Cookbook Library

Cookbook library
Cookbook Library

Cookbook Libary

Yes, I do have and use cookbooks. I have quite a library, arranged by type of cooking. I have baking books, books by nationality, and general cookbooks. I also have some old books that are no longer in print, but if you can find them, I highly recommend them. I actually have cookbooks all over the house, some in the kitchen and some in my bedroom so I can go through them to find interesting things to make.

Southern Cookbook

Spane holding Paula’s book

One of my books is *The Southern Cooking Bible by Paula Dean. My grandmother was originally from Texas, and my grandfather’s family was in the South. I have Southern roots, and this cookbook has a lot of recipes for dishes my grandmother used to make that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. I love my new book!

Not only that, it’s a signed copy. Spane and I went to Barnes and Noble on October 24, 2011. We waited in line to see Paula and her husband. She was just so nice, and I told her that next time she came to Glendale to check out the local shops. When I mentioned Rose Petal and Young Walnut preserves, her eyes got as big as saucers. I told her to check out The Good Plate. Her husband asked Spane to Hi-5 him, and Spane did. Spane doesn’t know his own strength – I hope Paula’s husband is okay!

For the Nook!

Your library has books that you can borrow, or even keep forever. I just recently borrowed the 1888 version of the White House Cookbook! How fun!

What is the Nook?

Nook was one of the first color tablets. I had one of the first ones and it was fast with excellent graphics. It had a proprietary power brick and proprietary software. Sadly, because of these things, it didn’t sell very well compared to the Amazon Fire and Samsung tablets. You can still get the *NOOK 10″ HD Tablet Designed with Lenovo renewed through Amazon and enjoy the recipes you have or you can get other Android tablets and download the Nook app.

Also In the Cookbook Library Collection

I am listing the books that are still available with their link on Amazon, so you can get a copy yourself. Try eBay or older bookstores for ones that are out of print.

General Cookbooks

  • The American Woman’s Cook Book – I love this book. Mine is the War Time edition (World War II that is), and even though the spine is almost gone, I consult this book a lot. Everything is in here, from how to set the table (a lost art I think), to how to arrange your kitchen.
  • The Joy of Cooking – Yes, Julia Child had this book in her library, and I do, too.

International Cookbooks

  • The Mafia Cookbook: Revised and Expanded – If you like truly good Italian food, the selected recipes here are wonderful, and the stories the author tells about his time in the Mafia ain’t bad either.

Baking

  • Rosie’s All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed Baking Book If I want to know how to bake something, this is where I look. Everything in this book turns out perfect, every time.

Out of Print

I had the fortune of going to the Dollar Book Store in Burbank and was able to pick up some out of print books to add to my collection.

  • Jeff Smith’s Frugal Gourmet Series. I used to love watching the Frugal Gourmet when it was on PBS. No matter what Jeff Smith did, he is and always will be a good cook, and an excellent teacher. I already had The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine and regularly used it for reference. Here’s what I was also able to pick up:
    • The Frugal Gourmet – the book that started it all
    • The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American
    • The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian (my favorite)
    • The Frugal Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines Greek, Italian and Chinese
  • Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery – my mother and I had the complete set when I was a little girl, and these are the books that gave me my cooking skills (and The American Woman’s Cookbook). These are wonderful books if you can get them. They have been republished a few times, but I like the original ones that my mother and I had. I was able to get the whole set on eBay, what a treasure!
Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery
Woman’s Day Encyclopedia Set and American Woman’s Cookbook

Other Recipe Resources

There is only one cookbook that I want that I cannot have! If any of you have read any of the wonderful Faye Kellerman books, you know about Rita Decker. I want Faye Kellerman to write Rita’s cookbook. I want to make what Rita’s making – and I am going to email Faye Kellerman until she agrees!

There are millions of recipes on the internet for us all to enjoy. One of the programs I often recommend if AnyList which allows me to save well-formatted recipes. Some of those recipes get tested here at The Good Plate and are brought to you in our monthly newsletter, What’s Cookin’? Something Good!

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