Blues Highways Cookbook

I've had this small spiral-bound cookbook for over 5 years and never cooked a thing from it. That made it a prime target for my little project. I guess haven't used this one much is that I bought it on one of the last outings I had with an old boyfriend. Somehow I just left that sort of stuff along -- which was a mistake.

The author, Jason R. Girard, was the chef at Buddy Guy's Club on Chicago's South Side and he offers more than just downhome, Southern/Cajun Cooking, he offers a lesson in the blues as well. Each section of the book highlight a blues musical legend giving a brief biography and a woodcut illustration. Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red are among those mentioned. I really enjoyed reading this little bios as well as the forward written by Buddy Guy.

The recipes include all kinds of goodies including Bananas Foster Baked French Toast, Hoppin' John, Legendary Jambalaya and Crawfish Etouffee'. Unfortunately, most of these dishes didn't sound good to my picky daughter, so I decided to cook up something for myself. I choose Bubba's Windy City Chili, making a 1/2 order and freezing it to bring for my lunch. It was a good choice, very easy and turned out yummy. This is a ground beef based chili with loads of green peppers and kidney beans. This has worked out great for my lunches ---very filling.

Another cookbook down -- 50 more to go.

The American Woman's Cookbook

The first cookbook on my shelf is The American Woman's Cook Book (1948). It seemed a good place to start my cookbook project. This was one of the few cookbooks my mother had around the house when I was young. I remember looking for Christmas cookie and candy recipes here.
This definitely vintage cookery here. If you want to what the post-depression, post-WWII American housewife was cooking, it's in this book. Mainly meat and potatoes recipes here with lots of cream sauces -- good for stretching the meat ration. The full color pictures are kind of nauseating, whether it's their strange pastel shades of green and pink or that the subject matter. The picture of ring of noodle aspic with chicken ala king in the middle is a true food nightmare. Thank god Mom only subjected us the the decidedly non-Chinese Chop Suey detailed on pg 334.
I choose an easy, safe dish to prepare for Hannah, Ham Baked in Milk. Pretty tasty, just rum a combo of brown sugar and mustard over a ham slice, plunk it in a casserole and cover it with milk. An hour later you get a yummy ham dinner. I didn't tell Hannah that I cooked the ham differently, but she tasted it and loved it.

So the first dish in the project went well, I'll keep the book. Who knows, someday I may have a taste for noodles in aspic.
If you want you own copy of this treasure, try Ebay and snag one for $9.99, Amazon has this listed for $24.00 and up --- go figure.

52 Cookbooks

As part of my "Use What I Have" campaign, I took a good look at all the books I have around the house. I don't really know what I have. That goes for my cookbooks as well as my fiction and non-fiction volumes. By reviewing my books, I may not be easily seduced into buying more books on a whim. Cookbooks are practicable items and are supposed to be used, not just left on a shelf.

I have quite a collection, some purchased, received as gifts or inherited from my Mom. The kitchen bookshelves contain 52 cookbooks, ranging from the venerable, Joy of Cooking to the sadly titles Where's Mom Now that I Need Her?, there are pasta cookbooks, fondue cookbooks and even a Belgian cookbook.
I'm sure that when people see all those books there in my kitchen they must think I am a gourmet cook with a huge repitoire of recipes, but no. I just love reading cookbooks and having cookbooks --- at least that is what I have been doing.

This year I've decided I am going to cook at least one thing from each of my books and blog about it. The real challenge may not be the cooking, but getting my daughter, Hannah to try it. Looks for my cookbook project posts.