I am a cookbook addict. I have so many cookbooks, they are literally spilling off of the shelves. This is my designated "cookbook shelf", which is 2 rows deep and crammed with every type of book of every type of cuisine imaginable, as well as my notebooks filled with magazine recipes or those scribbled on notepaper by trusted friends. The thought that this small, neat area could contain all of my cookbooks is laughable. They have now migrated to chairs, desks, and even the bench in our breakfast nook.
Oh, yes. I am fully aware that I have a problem (aside from being kind of a messy person in general - sigh). I get giddy when a box from Amazon arrives, or when the cookbook section at my local bookstore gets in some new tomes. I read them instead of watching tv, while watching tv, in bed, while cooking from other cookbooks.
And did I mention the magazines? This is just the stack from this month:
Obviously, I have a love for food - this blog would probably not exist otherwise. But lately I have asked myself, do I really, really need all of these books? As if in response, I was reading Heidi Swanson's blog "101 Cookbooks" the other day and got inspired. She started her blog, which eventually turned into a book, when she realized that she had all of these cookbooks, but kept repeating the same recipes over and over. She made herself try new ones, and eventually started coming up with her own. With a few exceptions, that is exactly what I do. My "New Basics" cookbook cracks open to the same pages with the same stains on it every time, while "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" looks as new as the day I bought it.
So, I have given myself a summer project. Make one recipe from one of my cookbooks every week. It can be from one that I have used before, but the recipe must be new to me.
Today I am starting with "Cooking With Friends" that I got at Williams Sonoma last month. Actually, I will be starting off making not one but two recipes from that book, but one is for cupcakes and I really want to focus this effort on savory dishes.
I can usually tell after making a recipe or two weather a book jives with my style of cooking. If it doesn't, I think it's time to donate it to the local library. At worst, I will clear some shelf room for some new books and at best, I'll discover some treasures that have been right under my nose this whole time!
So, Project Cookbook is on. Stay tuned!
