Why I love cookbooks

[trystinn]

Having a lot of time on my hands today, given the rarity of customers, I've been looking through the cookbooks here with hope in my heart.

I'm not a very good cook, see. Decent baker, still have a lot to learn, though. Part of my problem cooking is that I'm allergic to a lot of the great basics (tomatoes, strawberries, oats) and hate a lot of the others (broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, etc.). I prefer my vegetables raw, if at all. Picky bitch, I guess. Though I've finally managed to fall in love with butternut squash soup - if its very smooth, with a dash of curry and ginger.

I tend to have certain dishes I'm known for making Great: Cesar Pasta Salad, Fascist Pasta Salad, Sweet Boneless Fried Chicken, Four Cheese Sausage & Penne, pesto pizza, Workin' Momma Enchiladas, Italian marinated chicken, smoked corn on the cob, etc. Once folks see me cook these great dishes, they tend to crack up at how easy they are to make. And I make some great soups: tortilla soup, carrot & sherry soup, ham & potato, etc. Always looking for more light soups to make. Very much a "meal in the bowl" kind of cook.

Yep, not a great chef. But I love food (notice the waistline) and I love folks who love food. I'm always looking for a few more biblically great dishes to serve at my house. I'll be throwing the new recipes up in hopes others could use them, too.

Comments

[brewhexe.livejournal.com]

What on earth is Fascist Pasta salad? That's a recipe I would be interested in.

I make a mean carrot and coriander seed soup, and my latest experiment - fennel soup - turned out pretty good. I tend to look up recipes online for stuff I have in the freezer and, if it works out, I transfer the recipe into my recipe scrapbook so I can find it again.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Its on my blog somewhere, I'll find it for you and post back.

Essentially pasta salad with olive oil, italian dressing and seasoning, italian sausage, black olives, etc.

[brewhexe.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmm yummy.

[brock-tn.livejournal.com]

Will have to share our recipe for Beef Carbonade. (Beef and onions braised in dark beer.) It's simple to make, freezes wonderfully, and is best served over noodles or spaetzle. But it also is great topping for a baked potato, and it can be made with a less expensive cut of meat because a long braise makes tougher cuts come out tender.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I'd appreciate that, thank you.

[wild-heart.livejournal.com]

I finally resubscribed to Saveur magazine, and I'm in heaven again. It's the only cooking magazine that I will slavishly read cover to cover.

Speaking of cooking, out of the blue this morning Jay asked me if we had a pasta maker. No, I replied. The I made the mistake of telling him that there's a pasta attachment available for the KitchenAid. Now I have to find one at a price I'm willing to pay. *bg*

I'd blame Iron Chef America, but I know that that's only half the problem.

And that's a ferociously evil list of things to be allergic to!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

My FAVOURITE cooking mag ever! My boyfriend got me a one-year subscription for my birthday, and when that ran out, I renewed it for THREE years. :)

[wild-heart.livejournal.com]

It's food porn for the eyes and mind.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I love watching cooking shows, so I can salivate over food prepared by folks who know how.

Between my allergies and being a supertater, I've found there's precious little enough I can eat. But what there is left, I want to enjoy!

Btw, any food sensitivities with you and Jay? :)

[wild-heart.livejournal.com]

What's a "supertater"?

Yes, I know. I should have written back. Food sensitivities: I'm allergic to avocados and hate lima beans unless they're hidden in minestrone. Canned peas make me gag. Jay dislikes okra. Otherwise, there's very little we won't consume with gratitude and gusto.

We both love coffee in the morning. Desperately. And we like it with half & half, plus Jay takes sugar in his.

I'm hypoglycemic, so I generally need to eat a few times each day. Not loads of food, but since we'll be busy I have to make sure that I don't go too long without having a little something (other than tasting cake batter) in my system. Also, I can't eat for an hour after taking my thyroid meds, which I swallow with those first few sips of coffee.

Seriously, we're happy with anything. Sandwiches. Leftovers. Anything. Considering that your kitchen will be compromised, whatever is easy is just fine by us.

I've got to write up a list of necessities for you now that I've got all the quantities written up. It's been a couple of very scattered weeks here. Sorry!!!

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Sorry, supertaster - I managed to mangle the index finger of my left hand and its now bandaged and causing typos!

Coffee is easy, got that. I'll buy some regular sugar for Jay, I use Splenda for most everything nowadays. I have one of those double travel mug coffee makers, so I'll borrow a bigger one for the three of us.

I'm in the same situation with the Diabetes, lots of little meals, so no problem there. No worries about timelines, still lots of it to go!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I love to cook as well! That reminds me, I have a duck in my freezer that I need to cook soon, before it gets freezer burn.