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Cookbook and food magazine addictions

Hi, my name is Christine and I am addicted to cookbooks and food magazines. I can’t collect enough, I can’t go through any pay station or food section of a bookstore without picking one up, flipping through it, reading the sidebars, looking at the photos, wondering when my next solution will go live. I have a constant longing, longing and longing for the next one with pretty pictures, will it ever end? I have a collection of about 200 books; food, wine, dessert, entertainment, drink there are so many that they now serve as decorative ornaments (dust collectors) throughout my home. And the magazines, I’ve finally succumbed to ripping out the photos or recipes that I really want and putting them in my work folder and recycling the rest of the magazine to my hair salon (how green of me! Throw a $ 5 magazine that I bought for just one recipe!).

I admit that in the beginning when the book was new, I read it cover to cover savoring every word, every photo and in fact I was part of the food porn that appealed to me the most. Talk to me in pictures, don’t give me a cookbook without photos because it will never work between us. I need to see the food; desire it, covet it, make the recipe, and then move on. It just gets old after going over it several times, the same old recipes, the same old images, the same old result. OK, this is starting to sound like an article for the Dating Examiner, I digress; the hardcover book with the glossy photo of each recipe is the kind of book that appeals to me. It catches me every time. Think of it as the bad boy type A personality book. The one you can’t stay away from, but can’t stay away from either. It’s the kind of book that makes you bend your knees with its cosmetic beauty, makes you laugh with delight with its expansive and informative recipes with photos that take your breath away and leave you wanting more.

Okay, this is a disease, the more you have, the more you want, and for what? Let’s do the math, 200 books x let’s say (conservatively) 100 recipes in each book = 20,000 recipes. 20,000 !!!!!! Holy Mackerel! (I hate math, it’s so in your face). No, I never did, tried to make, or even came close to making 20,000 recipes. That’s insane, 20,000 recipes! I know, I read it, I just wrote it, it’s black and white and yet the next pretty cover that catches my eye, I might flirt with it, but that’s where it starts and ends. No first date, no innocent glass of wine to read. Well maybe a cup of mocha-java-yahoo with lots of whipped cream in the cafeteria just to sit for a while with the book …

My list of personal favorite cookbooks, entertainment books, and drink books runs the gamut for a number of reasons. My personal best and all-time favorite is Boca Raton Youth League’s Savor the Moment, entertaining without reservation. As a member of the Boca Raton Youth League, I served on the committee that published this James Beard Award-winning book; it’s still so personal to this day after all these years later. I was a recipe developer, test cook, recipe sampler, photo layout designer person, setup / cleanup person, but so were the 200 other extraordinary women who gave their time and expertise to what has become a legacy in Boca Raton. like a magnificent and brilliant work of art. I sound jaded and biased, a bit, but the truth is that each recipe was tested 3-5 times and the photo shoots lay in agony for hours. Labour of love? Yes. A collector’s book that everyone should have? Yes, because it is a very entertaining book.

Williams-Sonoma books, each and every one. They are professionally tried, tested and true. You can’t go wrong with any of their books and they have pictures for every recipe!

Just starting out? Betty Crocker. She is the one. Start with Betty. The book is still the best introduction to basic culinary knowledge and instruction. Betty has so many versions, but whichever is the last one, it’s the one to give as a bridal shower gift, engagement gift, or new apartment gift.

The Coastal Living Cookbook. For two reasons, one because I am published in this book! And two, if you are a seafood aficionado, live, work, or play near the coast, then you will appreciate this book and all it has to offer. The recipes are tried and true, the photos make you want to buy a house on the water and entertain and cook for everyone you meet. It’s a lifestyle, a kind of feel-good book that makes you wish summer is a season for the whole year.

At home with Carolyne Roehm. Just get this book for the pictures, you’ll learn a lot about entertaining, setting tables, arranging flowers, and decorating just by looking.

Effortless elegance with Colin Cowie. Accurate, charming, effortless. The recipes are delicious and delicious. The tips and strategies of the party, invaluable. My book is worn, tabbed, highlighted, and used over and over again.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Great images with each recipe. The recipes are doable regardless of your experience level or lack thereof. The recipes are timeless and delicious time and time again and appeal to a host of foodies and critics alike.

The Silver Palate Cookbook. The only exception to my cookbook rule is to have pictures or I’ll kick you out on the sidewalk! This is gourmet. This is WOW! This is nervous. This is the most dynamic cookbook you will ever get your hands on. Now with that said, this book is not for the faint of heart, picky cooks, or a pantry lacking in spices. Basically, you need to know how to handle the kitchen, the culinary terms and procedures; if not, think about going from 1st to 9th grade and skipping everything in between, you won’t know what hit you. If you’re ready, the 25th anniversary edition is now on store shelves.

101 sangrías and jug drinks. Unless you have what rivals the W Hotel bar in your home, you’ll need an escape to serve cocktails to your guests and this book has it all; sweet, sour, fruity, minty, creamy, you get the point, now you get the book.

Wine Wise. Brilliant, witty and complete. Do you want to know more about wine? This is the book that will take you on trips to countries and vineyard trails that you never even imagined existed.

That’s 10 books listed. Didn’t I say I had 200? I hate math, it’s so in your face.

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