Morsels: Confessions of a cookbook hoarder
I have a confession.
I无毛视频檓 a cookbook hoarder.
I came to this inevitable conclusion a few weeks back while rearranging furniture to take advantage of our new empty nest.
无毛视频淲ow, you have a lot of cookbooks,无毛视频� my husband mused as we finagled one of the heavy bookcases into the bedroom vacated a year ago by my oldest daughter.
无毛视频淒o you even read these things?无毛视频� he asked, struggling to steer it into its new location. 无毛视频淢aybe you should thin the herd.无毛视频�
无毛视频淥f course, I do, and no way,无毛视频� I said, quickly diverting his attention to a stain on the carpet that needed immediate attention and hoping he wouldn无毛视频檛 bring up the fact that there were two more bookcases brimming with cookbooks down the hall and in the game room.
But deep down I knew that I无毛视频檇 lapsed into sameness with a weekly meal routine consisting of baked chicken, pasta and turkey burgers, with an occasional brinner thrown in for good measure. I started to wonder. When was the last time I无毛视频檇 tried a new dish?
Later on, I decided to take inventory and count my cookbooks. Each numbered tap of a book spine conjured a memory, prompting me to pull it from the shelf, leaf through, and recall the how and why I无毛视频檇 acquired it. Among a few of my favorites:
n 无毛视频淩ecipes from America无毛视频檚 Main Street, compiled by the Seligman (Ariz.) Historical Society.无毛视频� A recipe for Navajo fry bread prompted me to shell out $13.99 for this ring-bound treasure filled with recipes contributed by Seligman无毛视频檚 locals and sold at Angel and Vilma无毛视频檚 Original Route 66 Gift Shop in 无毛视频� you guessed it 无毛视频� Seligman. We were on a cross-country jaunt and enjoyed fry bread 无毛视频� a traditional southwestern dish 无毛视频� in Flagstaff the day before we rolled into Seligman. Full disclosure: I无毛视频檝e not made the fry bread yet.
n 无毛视频淭he Good Housekeeping Book of Menus, Recipes and Household Discoveries.无毛视频� I can无毛视频檛 recall how I came to be in possession of this little gem from 1922 that, as noted in the introduction, 无毛视频渋s offered to housewives with the hope that it will suggest new dishes by which the daily menu may be varied.无毛视频� The 无毛视频渄iscoveries,无毛视频� or household tips, at the end of the book are probably the best part of the book, and offer new appreciation of modern conveniences, like clothes dryers. Consider this tip to 无毛视频渟aving strength on wash day无毛视频�: 无毛视频淲hen wash day comes around, I use the children无毛视频檚 wagon to haul the wash basket of wet clothes from the back door or laundry to the clothes-line 无毛视频� when there is snow, the children无毛视频檚 sled answers equally as well.无毛视频� Good to know.
n 无毛视频淭he Biscoff Cookie & Spread Cookbook.无毛视频� Now, here is one I无毛视频檝e tapped time and again since buying it a while back in San Francisco. A fan of cookie butter, which is made from Speculoos cookies 无毛视频� crunchy shortbread spice biscuits from the Netherlands and Belgium 无毛视频� I无毛视频檝e baked Biscoff Blossoms (made with Biscoff Spread instead of peanut butter), Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies, Biscoff Cut-Out Cookies, Biscoff Cheesecake 无毛视频� you get the picture.
n 无毛视频淔ortnum & Mason: The Cookbook.无毛视频� A gift from my daughter, this cookbook from the iconic department store of the same name in London is just an all-around pretty tome 无毛视频� almost too pretty to use, though the author says in the introduction that 无毛视频渢his is a book that should become splattered and worn with constant use, to be bent, bruised and loved.无毛视频� I无毛视频檓 not sure that I无毛视频檒l be adding Caviar Boiled Eggs or Deep-fried Courgette Flowers with Graceburn Cheese and Honey to my regular repertoire, but there is a Raspberry Trifle recipe 无毛视频� featuring ladyfinger biscuits soaked in raspberry liqueur -that is calling my name.
There are so many more wonderful books in my collection. I could go on, but I stopped counting at 200 无毛视频�
I don无毛视频檛 normally make New Year无毛视频檚 resolutions, but I无毛视频檓 giving this one a go in 2020: I resolve to make a new recipe from a different cookbook each week.
I think I无毛视频檒l start with the Navajo fry bread.
Happy New Year!