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Susan Mallery | My Favorite Cookbooks
May 11, 2011
Susan Mallery has
entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories of women
and the relationships that move them. In her latest novel, ALREADY HOME, Jenna
Stevens, still reeling from a recent divorce, is unpleasantly surprised by the
arrival of her birth parents, who seem to want her to feel a family bond
immediately. She was perfectly happy with the loving, traditional parents who
raised her. Can she learn to love a second mother without damaging her
relationship with the woman who raised her? Join Susan's Members Only area at www.susanmallery.com for
exclusive sneak peeks, short stories, and more. Recently, a friend recommended a cookbook to me. She said the chocolate chip
cookie recipe in her favorite cookbook was to die for. Thick, soft, chewy,
chocolatey goodness. I'm a sucker for chocolate chip cookies, so I ordered the book. This is a cookbook for someone who loves cooking. The thing is, though - and I'm
letting you in on a big secret here - I don't love cooking. I understand my
friend's mistake. After all, the heroine of my latest book, ALREADY HOME, is a chef.
During the course of the book, she reconnects with her creativity in the kitchen
and creates fabulous, innovative recipes such as Jenna's Mocha Chili and Curry
Chicken Enchiladas. I included the chili recipe at the back of ALREADY HOME, and I've
posted the recipe for Curry Chicken Enchiladas to the recipes page of
my website. In an ideal world, I'd have an invisible personal chef who left delicious food
in my oven for me at mealtime. Since that's not possible, I cook. And I share my
original recipes with my readers because they seem to love them, especially the
slow cooker recipes. Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes seems to be a particular favorite. When I buy a cookbook, I want quick and easy recipes. I want ingredients I can
find easily. I want pictures so I know what the food is supposed to look like
when I'm done. My friend's favorite has virtually no pictures! Plus, they tell
you all the variations they tried and why those variations didn't work. The
Fettuccine Alfredo, for example, comes with three full pages of preamble. I wish I were interested… but I'm not. My two favorite cookbooks are the TASTE OF HOME COOKBOOK, and
Debbie Macomber's CEDAR COVE COOKBOOK. They
put a checkmark in all my boxes. Easy, fast home cooking with lots of colorful
pictures. If that's the kind of cookbook you enjoy, then I hope you'll check out
my Recipes
page, and take a peek at the Mocha Chili recipe at the back of ALREADY HOME. I will keep my friend's favorite cookbook, though. The chocolate chip cookies
really are out of this world. If you want to know the title of it, send me an
email through my website. Do you love to cook, or is it a chore for you? Do you like to read about
cooking in your books? When you do cook, do you prefer a recipe that challenges
you, or something quick and easy?
Comments
21 comments posted.
Re: Susan Mallery | My Favorite Cookbooks
I have Deb Macomber's cookbook and look forward to her Christmas one. I have made several of the recipes and they are v.g.
I am recently retired and have been making some new recipes and yes I like them easy; don't want to be challenged.
(Pat Lieberman 7:57am May 11, 2011)
Pat, congratulations on retiring! Isn't Debbie Macomber's cookbook terrific? I need to add her Christmas one to my shopping list. What I love about the recipes is that they're pretty much fail-proof, which I need!
(Susan Mallery 11:05am May 11, 2011)
I am not much of a cook and I would rather have someone do it for me... I have Debbies Cedar Cove Cookbook too..
(Kathleen O'Donnell 11:10am May 11, 2011)
Kathleen, wouldn't that be the ultimate in luxury, having a personal chef? I would love that!
(Susan Mallery 11:28am May 11, 2011)
I hate the chore of prep work but I do love to cook. I also love to experiment with new recipes.
(Annetta Stolpmann 12:56pm May 11, 2011)
Annetta, I think I love the prep work more than the actual cooking... although I'm a little leery of knives.
(Susan Mallery 2:23pm May 11, 2011)
My favorite standby cookbook is Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I can always rely on a good result on something I make from there, and several of our family favorites came from those pages. I think I now have four of them, as I keep getting the updated editions.
I probably have over 300 cookbooks of all kinds, so I love several of them. Two that I rely on for desserts are A Piece of Cake by Susan Purdy and The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
(Jan Vautard 2:27pm May 11, 2011)
Love to cook but working all day puts a big damper on it. I want something easy to fix that tastes good. So love the Taste of Home Cookbooks. They use ingredients that most everyone has in their pantry or frig. I hate recipes that require a special trip to the store for expensive food items. Keep it simple.
