Cookbookmaniac
  • Wild Barramundi with Black Olive Salsa by Sophie Dahl
    Wild Barramundi with Black Olive Salsa by Sophie Dahl
    European Recipes

    There are days when I really want to indulge. These are times when only chocolate and red frogs will do. Then there are days when I want something light and good for me. One Sunday afternoon I was feeling like eating for my health and so I flipped through some of my more healthier cookbooks. Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights has an exciting range of meals based around the seasons and breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whenever I want to make something quick and healthy I often reach for this book. I will often find something or feel inspired by it. She doesn't eat red meat or chicken, however there a couple of lamb and chicken recipes (strange...). Vegetables and grains are predominate throughout the book. I also find that I am adding ingredients to her list. Whether it be a squidge of butter, an extra clove of garlic or some dried…

  • Bill’s Sydney Foods by Bill Granger
    Australian Recipes

    What's in a cover? How much does a cover cause you to buy the book? Well... Bill's Sydney Food was released previously with a -blah- cover. I don't recall ever leafing through it. Hmmm, nup, never. But when i was looking at the New Release section in the bookstore i saw a sleek black book with Bill's Sydney Food scrawled on it like a chalkboard menu. Oooooh! I picked it up and it was only the slip case to the actual cookbook. Oooooh! I let the book slide out from the case and the cover was very chic photos of Sydney and Bill's Cafe. The smell of a newly printed book sends shivers down my spine. The photos (throughout the book) are wonderful depictions of a lazy sunday breakfast near the beach. The book is divided into Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Each chapter is introduced with a chalkboard-like menu. All…

  • Jamie’s America by Jamie Oliver
    Jamie’s America by Jamie Oliver
    Cookbook Reviews

    I have never really been drawn to the work of Jamie Oliver. I received his Italy book as a Christmas gift and was very impressed with its layout and use of colours. His recipes seemed enticing but i have yet to find inspiration from them to really test them. I was very drawn to the idea of Jamie at Home. Cooking from the garden and using seasonal products to reduce your carbon footprint and be healthy. Fantastic idea. Same problem. I didn't cook from any of the recipes. They just haven't grabbed me by the eyeballs and lured me into the kitchen like a big bad wolf. One day i was walking through a small bookshop and came across Jamie's America. "Interesting" i thought aloud. The striking cover with its red, white and blue and Jamie quite happily posing was enough for me to pick it up and flick through…