Collections

Hello everyone my name is Yankee Girl and I have a problem. I collect cookbooks. It is a secret problem that many of you probably don't know about. I have a real weakness for pretty much any cookbook that was ever printed. Really there should be some sort of group for me to join: Cookbook Collectors Anonymous. Until there is (an until I decide to follow their 12 steps) I will go on collecting cookbooks. Now if you are thinking that my collecting of cookbooks has lead to me becoming a world-class chef that deserves to have her own show on the Food Network (I love the Food Network as well--is there a group for that?) you would be dead wrong. I am improving (slowly) as a cook and learning to really enjoy it (except the part where you are supposed to clean up your mess) but my favorite thing about collecting cookbooks is reading them. Almost all of my cookbooks contain really lovely pictures that I love to look at. Then I will move over to the ingredient list and begin to imagine what it must taste like. If I am truly inspired I might even finish off with a perusal of the directions to be followed by grand imaginings of me whipping up a wonderful meal that everyone will appreciate and rave over. Rarely, though, do I follow through all the way to the whipping up of a wonderful meal. Mostly I am just content to browse and dream. Knowing that I am not going to really use cookbooks for their intended purpose should probably deter my buying habits just a little, but the reading of them makes me happy and happy just shouldn't be messed with.

Here is a little gem that I purchased recently (and have used for its intended purpose twice!): The premise of this particular cookbook is to create fabulous salads starting with your basic pre-packaged salad and then adding a few extra ingredients. And not only are the recipes actually really great sounding and easy but the book is filled with pictures as great as the one of the cover (one for each recipe--and there are something like 100 recipes). So I am really pleased with this cookbook: it is pretty and useful. What's on tonight's menu? Well I'm having salad topped with shrimp grilled in a honey glaze. I guess sometimes addictions can turn out to be a positive.