The Cookbook Project

I have a thing for cookbooks, which is understandable, because I have a thing for food!  I love everything about it, growing it from seeds, shopping for it in a great market, trying new recipes, looking at and taking beautiful pictures of it, dining in wonderful restaurants and sharing all of these experiences with people I love... yep, I just adore food.  Sometimes maybe too much, but that's a subject for another post.  Back to my cookbooks.

I have stashed, in nooks and crannies throughout my kitchen, and overflowing into the family room, cookbooks that I've collected over the years.  My Christmas wish list usually has a few titles on it and I'm known to spend whatever mad money I might have on a new volume.  Some girls buy shoes, I buy cookbooks. 

For relaxation, I will take a cookbook off the shelf and read it from cover to cover, as one would read a novel.  Because a good cookbook includes much more than just recipes.  There are stories around those recipes that make them come to life.  If you've ever noticed over on the right sidebar, under "What I'm Reading", there is almost always one book dealing with food. 

 This month I've been reading The Homemade Pantry.  It was while I was reading it, that I had an idea.  I thought it would be fun to have a cookbook project, where every month or so, I would pull one of my cookbooks off the shelf and share it with you.  This is mostly for my benefit, so I'm spending less time dusting off my books, and more time using them and because I'm motivated by projects.  But I hope you might enjoy it as well.  With Pinterest and so many great cooking websites, a person would never really need to have a cookbook in their home and still turn out some great meals.  And because life's busy, more days than not, we just stick with the tried and true, get it on the table quickly, meal.  It's easy to get in a cooking rut.   But when we can make the time,  there's something exciting about pulling a cookbook off your shelf and creating something new.    

As much as I love this cookbook, I know it would not be for everyone.  Some people have no interest in making their own cheese or yogurt.  Or Poptarts.  Yes, that's  homemade Poptarts on the cover of the book.  I think they look delicious.  But for those who like to challenge themselves to produce foods that others would only buy in a store, this one's for you.  I already make a lot of my own food from scratch.  But at times I get lazy and this book has motivated me to start cooking and baking again.  I'm going to dig out the yogurt maker this week and I've already been munching on granola that I made a few days ago.

In the introduction, the author says,
"If we are to become people who do make butter, we might have to shift the way we see ourselves a bit.  We might have to get into the adventurous spirit and unearth our own curiosity about where our food comes from.  We might have to make a colossal mess of the kitchen. And we might have to slow down, at least long enough to knead a loaf of bread before the day begins.  Here are a few reasons I have found myself to be the kind of person who makes butter:
1- Food made at home is better for you.
2- Food made at home tastes better.
3- Food made at home usually costs less.
4- Food made at home eliminates unnecessary packaging.
5-Food made at home will change the way you think about food.
You won't make all of these recipes every week.  You might make pickles just once, and then decide that the experience is not for you. But I promise you this- after making your pickles, you will think very differently about all pickles."

I concur.  Not only does this cookbook have some great recipes, for simple and nourishing foods (which doesn't always translate as quick and easy), but the pictures are amazing.  I would love to follow her photographer around for a while and learn her techniques.  In this book, she has captured not only images of beautiful food, but  a lifestyle that centers around wholesome eating.  In another life time I'm sure I would have been a food stylist and photographer.  After reading through The Homemade Pantry a couple of times, I feel like I know Alana and her family.  Take a peek.

Every recipe begins with a little essay about why this food is important enough to be included in her cookbook.  True stories about food and a family. I loved them. 

Alana gets excited about food, just like me.  She talks about the thrill of cooking this way for her family when she says: 

" Whether it's your inner pioneer expressing deep satisfaction when you look at your rows of bright-red jam-filled mason jars or your inner five- year- old (or real five -year- old) celebrating when the butter breaks from the buttermilk, the thrill is what keeps me cooking and sharing."         I totally get this.

So, here are the recipes I plan to try in the next month or so.

*mozzerella cheese - I have to hurry while I still have some basil and few tomatoes left.  I can only imagine a caprese salad with fresh mozzerella that I made myself.  If it turns out well, that is.

*toaster pastries - There is a big kid at my house who likes Poptarts.  I won't mention any names.

*basic pie crust -I've never been able to master a good pie crust consistently.  Maybe this will be the recipe that works for me.

* cheese crackers-I hope these will make me forget that I love CHEEZ-IT's.

* lasagna- yep, I'm going to make my own noodles and sauce, and who knows, maybe even my own mozzerella and ricotta.  This will be my piece de resistance.  I'll have to set aside a chunk of time for this one, but I bet it will be the best lasagna I've ever made.

That should keep me busy for awhile. I'll keep you posted as I try each new recipe.  How about you?  Would you like to be a part of my cookbook project?  Just go ahead, pull one of your favorite cookbooks off the shelf and make something new.  I would love to hear about your cooking adventures.