Cookbooks my new love.

Could I be the next Julie and Julia?  Probably not.  Will I try maybe.  Will I blog about my experiences cooking everything from my new favorite cookbook? No, but I will write up this blog and say really great things about the recipes I have cooked so far!

   I bought this cookbook Nom Nom Paleo Food for Humans for a few people thinking they would really like it.  Both of these people wanted to start eating healthier and also wanted a good sense of some GOOD if not GREAT and easy Paleo recipes.  So being a follower  FANatic of this Michelle Tam's Website by the same name (Nom Nom Paleo) where they is a wealth of recipes I have used over and over again.  She also has an i-Pad app which is filled with wonderful recipes as well.  The i-Pad has been my go to cookbook since I have only found a few that I really like.  Mostly I have been taking recipes from older cookbooks my mom had when I was growing up and modifying the recipes to my specifics.  That is another thing I just want to tangent on: Cookbooks.  I love to be able to just open up to a recipe and follow it.  Michelle's coobook allows me to do that, the ingredients are for the most part easy to find (I had to search for a few things, but I know where to look, plus she tells you where ONLINE you get buy them!)  I have used other cookbooks in the past and the America's test Kitchen Family recipes and Quick recipes have both been a life saver.  As a child I cooked out my mom's Betty Crocker cookbook and also a few "potluck" cookbooks.  You know the kind for a fundraiser or something like that, potluck stuff really.  Point is I am slowly collecting recipes to put into my own cookbook of recipes that I can give to my children.  I am not sure if they will be original or "borrowed" or a mix of both, but I think mostly a mixture of modified from a cookbook.


From this book I have been able to make recipes I would not have even thought of cooking.  The one below is a recipe which is so simple, but so good, eggs and asparagus.  Luckily the first asparagus is up and fresh and we were able to get some semi-local asparagus (NJ vs Peru).  We were missing one ingredient, but I found it so the NEXT time I make it it will come out yum-tastic! The nice thing about this cookbook is HOW SUPER EASY the recipes are, really for some of them its the temp of the oven or the pan that I need.  Everything else is just throw it in the pan easy.  Literally, pan-heat-asparagus-eggs-seasoning-oven-eat.  These are the types of recipes I love because I come home sometime at 5 and know what I am going to cook, just don't always want to cook it.  These recipes make it easy and healthy to boot!

I have made her Khalua pig recipe MANY times and that is so easy it's a crockpot recipe so I turn it on at night, go to work and it is DONE!  Then we have shredded pork for different recipes!  I haven't counted the recipes I have cooked in just the three or so weeks I have borrowed the book BUT I can say I am close to a quarter of the recipes.  That includes the one I have cooked previously.  Some are on her website or the i-Pad app.  One of the "classiest" meals I have cooked felt so "sunday dinner" or made brunch.  It happened to be on a day that was drizzly and yucky and I needed some homestyle and that made me feel homey.  Something pasta like but NOT pasta. (I think that last BOWL of pasta I had was when I ran the marathon, whenever that was, 2011 maybe?)  Anyways, I digress.  I wanted something yummy.  I will be the first to admit I could eat "breakfast foods" for any meal. I could eat eggs, bacon, sausage those types of foods anytime anywhere!  I love those foods, they fill me up they god with anything and they are just yummy.  This recipe calls for eggs and sausage.  I made it OF COURSE!  It felt some homey and yummy and made me feel happy.  It reminded me a little of sausage and peppers, but with an egg!  I may have to serve it to some guest because it looks classy too!

I must say sometimes my cooking doesn't always come out great and I will admit it.  Sometimes it's the recipe (if I miss something or a step) sometimes its just me.  Anyways in the case of the crispy smashed chicken, something was not right, I followed the recipe and I did not get crispy chicken...I got kind of soggy chicken.  Oh well, we ate it, Jeremy said it was fine.  I will be making these magic wings for a party coming up so that should be fun!

I just really wanted to say how EASY Paleo can be.  I think a lot of people think BOOHOO I can't have bread or rice or corn or blah blah blah.  Really once you stop eating them for a length of time, you stop craving them.  I have eaten foods that I use to CRAVE and cave in to my Cravings and then I would eat them and realize it was gross, or it didn't do anything for me.  BUY THE BOOK, its worth it and follow her on the Book of Face, and all that jazz!  She always posts some great recipes from else where as well.

IT'S FOOD LOVE!