Cookbooks as promised...

In my last post I promised some pictures of my cookbooks...well I'm not going to obviously take pictures of all of them (I just don't have that kind of time!) but thought I'd share some of the newer ones I've been into lately.

This book I saw in the title in a magazine and thought..cute title and put it in my watch lists on various sites. Up it came (cheap of course!) and this copy has obviously suffered some sort of water damage but because the paper was of good quality it seems to have survived relatively unscathed.

It's called "America Cooks" by The Browns. It's really a sweet book - a compendium of recipes for all 48 States (well it was back then only 48!). It's got a lot of English recipes (as it should do!), along with some very unusual ingredients (possum, squirrel to name but two). I haven't made anything from it but it sure does get the culinary juices flowing that's for sure!


Then this one I found in my travels...it's called "La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange". I got it a while ago but have only recently begun going through it. While written originally in French it now has been translated into English. I have the French version which is old - not sure by how much but the binding is starting to go but still it has Character with a capitol C!

Finally, this is the book that began my collection...it was my grandmother's and then of course my mother's and then mine. It was the only cookbook that was in our house. My mother had a recipe box but otherwise cooked from memory, just about how I cook now. A bit of this, a bit of that...how great to have something different each time!

And finally...not a book at all but just some clippings. I found these amongst some recipes that were my Aunt's. Unfortunately, they are in Polish and I'm not all that fluent in the language. Shame! Someday I hope to get them translated but until then they are in safe keeping. Just full of character!
So there you have it a snippet of the books I'm travelling through...enjoy!

Getting busier....

Well life just keeps coming in at a fast pace and life is to be lived! I have a few pictures to post of what I've been keeping busy with...see for yourself.

That was my birthday cake last October (see how often I download pictures!). Then there's this next picture....

No I didn't make the snow but that was what I saw on my way into work (I walk of course) and we had a load of snow - the first big proper snow since I've lived here. Just had to share that one with you. The other weekend I then made this...

This is my poppy seed bread - used a different recipe for the dough (basically the sweet dough from Dough by Richard Bertinet) but also used some of my new starter. I began a starter in March while I was off for a few days from work. I faithfully fed it and kept it warm and it rewarded me by leavening the bread. It was really quite tasty - the flavour imparted from the starter is like nothing else I swear!

Then there were these two pictures...

These two fine loaves are ones I made one - I just made in a regular loaf pan as I would usually do and the other I made in my artisan bread basket I got that's made out of wooden cane. I usually don't go for the foo-foo stuff but oh how the bread now looks like it came from a proper bakery! I have another basket that's oblong too, which I have used but didn't get a photo of unfortunately. I'm rather proud of the loaves!

The starter is still hanging and gets better each week when it comes out at the weekend. I feed it once or twice (depending on if I'm baking a lot or not) and back in the fridge it goes for the week without feeding. So far it's kept for about 8 weeks now. It seems to just get better and adds a depth of flavour to the dough. Tomorrow I'm making pizza....this has been the best thing for us. It's exactly now like any kind of dough you'd get in a restaurant and so pliable that it will be very difficult to live without a starter ever again. Wished I had begun it sooner...but hey better late than never.

Next post is about some vintage cookbooks....oh the things I find. I tell you...