My mother raised six kids and from what I can tell, she used this cookbook: The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. And let me tell you right here right now, this cookbook is ESSENTIAL for any parent trying to cook for a family. While I totally appreciate the research and effort from Cooks Illustrated, I find myself opening it to a recipe and exclaiming in my head, “GET ON WITH IT! I GOT A THREE YEAR SCREAMING HERE!” If my girl wants chicken pot pie, I simply open up Fannie and she’s got a SIMPLE recipe that can be read while three little cuties are loudly sharing with you their current concerns (e.g. glue stick won’t turn, lego dude’s gun is not fitting into hand). I have no time for how the best cupcake is made. What I need is a quick cupcake recipe that I can read and make successfully while holding a baby and wrangling children. Fannie Farmer IS that cookbook. She also has just about every French dish you would want to cook. Totally amazing. As I write this post, I have fixed a tiara, fed the baby, printed out a game for the kids and solved a trivial math equation as well as acknowledged and appreciated several small projects initiated by Otto and Lucy. Add to that “make dinner.” A look at a small slice of life like that needs a recipe with simple ingredients, quick instructions written for an audience who may have cooked something like this before. Fannie is my girl. She also has conversions on the inside cover for Fahrenheit to Celsius as well as various oz to gram nonsense. No Internet required. This book lives in my kitchen and I use it daily.
As a side note, Minty would like to share with you a picture of Lamby’s bum. Added to that is a picture of the two for context. Okay, gotta go. Potatoes are done…
Love all your updates! Can’t believe you have time to blog!!! Must be the cookbook =)
heh. seriosly. you can read the nouns and work out the rest.
It is my favorite cookbook also, without a doubt. Simple and delicious recipes. I have never been let down by Fannie.
boo-yah, sistah!
Fannie means something different in the UK, so this makes Rachel and I laugh every time we see it.
That was a very fine letter of gratitude to your mother. She was and is a miracle. I thank her everyday in some way, amazed at her patience, a natural understanding of the developmental stages of a child, her willingness to change with the times, and some of the most fabulous homemade bread and macaroni and cheese and so many great meals that I have ever tasted in my life. I don’t ever recall her complaining.
Glad