On the Page: Favourite Cookbooks (Part One)
Here at LMPR, we are all fond of a good home cooked meal and delectable baked goods. To satisfy these cravings we draw our inspiration from one source or another, and with that we are thrilled to showcase some of our favourite cookbooks.
These week we share a book filled with irresistible baking, one that uses obscenities to promote healthy eating, and finally a “Looney” Canadian classic.
Sophie Gardner – Sally’s Baking Addiction by Sally McKenney
Sally McKenney’s bubbly persona is just as sweet as her creations, and a flip through her cookbook, specializing in desserts, candy, and baked goods, is guaranteed to leave your mouth watering and your tastebuds tingling.
Her gorgeous photographs and breezy, witty and simple step-by-step instructions make reading the recipes almost as delightful as creating them. Some particular favourites of mine are her Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies, Brown Sugar Butterscotch Cupcakes, and Ultimate Magic Cookie Bars – oh, that last one really is as amazing as it looks. All are now regular go-to’s for me and I’m yet to receive any complaints!
However, it should be noted that her enthusiastic use of butter, sugar, cream and, chocolate in the majority of her recipes means it is probably not the ideal gift for anyone watching their weight…unless they are prepared to be watching it very closely!
Shona Wercholuk – Thug Kitchen by Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis
I’m not the healthiest eater at the best of times, so what better cookbook than one that uses profanities to promote a healthy diet? Thug Kitchen is a delightful – albeit aggressive – vegan cookbook that aims to inspire healthy choices. They offer a fantastic array of recipes that encourage you to see the vegan diet in a whole new light.
Not only are all of their recipes easy to make and delicious – two key ingredients for me – but, nothing is better than laughing out loud while you’re cooking. Full disclosure: if you don’t want to feel like you’re being scolded while you cook, this may not be the book for you.
Brian Paterson – Looneyspoons by Janet and Greta Podleski
A cookbook staple from my childhood was the Canadian classic Looneyspoons (How Canadian you may ask? Its financial backer was none other than The Wealthy Barber). Later, in University, a fortuitously-found second-hand copy would ease me away from a world of oven pizza and Kraft Dinner into a more culinary-capable state.
While it’s original version is now long out-of-print (and the nutritional information wildly out of date), its preposterously-titled, pun-filled recipes – with their abundant, sometimes baffling accompanying cartoons – continue to hold a place in my heart.
Categories: MPMG