… it’s been a really tough one deciding what we should all do for Random Recipes #11… it being December the obvious choice would be to chose a Christmas recipe… but I find the randomness factor rather limiting… plus I also imagine that a lot of you are getting a bit sick of the big day… it’s all Christmas Christmas Christmas everywhere you look and a little break would do us all a favour… after-all we still need to eat… it’s not like we’re sitting around waiting for the big day and just eating mince pies and pickles… well i’m sure some of us are but i’m not pointing fingers…
… and then I got thinking… I get at least 2 new cookbooks each Christmas and my bookshelves are beginning to groan under the strain and it’s very possible that there are one or two books I never use, that I could, in fact, take down to the charity shop to make space for my new books… and a little charity for this time of year is always a good thing… so, for this month’s Random Recipes i’d like you to look at your bookshelves and find that book that you just never use and would happily give away (come on, we all have one…) and it’s from this book I’d like you to choose your Random Recipe and cook at least one last dish before you give it away.
… for me its a toss-up between The Complete Book of Home Freezing by Audrey Ellis. I mean COME ON… how have I ended up with this book? Published in 1973 it has many super-useful tips on how to freeze pies… the ‘model’ used in the pictures is wearing a fabulous blue smock, so its possible I may be throwing out a hidden gem here… and the other book, which I think wins hands down is Practical Low Fat… no author (no surprises there!) which is a yummy book telling me how to cook low fat food practically… so very useful…
… and my Random Recipe, which falls open at page 136 is Creamy Vegetable Curry… I can feel my waist-line shrinking as I type…
… as usual the rules are pretty simple
1. select your give-away book
2. randomly select a recipe from the book (get a friend, neighbour, lover, pet to do it for you if you don’t trust yourself)
3. write your post, including a link to my blog and the snazzy logo
4. take your book to the charity shop and feel happy in the knowledge that you’re not only making space for your next book but also helping others with your kind generosity
and may I add an addendum to this post by letting you know that we’ve recently had a huge donation of books to Gunby Hall amongst which are a few fabulous cook books, so if you don’t have any books you want to give away, I can always pick one from our collection and then take it to the charity shop myself…
you have until the last day of the year to post your recipe…
Damn – I've only recently taken a number of ignored cookbooks to the charity shop. Oh well – I'm sure there's at least one more lurking somewhere.
Great idea! Looking forward to it. I don't have a lot of cookbooks but I'm sure i'll find something x
OMG! I have loads of books that I would happily give away! GREAT challenge Dom and I like the charity connection too!
I'm not very good at giving away books, but will look through my 250+ books to find one I don't often use. It shouldn't be difficult, some are sitting on the shelf with spines unbroken as pristine as the day they arrived from the deep dark river of books!
And maybe I may even take a few to a charity shop after all someone may be looking for 'the top 100 recipes for a healthy lunch box' !? Not sure why I ever ordered that, my little girl only eats Parma Ham sandwiches!
Jude x
I have just given away loooads of my cookery books. Half to a charity fundraiser my sister and friends were organising as part of a memorial event for a friend who died 10 years ago. And the other half for a charity book exchange organised by Neil Davey (@dinehard of blog Lambshank Redemption) at the Coach and Horses, where books were bought for 25% of their face value and sold for 50%. Win win for everyone!
Even though I've not managed to participate yet, as always, look forward to the round up of participants and their recipes!
Ha ha, just love it. Clear out our junk, palm it onto someone else and feel a halo floating over us in the process! I had a mega clear out a few years ago, but to be fair, it's probably time I had another go – just have to hope there's a chocolate recipe lurking in the unloved pages somewhere.
Brilliant – a great way of sharing some love and keeping the recipes flowing around. You never know, one of us might end up buying the other person's cast off. Count me in.
Oh no. If I choose books to go to charity and then make something from them which turns out to be nice, I won't want to give them away!!!!!! Eek.
