Cookbooks are one of the best sources for recipes and meal ideas. The main reason is they are set and stone, unlike online recipes which aren’t always accurate. Another reason I love cookbooks: they are generally quite beautiful! If the cover is nice, the chance of me buying is higher. On the other hand, when I hear of a good cookbook with specific recipes, I will buy it more for that. Below are the cookbooks I currently own and use as a source of recipes. I also included books that helped me learn more about wine, whiskey and other options for cocktails & drinks. Click on the photo for a link to buy the book off of Amazon!
These books feed my soul!
Oh She Glows Everyday: vegan recipes that are healthy, delicious and easy to make. They are crowd pleasers!
The Oh She Glows Cookbook: my very first cookbook, and my first by Angela Liddon. Similar to Oh She Glows Everyday. Great breakfast smoothies and puddings as well as snacks!
Feast: a road trip through every province in Canada and all their delicacies.
Ottawa Cooks: I’ve become very fond of the city cook books. They showcase top restaurants and chefs in the city alongside a few special recipes. Not all recipes are easy to make, but the books themselves are beautiful.
Montreal Cooks: this one came before Ottawa Cooks. I started collecting city cookbooks for every place we have lived so far. It’s not very impressive to only have two, however, I’m hoping to eventually collect a few more. And I hope they make a Kingston Cooks at some point. More top rated restaurants and chefs in the city.
Cooking Light- Way to Cook: I received this as a Christmas present one year from my boyfriends mom who is an amazing cook. It starts with all the basics (how to cut/prepare certain types of meat, how to make basic sauces, how to make seasoning or rubs, etc). It then provides multiple simple and delicious recipes.
Market Math: as it says on the cover: 50 ingredients, 4 recipes, 200 simple, creative dishes. This cookbook has a main page for each letter of the alphabet which outlines the ingredients that will be used in 4 different recipes. If you are looking for a way to use up ingredients in the fridge, this is a great book to help guide you.
Grilling: I bought this book this summer along with our BBQ. It was our first summer grilling and there was a lot I needed to know before mastering any recipes. This book gives you average cook times and temperatures for certain meats and provides many great recipes for a solid outdoor evening.
Wine & Food: one of my first wine books. I find it quite hard to pair wine with food. There are the traditional pairings (ex: Chablis and oysters), but I needed something a little more detailed to help me out. This book has multiple cheese pairings with wine (which I find the hardest) and a breakdown of bitter, salty, sweet and sour taste buds and how to accompany those with the wine and food.
The Book of Wine: a learning tool for wine in general. This book goes through fermentation processes, how to choose wine, how to serve wine properly and all the nitty gritty details.
The Complete Wine Course: my mom bought this book for me for Christmas one year when I started really getting into wine. I read it within days! It is an incredible learning tool, especially if you’re someone who digests information through reading. This will teach you the basics of wine.
Ma Première Dégustation: my first french wine book. When I was living in Montreal and taking my WSET courses there, I felt the need to learn how to dissect a wine in french. The terms are quite different and can be tough to learn. It was important to me to understand wine in both languages. This book teaches you the basics of wine tasting.
Wine For Dummies: this one is a no-brainer, literally. It’s for dummies. Nah, just kidding. It’s another great piece of learning material to fully understand the basics of wine, wine tasting, and winemaking. From this, you can learn many grape varieties, understand a wine label, and much more.
Wine Trails: I bought this beautiful book after returning from a trip to Ecuador. My thought was “where to next?” and then this book popped up in front of me at Chapters on the way to the travel section. It was time to plan a trip that included a wine tour or two. This book showcases the top wineries in several different parts of the world. Warning: makes you want to travel and spend all your money on shipping wine home or staying at the winery hotel with breathtaking views.
Good Things To Drink: exactly what it sounds like. This book was given to me as a Christmas gift and it’s evident this person knows me well. It’s the perfect pre-entertaining (or entertaining) book. There are several cocktail recipes depending on your preference of alcohol and depending on the season. All of these drinks are guaranteed to impress your guests, or be the recipe to a great night!
American Whisky, Bourbon & Rye: A Guide to the Nation’s Favorite Spirit: a lookbook for these incredible spirits. It helps narrow down by type, price range, and flavours. This book helps you to really understand your whisky vs your bourbon, and your own preferences.
New York Bartender’s Guide: yep, 1300 cocktail recipes! My best friend bought this for me for my birthday one year. Apparently everyone buys me food & drink books, but honestly, it’s the best. This is similar to other cocktail books but contains lots of the classics. Not everything has to have a rosemary sprig in it! The New York classics are where it’s at. I recommend this book for girl’s night.
Food | Vino | Soul 