trystinn | Why I love cookbooks

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.