...... it should be entered into with abandon
or not at all!
Julia Childs
And so with this sage advice in mind
here are some of my favourite and well used
recipe books on my kitchen shelf!
Some books have messages
and are so special, just because of the
beautiful words!
These first two books are written by a favourite couple
in South Africa, Jeremy and Jacqui Mansfield ... each recipe is accompanied by a funny anecdote or photo and the first book titled Zhoozsh (the cover photo in the kitchen)
was a Mother's Day gift from my children in 2008
and has a looong message on the first page!
The book incidentally finished in third place at the
International Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in London.
The second book titled Zoozsh! Faking it
was a Mother's Day gift from my children in 2011 ..
and as you may guess, is "all about delicious and trendy dishes that aren't heavy on the pocket" and that don't take hours in the kitchen to produce... just up my street!!
The next wonderful little recipe book is also by a
South African lady called Annabel Frere ...
this was a Christmas gift from my youngest son Richard
in 2013 and is one of my favourite go-to books for
fast, easy meals.
Are there any passionate cooks out there who do not have at least one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks in their collection?
From the first time I saw Jamie as just a young lad in
The Naked Chef, I was kinda hooked on his enthusiastic approach to cooking and his Kinda Spaghetti Bolognaise is a firm favourite in our house!
Another very popular cookery writer and teacher in
South Africa is Ina Paarman. I was lucky enough to meet her at one of her cooking demo's where I bought this
lovely book. She inscribed a message on the front page for me!
Maya Angelou .... words cannot describe how much I love this inspirational writer and poet .. but did you know she also loved cooking?
Hallelujah! the welcome table .. A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes not only has dishes evoking memories of her Southern upbringing, there are wonderful stories in chapters titled 'The Assurance of Caramel Cake' and
'Potatoe Salad towers over Difficulties!'
It is a truly delightful and much loved book on my shelf.
I retired in 2011 after working most of my adult life ..
On my last afternoon, after I had left the office,
I found myself at one of our large bookshops nearby,
sort of just wandering around, not quite believing that I was at looong last, unemployed and very happy about it!
I bought the next book in celebration of my new freedom, and I love it! .. both the book and my 'retired' status!
Who remembers the Two Fat Ladies? They were crazy gals weren't they! I loved their adventures in the TV series, and although I have not used this following cookbook much, it is very special to me.
My late mother-in-law gave it to me on one of her visits to South Africa from the UK.
Many, many years ago, my husband and I had a brief spell owning and running a small Italian restaurant! Gosh it feels like it was in another lifetime now, but anyway ... I bought this book hoping for much needed inspiration! It actually has some very nice recipes in it which I still make today!
And so to the final two books ..
I have been following a sugar-free eating lifestyle since February 12 this year. No mean feat for me .. I am a chocoholic of note, love biscuits and cake, sweet and gooey is my fix.
Fortunately I love vegetables, only eat chicken and fish and have always partaken heartily thereof .. and we also enjoy having fantastic fruit available all year round.
These two books actually belong to my daughter Stellie, who has kindly lent them to me on a 'for-as-long-as-you-need-them' basis ..
I am happy to report that I am coping well, lost a little weight, but most important of all, feel enormous benefits to my general health already. Now that I have broken through the 'craving' barrier, I am not going back to my very bad snacking habits, ever.
And on that note, I'm off to have a small glass of very dry Blanc de Noir wine .. not too far off sugar-free but still delicious!
I have so enjoyed writing this post ..
Julia Child's has the last word ..
"Life itself is the proper binge"
Pat xxxxx
