I thought I’d share my current favourite cookbooks with you. I love cooking and do a lot of ‘winging’ as well as using cookbook recipes for inspiration as opposed to following a recipe exactly as written. However, when I am in need of advice, ideas or recipes, the cookbooks I turn to most often are these four, in no particular order:
More with Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre: This was one of my mom’s favourites while I was growing up and it was the first cookbook I bought when I got married.
What makes it special?
- focuses on eating better while consuming less of the world’s resources
- frugality is also featured
- above the recipes, there are little tips/ideas/extras that are very helpful (recipes/extras come from hundreds of contributors)
- recipes are mostly very simple, using common, inexpensive ingredients
- I can usually find something to make when I have very few ingredients on hand
- I love the spiral binding
- desserts minimize the use of sugar
- Miscellaneous section contains recipes for laundry soap, playdough, etc.
Anything I don’t like?
- use of margarine (this is probably reflective of the original publishing date – 1976); easily substituted for butter, of course
- a (very) few ‘economy’ things I am not big on, such as fake ‘maple’ syrup, but this type of recipe is extremely rare in this book
Favourite Recipes:
- Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes – I make this recipe (quadrupled) every Sunday for breakfast before church. Adaptations I make: I use butter (not oil), plain milk (sometimes yogurt) and all whole grain flour.
- Coconut Custard Pie – this is the quickest pie recipe I have ever come across. I can have this ready to go into the oven before the oven preheats! It is delicious and healthy enough for breakfast, too. Adaptations I make: butter, not margarine.
- Nasi Goreng – I love this fried rice, which a friend first introduced me to after returning from a mission trip to Indonesia. Adaptations I make: I don’t have the two authentic spices listed, but the recipe tastes great with them left out; I usually add peas, carrot and chopped pepper.
Simply In Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert
What makes it special?
- five colour-coded sections – one for each season and another ‘all-seasons’ section, making the current season’s recipes very easy to find and browse
- because I am so bad at meal planning, but like to eat seasonally, I am able to flip through the current season’s section at 3pm and find something yummy to make
- many recipes have variations
- most recipes are simple and frugal and avoid really expensive ingredients
Anything I don’t like?
- Not really — I have the non-spiral bound version and I would much prefer spiral binding
Favourite Recipes:
- Spring: Vegetable or Fruit Oven Pancake – I do 4 times the recipe in a big lasagna pan and this feeds our family of 8 with leftovers. Everyone loves this with asparagus! Adding a salad makes a great late-spring meal.
- Summer: Vegetable Fritters – I do the summer squash option, but add a bit of frozen corn, too. Many in our family are not huge fans of summer squash, but everyone loves this recipe.
- Autumn: Grape Pie – This is a wonderful and unique way to use seasonal concord grapes. The grape flavour is delicious and the colour of the filling attests to the nutrition contained within!
- Winter: Sweet Potato Quesidillas – My husband claims to dislike sweet potatoes, but there are a number of ways he really likes them and this recipe is one of them. Adaptations – I exchange the spices for a very thin layer of ground chipotle peppers (VERY thin) and a sprinkle of toasted pepitas.
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig: This cookbook was a part of our decision to end 11 years of vegetarianism two years ago. Interestingly, it was both a radically different way of eating and also strangely familiar, as it voiced many of my own philosophies.
What makes it special?
- focuses on the life-giving aspects of traditional diets around the world
- the Weston A Price Foundation‘s extensive research has found that many traditional societies all over the world have enjoyed excellent health when they stick to their culture’s traditional diet, whatever that is in their area
- a wealth of information far beyond recipes – tons of research to back up ideas
- great section entitled ‘Limited Time, Limited Budget Guidelines’
- lots of instructions are included for things like making yogurt, fermenting veggies
Anything I don’t like?
- some recipes are seriously gag-worthy, though I don’t doubt the health aspects (eg. Breaded Brain Appetizer, Raw Liver Drink)
- I completely part company with Fallon on feeding babies. She seems to believe that if a mom is not eating a highly nutritious diet, her baby is better off on homemade raw cow’s milk formula (recipe in the book). Her tips for successful breastfeeding even include the recommendation to supplement with the formula if a mom is at all concerned. She also suggests feeding babies an egg yolk a day from four months. I tend to be a little high-strung about things like this and I was so mad when I read these things that I almost didn’t buy the cookbook. Once I calmed down, I realized that in spite of this, I think it is a great book. I can take what I can use and leave the rest — and I’m okay with that now. Deep breath.
