In a continuing celebration of my 1st Year Blog Birthday this month’s Random Recipe is a simple one… go back to your first ever cook book. Wether it be the first one you were given as a gift or bought for yourself or had handed down from a relative… it has to be that very first book…. and it’s from this book that you should randomly select a recipe.
Go on… go and do it NOW!… and no bloody cheating!
Should be interesting for those of us who can’t remember that far back… for me it’s either a toss up between Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course or Cook for Hire by Michelle Berriedale-Johnson (you can tell I had plans for world domination even back in the 80’s!)… and whilst i’d love to choose something from Delia’s book I think if i’m truly honest with myself my first book really was Cook for Hire… should make for some interesting blogging…
now for an extra special treat and to celebrate my 1st Year as a blogger my good friend Lee at Pan Macmillan has given me a special preview copy of the stunning Geometry of Pasta by Jacob Kenedy and Caz Hildebrand to give away to the best entry for this months Random Recipe…
… quite how we’re going to choose a winner i’m not sure at this stage, I assume we’ll go for the old faithful random number generator… but there might be some nostalgia points somewhere in there too!… and don’t worry, this prize is up for grabs wherever you are in the world!
good luck and happy memories!
Oh now that's a tough one! I think my first ever cookbook was a copy of the textbook Practical Cookery during my first stint at catering college around 1999, which was lost in one of my many house moves. I shall have to dig through all my books and see which one I can remember having the longest.
this should be fun. when i started cooking/baking there were already a few books in the house… i think the one that dates back the earlier is a cake book from the 70s..
otherwise, the first cookbook that i bought was an M&S one called Puddings…
Dom, done!!!! My first book is “365 Dolci” that's to say “365 Desserts”.Than Beatrice opened it and (she is very very lucky) the random recipe is: TIRAMI SU
She's so happy! LOL
Hmmmmmm, reckon it will need to be the first cook book I got in the UK (which will stretch the memory banks enough I reckon!!!) as the first ever cook book I had is back in Oz … though could be fun to see if Mum can send it over ;0)
Oh boy, I believe it's in Maine! Should be fun! LOL!!!
No cheating? Eek!
Can't wait, need to go and check the dates on my older cookbooks!
I am afriad that this challenge is going to show my age!
You are such a hard taskmaster! This one is going to be tricky…
Congratulations on your first blogoversary! How do I keep missing your recipe challenges? I've gotta write it on my hand or something. This looks like a fabulous book. Count me IN! 🙂
Got it … Craig Claiborne's New York Times Cook Book … I wonder; is this cook book considered vintage at this point? Published in 1961 … oh dear, does it help my ego to know that I bought a reprint edition in 1977? 😉
This is really tough – I can't remember what happened last week. I think my first book might have been in Latin – I'm very old.
This is going to be funny, I only started cooking about 4 1/2 years ago so none of my books are that old. Also I started with dessert so it will be something sweet…I think it was a cookie book…I'm of to search.
Tough one, indeed. I hate to say it, but it may be The Back of the Box Gourmet. Talk about nostalgia…
This is a challenge I can't resist it's going to be fun….
Ooh am now picking my brain as to which one came first! Possibly either a cooking encyclopedia, Nigella's Feast or even further back hmm…might have to phone a friend to check! 🙂
Look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!
well, it seems as though I have started a bit of a challenge here… I think it's really exciting to go back and remember just why we got into cooking in the first place… and those memories… ahh the memories… so glad you're all keen and ready to take part… i've just picked my recipe from the book and it's very odd… should be fun!
I left my first cookbook at my parents. So I'm gonna cook from my second cookbook if that's OK. It's “Food Network Favourites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs”. I got the recipe too. Just wait and see.
your blog and i share the same birth date 🙂 happy birthday to your blog.
I have loads of cookbooks. I can not even remember what my first one was. It has long since gone though in one of my many clear outs. Of the older ones I have left I think a Nosh Brothers one is likely the oldest.
I'm new here! What a wonderful blog with fantastic recipes. I'm going to have to try your layered red velvet with THAT amazing cream cheese frosting! Your challenge to find recipe from the first cookbook is interesting and thought provoking. I realise I have never cooked out of the first cookbook I ever bought. It is The Commonsense Chinese Cookery Book by Ella-Mei Wong (1976). Maybe I should join the challenge. Is there any particular requirements?
I had a feeling a lot of us would be calling home to mum for this challenge.
@ Marcellina – welcome welcome. Please do join in. Rules are pretty basic for this challenge. This month you just pick a recipe at random ( no cheating) from your first ever cookbook, if you can find it. Then post on your blog and send me a link. Good luck!
Ciao Dom!!
Beatrice has just posted the recipe! ave a nice week end LOL
Dom, I remember exactly my first cookbook and when I received it! I'd like to join in this fun challenge, is there a deadline for submitting the link?
@ Foodiva… always lovely to get new people involved in the challenge. I run them monthly, so as long as you get me the link by the 30th of April then you'll be included this month… so still plenty of time!… good luck x
The first cookbook I bought was Craig Claiborne's New York Times Cookbook (hey, Susan!). I bought it in l966 when I moved into the cooperative dorm at Vasser College where we did our own cooking. I just happened to cook the oysters Pan Roast Grand Central last night before I read this challenge. I highly recommend the book and the recipe
Hey Lynn. Did you take pics of it? Would love you to join in the challenge! X
Hi Dom, This is a brilliant idea! Would love to take part, will be fun! So glad to find this challenge with a few more days to go 🙂
@ Jo… thanks so much, welcome on board, can't wait to see what you come back with… it's a real trip down memory lane for a lot of people this month!
The geometry of Pasta has been one of the most interesting books I have read. I like it specially because it helps me to solve so many doubts I had on my heads during my university period.