I confess, I am a hoarder of recipes. I am not kidding and it’s not an exaggeration. My magazine subscriptions have not been for art or politics or literature, it has always been food magazines. On the pile of books by my bed there is always at least one or two cookbooks there that I flip through and read. The more beautiful the photos the longer I will keep the book there and renew it from the library until I am not allowed to. I have two shelves in my living room solely devoted to cookbooks that I have collected. Because we have moved so much and my boxes of books cause my husband to glare at me everytime he has had to pick up a box during one of our moves I actually once went through all my magazines and ripped out the recipes that I’d make one day and put them in binders. For the past four years I have not subscribed to a food magazine because I have so many recipes that I have collected and saved for one day and have never made them.
I have recipes in there from 2001. That is 17 years ago!!!! So this year, I am dedicating myself to making at least one new recipe from my binders a week. And if I like it and the family approves, I’m going to add it to a recipe journal.
Ever since I came upon Mollie Katzen’s Enchanted Broccoli Forest when I was in high school I have just loved handwritten and illustrated cookbooks. I’m thinking if I combine this recipe testing and making of an illustration then maybe I’ll stick with it. I won’t add the duds.
Anyway, long story to say that yesterday was the first new one day I’ll make it recipe. I only made half of the salmon. The Bearded Man (my husband) loved it, but he loves salmon in any way, shape or form. I liked it alright, mostly because it is so so so easy to make. Fish + broiler = easiest dinner ever. The Brave (10 year old who will try anything) said, it’s good and ate most of it… but then said he didn’t like the sauce and left sad saucy pieces scattered on his plate. PBJ (picky 7 year old who seriously at this point must be made out of peanut butter) refused to try it and ate Trader Joes fish sticks.
Final review: keeping this plain Jane recipe for when I need to do something hearty but fast. When I make this again I’ll have to do a flavorful side to make the meal a bit more exciting for my taste buds. Maybe roasted veggies. Not sure. Sides have never been my strong suite.
This recipe came from EveryDay Food from years ago, not sure what issue. But here is a link to the recipe.
Oh I LOVE this idea of yours!!! I’m excited to see the recipes you try and even more excited to see the illustrations you come up with . When my kids were the age of yours and younger, they would always ask me why they couldn’t just have fish sticks and chicken nuggets with boxed macaroni and cheese like their friends had. But I stuck with it and now I am proud to say that all 4 of my son’s can cook for themselves and love to experiment in the kitchen and dare I say, are glad I didn’t give up on making them my tiny, human guinea pigs when they were little tikes. PBJ will come around and there are way worse things to be made out of than peanut butter, like boxed macaroni and cheese. Cant wait for next week!!
Thanks Debbie for visiting! My kids also love boxed mac n cheese. I used to make the most delicious from scratch mac n cheese that tasted just like the mac at Noodles and Co, and they still preferred the boxed version. ha! I know she’ll come around one day. I was super picky when I was little, even worse than her and then somewhere along the way I just fell for the magic in the kitchen. That’s so great that your kids all have grown up to be experimenters in the kitchen!
O! This is me! Long, gushing comment–> I’ve got a teetering pile, bedside. Once, I thinned out my cookbooks and my husband said “If you thinned them out, why is there no room on the shelves?” I’ve had to force myself not to buy new ones, and yet, I have my eye on no less than 3, right now… I’ve tried getting kindle versions, but I hate that b/c I write in my recipes. I still get finecooking and milkstreet (gifts), and I do make at least one thing, maybe more, out of each issue. I had amassed years (so many I’m too embarrassed to say how many) of fine cooking/cooks illustrated/F&W/BA/++ and MSL, until this summer when I forced myself to donate to the library and school and rip out what I wanted. My son (13) is still picky (he was once rhapsodizing over “fresh, delicious ramen” and I was like “You.Are.Killing.Me.Kid.”). I keep hoping he’ll get hungry enough to eat anything, someday. My daughter eats almost anything, thank goodness! I also have binders. And still more, waiting for binders. I write down what I make, but *LOVE* the recipe journal concept, and yours are so beautiful. I’ve been collecting all the recipes my daughter likes to give to her someday, & maybe I’ll slip something like yours in for the special ones. For now, I do think I’ll try water colors over my lists!! Slipping away to make dinner… Thanks for indulging my excitement of brushing past a kindred spirit on the web (I came for your fabulous encaustics, but stayed for dinner…).
I’m so glad you found my On My Kitchen Table posts and know now that you are not alone in your recipe hoarding! 😀 I will definitely one day get all these favorite recipes that I’ve illustrated and put them in a book for my kids. Hopefully my picky one will be less picky by then! The other day I made a really good batch of chicken friend rice and she was miserable all through dinner…who doesn’t like chicken fried rice?!? Thanks for stopping by and for your comment.