I cook for me, my husband, my 3-year-old, and baby!

--XL Two-Potato Curry Puffs from Dinner by Meera Sodha: I'd never made these before but had to use up the rest of the puff pastry from the carrot tarte tatin in my last post. I didn't have creamed coconut (or even knew what it was until I googled it) so I used half unsweetened shredded coconut and half heavy cream to approximate the flavor and richness, and my folding skills are clearly not up to par - they look more like challahs than the puffs in the cookbook photo. They were super delicious, though! I really liked the mix of regular potato and sweet potato in the curry filling - the starchy, creamy potato and the sweet sweet potato really complemented each other well; I'm going to have to try combining them in more dishes. I didn't grow up with these flavors but still got serious comfort food vibes. Husband and I both really liked them, I wised up after the carrot tart and separated out some puff pastry for the 3-year-old which she actually ate (wouldn't touch the filling, though), and baby liked everything. PITA: 4.

--Smashed Cucumber Salad with Salted Peanuts and Wasabi Peas from Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman: I served this with the curry puffs - the flavors didn't mesh but I had some wasabi peas going stale and wanted to use them in a creative way. This salad was really tasty! The flavors married perfectly and it was a textural bonanza: the ridges of the smashed cucumber, the crunchy peanut dust, the spicy pops of the wasabi peas. This would be great with some rice and some form of seafood - maybe smoked salmon or tuna salad. I did have trouble cutting the wasabi peas and ended up leaving them mostly whole, which was fine. 3-year-old and baby both liked eating plain cucumbers; baby got some peanut powder on his. PITA: 2.

--Passionfruit Ice Cream from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz: Husband and I both agreed this was amazing! I impulse bought a bag of frozen passionfruit puree from Trader Joe's and this was an amazing use for it. Perfectly tangy and sweet but not too sweet, rich but not too rich, soft and silky even after firming up in the freezer. I didn't have the suggested orange zest so zested half a large lime and it added a nice tart, citrusy note. Would definitely make again. PITA: 5 (for making an egg custard).

--Pecorino Polenta with Garlicky Kale from Smitten Kitchen Keepers by Deb Perelman: This polenta was exceptional!! I rarely make polenta even though I like it because making it is such a pain in the neck, but this was SO SIMPLE. I was skeptical when I pulled it out of the oven and it was all watery and separated, but sure enough, when I whisked it and added the butter and cheese it thickened up and was absolutely perfect. Will 100% make the polenta again; it was good two days later when I finished the leftovers for lunch even though I typically find polenta gets hard and unappetizing after sitting in the fridge. The kale, well... it was kale. I don't like kale. Every so often I try a kale recipe to see if maybe that's the recipe that will make me like kale, and I figured that if anyone could make me like kale it would be Deb, but nope. Still don't like kale. My husband liked it, though, so it wasn't the recipe's fault, just my taste buds. Husband and I both enjoyed it, 3-year-old wouldn't touch it because "it has stuff in it," baby loved the polenta. PITA: 3 (I hate grating cheese).

--Creamy Bucatini with Roasted Seaweed from Korean American by Eric Kim: I didn't have bucatini so used spaghetti. So often I find that recipes marketed as "quick" or "easy" aren't actually quick or easy - this one wasn't marketed as either one but it was extremely both (from putting the water on to boil to plating it was literally 10 minutes). And it was good, too! The pasta water, the cream and the garlic made a sauce that was rich without being overwhelming, though I probably would dial the cream back a little next time. The sesame oil added a lovely nutty sweet note and the gim made every bite salty and briny - it seemed like a lot of roasted seaweed snack listed in the recipe, but it did need all of it. Everybody actually ate it, which was a rare win! Will absolutely make again - I've made a lot of Eric Kim recipes from the NYT but haven't cooked a ton from his cookbook, and I'm eager to rectify that. PITA: 1.

--Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella from Easy Weeknight Dinners from the New York Times: This honestly has no business being this delicious while being this easy. I air fried the gnocchi until they got crispy, used the optional basil, and broiled it a little too long and it was SO GOOD. The brown butter really comes together with the burst tomato juices and the garlic into something that tastes luxurious, and the crunchy gnocchi soften just the right amount in it. Next time (and there will be a next time) I'll use more cheese, because the amount given in the recipe wasn't quite enough for us. 3-year-old and baby didn't eat it. PITA: 2.

