As I look through recipes, I am often drawn back to some of my favorite cookbooks. Once we like a good meal, it often stays in my repertoire. If something is simple, even better! And, since I enjoy sharing things that work for me, I wanted to show you some of my kitchen cookbooks.

Let’s start right off the bat with a cookie book, given to me by a dear friend. If you know me well at all, you know I do not like baking cookies… at all. I generally lean toward bars or cake, etc. Cookies, however, freeze amazingly well. My mother-in-law showed me this ‘trick’ when I met Sweet Husband. As a child, we didn’t make as many desserts and when we did, we often finished them quickly with 8 people in the house. But, freezing cookies has changed a lot for me! I can ‘bite the bullet’ and bake a large batch, meaning the freezer is stocked for a while!

Yes, this is yet another Melissa K. Norris book! I have many of hers and definitely like her information. This book especially has good tips and recipes for sourdough! I like the simplicity of Hand Made and have used it over and over.

As cheesemaking is new to me, I wanted a sort of reference book. Ricki Carroll is a sort of founder of cheesemaking in modern day America. She traveled many places seeking not only tried and true recipes, but actual ingredients before they were readily available in our country. Ricki founded The New England Cheesemaking Company, some of which supplies I have used! This book is very well put together.

My sister got this book for me for my birthday a few years ago. It has a wealth of knowledge in each chapter as it breaks down types of food, where to find them, and how to prepare them. I haven’t cooked out of this as much as I would like, but I refer to it! The Nourished Kitchen follows a traditional diet mindset. Ferments, broths, whole foods, and real fats.

Shaye Elliott is another author of whom I have several books. In fact, we are eating her porridge from this book this week for breakfasts! Whole ingredients, fresh foods, and ways to prepare things that may otherwise seem daunting. Family Table has meals for every time of day and then some.

Lastly, I am sharing my Sally Fallon Morrell books here. I’m sure they’ve been mentioned in my previous blog posts. Very thick, lots of information, and chock full of comparisons, Nourishing Traditions challenges our modern diet. These books have numerous recipes, but they are also reference volumes. If you are looking for some insight into real nutrition, I would highly recommend Nourishing Traditions. Nourishing Broths, a gift from my sister, is a follow up and filled with more types of broths than you ever imagined existed plus the ‘why’s’ of eating/drinking them.

I hope this small list has pointed to some possible ‘wish list’ cookbooks for you! I obviously have many many more lovely recipe books. I just decided to highlight these few as current favorites and reference for the way we eat in our home.

What recipe are you currently perfecting? Seeking? Loving? Comment below! I love hearing from you.