I also don't need too much of a clear out just now as we did a major clear out before moving house and I have two whole shelves free still on my book shelf!!! Not like me.
Even though, I am obviously trying to rebel, I will go and have a look and I'm sure will find something.
I've not joined in for a few months, but hopefully will this month! Great idea Dom!
Dom – I have no books I want to donate at the moment – can I choose a recipe cut out or one of those wee pamphlet thingies I collect from things and then throw whatever it is out once I have made my recipe. I know that doesn't help charity but earlier this year we gave the Red Cross huge sacks of very nice cookbooks.
Great idea !!
The trouble is, once I start looking through a cookbook I have decided to give away I then decide I can't possibly do without it…..!!
aww no! When we moved across the world, I packed only 10 staple cookbooks, and since then I've been given 4 more lovelies (but I have SO MANY back in Scotland that I could happily have donated… dammit).
I'll make a donation to Action Against Hunger and join you in January with bells on… 'kay? (or you're very welcome to email me a scan of a Gunby Hall donation special – the mind boggles at what might appear!!!)
Great, great charitable idea though. Nice one Dom.
Well I am sure I can find a book (or 10) and then take part in my first ever random recipe challenge. Thanks Dom! X
As one of those who exist solely on Mince Pies with the odd Big Purple ne thrown in, that you are definately not pointing your finger towards, I'd like to say this theme is ace Dom! Really really original and inspired Dom x PS: Can it be a book that I may or may not palm off as a Christmas present?!
What a fantastic idea! Psyching myself up for the cookery book cull – my allotted two shelves are getting a bit choc-a-bloc…
There is a book I could happily give away but that might mean I cook a dish with little conviction. Great idea to give to charity. Perhaps I should choose a good book to give away. GG
such a wonderful idea!
Really good idea Dom – nice to think of other people in this time of festive consumerism. I'm digging out some books now for our local charity shop – will join in the random recipe if time allows too.
This is an easy and fun way to 'cull' the pile that I've been hanging onto 'just in case' I find a little something between the covers one of these days … I have a bunch of little books to choose from … good idea, Dom!
I think you have struck gold here Dom! Judging by the horrified reactions in some of the comments. Definitely a challenge, I have given away some books recently but lo and behold (getting into the Christmas spirtit there) I have two sitting in my spare bedroom waiting to go to the charity shop. I'll check them out and decide which to get my random recipe from. Thanks as always for your random creativity.
Oh great idea Dom, although when I first read the post I hoped I would be allowed to buy a book from a charity shop – although that could be next month's challenge?
what a great idea Dom, lovely to think of others at this time and it's a great reason for me to sort through my cookbooks.. my shelf is on its last legs
hm… I really don't know which book to choose. I have to have a good look which book I'm ready to depart with.
I got so excited when I started reading this as I thought the challenge was going to be to cook from a book that we have received in the past as a Christmas present (which I have plenty of) but unfortunately not! So I have scoured my library but the problem is all of my books that I would happily donate are in storage….I have looked and re-looked but there just isn't a book I can bare to part with! Feel so bad but it's the sad truth – I am a bad person (and a cookbook hoarder!) I'll be on board next month : )
Rats! Why didn't you warn me this was coming?! I offloaded a couple of books before we moved (all I could bear to part with)… I might have to go off-piste and come up with something that I've recently bought FROM a charity shop instead (I mean, I was still doing the charity a favour, right?)
what a good idea! I have several and also need to make space before baby arrives so recipe then charity donation works for me. x
Hi Dom,
Just posted up my first “random recipe” so will be popping down to the charity shop later with the book I used…..a great idea by the way!x
Posted my random recipe here
http://makey-cakey.blogspot.com/2011/12/random-recipes-11-rocket-parmesan-pear.html
If Santa brings me any more cookbooks, I may need to operate a one-in-one-out policy to stick to my allotted shelf space, so there may be another post before the deadline!
Rx
This is such a good idea… I have a couple of books that I NEVER use, so Im sure that I can find something in there!