Cookbooks!

This came in the post today.

Its the first cookbook I've bought in about ten years! Up until now our family has survived mainly on these four. They really have served me well; from one child to four, from tiny kitchen to big one, from Birkenstocks to Havianas to Fitflops and back to Birkenstocks again. Anyway, read on if you want to see the best and now dirtiest pages in each one.

Ok, first I'll look at Jamies Dinners. The pages with the most stains in this used-a-thousand-times book are

Tagliatelle with spinach, mascarpone and parmesan.

and Rigatoni with sweet tomatoes, aubergine and mozzarella.

And my favourite pages in the Avoca Cafe Cookbook are

Shepherds pie and 

Nicki's Chicken Curry. (this one works well in food flasks for school.)

I think the next one was Jamies first book. The Naked Chef.

So young!

Nearly every Saturday we use the pizza dough recipe in this one.

Hmmnnn..not a very inspiring picture - I'm just including it as the stains prove how often it was used. Very, very delicious pizza.

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course, I inherited from my Mum. It's still in print but now jauntily titled Delia's Complete Cookery Course. No need anymore for the surname. Here's the cover of my edition. Its  not actually yellow but my Mum, a teacher, was accustomed to covering books to make them last and Delia was purchased in the year of the yellow sellophane.

Its one of those books where everything works out. My Mum adored her. And now that I think of it, we ate her scones this morning,.Here's the FANTASTIC and easy chocolate icing recipe. 

Chocolate and soured cream filling.

Now that I read through the recipe again, I realise that over the years it has evolved into this:

Melt Cadburys milk chocolate and then quickly add sour cream.

(ingredients; 150g Chocolate and 150ml sour cream - I use about two dessertspoons and a large bar a and a few more squares.) This give you fabulous, glossy chocolatey icing - perfect for any birthday cake. Having said that, you can rest assured that Delia's way would be even better.