The holidays are done, and it’s back to the normal everyday living. But are you a bit bored with your own cooking? Sometimes we need a boost with creative new meal ideas, or a new twist on old favorites. Here’s a chance to get out of our cooking ruts.
Here are four great cookbooks that are recommended highly by foodies in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Cook With Me: 150 Recipes for the Home Cook by Alex Guarnaschelli.
You’ll find 150 recipes from Alex Guarnaschelli who loves to cook good food with creativity and to feed others well. This was named one of the best new cookbooks of 2020 by both National Public Radio in the States and by the Food Network.
Alex is a judge on many Food Network cooking shows and comes from a family of good cooks. Her mother was a cookbook editor and Alex loves recreating old family recipes. She includes interesting family stories with many of her recipes and one reader commented, “This cookbook makes me want to drop what I’m doing and rush into the kitchen.” Guarnaschelli grew up in Manhattan, lived and studied in Paris, and currently is Executive Chef at Butter Restaurant in New York City.
Time to Eat: Delicious Meals for Busy Lives: A Cookbook by Nadiya Hussain
Nadiya Hussain was the winner of the sixth season of The Great British Baking Show. In this cookbook she focuses on one hundred time-smart recipes to make weeknight meals less stressful.
Nadiya creates delicious meals with a mind to cooking batches large enough to freeze meals ahead. She also is a master at using leftovers to create a second magical meal. Her meal preps are easy, and she has geared this book for the busy homemaker to take the hurry and panic out of whipping up quick meals and serving unexpected guests.
Trisha’s Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family by Trisha Yearwood
Country singer, Trisha Yearwood is married to Garth Brooks, who writes the forward for this new cookbook. Trisha loves to cook and enjoys feeding both her family and friends. She includes family stories and amazing photos with many of the recipes. Yearwood is a Food Network star and says, “Cooking is all about love.” The recipe to her Grandma’s Million Dollar Cupcakes alone is worth the price of the book. Her recipes are practical, affordable, and easy to make. Guaranteed to spruce up your weekly menu planning.
Mary Berry Cooks to Perfection: 100 of her best recipes by Mary Berry
Mary Berry is one of the U.K.’s best-loved and most respected cooking and baking gurus. This delightful cookbook is actually an updated version of an earlier work. It has switched to American measuring methods and has changed some of the vocabulary so that Americans know what an aubergine is.
Berry’s cookbook has easy, step by step directions for each of the one hundred recipes, and they include both everyday and special occasion options. She promises “no flops.” and says small details in cooking make all the difference. She has included full color photos to make mouths water and makes cooking fantastic meals seem easy.