Cooking Up the Registry

We're still a little worried about our registry. We seem to take more off it than put on it and it seems that over 60% of what we managed to put on it costs less that $15. Hmm…we don't want to register for the sake of registering but we want to give guests options. Our solution? Books. Well, more specifically, cookbooks.

Mr. Joey and I love food. I'm not sure we would call ourselves foodies, but maybe the rung below that. We have a little collection of cookbooks now, mostly ones we've been given as gifts.

So now we're trying to add to our cookbook collection. We're looking at titles we know we'll actually use now and in the future. We're also looking for cookbooks Mr. Joey would be comfortable using. He responsible for 3 dinners a week and lately they've been the same things every week. He get intimidated by a long list of ingredients and the use of more than one pot.

I'm looking for 2 types of cookbooks. One with recipes I can prepare fairly quickly and ones with lovely options for our big Sunday dinners. We decided a few months ago to end (or start) the week with a big, interesting meal that may take several hours to prepare. We've been doing various roasts but I'd love to move beyond that. I'm also looking cookbooks on the healthier side (sorry Paula Deen).

I've been surfing Amazon for possible registry additions and then putting cookbook contenders on hold at the library. This way we can test drive the cookbook. If there is more than 5 or 6 recipes we'd prepare, then the cookbook becomes a real contender. I've also been checking out what's on the shelves at friends' houses.

So far, here are some contenders we like (we're not registering for all of them :) )

These two books fit Mr. Joey's need for simple and my need for fast. I love Donna Hay's recipes. They are light and filling at the same time. The ingredients are easy to find but pack a lot of flavor.

We love Chinese but really only eat it when we go out. The only Chinese I currently make is Beef Broccoli. Her recipes are simple and so good. FMIL Joey suggested this title.


Both of these titles seem like they would be great additions to any library. Lots of dishes you can make as mains or sides.

Mr. Joey really liked this Cooking Light title. My only concern is that we get the magazine. It may be to repetitive.

I can make about 6 or 7 Filipino dishes from memory but I'd love to be able to make more. I love this book because of the pictures and stories. It also doubles as a coffee table book which is always a bonus.

all images

I like both these books because they are a little out of the ordinary for us. We actually made roasted pork belly from the Meat Cookbook for Christmas dinner. It was AMAZING.

Anything you think we should add - suggestions for good Thai, Mexican, South American and Middle Eastern cookbooks? I'm always hunting for Afghan cookbooks. What cookbooks do you have in your library that you can't live without?