(Maude Allen 3:42pm May 11, 2011)
Hi, Jan! Thanks so much for stopping by. I do have a Better Homes & Garden Cookbook that I turn to sometimes. They're good for when you want to make your favorite stand-bys. I don't make desserts very often. I discovered while writing the Bakery Sisters books that I really don't have a talent for desserts. I'd rather leave that to the pros.
(Susan Mallery 3:57pm May 11, 2011)
I stopped counting when I reached 500 cookbooks. I used to cross-reference main dish recipes or sugar cookies and then pick somthing from each of 4 cookbooks. Now, I take shortcuts. The recipes on your website look good and have a lot of ethnic or regional qualities.
(Alyson Widen 4:28pm May 11, 2011)
I enjoy cooking more during certain times of the year. Holidays wouldn't be the same without the traditional foods that the family has served over the years. I do enjoy reading books that include cooking. I am inspired with the cooking process and will often try a recipe I found in a book.
(Robin McKay 4:57pm May 11, 2011)
I love to cook but sometimes too exhausted at the end of a long work day to put forth the effort. I have a few cookbooks on my shelf and have found some really good recipes in the Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks. A few more of my favorite cookbooks are "Tennessee Tables" and "Candlelight and Wisteria" - both southern recipe cookbooks. I haven't seen Debbie Macomber's cookbook but from your reviews it sounds like one to check out. I only go for the more challenging recipe when my taste buds tell me they won't be satisfied until I try it. It really has to be appealing for me to put forth that kind of effort.
(Linda Leonard 5:37pm May 11, 2011)
I'm retired, but raised six children, so I love cook books. Don't cook as much as I like now,still use the slow cooker. Love reading about cooking too, always looking for something easy and fast.
(Frances Namuth 6:57pm May 11, 2011)
My favorite cookbook is the first Harrowsmith Cookbook. Lots of ideas for something a little different. I keep one basic cookbook for techniques (Madame Benoit) and then I have a few ethnic ones. Interesting cooking is more of a weekend thing.
(Carol Drummond 7:00pm May 11, 2011)
Cooking is a chore for me now;I've been married almost 32 years and the only time I didn't cook was when I was sick or hospitalized. On top of that they are now all adults and have likes and dislikes and that means different meals for each person. No it's a chore. I do love my Five Roses cookbook still and have recipes I use quite often. And I don't mind reading about cooking or chefs etc.
(Diane Sadler 7:21pm May 11, 2011)
Love Already Home! I'll have to get a look at those cookbooks.
(Maria Munoz 8:13pm May 11, 2011)
I love to cook, and have all of my life. I prefer to cook with items that are readily available in my pantry, not fancy or expensive ingredients. Being of Polish heritage, a lot of the dishes I make take a lot of preparation, so I'm used to taking a long time to make a meal, and that doesn't bother me. As for cook books, I might refer to one or two when there's something in particular that I want to make, but I mostly have recipes that were handed down to me, or I have the recipe ingrained in my head from making it for so many years. Once in a while I'll find something on line that I'll fix for a change of pace because it sounds good. Occasionally I'll fix something quick to give myself a break.
(Peggy Roberson 8:27pm May 11, 2011)
I usually prefer quick and easy. With just two of us at home now, it is more of a chore.
(Lisa Kendall 11:23pm May 11, 2011)
Professional Baking 3rd Edition by Wayne Gisslen is like my baking bible. I love the bread recipes annd cookies and everything else. Just don't make the mistake of thinking ounces are by volume, it's all weighed ingredients. Very little measuring without the scales. Darn, almost 3 a.m. and I want some bread. I should add that I bake but don't cook too often.
(Christina Harrison 2:50am May 12, 2011)
At my age, I've done all the complicated recipes, including baking bread and canning preserves. Now I just want quick and simple.
(Shirley Nienkark 1:43pm May 12, 2011)
I love making the recipes the family has had for generations. The cards are splattered and faded in the ink, but passing down the hearth and heart of the meal to my children with the stories and celebration that is at times only special food is cooked for - is the beauty of melding present, past, and future.
Do I like to experiment? Yes, but my husband doesn't like it as much- he has to try it.
(Carla Carlson 9:30pm May 12, 2011)
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