Cookbook Love

Cookbooks, cookbooks, cookbooks! Don't you just love cookbooks? Cookbooks have come a long way over the years. Today's cookbooks are a feast for the eyes. Don't you just love flipping through the pages of a beautiful cookbook? Recently, I got three new cookbooks.

A Look At My Favorite Cookbooks

Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? is the third Ina Garten cookbook I have. I also have Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics and Barefoot Contessa at Home. The Barefoot Contessa cookbooks are beautifully photographed and have easy to follow recipes. I also follow the Barefoot Contessa show on the Food Network to better understand how the recipes are prepared.

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes will take you on a culinary trip through Italy while sitting in your favorite chair. Oh, how I dream of traveling through Italy and sampling the regional favorites. That is one trip that is on my bucket list. Do you have a bucket list?

Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe will make your mouth water. It is also chock full of tips for successful baking. I can't wait to get started on replicating the recipes. I'll share the results here, so I hope you'll stay tuned.

These new cookbooks join other favorites.

Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook has helpful pictures and carefully written recipes.
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics has a delicious recipe at every page turn, and Baked has a killer brownie recipe that was voted the best brownie in the United States. I made the brownies and they were delicious. I'll tell you more about them another day.

I like to use Post-It note paper to mark the pages of my favorite recipes. It makes it easy to find the pages. I also like to make comments on the Post-It to remind me of any tweaks I might make to the recipe.

I've been tweaking the Barefoot Contessa's shrimp scampi recipe as you can see by my notes in the picture. I'll share that dish with you in a future post.

Do you love cookbooks, too? Do you have a favorite cookbook I should add to my collection? Please leave a comment if you have a favorite cookbook suggestion. I'd love you hear from you.

Happy cookbook reading! And cooking...and baking...and eating!

Donna

Comments

How to Make a Perfect Bacon and Eggs Breakfast

In my opinion, the best breakfast consists of two perfectly fried eggs, crispy bacon, and toast made with hearty bread. This bacon and eggs recipe delivers. Bacon and eggs or eggs and bacon? No matter, it is definitely the breakfast you want on those lazy mornings when you have time to relax around the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee or two. The Best Bacon and Eggs Breakfast (This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. When you make a purchase using these links you help support this blog.) How to Cook Bacon and Eggs My technique was learned from my mom, by watching her make our family's breakfast over and over again, year after year. This is a basted egg recipe which means the eggs are cooked in bacon grease. Cooking eggs in bacon fat is easy and takes just a little practice to perfect. All you really need for a great bacon and eggs breakfast is a good nonstick skillet and a good toaster . If you want to make your own bread fo

How to Doctor Up Store-Bought Potato Salad

Here's a potato salad time-saver for you just in time for summer cookouts. You'll love how you can transform grocery store potato salad so easily no matter whether you are hosting a BBQ or bringing a side dish for a summer barbecue. There's no judgment here. We don't always have the time to make a potato salad from scratch. Sometimes it is just easier to stop by your local grocery store to pick up a container of store-made potato salad. It's good. It's predictable. It will do. All it needs is a little doctoring. How to Make Store-Bought Potato Salad Better When you need a quick potato salad, and have no time to make one from scratch, that ordinary store-bought potato salad you have in your refrigerator can go from blah to amazing in just a few minutes with just a few ingredients. Yes, you can improve store-bought potato salad. How to Doctor Up Potato Salad to have a little more flavor? You're going to a potluck picnic or you are having

The Best Asian Dipping Sauce You'll Ever Taste

If you're looking for a versatile, easy-to-make Asian dipping sauce perfect for sushi and dumplings, then you've come to the right place. This recipe for the best Asian dipping sauce is perfect for any time you want a kick of delicious Asian flavor. An Asian Dipping Sauce for Sushi and Dumplings Try this if you are looking for a dipping sauce that is a little more flavorful than you typically get with your takeout order. You'll love it with dumplings, too!

