Hello, my name is Christine and I am addicted to cookbooks and food magazines. I can’t collect enough, I can’t walk past any checkout booth or food section of a bookstore without picking one up, flipping through it, reading the sidebars, looking at the photos, wondering when my next fix will start. I have a constant longing, longing and longing for the next one with pretty pictures, will it ever end? I have a collection of about 200 books; food, wine, dessert, entertainment, drink there are so many that they now serve as decorative trim (dust collectors) throughout my home. And the magazines, I’ve finally succumbed to ripping out the photos or recipes I really want and putting them in my work folder and recycling the rest of the magazine to my salon (so green of me! tossing out a $5 magazine I bought just for a recipe!).
I admit that in the beginning, when the book was new, I read it from cover to cover savoring every word, every photo and, in fact, I did some of the food porn that appealed to me the most. Talk to me in photos don’t give me a cookbook without photos because it will never work between us. I need to see the food; desire it, covet it, make the recipe and then move on. It just gets old after going through it multiple times, same old recipes, same old pictures, same old result. OK, this is starting to sound like an article for the Dating Examiner. I’m drifting; the hardcover book with the glossy photo of each recipe is the kind of book that grabs me. Get me every time. Think of it as the bad boy’s type A personality book. The one you can’t walk away from but you can’t stay with either. It’s the kind of book that makes your knees buckle with its cosmetic beauty, makes you laugh with delight at its comprehensive and informative recipes with photos that take your breath away and leave you wanting more.
OK, this is a disease, the more you have, the more you want, and for what? Let’s do the math, 200 books x say (conservatively) 100 recipes in each book = 20,000 recipes. 20,000!!!!! Holy mackerel! (I hate math, it’s so in your face.) No, I have never made, tried to make, or come close to making 20,000 recipes. It’s crazy, 20,000 recipes! I know, I read it, I just wrote it, it’s in black and white, and yet the next pretty cover that catches my eye, I might flirt with it, but that’s where it begins and ends. No first date, no innocent glass of wine to read. Well, maybe a cup of mocha-java-yahoo with lots of whipped cream in the cafeteria just to sit with the book for a while…
My personal list of favorite cookbooks, entertainment books, and drinking books runs the gamut for a number of reasons. My all-time favorite and personal best is Savor the Moment from The Junior League of Boca Raton, Entertaining without reservation. As a member of the Junior League of Boca Raton, I served on the committee that published this James Beard Award-winning book; it’s still so personal to this day after all these years later. I was recipe developer, test cook, recipe sampler, photo designer, prep and cleanup person, but so were the other 200 extraordinary women who volunteered their time and expertise for what has become a legacy. in Boca Raton. like a magnificent work of art and brilliance. I sound tired and biased, a bit, but the truth is that each recipe was tested 3-5 times and the photo sessions agonized for hours. Labour of love? Yes. A collector’s book that everyone should have? Yes, because it is a great entertaining book.
The Williams-Sonoma books, each and every one. They are professionally tested, tried and true. You can’t go wrong with any of their books and they have pictures for every recipe!
Just starting out? Betty Crocker. she’s the one. Start with Betty. The book remains the best introduction to basic culinary knowledge and instruction. Betty has many versions, but whichever comes last, that’s the one to give as a bridal shower gift, engagement gift, or new apartment gift.
The Cookbook of Coastal Living. For two reasons, one because I am published in this book! And two, if you’re a seafood aficionado who lives, works, or plays near the coast, you’ll appreciate this book and all it has to offer. The recipes are tried and true, the photos make you want to buy a house on the water and entertain and cook for everyone you know. It’s a lifestyle, feel-good kind of book that makes you wish summer was a year-round season.
At home with Carolyne Roehm. Just get this book for the pictures, you’ll learn a lot about entertaining, table setting, flower arranging, and decorating just by looking.
Effortless elegance with Colin Cowie. Demanding, charming, effortless. The recipes are a delight and delicious. The tips and strategies of the party, invaluable. My book is worn, marked, highlighted, and used over and over again.
The Barefoot Countess Cookbook. Gorgeous pictures with each recipe. The recipes are doable no matter your level of experience or lack of it. The recipes are timeless and delicious time after time, attracting thousands of food lovers and critics alike.
The Silver Palate Cookbook. The only exception to my cookbook rule must have photos or I’ll kick you to the curb! This is gourmet. This is WOW! This is nervous. This is the most dynamic cookbook you’ll ever hold in your hands. Now, with that said, this book is not for the faint of heart, the picky cook, or the pantry lacking in spices. More or less you need to know the kitchen, culinary terms and procedures; if not, think that going from first grade to ninth grade and skipping everything else, you won’t know what hit you. If you’re ready, the 25th Anniversary Edition is on sale now.
101 sangria drinks and pitcher. Unless you have something to rival the W Hotel bar in your home, you’ll need some escape to serve cocktails to your guests, and this book has it all; sweet, tart, fruity, minty, creamy, you get the point, now pick up the book.
Wise wine. Brilliant, witty and complete. Do you want to know more about wine? This is the book that will take you on journeys to countries and vineyard trails you never knew existed.
There are 10 books listed. Didn’t I say I had 200? I hate math, it’s so in your face.