While established cooks might scoff, cooking with recipes is the best way you can learn how to cook.  All you have to do is find a recipe and follow the directions.  Yes, you will make mistakes, but each time you work your way through a recipe you learn more about cooking.  It is a hands-on approach that I personally find fun and the results can be impressive.

Each installment of Cooking with Books will feature a different cookbook from my personal collection.  I select several recipes—preferably one from each chapter—to prepare, then feature them here along with my thoughts.  The recipes I provide are not necessarily the same as the one you will find in the book.  The recipes here reflect how I prepared the recipe in my own words.  Think of this as an in-depth review of the featured cookbook.

If you like what you see in this post, be sure to pick up the book Mama Dip’s Kitchen for much, much more.

My family fell in love with Mama Dip’s cooking several years ago during a road trip to New Orleans.  We passed through Research Triangle in North Carolina along the way and stopped by Mama Dip’s restaurant in Chapel Hill for dinner.  We were greeted by Mama Dip’s grandchildren and Mama Dip herself was sitting at the front of the store (her real name is Mildred Council).  This was simple southern soul food at its best.

Hushpuppies (page 35)

#recipe: Hushpuppies: mix 1cp cornmeal, 1tbsp baking powder, 1tsp salt, 0.5cp flour, 2tbsp chppd onions, egg, 0.75cup buttermilk. Fry (8/10)

— Steve’s Notebook (@stevesnotebook) May 5, 2015

  You have to eat these fresh out of frying. They aren’t as good reheated or cold.

Chicken and Rice Casserole (page 65)

#recipe: Chckn & Rice Casserole: cook 1cp celery, 0.5cp onion, 3# chckn, 3cp rice. +1.5cp chckn broth, 2cp cheddar. Bake 375 30 mins (10/10) — Steve’s Notebook (@stevesnotebook) May 5, 2015

The whole family (including a 3 year old and a 5 year old) loved this dish

Hamburger Casserole (page 91)

#recipe: Hambrgr Cssrole: cook 2#grnd beef, 0.5cp onion, salt, 0.5cp sr crm, Wrcstrshr sauc. Top w/msh potato, chddr. Bake 375 20mins (9/10)

— Steve’s Notebook (@stevesnotebook) May 5, 2015

This dish may be a bit too much meat for anyone but meat-lovers

Collard Greens (page 138)

#recipe: Collard Greens: cook 1# collard greens, 1cp ham pieces, 1tbsp veg oil, 2cp water, 1tsp salt for 45 minutes (8/10) — Steve’s Notebook (@stevesnotebook) May 6, 2015

It’s good for you!

Rice Casserole (page 145)

#recipe: Rice Cssrle: cook 0.5c celry, 0.5c onion, 2tbs buttr, 1cp mushrm. Mx w/2c wild rice, 1c rice, 1.5c cheddr. Bake 350 15mins (10/10)

— Steve’s Notebook (@stevesnotebook) May 6, 2015

So good we made it twice in one week. We will add this to the family dinner rotation.

Buttermilk Pound Cake (page 173)

#recipe: Bttrmlk # Cake: beat 16T buttr, 3c sugr, 5 egg, 1c bttrmlk, 3c flr, 0.5t bkngSda, 1t slt, 1t vnila, 1t lmnXtrct. Bake350 1hr (8/10) — Steve’s Notebook (@stevesnotebook) May 6, 2015

Just like the store-bought pound cakes

Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 212)

#recipe: ChocChp Ckies: mx 8T bttr, 1c dkBrnSgr+sgr, egg, t vnila, 1½c flr, 2T ccoa, ½t bkngSda, ½t slt, 1½c chcChp+pecn. Bk375 10mn (10/10)

— Steve’s Notebook (@stevesnotebook) May 6, 2015

Another one that was so good that we made it twice in one week. My family is still asking for me to make these cookies again!

 

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