I feel horrible that I don't cook for my family. It is so much microwaved stuff and premade dinners (and am embarrassed to say I'm a SAHM). I am excited about getting back in the kitchen, but need a great cookbook to get me started. I prefer a cookbook versus looking online for recipes. Is there a cookbook you can recommend with tons of pictures (I am very visual) and a variety of meals with common ingredients? I don't love cooking, but am hoping to get inspired by some easy yummy meals to get back in the kitchen. I am not necessarily into healthy; just want some good homemade meals that are easy to prepare.
Taste of Home cookbooks are good and have lots of pictures. They are in Walmart.
I know you don't like online but allrecipes.com has great recipes and I use them often. Racheal Ray has some good ones too.
Some magazines have great recipes too!
Hi J.,
Below are the link to 2 books I love and use quite a bit. The first is a great authentic Italian cookbook. It was recommended to me by my Italian friends from NY becaue their recipes were so much like their grandmothers used to make. Really good and simple. The next is a book by the Barefoot Contessa which is excellent.
http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Italian-Dish-Victoria-Gotti/dp/...
686/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214444981&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Contessa-Family-Style-Ever...
Lastly, I know you said you prefer a cookbook to a website but considering you are a visual person I have a GREAT website I can't recommend enough. Here is the link:
www.thepioneerwomancooks.com
She is a great cook and photographer and provides amazing step by step photographed instructions. Love that. I have made several recipes from her site and they have been great.
Hope that helped some!
N.
J.: I know you said you don'tlove looking for recipies online, but SAVE YOUR $ and make your own book. I cook every night for my family and work. You can do it. I exclusively get my recipes from recipezaar.com. I have several repeats that my family always loves. If you are ever looking for something specific give me a holler and Ill help you out.
Not a lot of cook books have pictures, but The Joy of cooking is a great cook book. They do really well at making all of it make sense. Explain all of the foods and how it works the best. (which apples are cooking apples) However, having said that I have an absolute favorite for all things dinner in my house.
$29.95 a year, and you get a menu and grocery list for the week. She does six meals a week. I find it well worth the money. She has a sample week to try before you buy. After 3 years, I have a pretty large archive I can access if for some reason I don't like what's for dinner this week (rarely happens)
The hard thing with a cookbook, especially if you are not a chef, is I find myself staring at it trying to figure out what to cook. Then you have to do all the planning and it can be intimidating when you are just getting started. I used to find myself in front of the pantry with no idea what to cook even though I had no shortage of food or cookbooks. Now I just follow my menu for the week with a few family favs added in.
We love Rachael Ray. She has a great O' Ring and burger recipe. You can find good deals on books at Half Price Books or Wal-Mart. :-)
Rachel Ray has some good cookbooks. I think she even has one that alters the recipe just a bit for a new meal. Her "gimmick" is the 30 minuet meals too so once you get the hang of her techniques it should be quick prep to. (Of corse she uses all the pre washed, pre cut stuff to hit that 30 min. mark. I say go for the 60 min. mark and save money by washing and cutting yourself.)
