Most Embarrassing Cookbook in Your Collection

[amdellutri]

The Complete Jello Cookbook

oh it's hysterical, we found it in my mom's house after she passed away.

And I have that aphrodisiac one too!

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Did you also find The Jell-O Pudding Sampler cookbook and the Joys of Jello. My Mom has all three.

[momcook]

The Better Than Prison Food Cookbook

A collection of recipes from prison guards.......

Edited March 7, 2008 by momcook (log)

[nliedel]

Taste of Home Cookbook.

I actually use a recipe in it too. Oh the shame.

[Septemberdog61]

skulking in with:

Cooking the Costco Way

[MissAmy]

The Paula Deen book. To double the shame, I've actually made something from it. (For the record, it was Gooey Butter Cakes for a friend - SO SO sweet, but actually pretty yummy.)

[A.J. Di Liberti]

Jeff Yates Cookin' n' Pickin', 1980 $3.50.

72 original mountain recipes, from Caramel fried apples to Groundhog potpie.

Bought the book for the music, I playing banjo, fiddle and guitar. I’ve made every recipe in the book, except Groundhog potpie… never been able to find a groundhog.

[ErikaK]

skulking in with:

Cooking the Costco Way

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Oh, yes I have a similar one that they gave away for free over the holidays: Favorite Recipes the Coscto Way.

Also fairly embarrassing is a collection of old spiral bound & junior league type of things that my mom gave me, including Lean and Luscious and the Delitefully Healthmark. On the top shelf next to the Betty Crocker & Better Homes that I never use.

And, Seminole Fan Cookbook, from some Florida friends.

[JanMcBaker]

Jeff Yates Cookin' n' Pickin', 1980 $3.50.

72 original mountain recipes, from Caramel fried apples to Groundhog potpie.

Bought the book for the music, I playing banjo, fiddle and guitar. I’ve made every recipe in the book, except Groundhog potpie… never been able to find a groundhog. 

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I know where you can find one. If you're ever in Punxutawney, PA some February 2nd.....

Edited March 19, 2008 by JanMcBaker (log)

[jilli42]

I have almost the entire collection of those Better Homes & gardens cookbooks from the 70's and early 80's. For example:

Meat Cookbook

Best Buffets

Meals Men Like

Salad Cookbook

Country Cooking

Mexican Cooking

and many, many others........ I just can't stop myself from buying them.

I think it is more of a Lileks Regrettable Food Gallery type thing more than I would actually cook anything from them...although I do have one that has handwritten recipes inside the back cover. The one for "crumble" is delicious !

[LoneFoodie]

Taste of Home Cookbook.

I actually use a recipe in it too. Oh the shame.

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I have a Taste of Home magazine that contains nothing but recipes for cupcakes and muffins.

From which I use about half a dozen recipes.

Often.

I feel like I'm cheating on James Beard.

[Josho]

I have the Mayberry cookbook, the Sopranos cookbook, and a number of others...

But really, despite having thousands of cookbooks, even the "embarrassing" ones aren't really embarrassing. I consider them more like humorous conversation pieces. Although I keep the serious cookbooks I use most often in a public, easily-accessible place, and the rest in an out-of-the-way place, when I occasionally rotate the serious books, I always put a few of the so-called embarrassing ones out prominently...because, dollars to doughnuts, those are the ones people want to pick up and look through and talk about.

My favorite? That would probably be The Easy-Bake Oven Gourmet.

--Josh

[Jakea222]

The complete guide to Jello! It was one of those books handed down from my mom who sent in proof of purchase labels when I was a kid

[Kim Shook]

Taste of Home Cookbook.

I actually use a recipe in it too. Oh the shame.

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I have a Taste of Home magazine that contains nothing but recipes for cupcakes and muffins.

From which I use about half a dozen recipes.

Often.

I feel like I'm cheating on James Beard.

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I actually took the time to submit a few of my cupcake recipes for that issue. They didn't publish one !

[rooftop1000]

The complete guide to Jello!  It was one of those books handed down from my mom who sent in proof of purchase labels when I was a kid

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I made the layered parfait from that book when I was a kid...would be tough to find a fridge with wire shelves to tilt the glasses nowadays

tracey

[cbarre02]

the micheal kane and marco pierre white book... canteen

[LVic]

I received a Jacksonville Jaguars cookbook this Christmas from my family in Jacksonville, it's um... very casserole and cookie "bars"-centric. Previous year, I got a Paula Deen party cookbook. I get the feeling every cook south of the Mason-Dixon line has a huge closet filled with nothing but 9X13 casserole pans, and a walk-in freezer full of Cool Whip tubs...

Fun fact: my husband and I have been househunting, and in almost all the homes we toured, I saw at least 1 of Rachel Ray's cookbooks. Is this really the most important/most commonly used book in any home cook's kitchen, or is this just the book that realtors/stagers like to strategically place on the shelf?

Edited to add:

I could just cry... or weep for joy, at any rate... I'd just remembered to add a truly embarrassing (albeit online) cookbook by horrific essayist and unfortunate sort-of-cook Amber Pawlik. Sadly, her site is no more, but here is a hilarious recap of her Recipes page, particularly her veggie pizza (stolen from Pamered Chef):

http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/001377.html

Well, we'll always have the Freeper Canteen, the most embarrassing online cookbook I've ever seen, ever. taco Soup, anyone?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1579429/posts

Edited April 29, 2008 by LVic (log)