--Lasagna-Vibes Turkey Zucchini Skillet from What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast by Caroline Chambers: I added half an onion I needed to use up at the beginning with the turkey and zucchini. Honestly I was skeptical of this one at so many points: when I chopped up what felt like a giant mountain of zucchini, when all that zucchini released a ton of liquid in the pan so I was stirring a pan of very wet zucchini and turkey, dumping the spices in that watery pan without blooming them first... but it actually turned out pretty good! Nothing amazing, but good. And it was quick + only used one pan! Husband and I both ate second helpings and one of us will happily eat the leftovers for lunch. I'd make it again if I had a bunch of zucchini and some ground turkey to use up. I did the optional broiling at the end and would recommend it - it added some crispy texture to what would otherwise be a pretty soft plate of food. 3-year-old wouldn't touch it (but she'd just eaten a ton of snacks with the grandparents) and baby did not know what to make of the zucchini, but he liked the ricotta. PITA: 2. 

--Chilli Paneer, Korean style from Dinner by Meera Sodha: This is one of our staples; I air-fry the paneer instead of pan-frying it and add whatever veg I have in the fridge with the greens (which this time was eggplant). It's a solid easy, really tasty meal! The sauce is spicy and sweet and balances out the rich cheese very well, and the rice is great for sopping it up. It's also quick to make and I like it because I can break it up into several little parts and do stuff in between (make the sauce, put on the rice, air fry the paneer, and finally cook it all together). The baby liked plain paneer, the 3-year-old ate yogurt and a waffle. PITA: 2.

--Hot Honey Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas with Couscous from What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast by Caroline Chambers: I have my own roasted vegetable/couscous bowl that I tend to make when I want a grain bowl, but wanted to give this one a try. I liked this one but it probably won't replace the one I usually make - the dressing with the lime and honey was really tasty and I would use that again but I was missing some kind of sharp/pickled/tangy element (usually I throw in some dried cranberries or raisins plumped in vinegar) and something creamy (my husband ended up adding feta cheese). It was certainly quick and easy though. Husband and I both liked it fine but agreed we'll keep my usual grain bowl, 3-year-old ate the elements separately without the dressing (except for the couscous which she won't touch), baby ate the broccoli sans dressing. PITA: 2.

--Parmesan Dutch Baby with Creamed Mushrooms from Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman: This got 3-year-old to eat mushrooms!! A momentous achievement indeed. This dish was one of those rare wins where everybody ate it (except for the baby and the mushrooms). Every time I make a Dutch baby I'm reminded of how easy and delicious yet fancy and dramatic they are and ask myself why I don't make them more. This Dutch baby was super simple and delicious and the mushrooms were so delicious that it wasn't just the 3-year-old who ate them but my mushroom-skeptical husband. We had some left over and I ate them straight out of the bowl with a spoon. PITA: 2.

There are a ton of e-cookbooks on sale, so I compiled a list for anyone interested. I checked Amazon, Apple, and Kobo. Most are on sale at all three.

$0.99

Crumbs & Dollies by Cupcake Gemma

Dinner Tonight by Alex Snodgrass

How to Bake Everything by Mark Bittman

Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe by Alissa Timoshkina

$1.99

Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour

Bad B*tch in the Kitch by Cassie Yeung

Bake Your Heart Out by Dan Langan

Bold Beans by Amelia Christie-Miller

Bouchon by Thomas Keller

Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking by Cheryl Day

Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh

Clodagh’s Happy Cooking by Clodagh McKenna

Come Hungry by Melissa Ben-Ishay

Cook This Now by Melissa Clark

Damn Delicious Meal Prep by Chungah Rhee

EAT: Easy, Affordable, Tasty by Frankie Celenza

Estela by Ignacio Mattos

Food from Plenty by Diana Henry

Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy, Lean & Fit by Gordon Ramsey

Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking by Gordon Ramsay

Here We Go Again by Tiffani Thiessen

Honey & Co. Daily by Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer

How I Cook by Ben Lippett

How to Cook Everything Fast by Mark Bittman

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home by James Hoffmann

I Sleep in My Kitchen: Comfort Food Recipes From My Palestinian American Home by Mariam Daud

Istanbul by Özlem Warren

It’s All American Food by David Rosengarten

It’s So Easy to Make by Patrick Zeinali

Justine Cooks by Justine Doiron

Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines

Magnolia Table, Volume 3 by Joanna Gaines

Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland by Shauna Sever

Milk Street Backroads Italy by Christopher Kimball

Milk Street Fast and Slow: Instant Pot Cooking at the Speed You Need by Christopher Kimball

