My 13 Favorite Cookbooks

Hi, my name is Kate and I am a certified cookbook junkie! I have never met a cookbook I did not like.

Although I rarely follow a cookbook for my actual cooking, I read them like novels. Need ideas of what to get me for my birthday or Christmas? A cookbook would be perfect! I use cookbooks for inspiration and new ideas. I use them to study what flavor combinations are repeated over and over again so that I know what to try in my kitchen. And now, I use them to examine the pictures - the angle, the lighting, the plating. (Hopefully some day I'll actually know what I'm doing when photographing food. It's kind of important when you write a food blog.)

Anyhow, here are 13 of my favorite cookbooks, the ones I go back to time and time again.

1. Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats
2. The Taste of Home Cookbook
3. Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home
4. Emeril's TV Dinners
5. The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
6. Joy of Cooking
7. Silver Palate Cookbook
8. The New Basics Cookbook
9. More With Less
10. Mom and Me Cookbook
11. Southern Living
12. The Whole Food's Market Cookbook
13. Quick Fix Meals

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More 13 Favorite Things To Have In My Freezer

List #1 can be found here. As I was typing up last week's list, I realized that there were so many things I love to have on hand in my freezer that I couldn't narrow it down to just one post. So, here is part 2.

Random Things:

1. Old bread, heels and crusts. For making bread crumbs or croutons.
2. Homemade spaghetti sauce.
3. Pesto ice-cubes.
4. Pierogi.
5. Sloppy Joe meat.
6. Bags of shredded cheese. (If I don't freeze some, it will be eaten too quickly!)
7. Frozen veggies, whether from the freezer department at the grocery store or veggie side dishes I make.
8. Chicken stock.
9. Veggie peels and scraps that I use for making stock.
10. Shredded chicken to use in casseroles.
11. Cookie dough. I usually roll it into balls before freezing so that I can pull out only a dozen or so at a time to bake.
12. Breads. I'm not particular either - quick breads, yeast breads...it doesn't matter as long as it fits in there somehow.
13. Ice cream. Because honestly, what freezer would be complete without it?

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My 13 Favorite Things To Have In My Freezer

When it comes to kitchen management, my freezer is my best friend. We only have a standard above-the-refrigerator freezer. But I still take advantage of every square inch and use it to make my life easier.

Here are the top 13 things I like to have in my freezer.

Breakfast Items - Starting the day with a meal that just has to be warmed up is the best way to start the day.

1) Pancakes
2) Waffles
3) French toast
4) Muffins (These or these)
5) Fruits for smoothies

Lunch Items

6) Tortillas
7) Pitas
8) Pizza pockets

Dinner Items

9) Meatballs, meatloaf cups, and plain old browned ground beef
10) Lasagna
11) Chicken & black bean combination
12) Chicken parm fingers
13) Mashed potatoes

Wow, there are so many more things to add to this list! I guess I'll do this again next week. In the meantime, head over to Happy To Be At Home for more 3 Moms Thursday {Thirteen}.

13 Foods I Always Have On Hand

As long as I have a few of these items on hand, I can make a complete meal. These are the top things that I buy in bulk and that I rarely run out of, so I've learned to be creative when other things get low.

1. Legumes - all types of beans and lentils
2. Rice - both brown and white (we eat brown rice 98% of the time, but I like to have white rice on hand just in case I need something that cooks quicker)
3. Pasta - we always have at least spaghetti and elbow macaroni
4. Cheese - lots and lots of cheese! I kid you not, we easily go through 20 lbs. of cheese a month
5. Flour - both white and whole wheat
6. Canned tomatoes - all varities (sauce, paste, diced, stewed, etc.)
7. Onions & garlic
8. Frozen veggies - especially spinach, peas and corn
9. Beef and chicken stock
10. Olive oil
11. Spices - especially Italian seasoning, chili powder, curry and cumin
12. Peanut butter
13. Plain yogurt & sour cream

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13 Things You Can Do In The Kitchen In 15 Minutes Or Less, Part 1

1. Brown a pound of ground beef.
2. Dice a large onion or two.
3. Mince a whole head of garlic.
4. Peel and cube 2 lbs. of potatoes.
5. Make hard-boiled eggs.
6. Assemble a lasagna.
7. Mix up a batch of cookie dough.
8. Roll out and cut a dozen homemade biscuits.
9. Mix together the dough for homemade egg noodles.
10. Peel and slice 5 apples.
11. Make hummus.
12. Make 2 dozen pancakes.
13. Shred 1 lb. of cheese.

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