I’ve started to go through some of our stuff in anticipation of the move. I don’t want to take anything that we aren’t going to need/use within the next year, or that we won’t be bringing to New Zealand in 2010, or that doesn’t have strong sentimental value. I’ve gotten rid of a bunch of Chris’ clothes, with his permission, of course, and I’ve started thinning out the books and DVD collections. Our local library should be quite happy with the donations!
In addition to regular old reading material, I went through my cookbooks. Now I know that in many ways it’s easier to get recipes online, but there’s something very basic and comforting about a cookbook. I hauled all of mine down from the cupboard over the sink and stacked them up. Out went many of our crockpot cookbooks and the “Recipes from Home” book – a compilation of recipes from my last hospital. Once I’d sorted them out, I had them all nicely arranged and thought I’d take a photo to share with you, my lovely readers.
If I had my choice, there’d be a lot more cookbooks there, but I’m trying to be smart and save space. Still, there’s some that I just couldn’t part with. These include…
- Barbara Jean’s “Cooking at Home” – I learned to love Barbara Jean’s after visiting my in-laws at their home on St. Simons Island. Seriously good southern comfort food, especially the crab cakes. They’ve got 6 locations – 3 in Florida, 1 (the original) in Georgia, and 2 in South Carolina. If you’re near any of them, you should stop in for a bite
- “A Taste of the Country” – Gift from my mom, who loved all of the “Taste of Home” cookbooks and probably has each and every one in her kitchen
- Williams-Sonoma “Essentials of Grilling” – We may end up parting with this one, since we no longer have a grill…
- “The Gourmet Cookbook”, by Ruth Reichl – One of Chris’ books from before we were married. It’s full of helpful, useful information
- The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, circa 1973 – This belonged to Chris’ grandmother, so yeah, there’s no way we’re getting rid of it
- Stonewall Kitchen Favorites – A souvenir from our trip to Maine
- Emeril’s New Orleans Cooking – Emeril + Cajun food = good!
- Better Homes and Gardens “Dinnertime Easy Slow-Cooker Recipes” – I need to have at least one crockpot cookbook, right?
- Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “35 Years and Still Cookin'” anniversary cookbook – This is the church I grew up in, and I treasure the recipes from all of those men and women, including my very own mom’s contributions 🙂
- “Eet Smakelijk” – The title of this book is Dutch, meaning “Eat well and with taste”. It was put together in the 1960s by a group of women in Holland, MI, and it is the cookbook in our family. My grandmother knows/knew many of the contributors, and it would take an act of God to remove this book from my possession
- Paula Deen’s “The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook” and “The Lady and Sons, Too!” cookbook collection – Again, good old southern comfort food
- Mooreland Friends’ Church “Cooking with Friends” cookbook – This was given to me by a good family friend when I got married. It’s a recipe collection from a tiny little church in a tiny little Indiana town. No way that I’m giving this up.
- Bear Wallow Books’ “Old Fashioned Persimmon Recipes” – If you’re not from Indiana or Kentucky, then you probably don’t know what an American Persimmon is (I’m not taking about Asian Persimmons, here). They. are. delicious. This is another book that would require an act of God before I gave it up.
- Saint Simons Island Cooks – This book features recipes from some of the best restaurants on St. Simons Island and was put together by a friend of my in-laws, who just happens to own the restaurant where Chris and I ate right after he proposed 🙂 I’ve been to several of the places featured in this book, and they’re all delicious
There it is – my cookbook collection. I realize that it’s an eclectic mix, but for me, this collection isn’t just about good recipes – it’s about family and vacations and good friends, not to mention food! I’m excited to add some New Zealand books to the bunch once we get there. Do any of you have cookbooks that you absolutely love and would never part with? What are they?
I just found your blog today and I’m so excited to see you have a Westie. My Westie, Duffie, is the love of my life! They’re fantastic dogs and oh-so-cute!
My grandpa had a persimmon tree in his yard, and my grandma would always make persimmon pudding. I am one Hoosier who is not a fan, I must confess. Maybe your book has some different recipes! 🙂
I’ve got to go through all my cookbooks tomorrow and figure out which ones to leave and which ones to take. I’m sort of hoping they’ll just take up a whole box and then I keep them all! 🙂
OMG … I have 2 days left to pack! AAAAHHHH!!!
Nice! maybe ill buy one one day and learn how to cook!!!