Little Things | Cookbooks

Cookbooks make me happy.  To be specific, those with pretty pictures inside.

When we were engaged, I registered for a couple of Rachael Ray cookbooks because I didn’t know any better.

My cooking skills at the time consisted mostly of pasta and Rice a Roni (which are pretty much the same thing.)

Nothing against her cookbooks, the recipes within can produce yummy meals.

They just don’t contain a single picture, which pretty much sucks all of the fun out of a cookbook.

When I first discovered Pinterest over a year ago, I became enthralled with all the beautiful pictures of meals I would find.

Dinners, desserts, appetizers…you name it, there were drool-worthy photos of it.

It inspired me to get in the kitchen and actually use all of the crazy appliances I’d registered for when we got married.

Then one day when Matthew and I were browsing in an antique store, I spotted a bookshelf filled with cookbooks.

Most of them were old, as you’d expect, but there were a few shiny new ones just waiting to be flipped through.

Which is exactly what I did after we bought them!

I discovered that antique stores are a great place to find inexpensive cookbooks.

You’d be surprised how many new ones are in there among the old, tattered ones.

We also have a membership at Sam’s Club which is another fabulous place to get awesome cookbooks on the cheap.

Whenever I’m there picking up a case of Red Bull, I make sure to check out the cookbook aisle to see if there’s anything new.

I recently photographed a few of the cookbooks in my collection to show you what I love so much about them.

If you have a favorite cookbook, let me know about it in the comment section below- I’m always up for adding to my collection!

 

XOXO,

B

 

Pictured above: Weeknight Fresh + Fast; Now Eat This!; The Pioneer Woman Cooks; The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book; Cook This, Not That!

Going to law school changes you forever.  I tab my cookbooks like I used to tab my casebooks.

I’m well aware of the fact that this is strange, but for me it makes sense.

Putting all of the ingredients for dinner together in a pot and letting it cook all day while I work is awesome.

Plus the house smells yummy!  Bonus!

Matthew and I try to eat fairly healthy when we cook at home.

Having quick and easy recipes to refer to help us resist the temptation of just ordering a pizza instead.

How can you resist a photo like that?!?

I adore the Pioneer Woman’s Cookbook because it reads more like a story than a cookbook.

There are photos of her family, their pets, and stories about their life on the farm.  Love it.

I like junk food.  I like fattening food.  It tastes good and it makes my tastebuds happy.

However, it does not make my wardrobe happy when I can’t fit into my clothes.

Enter Now Eat This.

The book puts a healthy spin on traditionally terrible for you recipes and gives you substitutions that allow you to keep the taste and lose a lot of the fat/calories.

Perfect example: Mac and Cheese.

I love Mac and Cheese.  I even have a whole board on Pinterest devoted to it.

It’s not a health food.  Not even close.

But with the Mac and Cheese with a Crusty Crunch recipe I can eat it and not feel too bad!