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I've loved cooking and entertaining since I was a teenager. While I enjoyed experimenting with recipes for hors d'oeuvres and entrees, my true passion was always baking - so much so that I once dreamed of starting my own catering business. When I bought my first house in 1998, I began collecting cookbooks in earnest. Some turned out to be duds, but a few became treasures. These four have stood the test of time, yielding some of my most beloved and most requested recipes.
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The Rosie's Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book
I’m not really sure how I learned about this cookbook, but it quickly became my hands-down, all time fave for baking. Published in 1991, not only does Rosenberg use all real ingredients, she also provides a good foundation for the novice or somewhat experienced baker to build upon. In the mid-1970s, Judy Rosenberg turned her love of baking into a successful business in Boston, Ma. And this love - and “Bostoness” - can be seen throughout this cookbook. Chapter One: Common Sense Baking discusses techniques, equipment, and pantry that a successful baker needs. Other chapters cover Cutie Pies - pies, tarts, and bakes fruit desserts, and The Old Smoothies - puddings, custards, and mousses. And a chapter I truly appreciate after my time in Massachusetts, Harvard Squares - brownies and bars.
I have gotten one of my best - and most complimented - recipe from this book, the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. This pie calls for lemon juice and zest in the filling, and a caramelized pecan topping. It’s always a crowd pleaser!
Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine: Recipes and Reminiscences of a Family
Originally published in 1978, this cookbook by Norma Jean and Carole Darden merges a family’s history and their local food traditions. Somewhat large for a cookbook, over 300 pages, this book weaves genealogical research and stories of the Darden and Sampson families’ histories with down home, traditional, Southern recipes. Many of the recipes date back to the 19th century. While some of the chapter titles can be found in any cookbook - Meat and Potatoes, Seafood, and Assorted Breads, you also get really neat chapters on Wine, Sweet Potatoes (!), In the Wild, and Fruitcakes. And since the Darden sisters cherished their family meals, they also include chapters for the Christmas and 4th of July holidays, as well as dinner menus for 10 and 12 people.
I loved this cookbook for its down home Southern recipes, and based my 1998 Christmas Eve dinner from it. Some of my favorite recipes include the Sweet Potato Pie, Bud's Sunday Roast Chicken, Sweet Potato Biscuits, and the Vegetable Casserole.
LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About
Patti LaBelle is one of my favorite musicians. From Labelle, to her solo career, I’ve always loved her style of music. So I definitely paid attention when her cookbook first came out in 1999. It debuted with great acclaim - I remember watching Patti do a cooking demo on the Oprah Winfrey show! The dish looked delicious, so I decided to get this cook book for myself. Patti says that she was taught by the great Southern cooks in her family–her mother, father, and aunts Hattie Mae and Joshia Mae. When she was first starting out, Patti didn’t have a lot of money for food, so she would bring her pans on the road and cook for her band and guests in her hotel room. In this book, Patti gives you more than 100 of her longtime favorite recipes. Some popular dishes include Say My Name Smothered Chicken and Gravy, Geechee Geechee Ya Ya Gumbo, and Aunt Mary's Philadelphia Buttercake.
My favorites are the Over the Rainbow Mac and Cheese, and the Black Bottom Sweet Potato Pie. So if you’re looking to learn more about Patti LaBelle, and get some Southern recipes, this book is for you!
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Even as a teenager, I remember Martha Stewart’s popularity in the 1980s. She was favored by people who loved to cook and entertain at home. I had several of her cookbooks and subscribed to her magazine. So of course I was excited when her friend Ina Garten made an appearance with her first book in 1999. Ina’s recipes are relatively easy and emphasized using fresh, quality ingredients, and entertaining. Chapter titles include basics like Appetizers, and Vegetables, and even a chapter on Assembling Party Food. But Ina also includes chapters on sources for dishware and equipment, and mail-order specialty foods, for those cooks who really want to level up their game. Fan favorites include Turkey Meatloaf, Provencal Potato Salad, and Coconut Cupcakes.
My favorite recipes are the Parker's Split Pea Soup, and the Outrageous Brownies - high quality chocolate powder and chips yield a deliciously chunky, chewy, chocolatey bar!
About the Author
Lauren B. Is a new Library Associate at DCPL and is loving every minute of it! When she's not working, she's enjoying coffee and a good book at a local cafe.