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook.

~I don't eat meat, so there are few good vegetarian books.

~More Joy~

~The Black Dog- Summer on The Vineyard and The Martha's Vineyard Table are perfect for summer fare.

~I was raised by my a strong Italian Mother and my Dad who loved my Mom's ancestral dishes, so there are some good Italian cookbooks.

~I have folders of clipped recipes and favorites from family and friends. I enjoy two wonderful cooking groups where we choose a theme and contribute to a splendid evening of sharing.

I would love to hear about your favorite recipes and some of your 'go-to' cookbooks.

p.s. I love everyday recipes from Cooking Light magazine- Oh yes... cooking magazines~ that's a whole other post...

Please join me in visiting ~ A Day That Is Dessert ~ A Perfect Beginning ~ PVE Design. They too will be sharing their cookbooks with us over the next several days.