My Cookbook Obsession - That's Totally Free

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I’m not gonna lie. I’m not a great cook.

Ok, I’m not even a good cook. I kind of stumble my way through recipes until they’re edible. Ok, maybe it’s a small step up from that. Sometimes my creations are kinda tasty.

And I will say, one secret to a good marriage is a partner who makes you feel like you just cooked a meal worthy of Wolfgang Puck, even if he’s doing it through wincing eyes and gritted teeth. I’m lucky to have one of those.

But you know what, I love to try!

My Cookbook Obsession - That's Totally Free

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Why I love cookbooks

At least a couple times a week I’m likely to be trying out a new recipe. And when they’re successful, and I can tell my husband really actually likes it, they go into regular rotation.

And what better place to get the best recipes, than from the best chefs, cooks and culinary creators. That’s why I have a cookbook obsession. I usually have three to four of them stacked up on my coffee table at any given time.

Sure, I like going to Pinterest for recipes and I have tons of food boards. But there’s just something about flipping through the beautiful pages of swanky styled food photographs from people I admire like Jamie Oliver, Elyse Kopecky and Gina Homolka that I love even more.

I also like to have a book propped up on the counter to follow a recipe rather than a phone or laptop that keeps going to sleep. Have you tried keying in your passcode with hands covered in meatball mixture? Yuck!

👇 This is the cookbook stand I use and I love it! 👇

How I afford my cookbook obsession

I know, I know… buying three or four cookbooks at a time is pretty expensive, right? So why buy them?! I never do.

I get all my cookbooks at the library. Totally. For. Free.

Every couple of weeks I’ll bring an armful of new cookbooks home from the library. My local library even has a ‘New Cookbooks’ section that totally makes me giddy.

And to be honest, cookbooks aren’t in as high of a demand at the library as say, spy novels, so I usually can get my hands on the hottest new books, even from celebrity cooks like Gwyneth Paltrow, Chrissy Teigen, and Joanna Gaines.

My cookbook routine

I start by flipping through them and marking the pages with a sticky note for the recipes I’d like to try.

Then when I try a recipe that turns out to be a new family favorite, I copy it down in my recipe book.

How about a book filled with the best recipes from the best chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, and Ree Drummond? I’ve got it!… created over years of hoarding cookbooks from the library, discovering the best gems, then giving them back for the next aspiring chef to enjoy.