Right now Philadelphia is hosting the 22nd Book and the Cook event that pairs cookbook authors with local restaurants. In past years, the event has brought Philadelphia such food stars as the late Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, Ming Tsai and many more.

So I thought is would be fun to learn more about YOUR favorite cookbook authors and YOUR favorite cookbooks. I am a big collector of cookbooks but like many home cooks, I don’t use them as much as I would like to.

I refer to recipes a lot for ideas, but when it comes time to put together a meal during the week, I usually come up with something on the fly or fall back on one of my old standards. This is something I’m hoping this blog will get me away from doing. By having to attempt and write about new recipes, I’m forcing myself to come up with new ideas and techniques.

What Are Some of My Favorite Cookbooks?

Wow, this is a tough question since I have so many that I love to just read and get ideas from.  I do, however, look for certain essentials like:

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