Ha ha ha “me likey”. I feel the same way about really pretty shoes and food magazines. The only reason I try to restrain from the cookbooks is the money issue. But then again, isn’t that what BMV is for? Have you been there yet? I know of two, one right beside the Worlds Largest Book Store, and one at Younge and Eglinton. You wont be dissapointed. I found ‘Baking with Julia’ there for 20 dollars(steal!) and Nigella’s ‘How to be a Domestic Goddess’ for 14 bucks.

” If you want to live in a Williams-Sonoma store” now that’s a great line! I’ll have to check it out based on that alone. . . sucker that I am.

I dream of owning more cookbooks, but my budget doesn’t allow me to buy more than a handful per year (to my biggest regret) ;-P…

I’d love to visit a Williams Sonoma store!

cheers,

Rosa

I too own an “excessive” amount of cookbooks - but they’re just so delightful and inspiring!! Cheers to owning so many, and being so happy

Love that banana bread!! I can’t make them with pistachios though, since they were just recalled in the U.S. due to a salmonella outbreak

I’ve never been to a Williams-Sonoma store *sniff sniff* I am a deprived child. (Or a Sur La Table! Are you feeling sorry for me yet?) I have a feeling that our next trip to the States may revolve around kitchen equipment shops…

The banana bread looks fantastic, especially with the pistachios peeking out of each slice. Yum!

Got you beat, I have nearly 1000 cookbooks (somewhere between 950 and 1000) which I keep in 3 five shel bookcases. Someday I’ll put them in order. I read cookbooks the way that others read novels.

Wish they had those kind of stores here… wish somebody would ask me te review whatever cookbook. Me likey too!!!
Isn’t it just totally incomprehensible that some people think that there are already enough cookbooks on your shelf ????? (just over 200 here and counting ;-D ) So keep enjoying them (and reviewing too if they let you!) !

Ivonne, I loved this post! Not only for the cookbook review and the photos of the banana bread and macaroni and cheese but for your love of Williams-Sonoma stores. Unfortunately (or maybe not) there are no Williams-Sonoma stores here in Quebec and their Canadian Web site does not have the option to shop online, BUT you can always phone one of the stores and place an order! Cookbooks? All I can say is that I am a hopeless addict!

Cookbooks are like regular books! You can never have too many!

tHat said, I… have no idea how many I have.

Not 100, I don’t think, maybe 60-70.}:P

My MOM , on the other hand, I think she has well over 300. I’ll have to count them this August when I go home on vacation.

I love cookbooks too. They are so much fun to collect and I am always picking up one to read just like a book. Williams Sonoma cookbooks are great, and I have several in my collection. This banana bread looks great! I was going to make a banana bread next week, so maybe I’ll try this version.

Yes, cookbooks are adictive. And so are recipes in magazines and newspapers. I’ve cut out my share and keep telling myself that I’m going to try each that I have cut out. Sure, like that is going to happen. But it’s fun to dream. As for Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, they should be tarred and feathered for putting out such scrumptious volumns. Some days I’m even tempted to eat the paper it’s printed on.

I remember a few years ago (maybe more) in an issue of Bon Appetit, they did a feature on a food person’s kitchen (don’t remember who though). Anyway, off of the kitchen there was a cookbook room (mini library of sorts) and I remember thinking: I want that someday. I still dream of having a cookbook library where they can all live together rather than being deposited in random nooks around my house because I don’t have room for them! The lack of space is what tempers my cookbook habit.
As for worshiping at the altar of expensive kitchenwares, I will happily join your kitchen cult! I love Williams-Sonoma (and Sur la Table and all of those great places). Those beautiful kitchen stores soothe me.

Hi Ivonne!
Although I may not quite agree with you regarding owning so MANY cookbooks (we’ll see if I change that view once *I* hit 100 cookbooks…), I do understand the joy of opening up a new one every once in a while. Thanks for your honest and fair review of this book!

Dan
Casual Kitchen

l love yur page so much your recipes so delicious and picture and informations are perfect, if you can ad my adress your page l will be so hapy..

From one cookbook “addict” to another, I hear you! Reading a cookbook is definitely one of my favourite ways to unwind and, while my collection is not quite on par with yours at this point, I’m definitely well on my way!

I love that your giving me excuses to get new cookbooks. This one looks really good. I have never been disatisfied with WS cookbooks//recipes. I too love to curl up with a cookbook. My Aunt in AZ literally has a room filled with cookbooks and magazines with recipes. The room is like an extra large closet, walk in. When I was young I was totally blown away by it. Now I so understand.

Now I understand why I “collect” cookbooks, to clear my thoughts and relieve stress! It’s true, it works! And Williams- Sonoma, well, it just makes one feel better walking in the doors. Plus the employees are very nice and don’t treat novice know nothings like myself with anything but the utmost patience. Their monthly email newsletter is always filled with fun dodads and recipes.

Has the pistachio recall hit the news in your neck of the woods? Big time Salmonella. Still, when the all clear sign is given, I’m trying this banana bread. As per usual, you are quite inspiring.

LOL There is NO such thing as too many cook books! I had to build an entire separate bookshelf for my cook books and I can’t tell you how many there are either. I also made extra tall shelves so I could stack up and across!

I am absolutely thrilled to find that there are so many other cookbook junkies out there. I haven’t got a 1000, but I am having trouble finding new cupboards to store them in!

Oh my word…I make that pilgrimmage too…a lot.

What a wonderful opportunity for a review. Did they send it with a Le Creuset pan?

Sigh. I love William Sonoma too. I have heard great things about their new line of books. So nice that they have an essential recipes edition, it would make a great house-warming present.

Wonderful review! I am a mac and cheese fanatic, so I must try that one. Cheers!

I love WS cookbooks as well — and perhaps my favorite is the first — by Chuck Williams himself. A whole chapter on “things” and what they are. And the recipes are really good — have cooked quite a few things from this book.

And shamelessly, I have many of the WS books — not bought at their retail outlets (too pricey for me) but at discounts. I’ve seen the book you mentioned and drooled over it — perhaps with your review I should just go ahead and get it!

I’m sure you don’t need that many cookbooks; donate some to me

You just sang to me. I don’t know how many cookbooks I own - but I have to sneak the Italian ones in… love Williams-Sonoma - I visit just to get rid of the winter blahs. I also read their catalogue for the recipes.

And the bread and macaroni and cheese are such a nice balm when the worls shakes its fist. It’s such a gentle answer.