Gastro-Love! Foodies and Kitchen-Dwellers UNITE!

[girl_dee]

i have a knife sharpening fetish........... with a stone and oil of course

[Medusa]

I'm currently pining away for "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child but also culling my other cookbooks so I can't justify getting a new cookbook while trying to weed things out of my belongings.

I actually really enjoy the "Better Homes New Cookbook"! My Mom gave it to me on my 18th birthday and it has been a loyal companion since then and has some of my favorite old standby recipes.

Other favorites:

The New Amish Cook
"Dinnertime" by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman)
Treasured Amish and Mennonite Recipes
An old raggedy-assed cookbook from 1929 that belonged to my Great-Grandmother and that still has her handwriting in it!


What are your favorite cookbooks?!

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by Medusa

I'm currently pining away for "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child but also culling my other cookbooks so I can't justify getting a new cookbook while trying to weed things out of my belongings.

I actually really enjoy the "Better Homes New Cookbook"! My Mom gave it to me on my 18th birthday and it has been a loyal companion since then and has some of my favorite old standby recipes.

Other favorites:

The New Amish Cook
"Dinnertime" by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman)
Treasured Amish and Mennonite Recipes
An old raggedy-assed cookbook from 1929 that belonged to my Great-Grandmother and that still has her handwriting in it!


What are your favorite cookbooks?!

i lost mine, but it was an index card box filed with cards of recipe's from my mamere' and my mother. The cards hand their handwritings on them..some were typed on a typewriter... . and my mamere' would jot down "a dab of ole"o or something else that only meant something to her.

This was a treasure that i hold dear in my memory.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by girl_dee

i lost mine, but it was an index card box filed with cards of recipe's from my mamere' and my mother. The cards hand their handwritings on them..some were typed on a typewriter... . and my mamere' would jot down "a dab of ole"o or something else that only meant something to her.

This was a treasure that i hold dear in my memory.

Aww! I remember my Great Auntie had a little box like that and I was so upset when her asshole daughter took it and threw it away. My Great Auntie made the best pasta sauce aka "spaghetti gravy" that I've ever put in my mouth and without a recipe, the family spent years trying to recreate it but we all failed miserably.

That's one thing I think about with everyone "going digital". I hope the hand-written recipes with boxes and little cookbooks stay around in paper form

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by Medusa

I'm currently pining away for "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child but also culling my other cookbooks so I can't justify getting a new cookbook while trying to weed things out of my belongings.

I actually really enjoy the "Better Homes New Cookbook"! My Mom gave it to me on my 18th birthday and it has been a loyal companion since then and has some of my favorite old standby recipes.

Other favorites:

The New Amish Cook
"Dinnertime" by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman)
Treasured Amish and Mennonite Recipes
An old raggedy-assed cookbook from 1929 that belonged to my Great-Grandmother and that still has her handwriting in it!


What are your favorite cookbooks?!

I think it was about a month ago now, but I watched a superb documentary about Julia Child on PBS. She was ahead of her time and she was meticulous in all her endeavors to help people learn how to cook foods in a variety of ways. And super funny, very dry humor .... I would say.

I have one cookbook that my mother gave to me back in the early 1990s. It's full.of recipes from ladies in her church, ladies we grew up knowing at church, and we're very close to.

I rarely use cook books. I learned ratios and various cooking methods from my Aunt, on my dad's side of the family. Aunt Kate was my dad's mom's only sister. She was of French and German descent. I learned from her, and use her style of cooking and baking. By heart. No recipes.

But if I personally make something that turned out fairly well, I convert everything I did to recipe form.

Btw, have you ever tried roasted cactus???

I just dined at a locally owned restaurant, which is owned by elderly Mexican family friends. Omg, it was d e l i s h!

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

I think it was about a month ago now, but I watched a superb documentary about Julia Child on PBS. She was ahead of her time and she was meticulous in all her endeavors to help people learn how to cook foods in a variety of ways. And super funny, very dry humor .... I would say.

I have one cookbook that my mother gave to me back in the early 1990s. It's full.of recipes from ladies in her church, ladies we grew up knowing at church, and we're very close to.

I rarely use cook books. I learned ratios and various cooking methods from my Aunt, on my dad's side of the family. Aunt Kate was my dad's mom's only sister. She was of French and German descent. I learned from her, and use her style of cooking and baking. By heart. No recipes.

