....and The Plot Thickens!

As with anyone who has a book collection, I have a collection of cook books.  So, it got me thinking to ask you all if you had any notable cook books you'd like to mention here.

I have a few Asian cook books where you can cook just about anything that can fit in a wok.  And most of the sauces they use are the same three ingredients:  sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce.  A tablespoon or so of each, mix and add it to the stirfry; and yummo!

Other books in my kitchen are ones I either look up as reference books or I use all the time.  There's two I use all the time which are 'Symply Too Good To Be True'.  Now, this was a successful weight loss magazine that Annette Syms put out and she had tried every diet there was; until she began writing her own diet just cooked up everything low fat and the weight dropped off her.  So, she thought to share it with everyone.  I met her last year at the Logan Central Library where she signed my magazines; and she was amazed that some people still had the first editions of her magazines.

The other cook book I cook out of all the time is one I have written myself - just like Annette - and it's one Mum gave me when I moved out of home.  This one is for my own recipes that I create.  Being a vegetarian, I create a lot of my own dishes; some work, some don't.  But being one who lives on their own, I have found that I have plenty of time to experiment with food and have fun with it.  So, making sure something is perfected is a good idea before putting it into my cook book.

I've also got a great reference book that Mum bought me from a Book Club at her school.  It's title is 'What Food Is That?'  It's a fantastic book filled to the brim with information about food, where it comes from, how to serve it, what kinds of vitamins and minerals and carbohydrates are in it and how to store it as well as where it comes from in the world originally.  I love this book and will never part with it.

I have one funny book I found in a thrift store of a 'Young and the Restless Cook Book'.  This book contains all the food and recipes that are used on the set of this daytime soap opera and how to make it.  I tell ya!  The amount of fat, salt and sugar in the food that's served up in this book is amazingly high!  I haven't tried any of the recipes; as I wouldn't know where to start.  But they all do sound interesting.  It does make me wonder if there's cook books that have been put out from each soap opera that's been on television... or did 'Young and the Restless' only do it for a giggle?

So, which cook books live in your kitchen?  Are they useful, hand-written, handed down from generation to generation?  Or do you have any that are funny - like I do - and bought them just for a laugh?  Until my next post, happy reading.