Cook Books I'm Loving

If you haven't already guessed from the blog, I really love cooking. My dad said to me the other day 'I feel like everything you do in the blog is just an excuse to eat food', and to be honest he's probably right. I haven't had that much time to cook recently because I've been working quite a lot, but these are some cook books that I've been loving recently.  Some of these are books that I've had for ages and are very well loved (as you will be able to see by the fact hat they are covered in notes or bits of food!), and some are new which I can't wait to cook from yet.

'Two Kitchens', Rachael Roddy

I'm just gonna put it out there, I love Rachael Roddy. I first discovered her because she writes a column in The Guardian at the weekends, and its gorgeous.  Dad gave this book to be for my birthday and I love it.  I can honestly, hand on heart, say that I'd happily live the rest of my life in her kitchen. She lives between Rome and Sicily (such goals) and this book is about her life between the her two kitchens. Not only are the recipes so authentic and delicious, but I also absolutely love her writing style.  Her chapter introductions are almost novelistic in their descriptiveness, to the point that I feel almost like booking my ticket to Sicily immediately, if only to join her in getting fresh ricotta or make sauce from fresh tomatoes.

^I've cooked this a couple of times and it's amazing. Definitely one to add to the Chrimbo wish list.

'The Sunday Night Cook Book', Rosie Sykes

Firstly, I love the cover of this book so much. It feels so cozy and Christmassy. Roxy's aunt Rosie is an amazing chef and this is her latest cook book.  The other night we cooked a cauliflower cheese/mac and cheese combo from it (in the name of full disclosure I don't like cauliflower so I had peas in mine!).  I can't wait till I have a bit more time and can try more recipes form it.

'Mamushka', Olia Hercules

I feel like food from this part of the world is really underrated. We were given this book because my mum's grandparents were from the Ukraine. I really love the flavors in this book. I am a massive fan of dumplings in any form, but these Ukrainian dumplings are so tasty.  Any cook book that has a whole section on noodles and dumplings A-OK by me.

^I have made these and whilst quite fiddly, they were definitely worth it.

'Simply Nigella', Nigella Lawson

I think my mum got me this for Christmas last year from a bargain bin, but I think I have probably cooked from it more than any other cook book I own. It has a really good range of recipes, from cakes and puddings to yummy pasta bakes. Again, any book with a section called bowl foods is right up my street.

^I've cooked this banana bread more times than I can count, as you can probably tell by the scribblings in the top left corner.

^Sweet Potato mac and cheese. I repeat, SWEET POTATO MAC AND CHEESE. Too good.

'5 Ingredients', Jamie Oliver

I've been wanting this book since it came out, and my friend Becca very kindly gave it to me for my birthday! I think it will be really good to take to uni because, if you can't guess from the title, all the recipes only have 5 ingredients in, perfect for the lazy fresher that I will no doubt be in a few months. I haven't actually got round to cooking anything from this yet, but I cannot wait.

'The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook', The Hummingbird Bakery

This is the bible for all sweet treats. Good for inspiration and actual recipes, I love this. Although I'm not good at decorating things to make them look pretty, most of this is pretty low maintenance which means I can make by bakes not look like they were constructed by a five year old!

Hope you all had a good weekend! Sorry for there being fewer posts recently. I think I'm going to have to go down to 2 a week for the time being because work has been really crazy what with it being Christmas and all!  Any cook book recommendations? I'm always looking for something new, especially if they would make good Christmas presents!