My Favorite Cookbooks
If you follow my instagram or have dug into my older blog posts, you know I love to meal plan, meal prep, and cook. While I do have a plethora of my own recipes, I love trying new recipes and collecting cookbooks to try all kinds of cuisines. While I love variety, I find myself going back to the same cookbooks time and time again. In this post I am going to share my most-loved cookbooks and talk about the recipes that keep me going back time and time again!
Am I a Michael Solomonov fangirl? Yes. Yes I am. The hummus recipe in this cookbook is a staple in my house, and Jack asks for hummus all. the. time. The secret is the tahina sauce, which I will eat spoonfuls of by itself. I also often make the beet salad, and cannot wait to make it with beets grown from my own garden! I have made the shakshouka, quinoa pea & mint tabbouleh, the whole roast chicken, and many other recipes. This is truly my absolute favorite cookbook, and I am lucky enough to live close enough to the actual restaurant when I feel like my own cooking just isn’t hitting the spot!
I had no idea who Rachel Hollis was before I found this cookbook in the Book Annex and B&N. I’ve gotta be honest, I’m not into the whole Jesus-y vibe she’s got going on, but I absolutely LOVE this cookbook and come back to it time and time again! The recipes are simple and delicious, and I love that she gives recipes for spice blends at the beginning of the book. The grilled lime chicken fajita salad one of my favorites, and I never had pasta carbonara before getting this cookbook - it’s not one of my Sunday Funday staples! These are easy, quick meals that can be done on a weeknight, and there’s even a whole section you can prep & freeze ahead of time, which is absolutely right up my alley.
I absolutely love my slowcooker, and I love trying new things, getting this cookbook in my collection has given me the opportunity to do just that! I love a meal I can put together in the morning and not have to think about (which is even easier if you have a wifi-enabled crockpot!), and this cookbook has tons of options. I love the acorn squash chili, turkey-tomatillo chili, and Mongolian beef, just to name a few favorites. There are SO many recipes in here I still need to try; I’m dying to try my hand at making Pho! If you love your crockpot, this is a must-have.
This was a B&N Book Annex find that I keep coming back to time and time again!
I’ve definitely made a conscious effort to get some more plant-based meals into our diet, and I’ve had to buy a few cookbooks to help along the way. Out of all the vegetarian/vegan cookbooks I’ve acquired over the years (and it’s quite a few!), this one has a few of our favorite plant-based recipes! I especially love the black-eyed-pea burgers, which I make in bulk and keep in the freezer for a quick meal, and the roasted carrot and tomato soup is easy and delicious. Definitely a tasty foray into meat-free meals.
This is a great cookbook when you are looking for something indulgent but don’t want to make it feel like a cheat meal. It can be a challenge to cook something “healthy” that the whole family likes, but I feel like this cookbook makes it really easy to cook family-friendly meals without the guilt. I can’t get enough of the shrimp & grits recipe. The Greek salad pita pizzas are a great, quick meal for a busy night, though I make them with homemade hummus and pita, so I’m sure they’re not as light as this cookbook intended. On the heartier side, the spaghetti “squashta” with turkey bolognese is a great way to use up some spaghetti squash.
There is nothing like authentic Mexican cooking, and we are lucky to have one of the best Mexican restaurants in south Jersey not too far from us. However, I like the idea of being able to learn for myself and cook dishes I like myself, and this cookbook has certainly helped start to pathe that path! I recently made the pollo en salsa cremosa de chipotles and it was absolutely delicious. I am looking forward to making chiles rellenos and all the different salsas once my veggies start to produce this summer. I feel I will be using the cookbook plenty with all the fresh veggies I am growing this year.
This cookbook is for when I am just looking for some feel-good comfort meals. Every single page is chock-full of cozy, warm comfort meals. This was another B&N Book Annex purchase (seriously, underrated for cookbooks!), and I am so glad I made the purchase. I am especially partial to the hometown pasty pies recipe, and I love that the recipe is enough for two, so we can eat one and freeze one for later and the pretty penny ham skillet is an easy, delicious weeknight dinner. This cookbook has SO many family-pleasers, it makes it so hard to choose when meal planning. This is an absolute must-have of a cookbook.
This is another newer addition to my cookbook collection, but it is a very welcome addition. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love love LOVE baking, especially cookies, so this is a fun book to experiment with! Most recently, I baked the lemon pie bars, and they were a hit not only at home, but with my coworkers! I’ve also tried the macarons a few times (though I have yet to perfect my technique). Along with cookies, there are brownies, blondies, fruit bars, and recipes for many other elements of baking (pie crusts, buttercream, ice cream and more!). If you love sweets, or love to bake, this is absolutely the cookbook for you.
I have many more cookbooks on my shelf, and plenty on my wishlist, but these are the ones I keep coming back to time and time again. What are your favorite cookbooks? How about your favorite recipes? Do you have any of these cookbooks yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
