Lost Recipes – A New Cookbook

I wasn’t supposed to be buying any cookbooks today. But my kids had gift certificates (Christmas presents from a neighbor) to spend at our local downtown bookstore and it was a lovely day outside, so we went downtown to stroll around and check out the books. The danger is that while they were browsing, I was browsing as well! I stumbled upon Lost Recipes: Meals to Share with Friends and Family. I’d been wanting it ever since I read a review of it actually but I’d been able to resist actually looking for it somehow.

But there it was in front of me, begging me to be picked up and looked at. How could I resist? Several recipes caught my eye. It’s funny how your method of choosing cookbooks changes over the years. I saw some recipes in here that were very similar to some of my favorites. That made me want to get the book and explore the ones I didn’t have yet! Earlier in my cooking life, I might have merely been looking for a specific recipe when I picked up a book. Now I look for things that are unique but sound good and use common ingredients.

I’m picky about cookbooks. I want to actually be able to have them lay open while I’m cooking! I realize that costs more but come on, we’re cooking folks! Now, I may be unusual in that I will actually sit down and read a cookbook while I’m lounging on the couch, but most of the productive time with one is spent in the kitchen, where I need my hands for chopping, dicing, slicing, etc. Yes, I do have a cookbook stand things and yes, in general, they work great. But I’d rather just lay the book down on the counter so I can make notes on it while I’m cooking. Of course, it means that often there is evidence of the poor recipe left on its pages as spatters and spills seem to occur quite regularly. But I wish more publishers would pay attention and bind  cookbooks so they could lay flat.