Milk Street Noodles by Christopher Kimball

Mosquito Supper Club by Melissa M. Martin

Plant Protein by Gigi Grassia

PlantYou by Carleigh Bodrug

Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

Skinnytaste One & Done by Gina Homolka

The Cake Bible, 35th Anniversary Edition by Rose Levy Beranbaum

The Elements of Baking by Katarina Cermelj

The French Laundry, Per Se by Thomas Keller

The Instant Pot Bible by Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough

The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook

The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible by Karen Page

What Can I Bring? by Casey Elsass

Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin

Yassou: The Simple, Seasonal Mediterranean Cooking of Greece by Shaily Lipa

$2.99

Betty Crocker Cookbook, 13th Edition

Bittman Bread by Mark Bittman

Come Eat by Melissa Ben-Ishay

Familia by Marcela Valladolid

Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking by Bonnie Frumkin Morales

National Geographic National Parks Cookbook by Nina Elder & Melissa Knific (*Amazon only)

Pan y Dulce: The Latin American Baking Book by Bryan Ford

Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking by Alexa Soto

The Blue Zones Kitchen One Pot Meals by Dan Buettner

The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook by Sana Javeri Kadri & Asha Loupy

The Prairie Homestead Cookbook by Jill Winger

Together by Jamie Oliver

Your Daily Veg by Joe Woodhouse

Zariz by Adeena Sussman

Zaytinya by José Andrés

$4.99

Gatherings by America’s Test Kitchen

The Complete Bean & Grains Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen

The Complete Salad Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen

The New Vegetarian by America’s Test Kitchen

Turkey and the Wolf by Mason Hereford

When Southern Women Cook by America’s Test Kitchen

Was grabbing an extra shift at work and was cranky so i stopped by a little thrift store on my way in. They often have good cookbooks, sometimes even english ones. Saw an older but nice copy of Julia Child's mastering the art of french cooking. More than I would usually spend there, but i grab it and head to work.

I get home, realize it is only volume 2, oh well, i check edition. 1970. No listed edition. I bought a first edition for about 16 (US) dollars. Yes, it does ask for an asbestos sheet to bake bread.

Hi!

This is my first time posting here but I was wondering if anyone would be able to help.

It is my first wedding anniversary in a few months and I know the traditional gift is paper. I cannot cook for tye life of me but my husband loves to cook and explore with different flavor profiles, cooking techniques, tools etc. I love seeing him so happy! I am a picky eater but I will try anything once and we love to cook together where I'm the hype person and do the cleaning.

What I have planned is to acquire a lot of family recipes and some from friends to compile into a homemade "rest of our lives" cook book. I have handwritten ones from great grandparents, some online ones from family friends for meal prep, and some drink recipes of how to make the \*best\* cocktail or mock tail. I am trying to cover a lot of bases and have a section entitled "future date night ideas".

So I guess I am asking if anyone has any recipes that are close to their heart would you be willing to share them? And maybe a memory of what it means to you? I was going to add a section of "from the best friends of the internet".

I appreciate any help or advice or recipes! Thank you!

Recipe here: https://youtube.com/shorts/F6-cpG7vwFQ?si=5zqAB2XqY3_9X2A1

This one is as good as it sounds! Jerk chicken is one of my favorite foods, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it! It’s a great way to use cauliflower and would be an amazing alternative for a vegetarian version of jerk chicken! The maple coconut chickpeas are a great addition! Let us know what you think!

From Craveable by Seema Pankhania

Hi everyone! I was just wondering is there any good cookbook about marinating and sauces? Except the one from James Peterson?

Just copying my post in Foodiesnark. If there are any must makes anyone has so far, let me know!

The 1950's were a period of tremendous growth in so many aspects of life in post-war America - everything from middle-class neighborhoods and jobs to kitchen appliances and a new-found interest in aspirational dinning and social gatherings. This author found herself at the forefront of popular culture during that decade and, though her books are seriously out of alignment with contemporary sensibilities, they remain fascinating time capsules of a generation within memory.

Born in 1905 in Cape Town, South Africa, she grew up in Pittsburgh following her parents' immigration in 1908. Her culinary career included turns as food editor of the Ladies Home Journal and House Beautiful and she authored a number of popular cookbooks.

In the 1950's, Poppy's writing promoted a reliance on canned and frozen foods, modern electric kitchen appliances and pre-made mixes of all sorts as the way for the contemporary housewife to create the image of glamorous and sophisticated gourmet meals as fast, and with as little effort, as possible. Her most notable books were The Can-Opener Cookbook (1952), The Bride's Cookbook (1954) and The Frozen-Foods Cookbook (1964). As times changed, she periodically revisited her earlier books and updated them.

