Buried Treasure

One of my favorite things to do outside of my kitchen is reading.  I am an open-minded reader willing to take a look at almost any genre.  But the one genre that I find myself turning to for comfort and inspiration has to be cookbooks.  I can sit with a stack of cookbooks and literally turn every page.  Sometimes I look for a recipe to jump out at me and scream, "Try me!"   Other times I look for a recipe to incorporate specific ingredients I happen to have on hand.  No matter what, I always enjoy myself.  Within the last half hour alone I have thumbed through three different cookbooks looking for ideas for this weekend's Superbowl party.  So, what did I come up with?  An Olive Tapenade with Garlic Crostini to start things off, Honey-Cornbread to go with the BBQ and baked beans provided by my neighbors, and a classic peanut butter cookie topped with a dark chocolate kiss to sweeten things up.  But of course when I turn pages looking for specifics I often stumble upon just one more thing.  So, for those I love this Valentine's Day I will also be making dark chocolate truffles, just because.

To date my cookbook collection is rather small compared to many foodies.  I seem to have a handful that I reach for without fail.  But my collection is also rounded out by more specific books that I have picked up from various cooking classes I have attended....including a couple autographed by Joanne Weir.  My collection even includes a book of my own.  "A Taste of Siskiyou County" is a collection of recipes I compiled back in 1995 as a senior in high school for my senior project.  The recipes date back generations and represent family recipes from many residents of my old-stomping ground, Siskiyou County, California.  This is the cookbook I grab when I need my grandmother's recipe for red cabbage, a holiday favorite, or my mother's oven-baked crispy eggplant...amazing on its own or used as the base for eggplant parmesan.

So, the next time you are browsing your local bookstore, library, or your own bookshelves, I encourage you to stop and pickup a cookbook.  Thumb through the pages and let something catch your eye...then make it!!!!  You won't be disappointed.