Here’s a question: how much do you use your cookbooks when you cook? Are most of your recipes in your head or do you have to look up recipes to cook? For me, it’s a blend of both.
This past holiday week, I cooked more in that short timeframe than I have for months. I used a lot of recipes to cook this holiday and I measured most everything so it would turn out good. Some things you just don’t want to leave to chance. I dumped less and measured more.
I have to confess I contacted my sister-in-law for her recipe for ham and I’m glad I did. The ham turned out fabulous (coat with honey and brown sugar, bake flat side down for 10 hours at 200°—hope it’s not a secret family recipe). Craig bakes a wonderful pork roast that is fall-apart tender and makes wonderful pulled pork for barbeque. I think he puts water in the casserole dish when he cooks it and maybe adds whatever spices he can find in the cabinet (e.g., rosemary, cumin, parsley, and whatever else sounds good). Then he cooks it for 5 hours at 275° when it’s fall-apart delicious.
I used my 40-year-old Betty Crocker cookbook when I made sugar cookies and pecan pies. Good recipes can be found on labels, such as pumpkin pie on the pumpkin can and chocolate chip cookie recipe on the bag of chocolate chips. I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and divided the dough into three parts. I formed a roll with each part, wrapped it in waxed paper, and put it in the refrigerator. Each day, I cut a cookie roll and baked fresh cookies. That worked much better than baking them all at once and letting them sit until they were eaten. I may do that again next time I stir some up.
I pulled up a macaroni and cheese recipe and a sweet potato casserole recipe after googling it. Those turned out really good too. I have a lot of recipes on my computer that came from googling or other methods.
I have a number of cookbooks that I don’t use all that much. A recipe or two here and there is about it. Should I should pull out the ones I use and get rid cookbooks? They take up room that I could use for binders of selected recipes. Recipes in a plastic sleeve are easy to clean. That way I don’t have to leaf through recipes I don’t or wouldn’t use. Or should I keep the books in case my tastes change and I want something different? I’m torn about it. I don’t want to use a tablet in the kitchen. I’m too messy to risk an expensive electronic devise in the kitchen. Do any of you use a tablet as a cookbook?
I enjoyed cooking for a family again. I’m looking forward to the next time the family gathers so I can cook for them. There’s a lot of love stirred into home cooking.