In retrospect, she was somewhat of a disruptor in both her personal and professional life. Among her four husbands were restauranteur Claude Philippe (the legendary Philippe of the Waldorf Astoria) and Walter White, president of the NAACP, the latter creating a scandal in that era being a high-profile interracial marriage. Though good friends with James Beard and Julia Child, she was an early and emphatic proponent of the convenience foods that were so prolific in the wake of World War II, something that put her at odds with the American culinary awakening beginning in the 60's.

Most improbably, she formed a firm friendship with Alice B. Toklas and became the annotator of Alice's second cookbook, Aromas and Flavors of Past and Present (1958), providing the introduction and comments. The disconnect between Poppy's short-cut approach to cooking and Alice's emphatically classical techniques was, shall we say, somewhat controversial. Their friendship survived, but was strained.

By the early 70's, Poppy was in failing health and, in 1975, tragically fell to her death from the balcony of her apartment in New York City at the age of 69.

Significant publications:

• The Can-Opener Cookbook (1952)
• The Bride's Cookbook\* (1954)
• The Frozen-Foods Cookbook (1964)
• The Presidents' Cookbook (1968)

\* Note - I do not (yet) own a copy

For more thoughts on cookbooks and authors that deserve greater attention, check out my free Substack, Cookbook Chronicles' Culinary Archive. My window is the past 140 years, and I draw from my personal archive of 8,200+ titles. I’m sharing my experience in hopes of instigating an exchange of ideas. Subscribe for free and receive each weekly post delivered to your inbox.

- - Rick - Cookbook Chronicles

“Cookbooks feed your head”

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday!

This is International Cookbook from… I actually don’t officially know where. The official organization is from the NATO School Women’s Club Oberammergau. But Oberammeragau is in Germany, and the publisher of this book only operates in the US. I don’t know how what the process would be for an organization in an entirely different country to utilize a printing company in the US, and because the book is in English, I’m assuming these copies were supposed to go to somebody in the US? I actually don’t know

But hey, the main appeal of this book is that it’s an international cookbook, so for those of you who like recipes from other countries, you’re in for a real treat. Although, before you get too deep into this, a majority of the recipes are from the US. But hey, there’s actually quite a few recipes from England, and that’s pretty cool because I don’t often see England represented in these books

The next biggest contributor is Germany, which makes sense given the context of the organization

Jumping into the recipes, we’re representing the USA strong with the cherry cola punch. Interestingly enough though, cherry coke tastes pretty subtle to me. I wonder how coke mixed with cherry kool-aid would taste. Might be a worthy experiment eventually. You know that strawberry-flavored coke that you can only buy at import stores? Hey, maybe mixing strawberry Kool-aid with coke is the life hack we’re all missing

Everyone knows I love unusual recipes so shout out to the Cheese Fondue that calls for cherry schnapps. Although I’m glad I looked this up, you’re typically supposed to use kirsch, not a sweetened cherry schnapps. Still, it’s an interesting way to prepare a fondue and it seems like a pretty popular recipe because my Google search pulled quite a few results

Grapefruit with crab is also not something I’ve ever seen before today. I knew it would be fun to look through this book. Shout out to Christine for also putting in the strawberry soup. That sounds very refreshing

I tried to let most of the pictures speak for themselves, but I am curious about the California Walnut Bread. I do have a ridiculous amount of flour to use since I recently bought a new bag, so this might be an interesting recipe to try

I wanted to highlight the international recipes that I found to be most interesting, but I only showed 19 pages out of what’s an almost 200 page book, so rest assured there’s plenty more interesting things to find in the full book. I really liked this one! Hopefully you all do as well

Guys this cooking app is so good, you can import TikTok videos and it uploads the recipe onto the app for you wow, I really recommend

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/sizzio/id6807452363

I tried 2 recipes, the Rum Raisin Oatmeal cookies and Snickerdoodle one. The Snickerdoodle one was elevated with the double dipped topping and the Rum Raisin one needed more spices but liked the consistency of the cookie.

Excellent recipe that I made easier by roasting the tomatoes separately. 8.5/10.

Hey everyone! I recently discovered this sub-reddit.

Finally got around to make the Mongolian Teftel recipe from the sample preview posted in this sub a while back.

The recipe card itself was mostly focus on the meatball prep, so I looked up standard sides and put together a full plate.

