<p>^LOL. I have “Beat This” and “Beat That”. It’s got some good recipes though I haven’t looked at it in ages. She was in my class in college and we were both involved with the literary magazine. I LOVE her husband’s (David Owen) writing - especially the stuff about house repairs.</p>
<p>The Chicken Marbella is a fantastic recipe for entertaining. It is even better made a day or two in advance, lots of complex flavors, always a hit with guests. You can use only breasts or thighs if you prefer, boneless or not. Reduce cooking time if using boneless.</p>
<p>I don’t have it anymore, but the Betty Crocker cookbook was my first one back in the mid-70s! I was in junior high at the time, and I recall saving up for that cookbook by cutting out and saving the “Betty Crocker” coupons from different cereal boxes and other food packages.</p>
<p>paris79, I remember watching the Galloping Gourmet on TV, back when I was a kid and either home sick from school, or on school break. He was funny and entertaining, IIRC.</p>
<p>More currently, I like Ellie Krieger and her emphasis on lighter healthier cooking. She has a show on Food Network called “Healthy Appetites” which my daughters and I like. Also, we enjoy her cookbooks, “The Food You Crave” and “So Easy”. Also I really enjoy Cooking Light magazine: Whenever I’ve tried Cooking Light’s recipes, far more often than not, they’ve worked out well. In the past, I’ve tried recipes from the Moosewood cookbooks but they seemed more hit or miss. A lot of the Barefoot Contessa’s recipes sound tempting, but she seems to employ butter and/or cream a little too much for my taste.</p>
<p>If anyone has any other recommendations for relatlively “healthy” cookbooks, I’d really appreciate it.</p>
<p>I love all of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. The recipes are uncomplicated, usually call for easy-to-find ingredients, and always turn out perfectly - delicious and just like the photos.</p>
<p>And I still make Chicken Marbella every once in a while. Some of my friends are young enough that they don’t remember when this recipe was all the rage!</p>
<p>I enjoy reading Cooking Light too. A couple of cookbooks that I really like and use and put in the “healthy” category are:</p>
<p>Canyon Ranch Cooks
Mediterranean Light and Fast Vegetarian Feasts by Martha Rose Schulman
Vegetarian Soups by Deborah Madison</p>
<p>I love Ina Garten, Molly O’Neill’s New York cookbook, yeah…Martha Stewart (but simplify her recipes…when she calls for 2 cups homemade applesauce I go to the pantry for the jarred stuff), Sorofsky (?) and junior league cookbooks. (They are wonderful, especially the Pasadena and San Francisco ones.)</p>
<p>Canyon Ranch Nourish has some interesting receipes in it, we love the cranberry orzo. I picked it up at the library.</p>
<p>–anything by Madhur Jaffrey. I don’t use her cookbooks as often as I used to because Indian food is so time-consuming and that doesn’t suit our lifestyle at the moment. But she’s a brilliant teacher–when I try a new recipe of hers, I always feel like I have learned not only a new dish, but something new about cooking–and her voice is irresistibly enthusiastic and encouraging.</p>
<p>–“Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison</p>
<p>–“The Complete Book of Soups and Stews” by Bernard Clayton Jr. </p>
<p>–“Little Foods of the Mediterranean” by Clifford A. Wright. (My new go-to book when I’m making something to bring to a party.)</p>
<p>I do use Marcella Hazan’s books a lot, but I will admit I find her food-snob streak a bit off-putting. “Don’t even THINK of making this dish unless you can get hold of the super-special double-secret anchovies that are only available from one Italian market in New York at the first full moon of each leap year.” Sorry, Marcella, I’m using the ones in the little can and YOU CAN’T STOP ME. 
I can’t deny her recipes work beautifully, though.</p>
<p>^ha!