But if I personally make something that turned out fairly well, I convert everything I did to recipe form.

Btw, have you ever tried roasted cactus???

I just dined at a locally owned restaurant, which is owned by elderly Mexican family friends. Omg, it was d e l i s h!

I am SO going to look up that Julia Child documentary! I hope I can find it on the net somewhere! LOL

I rarely use recipes either...or at least in their exact form. I've been making certain things since I was a kid so the recipe exists in my head and experienced hands. Occasionally I will pull out one of my favorite recipe books to compare the basic ingredients but generally wing it.
If it's something I've never made before, I might follow a recipe more closely (especially if it is something delicate like a souffle) but generally once is all I will need the written instructions.

I haven't had roasted cactus but it sounds delish! They have several different kinds of cactus at the Farmer's Market in Decatur so I might have to grab some and give it a try the next time I'm out that way!

[Medusa]

I have a strange request!

If anyone else has crappy, arthritic hands like I do, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post your favorite potato peeler?

I have a junky potato peeler and surely there has got to be an amazing one out there~!

[UpNorth]

I have both OXO’s Pro line swivel and Y peelers and they are fantastic! I also have OXO’s hand grater and mandolines. Their grips are the best and they all are ergonomic. I am currently recouping from carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, and along with my arthritis, food prep can be painful for me. On those painful days, I use Cuisinart’s mini-mate chopper.

[clay]

Medusa:

There is an electric peeler...Starfrit Rotato Peeler for like $15....

There are a various asundry of the silicone hand & palm peelers....Walmart, Amazon...in same price range.

I have arthur in several fingers of both hands, so holding a hand held peeler hurts my hands.

Good luck in hoping you find something amenable to your needs.....xo...clay

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Originally Posted by Medusa

What are your favorite cookbooks?!

The Modern Family Cookbook - from the 1950's, it was one of those how-to-do-everything for new brides cookbooks, from how to make bridge party snacks to how to singe a chicken and rub with soda to get the pin feathers out. Some of it is no longer applicable with today's modern foods, but it's still a solid source of information and basic recipes.

Low-Fat Soul by Jonell Nash - Back when low-fat was the craze, Jonell Nash de-fatted a lot of her favorite family recipes. It is full of delicious things, and has my go-to recipe for greens.

Also, a bunch of church and school cookbooks with contributed favorite family recipes. I love both the ones from my own geographic area, and from other areas, too. There's always something delicious in these.

[justkim]

Right now we have a super small kitchen space. Then again, I've never seen a really big kitchen in a 40 foot 5th wheel. So for now until our house is built I do a great deal of our cooking on the grill. When the house is done I'll have my dream kitchen with an island to die for and a big ol gas stove.
Gadgets... we have a Ninja cooker, love it! I was gifted a beautiful kitchen aid stand mixer for Christmas a couple years ago. Utensils are best if made of bamboo or silicone. Once the house is done it will be like Christmas all over again. I'm certain since we've been living tiny for almost a year now I will do a huge purge of things that really aren't needed.
I just love to cook and play in the kitchen. Some of my favorite memories are centered around creating in the kitchen. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this thread. Thank you Medusa.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by justkim

Right now we have a super small kitchen space. Then again, I've never seen a really big kitchen in a 40 foot 5th wheel. So for now until our house is built I do a great deal of our cooking on the grill. When the house is done I'll have my dream kitchen with an island to die for and a big ol gas stove.
Gadgets... we have a Ninja cooker, love it! I was gifted a beautiful kitchen aid stand mixer for Christmas a couple years ago. Utensils are best if made of bamboo or silicone. Once the house is done it will be like Christmas all over again. I'm certain since we've been living tiny for almost a year now I will do a huge purge of things that really aren't needed.
I just love to cook and play in the kitchen. Some of my favorite memories are centered around creating in the kitchen. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this thread. Thank you Medusa.

Justkim!!

I love my Kitchenaide stand mixer as well. Mine was a birthday gift years ago and it was pretty funny because the first one got returned because it wasn't big enough. I have a giant bright red professional model and she has certainly gotten her workout over the years.

I did invest in lots of attachments for her and have a pasta roller set that I got on clearance for like 75% off that still needs to be experimented with. Maybe I'll try some spinach pasta and report my results back here!

