Your favorite cookbook and others you really like

Leyland · Post by **Leyland** » Thu October 9th, 2008, 6:32 pm

Do you have any longtime favorite cookbooks that never fail you? The one you know will inspire always you, whether you're planning a dinner for several friends or just for two? I always go to River Road Recipes. It's been around a long time and I always find something really tasty to try for the first time or I'll come across a recipe I forgotten that I particularly liked.

Review and desciption from Amazon:
"If there were a community cookbook Academy Awards, the Oscar for best performance would go to River Roads Recipes." -- New York Times

River Road Recipes is the nation's #1 best-selling community cookbook series. This cookbook features classic creole and cajun cuisine. These 650 recipes include the basics like "how to make a roux". This is the "Textbook of Louisiana cooking".

Everybody loves Lousiana cooking!

Another book I've had mostly success with is Best of the Best from South Carolina, Selected Recipes from South Carolina's Favorite Cookbooks. I like using rice alot and many coastal SC recipes have rice included in them. I don't seem to be able to turn the desserts out very well, but I rock with the casseroles! Well, it's hard to mess those up.

I'd like to find a good Mediterranean regional cookbook sometime soon.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Thu October 9th, 2008, 9:11 pm

The Essential Rice Cookbook (Essential Cookbooks Series) by Wendy Stephens

it is a MUSt for rice lovers

Amanda · Post by **Amanda** » Thu October 9th, 2008, 10:27 pm

Donna Hay's Off the Shelf: Cooking from the Pantry

Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess (lovely lime cakes and lime curd)

ETA: Oh I just had to recommend this! Bill Granger's Coconut Bread toasted with Nigella's Lime curd. Its like an island holiday in your mouth! Acutally the coconut bread with delicious on its own, or toasted with butter too! And its dead easy too!

Here is a link:

Bill Granger's Coconut Bread
http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=40661

Nigella's Lime Curd

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=93204395

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Thu October 9th, 2008, 11:33 pm

I get Goodfood magazine every month and they have a great website.
[http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/magazine/good-food/

Other than that I am a great fan of Nigella Lawson. Her attitude to life and the way she writes about food is just wonderful. I recently bought her book Feast. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feast-Food-That ... gy_b_img_a

I also enjoy Mary Berry for homebaking
For my challenged husband, the teenage cookbook Cooking Up a Storm by young Sam Stern is brilliant - basics on making simple, foolproof every day food. Not just for adolescents, but brilliant for anyone starting out, or just needing decent food without fuss.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Up-Stor ... 116&sr=1-1

Carine · Post by **Carine** » Fri October 10th, 2008, 5:43 am

I recently bought Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson. I love the way she can make a meal in no time for a dinner party for friends.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nigella-Express-Lawson/

pat · Post by **pat** » Fri October 10th, 2008, 8:04 am

I do a lot of baking, and my fav book is my BeRo book! It cost mum 2UKpounds and is great! My other books I have are a Gary Rhodes back to basics type book, the name escapes me, and the Australian WOmans Weekly mags and Better Homes and Gardens mags! They are fantastic for ideas!

pat · Post by **pat** » Fri October 10th, 2008, 8:05 am

Amanda! That bread looks lovely! One for me to try!

Leyland · Post by **Leyland** » Fri October 10th, 2008, 1:46 pm

You've all got me sold on Nigella - so I've got her Express on order from Amazon. Thanks for the heads up, Carine. And the Feast book looks like the next one I need to buy, EC.

I've been the Arthur Dent of toasted sandwich makers the last couple years and have also been relying on too much microwaved canned Campbell's Chunky soups. I'm ready to make 'real' food again without a lot of prep and clean up, especially after a long day's work. I've just purchased a new GE smooth cooktop oven with digital type settings and need to actually use it!

Telynor · Post by **Telynor** » Fri October 10th, 2008, 11:48 pm

I have a bookcase jammed full of cookbooks, and on food history and technique. It's really terrible sometimes...

My favourites include:

Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook -- to learn about French bistro cooking, and some very acerbic looks in the kitchen try this. He's rather profane, but the advice is priceless. I also recommend his book Kitchen Confidential, as the best guides to learn about food and cooking -- but not for the prudish. He gets pretty frank. Reviews here: http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_Ant ... 2337820292
http://www.epinions.com/review/Kitchen_ ... 4369575556

The Book of Afternoon Tea by Lesley McKley-- a slim little book that has some knockout recipes for sandwiches, cookies and cakes, without a lot of fussiness to them.
http://www.epinions.com/review/The_Book ... 1657318020

Elizabeth Alston's Best Baking by Elizabeth Alston -- unfussy cakes, tea breads and other goodies. If you really like to use sour cream when you bake, this book is for you!
http://www.epinions.com/review/Elizabet ... 6424828548

Alice Medrich's book on Cookies may be small, but it's got a fabulous shortbread recipe in there, and the lemon bars recipe is fantastic, and quick.

A Drizzle of Honey: The Lives and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. A spendid mix of history and food.
http://www.epinions.com/review/A_Drizzl ... 2418656900

diamondlil · Post by **diamondlil** » Mon October 13th, 2008, 8:07 am

I love Donna Hay as well. She does really good food that is relatively easy to prepare.

Other than that I refer to Superfood Ideas because there are always lots of recipes that I would like to try every month, or the other place is at the Tastewebsite.