Friends often ask me where I get my recipes. I have a lot of cookbooks. Some of them I use several times a month, some of them I have only used once or twice. I have a hard time getting rid of them. The books combined with the magazines I subscribe to (Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Cooks Illustrated, and Martha Stewart Living) and the blogs I read (my favorites are linked on the home page) provide me with more recipes than I could ever make. Sometimes this makes me feel anxious and panicky. I recently started a list where I can keep track of the recipes that are waiting for a turn. It has made me feel like the process is more manageable (even if I already have a waiting list of nearly 100 recipes). I imagine I won’t stick to the list and that new recipes will take priority over some that have been waiting patiently, but the list makes it feel more manageable.

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If I could only choose 5 sources for recipes they would be:

Smitten Kitchen

Deb’s blog has changed the way a lot of us think about food blogs and cooking. It was a real inspiration for me. She has managed to maintain what it one of the most beautiful and useful food blogs out there. She and I share a really similar palate and almost every recipe she posts becomes my next “must make”. Her writing is always entertaining and her approach to food manages to be both sophisticated and accessible.

Alice Waters

The first time I ate at Chez Panisse was a really transformative experience. It was an approach to food that was new to me—and exciting. I loved that what I was eating was grown in the restaurant’s garden. I admire Water’s philosophy and approach to food and living more than I can say. The Art of Simple Food is my favorite of her cookbooks and it filled with simple and elegant recipes. It also teaches you how to cook, not just follow recipes. It can be read like a novel and lately I have been keeping in next to my bed to read before going to sleep.

Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

I have already expressed my love for this book a couple of times, but for me it is the ultimate dessert book.

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

It is like the bible for classic baked goods. If you could only have one baking book I think for most people this should be it. Dorie Greenspan also maintains an excellent blog chronicling her culinary adventures in Paris and the the states.

Martha Stewart Living

I love her. I can’t help it, I do. I love her magazine, her cookbooks and even her strange self on the daily television show. She has revolutionized the way we eat, entertain and maintain our homes and for that we should all be grateful. She also presents home bakers and cooks with exciting challenges. While everyone might not have the time or energy to make their own pectin, it is exciting to learn how and it thrills me to think that someone might!