even ten years ago, i wouldn't have actually thought it possible that anyone (let alone me) could be addicted to cookbooks. then, along came chefs who were good writers...nigella lawson, nigel slater, jamie oliver...and on top of it, they made fabulous t.v. shows during which they made cooking seem easy, real and down-to-earth. no fussy separating eggs and stirring up roux in a difficult, too-posh way. nigella licks her fingers. jamie "bungs" things together. they're real. and they can write. just reading these cookbooks is a pleasure, even if you don't really try any of the recipes. (which i do, of course, i try them all the time.)
most of my cookbooks are packed away because of our building project. husband made me pack them up. in the interest of protecting them from dust, so it was for their own good. however, i still had to cook. so, before long i visted amazon. a few times. and the shelf filled again. as you can see above.
and now, we're about to tear out the kitchen to redo it. so i have to pack these up. at least, with the kitchen torn out, i won't actually be tempted to cook, so i won't have to stock up again. but somehow, i will miss them. and won't they feel sad down in their dark, dingy boxes? locked away from the light and the organic vegetables and the free range chickens?
4 comments:
I used to watch Nigella last year in Ireland- I could never stop looking at all the bookshelves she had in the background. Did I miss the point? :)
Perhaps not- maybe she's addicted to cookbooks too! She would come down and sneak food from the fridge in the night- I always liked how she ate the food she cooked. I'm still reading 'The Art of Eating' by M.F.K. Fisher and it has wonderful recipes that have stood the test of time. I also have some from Julia Childs, who I think was inspired by Fisher.
i totally adore nigella--isn't she on the food network there? i don't see her so much now that we switched to cable and lost our BBC Food channel. but you just HAVE to love someone who is a bit chubby and still SOoo sexy! and her writing is totally inspiring. my sister has a depressive betta fish and yesterday she propped nigella (one of her cookbooks) up next to him to try to cheer him up. heehee!
I too love cookbooks and recently unearthed a beauty called "Apples for Jam" by Tessa Kiros. Her recipes are divided by colour, for example in the red section you would find marinara sauces, recipes with strawberries. It is simply delightful. As always enjoying your blog. Barb
hi barb--thanks for the lead on a cool new acquisition! that sounds interesting that it's grouped by color--i've always thought about having a dinner party where the food was all one color! i'll have to look for that one! thanks!
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