Every November I start working on an Amazon wishlist for our family. (Yes, I’m the only one who works on it, but the whole family reaps the rewards … but that’s another post.) I always add some cookbooks for me, because, well, I love to cook and I love to read. Some are always duds, but this past year I had some real winners. Here’s the books I got last year for Christmas that I used over and over this year:

• Mom-a-licious: Fresh, Fast, Family Food for the Hot Mama in You! by Domenica Catelli – This one is full of quick healthy recipes. And it feels like it’s written by a real mom. A woman who has limited time, but still wants her kids to eat their vegetables. Moreover, she’s okay with them knowing that they’re eating them and not doesn’t try to sneak them into brownies.
• Moosewood Restaurant New Classics — It’s my third Moosewood cook book and probably my favorite. We got it first for my in-laws and then for ourselves. It’s just a great cookbook. True we’re not vegetarians, but the food’s still great and sometimes we sprinkle bacon on top. <g>
• CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch by Warren Brown — (technically, this wasn’t Christmas, but mother’s day. Still, it played with the big boys and I had it five few months.) This one talks in detail about how to bake cakes. It really demystifies everything. The recipes are crazy detailed, but the results so yummy you’ll want to cry. It’s basically foolproof. (Except for the Lemon Ginger cake. There’s the typo in that recipe. It should be 12 oz. of flour, not 2. But that to is a topic for another post.)  Generally, this book is awesome. And now I always measure my flour by weighing it. It’s so much easier!

So what cookbooks do you love? It’s time to make this years wishlist and I’m eager to add in some new cookbooks. Do you have any favorites?