Stevie Szabad, Author

Who reads cookbooks? Why? I’ve never owned a cookbook, at least one that I’ve kept. Sometimes I’ve been given one as a gift but I can’t remember ever reading one. I have my old recipe binder that my mother created, but again, I don’t read it or use it for the recipes, I just look at it to see her handwriting when I’m missing her.

So why am I suddenly curious about cookbooks? Well, as an author, I’m always on the lookout for: 1) new story or book ideas, and 2) procrastination activities to avoid writing said ideas into stories.

I think I’ve found something that satisfies both criteria – a new idea and one that keeps me from my larger fiction project that seems stuck right now : a cookbook.

You may well wonder how someone who doesn’t follow any recipes or cookbooks can decide to write a cookbook so I will explain.

It will be like when I wrote my memoir (Camp Follower One Army Brat’s Story by Michele Sabad), when I myself didn’t read many memoirs (see post : Who Reads Memoirs). I intend to write a cookbook that I would like to read. For example, I will only use recipes of dishes that I myself have created and eaten. Despite what you may have surmised, I can cook, and do. I just don’t follow recipes. My method of cooking is simply to use what I have on hand and put together meals or dishes that probably will only work once – when the exact combo of ingredients happens to be around at that same time. Also, I’ve been complimented on said meals and even been asked for my recipes, which I could never provide before, because they only could be created that one particular time. So now, I will be careful to remember how I put something together and write about it. And provide a picture. And maybe, maybe later when I have enough stories (of course I’ll add stories to the recipes!) and pictures about my inventive meals and dishes, I will have written a cookbook!

What do you think? Do you read cookbooks? Why? (p.s. the above plate of nachos was my inspirational lunch today 😉