Hi, my name is Cheryl…
…and I buy cookbooks.
Warning, Confession to Continue—
Not to cook from.
Just to look at.
I am lured by the pretty pictures.
I promise myself I will use the recipes.
But that means I will have to open the books…with food around.
And that might make them dirty.
And smudged.
And they wouldn’t be pretty anymore.
And I’d be sad.
Sigh.
Here’s a favourite…to look at, that is…and to give as gifts. Trying to overcome my addiction, I’ve forced myself to open it up.
Tasty (looking) recipes geared nicely toward children with options to spice it up for adults. I do find that Tessa’s grouping of recipes based upon colour intriguing and ingenious, but a bit difficult for finding a particular recipe. Ah well, that’s what an index is for, right?
Starting simply, Daughter-Kate and I attempt to beat the summer heat with a bit of lemonade.
I love the idea of dissolving the caster (superfine) sugar in water and briefly boiling the lemon rind for a snazzy flavour and wonderfully coloured syrup.
Let cool and add chilled sparkling water.
And there you have a summer favourite.
Hang on, this tastes like Sprite or 7-Up!
Attention: Foggy Memory Flashback Ahead—
Our first days in Dublin were a whirlwind of new experiences. Even the simplest things were a challenge to do. Like ordering drinks. Our first pub outing with the Kiddies found us ordering lemonade, expecting a still-water-lemon drink as we were used to in the US. What we got was Sprite. What? We quickly learned that European Translation No. 1, Lemonade = Sprite.
So, a great homemade treat for the Kiddies. Next time, Orange Fizzy.
Postscript Confession—
Thanks to Cornflower, I now have another cookbook on my wish list!
Oh I love this cookbook! You are right about it being a great one to just look at too even if you don’t want to cook with it and risk getting it dirty.
02 Aug 2008 at 12:18 pm
I have a small collection of cookbooks, and I do use them. However, the first time I actually try something, I feel like the book will just never be the same …
02 Aug 2008 at 1:42 pm
I have the same type of obsession, but mostly with yarn/knitting/fiber-related books. I’ll buy them just for the beautiful photos many of them have. Even some pattern books — patterns which I probably would never make — have an alluring power over me if the photo shoots are of the models are in locales that make me melt and fall in love.
02 Aug 2008 at 3:02 pm
OK, add me to the cookbook fanatic list. I’ve cut back a little because I was running out of room, but I’m adding that cookbook to my wish list, just for the cover.
02 Aug 2008 at 6:04 pm
I know what you mean and I usually photocopy my recipe pages so they don’t get dirty
03 Aug 2008 at 3:14 am
I share your love for cookbooks and pictures.
I managed to buy a book twice, for cooking and for the pictures.
I have some ideas to save the books from dirt and make it possible to use them at the same time.
a) buy a big transparent plastic wrapper of those with a button for art students. Place the book inside and you can enjoy the pictures while cooking. Disadvantage: you cant´t change the page with dirty hands if it is longer than 2 pages.
b) go to a copyshop and make copies of the pages you need for cooking. Your book stays clean and you can cook.
Disadvantage: no beautiful enjoyable pictures for while cooking except you have the money to make a full- coloured copy.
Good luck!
Your fellow cookbook obsessed
Elisa from Germany
03 Aug 2008 at 8:07 am
I have a ceiling to floor bookcase that I have cleaned out on more than one occasion. I also have a penchant for cookbooks. My all time fav is the Best of Cooks Illustrated.
04 Aug 2008 at 2:32 pm
thanks I never could peg my addiction-yet-unused need of pretty cookbooks. I always saddened when one gets splattered…
06 Aug 2008 at 4:04 pm
A fellow cook book obsessive here too. I buy them for all sorts of reasons, read them like novels in bed, plan to make amazing things, then never do
the lemonade looks fantastic!
sam x
24 Aug 2008 at 7:37 am