My New Year’s resolution this year was to try at least 50 new recipes. It’s been such a fun project and of course I am using our library to help. I like to own cookbooks so I can take my time going through them and refer back to my favorite recipes, but they can be expensive. Our library is a great resource for previewing cookbooks and trying out a few recipes before I shell out the money to buy new ones. Pro library tip: did you know that you can request books from other libraries in Indiana for free via our Statewide Reciprocal Circulation Service (SRCS)? Ask your friends and family what cookbooks they love, make a list, and then use your library and SRCS to preview a ton of cookbooks to figure out which ones you’re interested in enough to purchase.
Start your list with a few of my favorites that our library has in our collection:
The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book: Real Recipes for Joke Burgers by Loren Bouchard. Whether or not you’re a fan of the TV show Bob’s Burgers, this cookbook has tons of delicious burger recipes – perfect for grilling season! My husband and I loved the A Great Manchego is Hard to Find burger with manchego cheese, caramelized shallots, arugula, and fig jam. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! Bonus for fans of the show: the book is written with the same dry humor that you’ll find in the cartoon, so it’s not only fun to cook from, it’s fun to read, as well.
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Tuesday Nights by Christopher Kimball. You may recognize Christopher Kimball from his work with America’s Test Kitchen and his current radio show Milk Street. In this book, he presents recipes that feel fancy but are relatively quick – perfect for weeknight cooking. While I find that I’ve needed to practice these recipes to get the cooking time down to what they claim in the book, all the recipes we’ve tried have been well worth it. One of my favorites from this cookbook is the Seared Salmon with Avocado and Tomato-Cilantro Salsa. It’s bright and fresh and makes me very excited for cherry tomatoes to be in season.
Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World’s Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein by Joe Yonan. Not just for vegetarians, this cookbook is all about different kinds of beans. Whether you cook vegetarian often or just want to add more plants to your diet, you’ve got to try the Kidney Bean and Poblano Tacos. They have a lot of elements including quick-pickled onions and pepitas – my husband couldn’t believe I was tackling something that sounded so fussy – but the whole package is not actually difficult and so worth it! Perfect for Meatless Monday and you’ll want to make extra so you have leftovers for Taco Tuesday!
Half-Baked Harvest Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard. When I checked it out, this cookbook had a long holds list, and after quickly looking through it I knew it was one I wanted to buy for my personal collection so I could take my time trying out all the recipes that sounded so great. The one recipe I photocopied to try while I waited for my copy to come in was the Walnut-Crusted Chicken with Honey and Brie and it was fantastic. This is a recipe that feels really fancy, but is actually very simple to put together. If you love baked Brie, try this one for your next at-home date night.
Skinnytaste One & Done by Gina Holmoka. When I’m looking for lower calorie meals, Skinnytaste never disappoints. This book is full of simple recipes, including slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes for quick, delicious meals. One of my current favorites from this book is the Ginger-Lime Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots. You can prep the sauce ahead of time to make this super quick to throw together on a weeknight and I think I could eat that sauce on anything!
These cookbooks are all available to check out from your library. If you give any of them a try, let me know what you think! And I’m always looking for new recipes to try, so I’d love to know some of your favorite cookbooks, too. Feel free to let me know in comments so I can check them out.
