Read Any Good Cookbooks Lately?

I collect cookbooks. I'm always looking at them in bookstores, on-line book vendors, small local shops, and even airports on occasion (the larger airports have the local cuisine cookbooks on a rack, etc.) I just ordered two more last week from Amazon - cookbooks that provide recipes to make things from scratch that I would ordinarily buy as a convenience food.

Now, here's the problem. I'm very likely one of the world's worst eaters. I don't like vegetables as a rule, don't like dishes that have cream cheese in or on them, have a problem with most dishes that include cheese (Parmesan, pizza and Mexican food are always an exception).... and the list goes on. I'll fix shrimp scampi for my husband, but wouldn't touch the stuff myself. So, you kind of get the picture. But I find cookbooks so very interesting.. I have no problem browsing through all kinds of them - not to mention collect them. And since my husband will try just about anything that I can cook, I have fun trying recipes for all kinds of things. After all these years, though, he still asks why I would cook something I won't eat. I don't know, but if I limited myself to just what I'd eat how boring would that be?

Over the years I've drifted towards picking up regional cookbooks or cookbooks about a single subject. I do tend to pick up at least one recipe out of each of them that I add to our list of things to cook, such as:

From While The Pasta Cooks

Basil and Prosciutto Sauce w/Pasta
1 pound of pasta (such as penne or wagon wheels)
6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 bunch of basil leaves (about 2 cups)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 ounces of prosciuto, finely chopped
1 large tomato, stemmed and dices
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes & salt/pepper to taste

While the pasta cooks (hence the name), combine all the other ingredients in a serving bowl. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Simple, but a lot of flavor..not to mention quick to fix after work.

Someone shared a recipe with me that included candy bars in the recipe at work some years ago. It made a great cake, and of course I started looking for a cookbook devoted to the use of candy bars. Darn, if I didn't find one. Talk about decadent... but fun.

From The Candy Bar Cookbook

Mounds German Chocolate Cake
For the cake:
4 Mounds Bars (1.9 oz bars)
1 box dark chocolate cake mix

For the frosting:
3 Mounds bars (1.9 oz bars)
1 egg, beaten
1 can evaporated milk (5 oz)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, butter & flour 2 9-inch cake pans. Chop the 4 candy bars into 1/4 inch pieces and add to the cake batter (mix as directed on the box). Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: Chop 3 candy bars coarsely and place in heavy sauce pan. Add beaten egg, evaporated milk, sugar, and butter. Heat and stir until mixture becomes thick and bubbly, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the flaked coconut and pecans until well combined. Cool the frosting to room temperature before frosting the cake.

KCs Kozy Korner
http://www.kcskozykorner.net