Recipes



I really enjoy cooking, it is something I can do pretty well.  I like planning out menus, buying ingredients and putting them altogether for my family or for guests.  I love trying new recipes I find on Pinterest, and on blogs, but I also have a few cookbooks, old and new, that I use for some favourites.  I thought I'd share them here.

 

When we designed our kitchen at our current house, we made sure to include shelves for cookbooks (these pictures didn't turn out that well with the sun coming in through the back window):

 My Papa gave me this Julia Child cookbook.  I was interested after seeing the movie Julie & Julia. I always make her French Onion Soup recipe. 

 

Basically the instructions are "add butter" at every step.

 

I am a Jamie Oliver fan, I know not everyone likes him, but he has hit a chord with me.  I love his Meals in Minutes.  They became a staple of our house when I was on mat leave, and we have continued to make them.  Not only do they provide step by step directions for a full meal, they also give you some good ideas for making simple potatoes, garlic bread, or salads.  

This is one of my favourites - steak sandwich, cheesy mushrooms, beet salad, and potatoes.

 

This one is for a full roast beef dinner in 30 minutes (let's be honest, it's slightly longer than 30 minutes, but it is doable).  The popovers are really Yorkshire puddings, although nothing like my Nana's.  

Clearly a well used cookbook - stains and falling out pages.

Notes in the book that I left for Dave or my mom to get dinner ready before I came home from work.

 

This recipe is from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals.  It is something I never would have thought worked together but it is so tasty I would make this for dinner guest.  Cajun Chicken with sweet potatoes, okra, and corn salsa.

This was one of the very first cookbooks I received when I moved out of university residence. You can see it is well loved. Although I don't make too many of the recipes out of it on a regular basis, it is a great resource for how to select, prepare and serve everything.

This is one of those cookbooks that I got at Winners many years ago for like $6, but it is well used.  It has great recipes for ribs, lamb skewers, chicken pieces, and rubs and sauces that I use every summer. 

I am also a fan of Michael Smith.  We make his recipe for pancakes just about every weekend.  The pages are covered with grease, dried flour, etc.  You'd think I would know this recipe off by heart by now but I still get it out every time I make them. E knows the ingredients that we need and he likes to mix the batter.

This book is a collection of recipes I've gathered over the years.  There are muffins, chili, macaroni and cheese, and other things I've torn out of magazines and newspapers.  I even have the recipe for fish chowder that we made in Grade 7 Home Ec. 



I am the type of person of thinks about what I'm going to eat all day long so planning our weekly menus works well for me. If I know what to expect for preparation and eating, then I am definitely more organized and happier.