Five Favorite (Food) Books

Kate, Accidental Hedonist, tapped me for the latest meme making its way around the blog world.  Although it started as books in general, when it got to Josh at The Food Section and as it has made it’s way through the food blog world the focus has been on food and cookbooks, which makes sense to me!  So here goes ~

Number of Cookbooks I’ve Owned
I just updated my list of Cookbooks by Title and I’m at 99 on that list.  In the last couple of years I’ve probably given away somewhere between 25 and 50.  I have to confess that at some point many years ago I signed up for one of those Time-Life subscriptions things where books magically appeared every few weeks…. By the time I ended that relationship I’d collected around 25 cookbooks on various topics.  Some of them were pretty good but I just didn’t really use them, so off they went!  I also have just a couple that aren’t on my list.  I’ll talk about a couple of those in one of the following questions. 

I also have fourteen "Mixology" books.  And I have several books, fiction and non-fiction, that deal with culinary topics or stories, e.g. The Man Who Ate Everything.  Those are too hard to count as they are mixed in with all my other books!

Last (Cook)book I Bought
This an easy one since I just bought three a couple weeks ago!  I tend to get in a little bit of trouble every time I swing by the cookbook section at Costco…

1. Molto Italiano, Mario Batali
2. Nibbled, Katy Holder
3. Shaken, Jane Lawson

Last (Food) Book I Read
Fiction: The Winemaker’s Daughter – Wine, salmon, love, lust, natural resources, environmental issues, geology, history, culture clashes – what more do you want?  I found this book interesting as it is tied in to current issues here in Washington.  Some things I knew about and some things I learned about. 

Non-Fiction:  Culinaria Greece – These "cookbooks" are so much more than just recipes!  Lots of great information for each region within a country.  I’ve been focusing on the Greece volume, since tonight is Cooking Club and R has chosen Greece as our theme!

Five (Cook)books that Mean a Lot to Me
At any given time this list could be different.  Seasons influence which books I’m using a lot and whatever my current interests are will affect the list.  So this list is "as of this moment" although some things will always remain.  I’m going to admit right now that I’m going to cheat a bit on this, too…

1. Flavours:  I love this book by Donna Hay because it constantly inspires me.  The photos are gorgeous, as they are in all her books.  What I really like about it though, is the slightly different way she looks at foods and flavors – it makes me look at the culinary world a bit differently.  Oh, and if you are looking for this book in the US, it has been republished as "Flavors". 
2. From Tapas to Mezze:  I love small plates.  When eating out I hardly ever order entrées, or if I do it’s to split with others.  I’ve taken a class from Joanne and found her depth of knowledge and her enthusiasm for these foods to be absolutely wonderful.  I love the way this book is arranged by country and you can see how the influences have spilled over borders over time. 
3. Culinaria Series:  See, here’s where I start cheating.  I love these books!  They are beautiful, inspiring, educational and make we want to travel as well as create!  I am lucky enough to have four of these out-of-print volumes and am keeping my eyes open for a couple others. 
4. This next little group (I’m cheating again) are books that don’t show up on my lists.  They are books that were my Mom’s and that she handed down to me at some point.  The first one is absolutely entertaining.  It’s called "Home Maker’s Guide" (photo at the top of this entry).  It was a little "gift with purchase" my Mom got from her wedding photographer.  It not only has recipes, but all kinds of hints for the new bride!  I also have my Mom’s original Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, published in 1951.  One of the things that I love about it is that there are lots of recipes that my Mom added.  The BH&G people were smart – if you got their magazine, the recipes were formatted so that the could be cut out and then slipped into this 3-ring binder.  It’s fun to look through and see what my Mom added.  And finally, I also have her original Betty Crocker New Picture Cookbook, although the cover is quite the worse for wear. 
5. And last but not least, my two 3-ring binders with all the recipes from the cooking club.  These aren’t just recipes but the history of our club.  Every time I look through these I can picture the dinner and the evening we shared.  And the bonus is that I actually use many of the recipes time and time again!

Which 5 People Would You Most Like to See Fill This Out?
The question might actually be, "Can I figure out 5 people who have not yet filled it out?"  Well, I’m going to take a shot at it!  Here’s my list:

1. Restaurant Widow
2. Efoodie, The Everyday Gourmet
3. New Orleans Cuisine (or Cook’s Journal)
4. Delicious! Delicious! (can she work it into the script?)
5. Tomatilla