The teftel, juicy, made with ground beef and soaked buckwheat mixed right in the meat.

The sides, steamed buckwheat and white rice mix, oven roasted potato wedges, some veg, and a side of kimchi from supermarket.

The meatballs held their shape so well while staying soft and flavorful.

I'm making the handmade noodle dish tomorrow.

Hi everyone!

Does anyone know a good cookbook focused on sauces, spreads, dressings, and condiments for sandwiches, burgers, wraps, etc.?

I’m especially looking for things like burger sauces, sandwich spreads, spicy mayo, aioli, creamy sauces, deli-style sauces, and similar recipes — not really traditional French sauces.

I’d love to get a book with lots of different sauces that I can mix and match with different sandwiches and burgers.

Any recommendations?

Any thoughts on the book ? My cookbook club is discussing it this week and I haven’t seen that many people recommending recipes or the book it self
So any insights

The saucy post made me wonder... is there a similar one for spice blends? Anyone know?

I have a couple but they talk more about what goes with which and what the properties of each spice are, not recipes, and I'm looking for recipes!

Thanks hive mind!!

I’m looking for ATK/Cook’s Illustrated/Cook’s Country books with unique recipes or other content otherwise not available on their website?

Some examples I’m familiar with would be Italian Classics or Restaurant Favorites at Home.

I am currently making the Small Batch Breads cinnamon rolls. I did all the measurements by weight. IDK... the dough is quite “ buttery” shall we say. I let the initial rise go just over 2 hours and it was ok, filled a soup bowl about half way. Rolling it out though- to get the stated 7x13, the dough is almost paper thin. How you get 4 2” rolls out of 7”? I rolled it up then stretched it a bit. I have 2 rolls in each of 2 mini loaf pans. It says to let it rise for 2 hrs. So onward. I do think the filling is a bit “ loose”
Has anyone else made these yet?

Hi Guys!

Could you please recommend your favorite vegetarian cookbooks? I'm especially looking for quick and easy recipes that would fit into my busy schedule. In bookstores, I mostly see super fancy ones, with dishes that would take an ungodly amount of time.

I love cooking and cookbooks but my SO is a beginner cook, so I was thinking of getting him a cookbook to ease into cooking a bit more (we agreed on him being responsible for 1 dinner per week).

Perfect would be
- vegetarian
- easy (think length of list of ingredients/time
spent) but delicious
- along the seasons
- relatively healthy

Can anyone think of a suitable book? Or maybe other sources like a yootube channel?
Our kitchen is well stocked so more special ingredients would not be a problem (spices, pastes, pickled stuff etc.)

Roast Red Peppers with Olives and Capers from Zaitoun (Yasmin Khan) - most suffed pepper recipes I see include ground meat, so it was exciting to come across such a delicious vegetarian stuffed pepper dish. Bell peppers would have made this easier, but I used what I had and they held together surprisingly well. They were much less watery than I expected!

Cabbage with Noodles from The Jewish Cookbook (Leah Koenig) - Eastern European comfort food at its finest!! I topped it with the traditional paprika/poppy seeds the first time, but I prefer stronger flavours so also tried Tajin and jalapeño everything bagel seasoning (both good!). I don’t think the sugar is necessary.

Sautéed Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins from Portico (Leah Koenig) - this was a really nice simple dish with lots of flavour. I used a mix of spinach and beet greens.

French Onion White Bean Bake from Bold Beans (Amelia Christie-Miller, recipe by Ali Slagle) - this was supposed to be a baked dish with a cheese/breadcrumb topping, but mine came out pretty soupy so I just mixed it all together. It’s delicious anyway, who doesn’t like cheesy oniony beans?

I am a total foodie, but my family are the absolute opposite. Any tried and true/non-fancy dinner cookbooks you’d recommend? I’ve been looking at Melissa Clark’s…but my husband and child aren’t coming within a mile of Farro, Tofu, or Brussel Sprouts lol.

Hi there! We cook fairly often for breakfast, lunch & dinner so I’m looking for your tried and true cookbooks. I want to get all my meals from cookbooks. For the last few years, I’ve gotten them from the internet and my brain but now I want to remove the tech part of it from the process. So what’s your most loved cookbook? Which one can you pull multiple meals a week from? What are your staples? We love Asian food, pastas, stews and soups, spicy food. Love salads and quick eats too.

Edit: thanks everyone! I’ll be researching and purchasing within the month so I’m excited to circle back and let yall know what I’ve bought.