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaMa'am

The Modern Family Cookbook - from the 1950's, it was one of those how-to-do-everything for new brides cookbooks, from how to make bridge party snacks to how to singe a chicken and rub with soda to get the pin feathers out. Some of it is no longer applicable with today's modern foods, but it's still a solid source of information and basic recipes.

Low-Fat Soul by Jonell Nash - Back when low-fat was the craze, Jonell Nash de-fatted a lot of her favorite family recipes. It is full of delicious things, and has my go-to recipe for greens.

Also, a bunch of church and school cookbooks with contributed favorite family recipes. I love both the ones from my own geographic area, and from other areas, too. There's always something delicious in these.

YESSSSS!! Church cookbooks are the best...especially in the South! My Granny always participated in a church cookbook and had her recipe for the famous "Hot Pineapple Salad" published several times and people always raved about it.
I've found them to be great for yummy desserts, breads, and old-school items like okra relish and muscadine jelly. YUMMMMMM.

[Liam]

Originally Posted by Medusa

What are your favorite cookbooks?!

My favorite cookbook is The Joy of Cooking, it expanded my experience and gave me a good set of tools for transforming ingredients into food.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Liam

My favorite cookbook is The Joy of Cooking, it expanded my experience and gave me a good set of tools for transforming ingredients into food.

I love that one! My best gingersnap recipe came from that one!

[girl_dee]

My kitchen used to be the heartbeat of my house. It was an old craftsman house that the previous owner built for his wife. They had 7 children, which explains the kitchen. i had a HUGE open kitchen with a big ceramic sink with a huge window over it where i could see into my big back yard. That kitchen is why i wanted that house so badly.

It was my happy place. i got a reading from Arwen in that kitchen one time, and she saw my Mamere with me. i've always channeled my grandmother but that let me know for sure.

Its where i would put on my favorite apron, pull my hair up tight... and get in my mode..

Its where i would crank up my Kitchen Witch Playlist and dance around while trying to focus on the task at hand. Ricky Martin can be distracting.

Its where i cranked up my gas stove and made my yearly 20 dozen holiday cookies, (my Mamere's recipe), strawberry jam, Blackberry dumplings, pepper jelly, boiled crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya, etouffe for the masses, fudge and chopped tons of veggies that i grew in the back yard.

i've never had a microwave or used a Kitchen Aid appliance. i have burnt up many mixers and blenders though!

Its where my family would sit around my big table and drink coffee and chuckle about how much my house looked JUST like my grandmothers. Its where we played with Tarot cards and ate Oyster dressing on Christmas eve. Its where when no one wanted to make Oyster dressing we ate Popeyes chicken because thats all that was open on Christmas Eve.

i guess that's what this thread is about, and i totally get it. For now i am enjoying a break but soon, i think i will have my mojo back.

[justkim]

I love gingersnaps! Have you ever tried adding a dash (or more) of cayenne pepper to your gingersnap recipe? It is a celebration of taste sensations that explode in your mouth.

Originally Posted by Medusa

I love that one! My best gingersnap recipe came from that one!

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by justkim

I love gingersnaps! Have you ever tried adding a dash (or more) of cayenne pepper to your gingersnap recipe? It is a celebration of taste sensations that explode in your mouth.

NOOOO!!! But it does sound pretty interesting and like something I would enjoy

I'll be making a vegan pasta sauce tomorrow and having some wheat pasta with it. I like to make enough for several days and besides, I am DYING to try out the new Dutch oven I picked up.

Y'all? If you have a Kroger grocery store in your area they have GORGEOUS 6 qt cast iron enameled Dutch ovens right now for $25! I have seen these go for upwards of $80 so this is a great deal. I got a red one

[Medusa]

Y'alllllllllllllllll!

I have been pining away for this book for a while now and came across a dirt-cheap copy of it at Halfprice Books when I was in Atlanta last.

It's...ahem...a *delicious* read!

http://amzn.to/2yFQqrD

[ksrainbow]

Originally Posted by Liam

My favorite cookbook is The Joy of Cooking, it expanded my experience and gave me a good set of tools for transforming ingredients into food.

My future daughter-in-law is from France...I gave her this very same cookbook for Christmas! She was admiring mine and I KNEW she would love it!

Ks-