You know what book’s by my bedside now? Take a guess. C’mon, guess! Did you say Life of Pi? Hmmm, nope. I haven’t finished that one yet and it’s sitting on my bookshelf. Did you say If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend? Well, you’re close though I’ve finished that one already. Okay last chance… did you say Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals? You’re right! Tumpak! Correct!
I enjoy reading cookbooks before going to bed. I especially love reading those that have stories related to the recipes! Here’s a Cookbook Meme. I’ve been tagged by Minnette!
1. Total number of cookbooks I own
I own 8 cookbooks. From top to bottom they are: Cooking for Two by Vicky Veloso — I bought this when I was newly married. I like her anecdotes. Good Housekeeping Recipe Compilations, Volumes 1 and 2 — I like the photographs in this one. Let’s Cook with Nora — a classic! Every home needs to own this. Dorothy’s Cooking School — I haven’t tried a recipe here yet though. Eat This (It’ll Make You Feel Better) by Dom DeLuise — I LOVE this cookbook. I enjoy reading his family stories and how each recipe plays a role in his life. It is one of my favorite bedtime books! Meditteranean Dishes by Diane Seeds — I love the artwork here! I really enjoy reading about Meditteranean dishes. I haven’t tried preparing much of it though. And finally, 30-Minute Meals by Rachael Ray — I recommend it!
2. Last cookbook I bought
The Rachael Ray one, eons ago. I haven’t bought a cookbook recently.
3. Last food/cook book I read
Did you know that Fully Booked has moved to the 3rd floor of Powerplant? The layout’s a bit crazy for me but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I love the Cooking section. It has its own little cove in the bookstore! I can browse through those cookbooks the whole day. The last cookbook I browsed through there was One Dish Meals. We have a one-burner stove at home so I found that one highly relevant. I didn’t buy it though because half of the recipes needed an oven. That’s too much of a hassle for me.
4. Five (cook) books that mean a lot to me
A Betty Crocker cookbook – This is my Mom’s. It’s a big orange cookbook that has a lot of pictures. I read it when I was a kid and imagined myself cooking the dishes in the pictures. Maybe I should borrow it from my Mom so I can live out that childhood dream!
Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals – I love the way she cooks. We have the same style — eyeballing! Her dishes are also simple to follow but great on taste. A perfect find for an amateur like me.
My Mom’s Recipe Box – It’s not a cookbook but a compilation of recipes written on index cards. I wonder if she still has this. When I was younger I liked flipping through the different cards. Her handwriting was always so neat!
The Dom Deluise cookbook – See #1. It inspired me to put together a family book of recipes. It’s nowhere near completion though because it’s so hard to get recipes from family members!
The recipes I got from The Urban Peasant – It’s not a cookbook but a cooking show. James Barber jumpstarted my love for cooking. I remember rushing home from school so I could catch his show on The Discovery Channel. He was a messy cook but I loved his style! He’s the first cook who somehow assured me that not measuring is just fine. Trust your senses!
5. Which five people would you like to see fill this out in their blogs?
I’m tagging 5 ladies but anyone can fill this out in the comments section! I’d love to learn what new cookbooks I should check out.
Ajay. eye. Jeanny. Selina. Lissa. Ladies I know who cook and cook well. I’d love to learn from you!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
meeyagirl
July 20, 2005 at 12:12 pm (19 years ago)finally, something i cannot relate to, haha! i cook for necessity (but i love to eat, go figure :D) i envy you guys talaga. i wish i had the knack. I cant even cook without a kodigo. when my daughter grows up, i’m afraid her fondest and worst dinner memories would probably ALL include tinola.
anyway, may ire-recommend ako sa iyong book… its Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes by Maya Angelou.There are about 70+ recipes there, all with kwento as only the Maya Angelou can make kwento. Mostly Southern-Creole yung recipes, ini-imagine ko pa lang naglalaway na ko (oops hihi). Btw, I like Rachael Ray, too 😀
sha
July 20, 2005 at 3:48 pm (19 years ago)I HAD that orange Betty Cocker Book..and somebody borrowed that permanently
I was thinking of visiting my friends house and just sneak it out from their shelf.
Toni
July 20, 2005 at 4:05 pm (19 years ago)meeyagirl : I think I’ve seen that in Fully Booked. Thanks for the cookbook tip!!!
sha : Permanent borrowing. Gah. That’s why I hate lending books! Go and sneak it off her shelf!
Sidney
July 20, 2005 at 5:03 pm (19 years ago)Not interested in the new Harry Potter book?
Toni
July 20, 2005 at 5:30 pm (19 years ago)Sidney: Aaah, no, no. I haven’t even read Book 4 yet!
Zita
July 20, 2005 at 6:07 pm (19 years ago)I should get a copy of Rachel Ray’s book as I watch her show everyday. Anything that you can whip up in half an hour is FANTASTIC!
mare
July 21, 2005 at 6:22 am (19 years ago)I was gifted RayRay’s cookbook for my birthday and so far, so good!
jop
July 21, 2005 at 8:30 am (19 years ago)hi toni!
naku fan ka rin ri rachel ray ha! ako rin! i love her. she’s very cheerful, saka di siya takot kumain. i love her show on food network, yung $40 a day.
that cookbook of hers is in my wishlist…
Toni
July 21, 2005 at 1:47 pm (19 years ago)Zita : She’s got a lot of cookbooks! Some of the recipes repeat themselves through the different books though, so browse through them all first then decide w/c one to get!
mare : Isn’t the cookbook great? I love her side comments.
jop : Yeah she’s so perky ‘no? It gets on other people’s nerves nga eh hehehe but I enjoy it!
Lissa
July 22, 2005 at 1:59 am (19 years ago)Hi Toni,
Here’s are my answers.. I’ll leave out #5 though.
1. Total number of cookbooks I own
I think I own 5 or 6. Haven’t really counted them.
2. Last cookbook I bought
Hmmm… It’s been awhile, I think it was the vegetarian cookbook.
3. Last food/cook book I read: I haven’t been reading the cookbooks I have but I do subscribe to Cooking Light so I’d have to go with that one.
4. Five (cook) books that mean a lot to me: Mrs. Fields Cookie Book, My mom’s Filipino recipe book I think it’s called Filipino Fiesta Recipe, and all my Cooking Light magazines.. (hahaha… do those count?) Seriously, they have a lot of good recipes every month. I put those flag post-its on them.
Toni
July 22, 2005 at 9:07 am (19 years ago)Lissa: Cooking Light. I’ll check that out! I don’t know lang if we have that here.
dang
July 22, 2005 at 11:47 pm (19 years ago)fan din ako ni rach but i dont have her recipe book yet. after reading ur post, i might buy it na..might pa rin (hhehe) i watch her show always. tapos meron akong generic na cookbook from maya’s kitchen which i adore and use often. masarap kasi pinoy recipes talaga. yum yum!!
ajay
July 24, 2005 at 12:01 am (19 years ago)Toni, you have to forgive me…di ko pa nagagawa. Minette tagged me also but promise gals, it’s on my list of to-do’s soon. how delinquent of me;)
toni
July 25, 2005 at 2:07 pm (19 years ago)dang: The cookbook’s a good read!
ajay: Hahaha it’s okay, no pressure!!!