Just before we moved house, I got all organised and started to put this series together. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I love cookbooks and I love to collect cookbooks. I like to flick through them and I feel like I’m being all creative just looking at the pretty pictures and reading the ingredients! I’ve been known to even take a cookbook for bedtime reading. Anyone else do this? This year, I’m on a self imposed ban. I cannot buy any new cookbooks until I’ve cooked at least one recipe from all the books I already have. Take a look at the 2 pictures below of my cookbook shelves. I’ve scribbled out all the ones I have used, but there are about 18 cookbooks waiting to be tested. 
I knew I couldn’t be the only one out there with unused cookbooks on their shelf, so I’ve got together with some of my blog friends to bring you this series. Joining me for the series will be: Meg from Elsie Marley cooking Roast Pork Belly Sarah from Butter with a Side of Bread baking Choc Mint Cookies Ros from Sew Delicious Laura from Craftstorming Narelle from Cook Clean Craft Emily from Fuss Free Cooking I’m also testing out a recipe for Spiced Nuts. 
The series will kick off on the 8th of April (see post here). Join us as we test out some recipes from our previously untouched cookbooks! Want to join in the fun? Please leave a comment on the posts if you have used a recipe from the book and let us know what you thought of it. Also, if you decide to take up the challenge and cook from some of your unused books, please put a message up on the Facebook page, the thingsforboys twitter or on the Flickr Group. Happy Cooking!
Amy Seven-Stitches says
Is that colour co-ordinated cookbooks I see?
I would love to join in as I accumulate cookbooks with speed, but tend to get a little ruthless. If I haven’t used it after 1 year, out it goes. If it only has one good recipe, I copy it out into my handwritten book and let that cook book go too. If only I could be so ruthless with fabric. At a squint I might have one book left I haven’t used.
Amanda Gilds says
I love how they are color coordinated! I have a ton of cookbooks as well. I love Jamie Olive and Nigella Lawson ones, but have never cooked a recipe out of them. I am in American and we don’t always have all of the ingredients listed in the recipes. So they are just bedtime reading!
I had about 50 cookbooks that I hadn’t used so I sold them online and bought cookbooks I would ACTUALLY use..I did a ton of research before ordering them.
Anonymous says
Great idea!!! My husband “collects” cookbooks and boy do we have a lot on our shelves that have never been used…mostly Italian and French cooking, but also a lot of Indian, so maybe I’ll be daring and give this a try! Hope your move went well and you are feeling good!
Dara Weyna says
Sorry Abby…I didn’t mean to leave an anonymous comment!
thingsforboys says
It’ll be great to have you cooking along, Dara!
Laura says
I’ve also been known to take cookbooks to bed for bedtime reading 🙂 Can’t wait for this series, I’ve been too busy for any baking lately and I’m looking forward to getting back to it.
FVITH says
I have 12 cookbooks and I thougt that was a lot. I also used to have LOTS of recipe magazines. The weird thing is I really don’t like cooking.
In my attempt to organise my cookbooks I went through all of the recipe magazines and pulled out only the recipes I was interested in and put the rest in the bin (I have strong hoarding instincts, so this was hard for me). I also started going through my cookbooks and marking only the recipes I was interested in (either by putting a little sticky tab or by dog-earring the pages) with the intention of cooking each one eventually.
Despite this, I normally just have a few recipes I make regularly, and if I cook something different I tend to use the internet for inspiration (Did I mention I also have heaps of pinned recipes on pinterest? And still I swear I don’t like cooking!). Anyway, as I go through the recipes, I print out the ones I like and keep them in a folder: our family recipe book. I hope one day to have all the recipes we like confined to this one folder and to get rid of all of our other cookbooks. I like to think that I can achieve this goal – and maybe I will in 30 years or so 🙂
abby says
I often hunt for recipes online too! I love to read cookbooks, but I am much more sensible about buying them these days. That sounds like a lovely idea and I love the 30 year time line too 😀