Saturday, February 26, 2011

True Confessions of a Cookbook Addict

Hi, remember me? I know I have been kind of scarce lately. Life has just been kind of wacky since we were all sick and I can't seem to get back into my groove of posting. No worries, I have been cooking up a storm and taking pictures when I remember. It just seems that anytime I sit still long enough to write a post, I fall asleep!!  So if I start to wander and sound crazy, just know that is probably because I dozed off in the middle.

Today we finished up the Girl Scout cookie sales with one last booth and I decided to take my daughters to Half Price Books to celebrate. My oldest passed her goal by selling 1157 boxes of cookies, so I thought that deserved some celebrating!!  Anyway, while we my youngest was entranced by the selection of pink and purple books in the Unicorn, fairy and Princess section, I found myself looking longingly at the cookbooks aisle. Lately I have been trying to declutter and simplify by not bringing new things into the house that doesn't have an equivalent going out. Kids books don't count. They can have stacks and stack all over and I won't mind. Big people books are different though. We don't  read and reread them nightly so they don't get to accumulate. Unfortunately this means no new cookbooks. I tried to hold myself back, but the temptation was too great. I did it- I looked at them.

Rows and rows of cookbooks were calling me, pulling me in with their crisp spines and promises of delicious meals yet to be made. I perused the International cookbooks, vegetarian selections and then I saw it, the book that made me cave. Gourmet Mickey Cookbook: Cooking with Mickey Volume 11.  We are actually planning our first family Disney World vacation so anything with that damn mouse sucks me in.  The book could have been titled " Best Toilets in Disney" I probably would have looked at it. Anyway, I pulled the book off the shelf (my first mistake) and decided to flip through the pages. The first recipe I land  on is "Tournedos of Beef with Cabernet Raisin Sauce". Um, yeah I want to try that and there is no way I will be paying Disney prices for that meal, so the cookbook came home with me.

When I got home I looked through the cookbook for awhile and then decided to go put it on the shelf for a bit with the others. That's when I did it. I COUNTED my cookbooks. Well, lets just say that I stopped at 100. WHAT IS MY PROBLEM?? Seriously, most of the recipes that I use I have gotten online. Several of them are books that were hand me downs from my mother and I have never even opened them. Look for me on the next episode of Hoarders under a giant stack of cookbooks. 

This has got to get under control. So my solution is to use them. That's right I am going to use them all, EVERY LAST ONE. I will go through each cookbook, find at least one recipe that looks good and try it out. If I can't find a recipe to try, then I will pack it up and take it back to Half Price Books. If the recipe sucks, I will pack it up and take it to Half Price Books.  I WILL make room on my shelves by taking some of these books back to Half Price Books. And maybe while I am there I will check out the cookbooks..........

3 comments:

Ramonal Stovall said...

Where do you have room for over 100cookbooks? Wow! I want to borrow the Disney one someday :)

Elizabeth said...

Ramona- they are everywhere, but mostly in our laundry room, baskets next to the couch and stacked next to my bedside table. It's crazy! I didn't even count the 10 or so that Ashley has in her room.

Dana B said...

Elizabeth- I have the same problem. Cookbooks and books in general. The are my one real weakness. Well add bacon and cheese and chocolate and you've got my list.
Your plan is a good one. I think I might adopt it myself.