Tuesday, March 24, 2009

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.







14 comments:

  1. Wonderful food for thought! Sharing good food has always been part of my day. I know of that Moroccan cook and his glorious meals.
    This is all making me hungry - off to scrounge some toast and eggs for breakfast!

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  2. Ahhh... yes the cous-cous he once prepared for us was such an experiance! I get such pleasure cooking for others. I'm afraid my breakfast may be an apple on the run today!

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  3. Well, according to the sage wisdom of your cook friend, I too have a cook book collection. Some of my favorite recipes are hand written on notebook paper from my mother. Her pumpkin bread is out of this world!

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  4. Oh Deb, I love your collection of books! I have yet to post but I will!! Pink swear!
    Your job sounds interesting I would love to hear more about it someday.
    Have a sweet day my friend!! xoxo
    PS were your ears ringing yesterday?! I spent the day with my mom and sister telling them both about you and Patricia.

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  5. Wonderful collection Debra!! I see we have many cookbooks in common: Joy of Cooking, Dean & Deluca, Silver Palate, Barefoot Contessa.... too bad we don't live close enough to have dinner parties together!

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  6. Debra, I love going to my Kansas City Junior League Cookbooks; Beyond Parsley, and Above and Beyond Parsley. Also I go to Four Star Desserts often. My mother really has some of the best, hand me down recipes. I have given many of my cookbooks to my daughter, and still have lots!

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  7. I love getting a peek at your cookbook collection! I'm always looking to add more to my own. I just found your blog through Joyce's. I have to say, the illustration you created of her front door is fabulous. I love it... and what a thoughtful gift.

    Love your blog!

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  8. Julia~ Loved the outfit on your post today. Thanks for dropping by. I'd love to see your cookbook collection.

    Joyce~ Is that what that ringing was? Can't wait to see your cookbooks. Maybe we'll meet and I can tell you all about those adventures!

    Lecia~ It would fun cooking along side of you and setting up a dinner party with our mutual blog friends - wouldn't it?

    Kotori~ Welcome! That Joyce- she's a master at getting people together. Thanks for visiting- please come back soon!

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  9. Karena~ Those Junior League cook books can be great- holding all of the 'secret', wonderful recipes. I hold very dear my Mom's handwritten recipes.

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  10. Wow, Debra, you have quite a collection and it's inspiring. Ina Garten is my favorite too - I'd love to be invited to her home for dinner or even a snack! LOL. I bet your mom gave you some amazing Italian recipes - Italian is still my favorite!

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  11. Hi Debra! Thanks for visiting! We have a lot of the same cookbooks! But don´t tell me you don´t have What´s Cooking at Moody´s Diner. A classic...Ha! Ha!

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  12. Hi Debra: We share alot of the same cookbooks. I smiled when you mentioned the Betty Crockers cookbook. My Mother gave me her copy, and I used it religiously when first making pie crusts as a teenager. Many of the pages are separated from the 3 ring binder.

    Karena: Four Star Desserts by Emily Luchetti. She is my sister in law. I love her baking philosophy: simple, practical and delicious!

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  13. Anne~ Suppose if we say to Ina G. "We'll paint for food"....that would work?

    Jane~ Well I guess Moody's is world famous! That is where my husband asked me to marry him... over a hot turkey sanwich! So glad you stopped by!

    Purple Flowers~ That one is a classic-I do use it! Thanks for visiting!

    Karena~ I'm going to look for that one- I need one more! Thank you.

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  14. What a fun collection! The Joy of Cooking is a must-have, and one of the few in my small collection. I am definitely a novice but when I do cook, I usually do it by eye. My husband is the cook of the house and loves to make soups and sauces:)

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