My favorite Marcella Hazan line:“If you do not have the patience to stand by the pot and stir your risotto…you do not DESERVE GOOD RISOTTO!” too true</p>
<p>^She sounds amusing. I’ve heard the name, Marcella Hazan, but am otherwise unfamiliar with her recipes.</p>
<p>I might check out the Madhur Jaffrey cookbooks–we LOVE Indian food and I’ve been wanting to learn how to make some dishes for a while now. </p>
<p>I’ll also look into the Canyon Ranch books, and Deborah Madison, as well.</p>
<p>I love Indian food, but have never warmed up to Madhur Jaffrey. I love making Indian food - despite my love for Bittman and his simplifying approach as well. In general I don’t find it that troublesome, it tends to use a lot of spices, but it’s not difficult and doesn’t require as much attention as say something like hollandaise sauce (or risotto) does. I’ve gotten somewhat lazy though about cooking Indian - since we have two excellent restaurants in town.</p>
<p>^^I’m with you on Madhur Jaffrey, mathmom. For Indian cooking, my favorite is Julie Sahni. Her Classic Indian Cooking is wonderful.</p>
<p>That’s funny, I’ve tried the Sahni book and I didn’t like her recipes at all. Different strokes…</p>
<p>I second the Deborah Madison Vegetarian Cooking recommendation. Great book!</p>
<p>My current favorite is “All About Braising” by Molly Stevens. It taught me a whole new way to cook, and the food is divine, even when I streamline the recipes. There’s a forum devoted to “braising with Molly” over on the eGullet website (where devoted foodies hang out).</p>
<p>After he won Top Chef I got one of Rick Bayless’s cookbooks, and that’s been great fun learning to cook with chiles and such.</p>
<p>I’m surprised that Nigella Lawson hasn’t been mentioned yet. I have two of her books, “How to be a Domestic Goddess” which covers primarily baking and desserts, and “How to Eat,” which is broader ranged and includes meals that are categorized by season, time of day and inspiration. Her recipes are somewhat unique with a British slant - she had a show (I’m not sure if it’s still on) called “Nigella Bites” in the U.K. The writing is lovely and quirky and fun to read, with lots of background information and anecdotes. The actual recipes are clear, straightforward and easy to follow. The general result usually looks far more complex and sophisticated than it actually is.</p>
<p>She has several great recipes that I go back to often. One of my favorites is a clementine cake, which is a flour-less, butter and oil-less cake made primarily with clementines, finely ground almonds, eggs and sugar. No icing - I sprinkle the top with confectioners’ sugar. It has a Viennese quality - quite complex and moist. It’s deceptively easy to make. I’ll post it if anyone is interested.</p>
<p>My most “beat up” cookbooks are the Silver Palate series and my very first cookbook Joy of Cooking which is missing the back cover and several of the last pages. In addition to those I have also beaten up one called The Junior League Centennial Cookbook. It had the “fake” Bousin Herb Cheese decades ago before you could find everything on line. Mostly, I go to binders I have had since college with recipes I clipped from Gourmet, Bon Appetite, Southern Living and dozens of other magazines and of course friend recipes. I suppose all those recipes are on line these days, but I “know” those binders so well I can grab them, throw them on the counter and know right where the recipe is and I know every single recipe is a “good one.”</p>
<p>I started a binder about ten years ago. Now it’s huge - should probably start a new one. Maybe one for desserts and another for main courses. I’ve copied my most used recipes from my cookbooks for the binder, so I can quickly go to my favorites without getting having to go through the cookbooks.</p>
<p>I’m on my second “Joy of Cooking,” and it needs to be replaced. Has anyone noticed that the recipes vary from edition to edition? When I bought my second copy (which was a new edition several years ago), I noticed several old favorites were missing. In a panic, I found a paperback set of the earlier version. Now, even though my current copy is literally broken in half, I’m afraid to replace it. I really don’t want it to be updated - I want it to remain an old standby!</p>
<p>I’ll third the Deborah Madison Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone - tons of great recipes (and I am not a vegetarian) I’d also add her first cookbook “The Greens Cookbook” from the wonderful San Francisco restaurant as well as the second Greens cookbook by a different chef from the same restaurant, Fields of Greens by Annie Something or other(I don’t have the book at hand).</p>
<p>I grew up with the Better Home and Garden cookbook and still cook some things out of there.</p>
<p>Lastly, for fancy cooking my current favorite is “The Gourmet Cookbook” which takes the best of Gourmet magazine over the years and creates a hefty book. Make sure that you see this one in person - some people hate the type color (yellow) and others don’t mind it including me.</p>
<p>Gourmetmom: </p>
<p>We also started a binder some years ago - and kept electronic versions of all of the scans. Makes it much easier to print a new one occasionally. Come to think of it, it is about time to print out a new version and get rid of the REALLY GRIMY binder. :)</p>
<p>By coincidence, I was just about to place an online order for Madhur Jaffrey’s ‘Taste of the Far East.’</p>
<p>I saw Julie Sahni interviewed (TV) by Ruth Reichl a few weeks ago, while Sahni took Reichl on a tour of Indian and Desi markets in Queens, NY.</p>