| Boring meals can come alive with new recipes. Or you | | | | use. Greeks like to sweeten their meat with nutmeg an |
| can try a completely different one, for a change. Or | | | | cinnamon, while East Indians use a lot of turmeric. And |
| they can be tucked away in your collection for a | | | | an Italian meal would not be Italian without basil, garlic |
| special meal in the future. | | | | and oregano. |
| Two or more ingredients makes a recipe. But some | | | | Cook books can, of course, help out when it comes to |
| are so involved, you wish you never began cooking | | | | cooking French foods, or Mexican, and so forth. And |
| them. The ingredients go on forever. Some are as | | | | you can add to this collection with so many other kinds |
| easy as stirring two ingredients together, and others | | | | of cook books, as well. There are those for just |
| require a lot of concentration, coordination, and even | | | | appetizers, and those for entertaining, there are |
| some imagination if you do not have the proper | | | | barbeque cook books, books on how to cook fish, or |
| cookware. | | | | how to cook on the grill, and the list goes on. And as |
| A lot of serious cooks have certain ingredients that | | | | far as magazines, there is no shortage of magazines |
| they always have on hand. It is actually the flavor of | | | | about cooking, either. |
| many dishes they prepare. It could be a certain kind of | | | | There are entire encyclopedia type collections of cook |
| onion, or other vegetables, certain herbs or types of | | | | books. And some people join clubs and get them |
| pepper, and a collection of signature spices for their | | | | monthly, putting them into a binder they also received |
| dishes. Then there are always the few items that | | | | as a bonus. You can find these sometimes in thrift |
| were purchased for a special meal and never used | | | | stores, and at garage sales. There is nothing wrong |
| again. In fact, they will probably never be used again, | | | | with buying a second hand or used cook book. The |
| but it is difficult to make the decision to throw them out | | | | only problem is that the best recipes have the dirtiest |
| because the specialty ingredients are usually a bit | | | | pages. Then there are people who collect certain ones |
| expensive. | | | | and then put them on four by six inch index cards. |
| When you are ready to be daring and try recipes | | | | Although this could drive a person crazy, at least they |
| from other countries, you may find that you enjoy the | | | | do not need to worry about a cook book closing by |
| challenge. Or you could just try to prepare something | | | | itself while you are trying to follow a recipe. |
| Cajun you might find in New Orleans, or a Tex-Mex | | | | One can fill entire shelves, and yes, even entire rooms |
| meal. | | | | with recipes. You will eventually have one on every |
| When it comes right down to it, the biggest difference | | | | kind of meal for every occasion. It is funny, though, that |
| in cooking meals from other regions is the spices they | | | | the cooks with the most talent never use them. |