Traditional New England Whoopie Pies

Are you looking for the best whoopie pie recipe? Whoopie pies are a quintessential New England dessert and a memorable treat from my childhood. My mom would make them for us every once in a while. Oh, what a treat to come home from school to a platter of chocolate whoopie pies! Yum! Today I'm sharing my recipe for the best-ever whoopie pies. The Best Whoopie Pies Recipe without Marshmallow Fluff Whoopie Pies Whoopie pies are soft round cookie-like cakes with a smooth cream filling sandwiched in the center. Debate rages about the whoopie pie's origin. Some say these goodies originated in New England, others say they originated with the Amish. There is also debate about what ingredients should be in the filling. Many recipes include fillings made with Marshmallow Fluff or buttercream but neither is traditional, in my opinion. The whoopie pie of my childhood is a traditional Maine whoopie pie recipe, made with a cooked flour and milk mixture added to suga

How to Trap and Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Fruit flies can be a huge annoyance at certain times of the year. What can you do to kill fruit flies? We've all been there wondering how to get rid of fruit flies. Fruit flies in the kitchen. Fruit flies in the bathroom. Fruit flies buzzing around everywhere in your home. It's a frustrating problem that happens to everyone at one time or another. If you are a fresh fruit and produce lover you certainly know what I mean. How to Kill Fruit Flies with Two Ingredients Those pesky little buggers can often be brought into your home on the vegetables and fruit you buy. You don't have to tolerate the annoyance. This homemade fruit fly trap is one I have been using for many years and it works every time.

Five Keys to Growing A Healthy Ficus Tree

Have you ever wondered how a single Ficus benjamina tree could become a beloved part of your home for decades, thriving and growing alongside your family? If you haven’t yet, you might consider the addition of this living, air-purifying companion in your home that not only beautifies your space but also stands the test of time. You may know this tree as either a Ficus benjamina or a weeping fig. I have loved growing a ficus tree in my home for 36 years. It’s remarkable that I've had this tree for so long. How to Grow A Ficus Tree Inside for Decades When thinking about how I managed to keep this indoor ficus tree happy, healthy, and growing strong all these years it boiled down to five key Ficus benjamina plant care tips. Follow these tips and you can have a happy, healthy ficus tree in your home for many years, too.

Crunchy, Spicy Gingersnap Cookies

Crunchy, spicy, and yummy are all words used to describe a good gingersnap cookie. While my hands-down, favorite cookie is a gooey chocolate chip cookie I occasionally crave a spicy ginger snaps cookie or this molasses cookie . This old-fashioned gingersnap cookie is a winner. It's easy to make and will be a favorite in your recipe rotation. Traditional Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe ( This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase with these links.) Gingersnaps Cookies In the U.S., gingersnaps are usually drop cookies with lots of cracks on the surface. That's exactly how I like them. Those found in other countries may be thinner and sliced. The Lebkuchen, a traditional German cookie, and the pepparkakor, from Sweden, are often cut into festive shapes. My gingersnaps are round. Reasons You'll Love These Gingersnap Cookies These gingersnaps are tasty cookies at any time of the year. Their spiciness is perfect as a holid

Grandma's Soft and Chewy Date-Filled Cookies

One of the things I can count on as the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons arrive each year is a feeling of nostalgia. The traditional foods we serve at our family's holiday tables can sure bring out all the feels. Now that it is officially cookie season, we should kick it off with an old-fashioned homemade date-filled cookie recipe. This is a soft, tender cookie with dates that is a special, nostalgic, family recipe. An Old-Fashioned Date Cookies Recipe This old-fashioned, date-filled cookie was my dad's favorite cookie from his childhood. My dad was born in 1932 so this recipe has been around for quite a while.

DIY Cheap and Effective Rug Cleaning

Using area rugs throughout your house help to make your home feel warm and inviting. Area rugs help absorb noise and add pops of color to complement your decor. How do you keep rugs clean and smelling fresh? It can be a challenge. While regular vacuuming is important, you'll want to deep clean your rugs periodically, especially if you own pets. Here's a cheap and effective rug-cleaning method I use. How to Clean Your Area Rugs (This post contains affiliate links for your convenience ) Cheap and Effective Rug Cleaning This cleaning method works well for me with both wool rugs and polypropylene rugs. I've cleaned polypropylene rugs like I have in my front entry hall and large, 8 x 10-foot wool rugs like I have throughout the rooms in my house.

My Favorite Red Wine Sangria

When you are looking for a delicious and refreshing drink that is perfect for any occasion look no further than this easy and tasty red wine sangria recipe! This sangria is made with a blend of sweet red wine, spiced rum, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a variety of sliced fruits that make it a perfect choice for any party or gathering. The Best Red Wine Sangria This red wine sangria recipe is a perfect choice for any occasion. It is easy to make, refreshing, and delicious. The combination of sweet red wine, spiced rum, and fresh citrus juices creates a well-balanced and flavorful drink that is sure to please.

Just~One~Donna

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