- I think the book has high guilt-producing potential for some type-A personalities, like me, who want to do everything perfect all the time. Many of the ideas involve extra work (such as pre-soaking grains) and searching out of hard to find ingredients (such as keifer grains and raw milk) and moms will likely find they don’t have the time to do all of the suggestions.
Favourite Recipes:
- I realized I don’t actually cook that often from this book, when I really stopped to think about it. I find it more of a reference book and I use it that way quite often.
- Stewed Rhubarb – very yummy and excellent seasonal fare
- Mayonnaise – mostly I buy high-quality mayo, but when I make it at home, this is the recipe I use most often
Grassfed Gourmet by Shannon Hayes
What makes it special?
- features recipes/instructions for preparing grass-fed meats, which need different treatment than grocery store meat (in general – longer, lower temperatures and reduced seasonings)
- extremely helpful to me in trying to re-learn how to prepare meat after 11 years of vegetarianism
- great information on different cuts of meat as well as purchasing meat in large quantities (ie. half a cow)
- recipes are marked with ‘budget’, ‘minimum preparation’, ‘kid-friendly’, ‘showcase’, ‘in a hurry’ as appropriate
Anything I don’t like?
- nope
Favourite Recipes:
- Old-Fashioned Beef Stew – a delicious winter favourite. I add green beans and extra root-veggies if we have them around
- Best Ever Beef Burgers and Tips for Burgers – I make these burgers and use these tips all the time in the summer. I don’t have any oyster sauce and keep forgetting to get some, so I leave that out and they are still great.
- Classic Grilled Steak – Steve and I make these for ‘adult dinnner’ once in awhile. Simple and delicious.
That’s it for me. I would love it if you would share your favourite cookbooks with me in the comments section. If you have time, can you let us know what you like as well as anything you don’t like about the book? I can’t wait to hear from you!
I love the More-with-Less Cookbook! Pilgrim’s Bread is one of my favorite recipes when I’m wanting something other than my basic whole wheat. Quiche Lorraine is good too.
I have Nourishing Traditions also and agree with all you said about it. I used the sour dough bread starter recipe and find the background info interesting, but that’s about all.
One of my favorite cookbooks is Montezuma Amish Mennonite Cookbook. I purchased it years ago because it has recipes for large families. (9 of us then) Everything I have cooked from this book has been a hit with the family. Now, I cut some of the recipes in half or save leftovers for the next day. One Christmas, I gave a copy to all four of my girls for their hope chests. I was able to find copies on Amazon as it was copyrighted in 1988.
This is a good one too.
I posted some of my most-used books on our blog. http://deweystreehouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/favourite-cookbooks.html
I bought Nourishing Traditions but it was just too “out there” for me, so I sold it to somebody who does really like it.
Anne,
I will have to see if I can get that Amish Cookbook via interlibrary loan. I have one cookbook geared to large families and it always throws me off balance to NOT double/triple the recipes! LOL!
Mama Squirrel,
Oh yes. NT is definitely ‘out there’. I’m off to check out your blog post. 🙂
Christine
Great post! I actually just posted my three favorite cookbooks at http://amyreads.com.
I’ll have to check out Simply in Season. That looks great!
I have been interested in the Simply in Season cookbook since I first heard of it. Thanks for the little review–I may just look for a used copy on Amazon.
I agree with you about Nourishing Traditions. I love all the marginalia and general nutrition info, but would find implementing all of it impossible. And she (Fallon) seems to have a thing against pork (with the exception of lard) which she apparently based on one lone study.
I was a vegetarian for 20 years until I was 8 months pregnant with my first child at the age of 35. And suddenly, I wanted a STEAK! I have become the connoisseur of the well-marinated London Broil in the last 10 years!
I use few cookbooks these days. I often look for the highest rated recipes on sites like Epicurious or Allrecipes.com, or browse the eye-candy on FoodGawker.com.