Two new books

In these past few weeks I have added to my recipe book collection.  Not something I am aiming to do - my collection is already quite large - but these books were too good to pass up.

The LOML found Whispers from a Lebanese Kitchen in the bookshop upstairs where we work.  He sent me up to check it out and get it if it offered any recipes different from the ones in the books already in my collection.  It totally does and the blurbs at the start of each chapter offer an insight into Lebanese culture that we had just started to experience on our trip to Lebanon last year.  

There are a whole heap of recipes earmarked for cooking.  I think I might to a Julie & Julia and cook the whole lot over the course of the year and record them on a blog....!

The CWA Classics cookbook is one I have had my eye on for quite some time now.  Those CWA ladies know how to cook!  I already have their preserve book and have borrowed the slice/cake book from the library a number of times already but now I have all of them in one!  I am totally excited!  

Last night I was inspired by the pictures and made a potato and bacon soup for dinner.  Country women know how to make a liquid meal appear solid for those hardworking country men for whom drinking dinner is not the answer.  And since I'm married to one who was born and raised in the country, it was nice to offer up soup as the main course and not get too many smart alec comments about soup as main meal vs entree!

And now that I have an oven again, I am itching to cook this again.....

...though I may do something about decreasing the amount of sugar in the recipe.  Sugar is my downfall and anything I can do to reduce my intake (heck, I shouldn't be eating at all!) is a good thing.  Because, you know, once baked, slices and cakes sit there in their container demanding to be eaten.  And I usually succumb.  Unfortunately.

This one will get a work out too....

I love new cookbooks.  And I'm totally going to do what Rhonda suggested and record my variations and stories of their baking in the book for future generations.  Not that the LOML and I are having children to pass them on to but there are plenty of special little people in our lives, one of them is bound to be interested in our lives and my cookbooks.  I hope.