Hello. My Name is Diana and I'm a Cookbook Addict.

My Cookbook Collection

I love  cookbooks. It’s an addiction. Curling up with a good cookbook is my idea of a good time, especially if you throw in a crackling fire and a glass of wine. It’s where I get inspiration for my kitchen experiments as well as your average weeknight dinner. Between Snowmageddon and the boys being on school break, I’ve been home a lot this week. I’ve been paging through my collection planning some fun I the kitchen for the weekend. Sadly, I’ve had to do it without the crackling fire as the wood pile is buried under a couple of feet of snow. But I did have my wine ;-)

Here are some of my favorites that I come back to again and again:

Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach

Jenny Rosenstrach "gets it". We all want yummy, healthy, easy and quick to make meals because with kids and a job and a million other things it's hard to get a good meal on the table.  The recipes I've tried have been easy, quick and my picky little munchkins have not rejected a single one. I’m able to make many of them with things already in my fridge or pantry - perfect for those nights when planning dinner is a big fail. Last night I made Lazy Bolognaise and it was delicious. I wish I'd made more to freeze for another dinner.

The charm of Dinner: A Love Story is not just in the recipes. Rosenstrach is a gifted writer and supplements the book with laugh out loud stories that make you realize that there are people out there just like you - struggling to get a good meal on the table but making it a priority to at least try - and Jenny is one of them.

Feast by Nigella Lawson

I am firmly on Team Nigella.  The poor little lamb really has been through the ringer lately, hasn’t she? Anyway, I consider a Nigella Lawson cookbook recreational reading. The descriptions for each of her recipes bring personality to the dish and gives you a little glimpse of Nigella’s life. Some favorites from this book are the Mini Meatloaves, Lemon Roast Chicken and of course, the Everyday Brownies that gave me hope that I can bake without a visit from the fire department.

Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten

I was first to introduced to Ina Garten shortly after I got married. My step-mother gave me Family Style after I asked for the recipe for the turkey meatloaf she made when we went to visit my parents (it’s in the book.) It started my love of all things Barefoot Contessa and I now own all of her books, but Family Style is the one I use the most. The pages are stained and gross, but to me that’s just a sign it’s well loved. My Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese Lasagna and Chicken Pot Pie are from this book. It also has the best meatball recipe I’ve come across. The recipes aren’t very figure friendly, but for special occasions and comfort food emergencies this book never fails.

What are some of your favorite cookbooks?

I Baked - And My House Didn't Burn Down!

Not the prettiest but it's my first try!

I have a confession to make. I’m scared of baking. I can never get it right and I don’t know why. I’m intimidated by the fact that you must be exact in you measurements and if the recipe says to use water that is a specific temperature, you’d better listen. The word “pastry blender” makes me shudder. Inserting a toothpick into a cake to see if it’s done makes me break out in a cold sweat. I never think it’s done and end up burning it.  Cookies end up like hockey pucks. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m a confident cook when it comes to savory things, but I have issues with the sweet stuff.

I’m trying very hard to get over this. My first baby step into the world of baking was Nigella’s Everyday Brownies. I was blown away by how easy they are and I have successfully made them many times since I first tried them in October. Woo hoo! I even got adventurous and added half a cup of pureed pumpkin to them around Thanksgiving and piece of candy cane at Christmas. My advice to you if you decide to try them: do all your mixing and measuring before you start. For example, Nigella tells you to combine various dry ingredients, eggs and vanilla, measure out sugar, etc. If you do all of this before you start and have four bowls at the ready (sugar measured out, cocoa powder mix, eggs and vanilla, chopped chocolate) things will go much better for you as all must be added in quick succession to prevent the mixture from sticking.

I’ll be taking my second baking baby step this weekend with Chocolate Cherry Cake (recipe below.) I had this at a party last weekend and had two slices. It has more processed ingredients than I would like and down the line I might try my hand and at making homemade replacements for the cake mix and cherry pie filling. But for the moment, I’m taking it slow and following the recipe as is.

Coming up next week: my menu plan for the week, a book review, and my adventures with slow cooking.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Cake:

1 package fudge cake mix

1 21-oz can cherry pie filling

2 tsp almond extract

2 eggs, beaten

Frosting:

1 cup white sugar

5 Tbs butter

1/3 cup milk

1 6-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions for Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 cake pan.  

In large bowl, combine the cake ingredients. Stir until well mixed.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  

Directions for Frosting:

In small saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and milk.   Bring to a boil and stir constantly for one minute.   Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.   Pour over cake.