Cooking books and blogs...

After watching Julie and Julia - I realized that blogs have taught me how to cook (other than what mom showed me as a kid)

Of course my favorite cooking blog has been Pioneer Woman. And so when I saw that she came out with a cook book I begged Matt to get it for me for Christmas. He bought me an expensive watch instead... so in true me fashion, the week after Christmas I went to a bookstore and bought the cook book and called it a "early" Birthday present (of course, if Matt actually believes that is all he has to get me for my birthday...then he does not know me at all!)



I was a little disappointed - the pictures and commentary are not as good and fun as her blog. But it is nice to have a book I can spill butter on and look at while cooking (since I would never dare bring the laptop into the kitchen...I am such a messy cook!) Since getting the cookbook a month ago I have made:

Breakfast burritos (finally - I found an answer to my horrible breakfast potatoes - too much egg! I use to make burritos mostly out of egg with just a smidge of potato and meat. WRONG. If they are all equal proportions - MUCH better tasting burritos result).

Prune Cake (Super good - Matt loved it - we pretty much polished the entire 13x9 pan in 2 hours time)

Meatballs (good...but a lot of work and you could just make meatloaf and get pretty much the same satisfaction/taste)

And then some recipes not on her blog (biscuits, sour cream pancakes, etc). The biggest disappointment has been her dessert section in her book (not one thing I have wanted to make...other than the sheet cake I have already made a dozen times). And the use of hot coffee and whiskey in her sauces and baked goods.

My friend recently started a blog on cooking and makes lots of fun Mexican dishes (she lives in San Diego). However, her frosted cookie dough brownies did make my heart sing and make me think of Erin and Heather and their obsession with brownies.

Any blogs or cookbooks recommended by the rest of the family? I need some new cooking insight and inspiration in my life...I'm starting to get a little bored with cooking and Erin has stopped posting stuff on her blog....

P.S. Megan, I do plan on trying your tomato soup - I have found another tomato soup recipe I cant stop making even though I know I need to branch out (maybe I will post it here sometime....that is...does anyone every make any recipe that we post on this blog?)