Recipe Hotspots

January 10, 2013

Heard of a new kitchen fad, lately? An new trick that you’ve recently started trying for the first time? An old trick that you’ve been doing for a LONG time? I’ve been coming across lots of trends in Kitchenland that seem intriguing. Some of them are tried-and-true (Sunday cooking to get you through the week), and some are new – to me, at least (is it just me, or is almond milk everywhere in recipes lately?!).

If you’ve stopped into the nonfiction section of the branch, you've probably realized that we have a veritable ton of cookbooks to see you through the year in culinary style. But did you realize we also have eBooks on the cooking front? Now I’m not going to personally recommend taking your device into the splash zone, but I’m not going to say I haven’t done it myself a time or two (and, honestly, will probably continue to run the risk when trying to follow a recipe to the letter). If you go to our Magazines and Periodicals area and choose "Popular Magazines," we have access to a number of, well… popular magazines (Bon Appetit, Country Living, Natural Health, Shape, etc.) that can be accessed on Android and iOS for some great recipe options.

For me, cooking doesn’t tend to resemble an exact science. I will look at recipes that sound good and use them more as a spring board to get the general idea right as often as not. But that first time making something new, I like to look through the ideas of others. Cookbooks from the Library are a great place to start (assuming they have nice pictures – I need to see the pretty end result up front!) in print and digital formats.

And then, there’s Pinterest as well. For me, this is the go-to, time-wasting mother of cooking ideas. I know it’s not the first site to compile recipes, but I’m a sucker for food photography coupled with a delicious sounding recipe.

What’s your favorite resource for new recipes? Is it a specific blog, cookbook, magazine, or something else entirely? Do you follow them precisely or do you wing it? And, the most important question of all (for which it is impossible to get an easy answer for in my house)… What’s for dinner?

• Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook
• The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
• Hungry Girl to the Max: the Ultimate Guilt-Free Cookbook
• Dinner [electronic resource]: a Love Story: It All Begins at the Family Table

Amber W.
Lone Jack Branch