Cowboy Kisses

 

October is National Cookbook Month.

For me, that's a reason to celebrate. I've had a love of cookbooks since I was old enough to hang out in the kitchen with my mom. 

When I was just learning how to cook, Mom taught me from the 1965 Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cookbook. The back cover was missing and the pages were well used. I think the cookbook had been something one of my cousins passed down to my sister, but I loved that cookbook.

I couldn’t have been more than seven or eight when Mom started teaching me how to cook and we often turned to that worn cookbook for ideas. I loved looking through it. The pages were spiral-bound, which made it easy to lay open flat on the counter, or prop upright when we were mixing so it wouldn’t get splattered.

One thing that was fun about the cookbook was at the front, it introduced a group of youngsters who were “test helpers”. It was neat to see their comments and the drawings of their likenesses throughout the book. There was a section about “What Every Junior Cook Should Know” that offered cooking terms, kitchen safety, equipment information, how to measure properly, and even a guideline to good manners.

There were sections for beverages, breads and sandwiches, salads and vegetables, meats and main dishes, cookies and desserts, candies and snacks, special occasions, and holiday fun.

It was that cookbook that started my lifelong love of collecting recipes. When I married Captain Cavedweller, his Grandma Nell discovered my adoration of recipes and began adding to my collection. She was also a collector and one summer, she sent me home with four boxes loaded full of cookbooks that went all the way back to the early 1900s. A treasure trove! 

Today, though, I thought I'd highlight a few newer cookbooks. 

The Pioneer Woman (aka Ree Drummond) has such a friendly, approachable way for sharing her fantastic recipes. This was her first cookbook, but remains my favorite. She has a new one releasing in a few weeks, if you've already collected all of them. Part of what I love about her cookbooks are the photos and stories she shares. 

Natalie Bright recently released this fun chuck wagon cookbook called Keep 'Em Full and Keep 'Em Rollin'. I had the pleasure of meeting Natalie two years ago and she is every bit as delightful as her cookbook! 

And if you haven't yet purchased a copy, you can still get A Cowboy Christmas, my cookbook that has some of my favorite recipes as well as stories from ranch and rodeo families, holiday traditions, decorating tips, and more! 

Every book purchased between now and December 24 (that's any of my books, not just the cookbook!) helps benefit the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. 

Find out more on my website here.