The 5 Cookbooks We Reach For Over & Over

I consider myself a pretty lucky lady because my husband, Blake, loves to cook and therefore does the majority of cooking in our household! I enjoy the meal planning and shopping aspect, but after a long day of work the last thing I want to do is cook an entire meal and then clean up all the dishes…ya feel me?? If it were up to me, I’d probably end up eating cereal or chips & salsa most nights, so I seriously am counting my blessings over here. However, I will say that when we have more time and can make a fun date night out of it (think a glass of wine + tunes from our record player), I enjoy it MUCH more.

Blake used to do most of the weeknight cooking, but now we tend to split most of our duties throughout the week. We usually get home from work, feed Luke, have playtime, and then we both go upstairs to jointly do his bedtime routine. It’s one of our favorite parts of the day, and I love that it’s something the three of us do together. After his bath, PJs, and a few books, one of us stays to give him his bottle while the other heads back downstairs to wash bottles and get dinner started. We meal plan and shop for the week on Sunday (this is KEY for us!), so we always know what’s on the menu for that night which makes getting started a breeze. I shared our easy weeknight meal planning formula here and a quick and easy meal idea here if you want to take a peek.

We only try new recipes occasionally during the week – usually we rely on old standbys (like tacos) with a new recipe thrown in maybe once a week or on the weekends. Blake bought me the cutest little recipe box (which is currently on sale!) a few years ago, so anytime we make something that we deem worthy of a repeat, it goes into the box. We also have a whole cabinet full of cookbooks (cookbooks are my weakness despite my disdain for weeknight cooking…what can I say, I’m complicated!) and I love perusing them on Sunday mornings or before we host a holiday dinner. We’ve bookeared our fair share of recipes that we tend to default to, but I realized recently we typically grab the same five over and over.

So, without further ado here our go tos in case you are in need of some meal inspiration:

Against All Grain – Meals Made Simple

Against All Grain – Meals Made Simple – This cookbook contains recipes that are gluten-free, dairy free and paleo. I’m not gluten free, but I don’t eat dairy and Blake and I cook paleo dinners the majority of the week, so I was excited to try out some recipes. I found Danielle Walker’s blog from a Pinterest article, and got lost looking at recipe after recipe and reading about her amazing story. This is definitely one of our most grabbed cookbooks and I love how she shares “Make Ahead” tips as well as ideas for leftovers. Our five favorite recipes are:

1. Ginger Chicken & Broccoli (pg 126)
2. Chicken Tikka Masala (pg 130)
3. Chipotle Barbacoa (pg 154)
4. Slow Cooker Thai Beef Stew (pg 160)
5. Barbecue Salmon with Grilled Peach Salsa (pg 208)

Date Night In

Date Night In – This might be my all time favorite cookbook – partly for the recipes, partly for the stories she shares, and partly for the memories we’ve made with it. Blake spotted it one afternoon when I dragged him along to Anthropologie, and surprised me with it later. The book is divided into the 4 different seasons and contains entire meals (from cocktail to dessert) along with a personal story from the author that relates to the menu. The point of the book is to plan a date night and to truly enjoy every aspect of the meal, including shopping for the ingredients and savoring each bite. It’s so much fun and Blake and I LOVE when we make time to schedule one of these in. A few of my friends have purchased this as well and it would make a great gift for newlyweds or new parents (who are looking for a fun date night at home idea!). We mix and match recipes from different menus when we aren’t planning an entire date night, so here are our 5 favorite overall recipes:

1. Maple Coriander Roasted Carrots (pg 33)
2. Roast Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions, Horseradish Mayo & Arugula (pg 81)
3. Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (pg 84)
4. Pineapple Rosarita Cocktail (pg 121)
5. Braised Pork Chilaquiles with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Pickled Red Onions (pg 123)

The Whole30 Cookbook

The Whole30 Cookbook – You may have caught my Whole30 posts previously (here, here, and here), but we use recipes from this cookbook ALL the time – even when we’re not completing a Whole30 round. I bought this book initially just to learn more about the program, but the second half of the book contains amazing recipes – everything from sauces to breakfasts to full dinner meals. I’ve loaned this one out a few times and everyone has enjoyed at least a few of the meals in the book!

1. Stuffed Peppers (pg 222)
2. Grilled Coconut Curry Chicken (pg 230)
3. Romesco Garlic Shrimp w/ Zucchini Noodles (pg 244)
4. Banger Sausage Patties w/ Sweet Potato Mash & Caramelized Onions (pg 249)
5. Pulled Pork Carnitas (pg 254)

Better Homes & Garden New Cook Book

Better Homes & Garden New Cook Book – I actually have a much older version of this cook book and it has a lot of sentimental value to me. My Dad cooked the majority of our meals growing up and more often than not, this cookbook could be found out on the counter in our kitchen. It is dogeared, has sauce stains on multiple pages, and a lot of the pages are falling out, so I bought my Dad a new version several years ago. He in turn gifted the original one to me and I know it will be something I hold onto forever. We admittedly don’t turn to this one as often, for no reason other than I’m enticed by the glossy new pages of the books listed above 🙂 However, here are my five classic favorites recipes that remind me of my childhood:

1. Spaghetti with Ham & Peas (pg 331) [side note…this was my favorite meal as a child!]
2. Baked Macaroni & Cheese (pg 332) [fun fact – I’d never had boxed Mac & cheese until college!]
3. Lasagna (pg 336)
4. Meat Sauce (pg 337) [hands down the best meat sauce for spaghetti EVER]
5. Fourteen Layer Chocolate-Cinnamon Torte (pg 373) [This is a labor of love and one of my favorite things my dad makes!]

Smoke It Like A Pro

Smoke It Like A Pro – Alright…I admit that I don’t actually use this cookbook, but we bought a Big Green Egg a few years ago and Blake reaches for this cookbook all the time to try out new smoking methods and recipes. We’ve tried several of them now and have enjoyed everything that we’ve made, so I’ll go ahead and give this a double thumbs up from the both of us haha. I would maybe use it if I even know how to get the Big Green Egg to start heating up, but…I don’t so I’ll leave this one for Blake. Here are the top 5 recipes we’ve had (even if you don’t have a smoker, the flavors of some of the homemade rubs are SO GOOD and could easily be added to items on your grill or oven):

1. Competition Boston Pork Butt (pg 21)
2. Competition Pork Ribs (pg 24)
3. Maryland Style Pit Beef (pg 37)
4. Beef Brisket Burnt Ends (pg 38)
5. Spicy Chicken Wings (pg 61)

And there you have it! If you’re looking to add some new meals to your lineup, any of these cookbooks would be a great place to start! What are some of your favorite cookbooks? Let me know!