I have so many cookbooks that I use on a regular basis, that it was really hard to narrow it down to the top five. But here goes, and in no particular order…
This cookbook covers all the basics and then some. It will tell you how to hard boil eggs and make your own pasta. (nope, haven’t tried that one yet) It has a fantastic index where you can look up a dish by the title OR the ingredient. This comes in handy when I am planning a weekly menu and am stuck for a chicken dish. If you are getting one cookbook to start? Go with this one.
Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in The Freezer
I LOVE this cookbook. The premise behind this one is that you cook for several hours on one day, and freeze or refrigerate all the food for the week. When I was working full time, and had evening commitments also, this cookbook was a lifesaver. And you don’t have to freeze the food…it works well as a “regular” cookbook also. I highly recommend the Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch recipe. One pot of soup can feed two people for three days!
I have no idea how I got this cookbook. It has moved with me numerous times and I finally decided to give it a try this year. WOW. My husband is a picky eater, has a refined sense of tastes and there are times he suffers through my experiments. Not with this cookbook. We have only made one dish from this that we did not like and many are marked with YES! And YUMMY!
(I strongly urge writing in your cookbooks)
Mr. Food Diabetic Dinners In A Dash
As I have mentioned before on this blog, my husband is diabetic. And when we first found out, there was the rush to the store to get books on how to handle this. This is one I keep coming back to. These meals are delicious, quick and easy to make. In fact, I am making the Turkey Taco Pie for dinner tonight. (Eating utensils for this are Frito scoops…it is an indulgence but it is much healthier than going to Taco Bell for a bean and cheese nacho fix.)
Rachael Ray’s 30 Minutes Meals
I do enjoy this cookbook, but frankly, it’s only a 30-minute meal if you are really at home in the kitchen. The food is good, but plan for spending at least 45 minutes before you eat anything.
What are your favorites?
-Auntie Zia
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