Decided to make Friday a day for sharing a few of my favourite things.
And – as regular readers of this blog are already aware – my mind is full of our kitchen remodel at the moment – so today’s post is going to be about cookbooks 😉
I’ve got a shelf full of them in the posh bookcases in our living room, another shelf of them in my office and (when I still had a proper kitchen) had a shelf full of them in a cupboard. Did as the Flylady suggested and decluttered when I was emptying the kitchen and gave away a large box to the local charity shop. I’m sure there’ll be someone who is just itching to add “Lady Claire Macdonald & ASDA – How to cook vegetables” to their collection…
Here are the two books which have followed me from Scotland to Luxembourg to Denmark (6 moves) and which I still use on a regular basis:
- “Home Recipes with Be-Ro flour”, one of those little baking books that you get free buy sending in coupons from flour bags. Mum and I always used this one on Sunday afternoons when we baked Rhubarb Crumble, Eve’s Pudding and Pineapple Upside-down Pudding – not to mention Flapjacks and Scones! Dad and my big brother were out in the garden and Sunday night was bonfire night. Memories! 🙂
- “The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook” This was the first ‘big girl’ cookbook I ever bought, my version is from 1992. I left Scotland (where I was living with Mum and Dad) to move to work in the tiny country of Luxembourg (hidden deep in the heart of Europe) when I was 21. I needed a good, basic book that could help me feed myself. And also the (literally) hundreds of dinner guests that I would entertain in those 10 years in the Grand Duchy. Mum has been a subscriber to Good Housekeeping magazine since I was a wee girl. And still brings me over the latest issue when she comes to visit 😉
Here is the big blue book that is my guiding light on all (culinary) things Danish:
- “Gyldendals store kogebog”, very similar to Good Housekeeping book, but no pictures whatsoever.
Two modern cookbooks that I keep coming back to:
- “Nigella Express” I actually have 7 Nigella Lawson books and love to read them ALL. I read them before bed, like I read novels. This is a good basic ‘working mums’ book with easy ideas and fantastic pictures.
- “Ainsley Harriott’s Complete Gourmet Express (both Gourmet Express and Gourmet Express 2 in one volume)” I can’t stand watching Ainsley Harriott on the television but he does have great, simple recipes. First thing I made from this book was Red Onion Relish – always gets rave reviews.
And two books I bought recently and which have pride of place on my nightstand:
- “Katie Bishop’s Slow Cooking, Easy Slow Cooker Recipes” For once, a slow cooker recipe book that is fairly modern recipe-wise. Have just bought the ingredients to make Sticky Orange and Sesame Chicken Drumsticks and Thai Chicken Curry. Will let you know!
- “Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook (1957)” Bought this second-hand through http://amazon.co.uk/ . Discovered Helen Corbitt (famous American female chef who worked at Neiman Marcus) because of a recipe on the back of a notelet I’ve had since I was a child. See my blogpost “Note(lets) from a Small Island” for the (amazing!) Apple Cake recipe). Now I’ve got a whole book of her stuff – yipee! – and the DKs and I are making her “Chocolate Marshmallow Pie” tomorrow. Watch out for that blogpost…
That’s all folks – bon appétit! 🙂