Eyeing Cookbooks

I've been reading Mark Bittman's The Minimalist Cooks Dinner as well as The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.

I was disappointed when I opened Bittman's book because there were no pictures. The chapters are broken down into "Soups and Stews," Pasta, Noodles and Pizza," "Shellfish," "Fish," "Poultry," "Meat," and "Salads and Side Dishes." I skipped right over the shellfish segment which might as well have been dubbed "The 'Drea Killer" chapter. All in all, none of the recipes were really calling my name but I did like Bittman's "With Minimal Effort" asides that showed how to vary the main recipe.

I really enjoyed the Biggest Loser cookbook and I thoroughly appreciated the pictures. A good picture of food will make me go to the store for recipe ingredients. I also like the budget tips à la For Dummies since it has a grocery cart icon to alert you that you're about to be enlightened about a budget matter.

I would try many recipes in the Biggest Loser cookbook including "Very Lemon Oatmeal," "Subtly Strawberry Oatmeal," "Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich," "Berry Mixed Green Salad With Grilled Chicken," "Texas Caviar," "Kiwi Watermelon Salsa," and "Chocolate-Peanut Butter Grahamwiches."

The one thing that kind of grossed me out was the "Cheesy Baked Sweet Potato" recipe which is, essentially, a sweet potato with a Laughing Cow Light Garlic and Herb cheese slice in the middle. I love the light Laughing Cow line but why mess with perfection? A baked sweet potato really doesn't need anything else.

Speaking of something distasteful, I've heard that the Bacon Explosion is all the rage. If you have the stomach for it, check out this phenomenon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/dining/28bacon.html?_r=1&em