Cooking Magazines and
Recipe Cookbooks

Here's where you will find some of my favorite magazines and books. All great party planners need to have a few in these in their arsenal.

In addition to having many shelves of cookbooks, I also keep a back-issues library of several of the magazines you see below. I can spend literally hours thumbing through these cooking magazines and cookbooks especially when I am planning theme parties (ask my husband!). Love, love, love them. And here's something else I love. A couple of weeks ago, we were visiting my in-laws and my mother-in-law had recently received the Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device for a birthday gift.

I had heard about these nifty little devices, but never had one in my hands before and man was I impressed. If you love to read and ever get a chance to check one out, I highly recommend it. Or better yet, buy one for yourself or someone special on your gift list.

Most are under $10.00 and are delivered instantaneously via a wireless connection that works much like a cell phone.

Picture yourself or a friend using the Kindle in a kitchen with a favorite recipe from a favorite cookbook showing on the screen. Super easy to refer to when you are cooking.

I don't have one myself. YET. But if I did, that's how I'd be using it!

Here's how I review Kindle:

• Size - I was really surprised at how light it is. You could easily carry it in a purse or briefcase because it is about the size of a paperback book.
• For Older Folks (and some of us younger folks!) - It has two nice features. One is the "Text to Speech" feature where Kindle can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you. This feature is not available on all books but on a good number of them which is really nice for people who have difficulty seeing, like my mother-in-law. The second feature is really nice for her too and that's the "Increase Font" feature. The books can be read in HUGE font.
• Ease of Use - Once you get the hang of it, the execution buttons, like Page Forward, are easy to navigate. I wish the keypad buttons were bigger because searching for books requires typing, and that took some concentration, but the keys are bigger than most cell phone buttons so if you're into texting, managing the Kindle should not be a problem.
• Sign Up and Purchasing Process - Once you own the device, set up is very easy. First you have to open an account on line at Amazon. Here you will specify a password and input charge card information which is how you will be billed once you start purchasing books. My daughter handled the set up for my mother-in-law because she isn't too savvy on the computer. Now all she has to do when she buys a book is find one she likes and hit the Buy button.

Now, on to my favorite cooking magazines, cookbooks and general reading selections.

Cooking Magazines

Recipe Cookbooks

In addition to my cooking magazines, I love my cookbooks!

If you haven't yet found "Taste of Home," you are in for a treat. I found this company in 2002 after my Aunt Betty died and I was going through her cookbooks. Among her collection, was a "Taste of Home" hardcover cookbook called "2001 Annual Recipes" and I immediately fell in love.

Every recipe is so simple and has a picture which every cook loves. In my opinion, these colorful, easy to read books are some of the best cookbooks ever! Here is a link where you will find several Annual Recipe Books.

I have been watching Ina Garten on The Food Network for years so when I found The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, I was so happy to have so many of her great recipes in one book. An added bonus is that Martha Stewart co-wrote this recipe cookbook with Ina. This one is going on my gift list for sure!

I have given the The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook Set as a gift several times. Within these two books, you will find some of Paula Deen's best recipes.

Several of the recipes are accompanied by Paula's personal stories which make this cookbook especially interesting. From her "Barbecue Meatloaf" which I just made last weekend, to her "Lady and Sons Onion-Cheese Bread" you are sure to find several family favorites in these two recipe cookbooks.

If you have seen Sandra Lee on The Food Network, you know that her recipes are very easy to make and straight forward, usually made with ingredients that most people have in their own pantry. She has a whole series of cookbooks, but I chose Semi-Homemade Cooking 3 to be on my recommended list. Check it out.

Written by Ben Reed, London's hippest, hottest mixologist,
Cool Cocktails offers a delicious range of recipes for almost 100 classic and contemporary cocktails (arranged by spirit), as well as practical advice on equipment and glasses.

I received To Serve With Love for Christmas from my daughter and I can't wait for you to see it. It's written by Carnie Wilson (daughter of Beach Boy Brian Wilson). I immediately found a bunch of new recipes I want to try.

Her writing style is catchy and fun and I enjoyed reading about her development as a young cook in her Grandmother's kitchen. From her "You Say Potato, I Say Frittata" to her "Fall to Your Knees Mac and Cheese" (which has five cheeses in it!), you are sure to find at least a dozen keepers in this great cookbook. Check it out.

My Favorite General Reading Books

Once in a great while, you come across a book that has a profound impact on your life. I have read many such books in my lifetime, but none have affected me quite the way The Secret by Rhonda Byrne has.

We have all heard that positive thinking is better than negative thinking, but this book takes that concept to a whole new level. It describes the "Law of Attraction" in such great detail by such engaging experts, that you will not be able to put the book down.

It has changed the way I view the world and my role in it.

I loved it so much, that I bought both of my young adult children a copy. Two weeks after I bought the books, I also bought copies of the Secret DVD for myself and my children.

My son is 24 and he and his friends have watched this DVD repeatedly. What totally amazes me is that the concepts in The Secret span the generations and everybody seems to have the same reaction after reading the book or watching the DVD.

I have recommended this book and DVD to everyone that will listen. That says it all.

I first heard about The Wisdom of Menopause by Dr. Christiane Northrup on the Oprah show and immediately was interested in the concepts she presented. I bought the book and found it to be very easy to read and full of great information for women, not only those approaching menopause, but all women.

Dr. Northrup presents the medical side of women's issues as expected, but I think this book stands out because she also shares alot of her personal experience which I could relate to.

More Great Gift Ideas!

Lastly, I decided to feature all 3 of Mitch Albom's books because they are so well loved by everyone who reads them. I've seen Mitch in interviews and he is always so interesting.

His books are the kind that people talk about for years after reading them. I read "The Five People you Meet in Heaven" and have recommended it several times. To this day, I still think about that book.

His most recent, "For One More Day," is about a guy whose mother died and suddenly re-appears in his life. After his initial shock wears off, they spend a full day together discussing all the things they didn't get to say before she died.

If you had one more day with someone who died, who would it be and what would you say?

I am always on the lookout for excellent cooking magazines and cookbooks. If you have a favorite that you would like to share, please Contact Me Here.