Best of The Best 500 Fast & Fabulous Five Star 5-Ingredient Recipes

I am currently working on my collection of the Best of the Best state cookbooks by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley and am only about 1/4 of the way through the states, mainly collecting those where I have so far lived, or have received as gifts during cookbook swaps.  Not even being halfway through the list however finds me wishing for more states in the US besides just 50.  I love the concept of a grouping of cookbooks and then recipes from within cookbooks that these two ladies have found for us, but with only 50 states in the USA, there probably won't be many more of these unless we see some second volumes coming out and that would be o.k. with me!  

I should not worry with Gwen and Barbara in the kitchen as they will continue to find plenty more cookbooks and recipes  to edit and develop for us hungry cookbook collectors and recipe testers.   After researching, editing and cooking for more than thirty years, they were bound to come up with new ideas for new cookbooks and that one of them should be for easy and few ingredients was almost a no-brainer for them, I'm sure.

We were delighted just a few years ago when "Beyond Grits and Gravy" appeared and now I've received a copy of "500 Fast and Fabulous Five Star 5 Ingredient Recipes".   The good thing is that there are MORE than 500 recipes, the better thing is that they are easy, and the best thing is that each recipe requires only 5 ingredients.

There seems to be a "5" theme to this cookbook -- not only in the title but throughout the cookbook.  I didn't expect to read anything about the Pentagon in a cookbook, but it has five sides so there is a short description as well as photo of it on the page with recipes for "Classic Cheese Straws" and "Crisp Criss-Cross Cheese Wafers". On page 63 with recipes for "Enchilada Soup" is a definition of "High Five" -- a celebratory gesture made by two people, each raising one hand to slap the raised hand of the other.  What a fun and interesting theme they have chosen to include here.

The recipes are easy and delicious and I'm delighted to find one for "Peanut Butter Cornflake Candy" since it was a favorite of mine in my teen years.  Other favorites I'm happy to see included are "Lemon Jell-O Cake" and "Apricot Nectar Cake".  

What a fun cookbook this is turning out to be!  HIGH FIVE to Barbara Moseley and Gwen McKee on their latest "Best of the Best 500 Fast & Fabulous Five Star 5 Ingredient Recipes".  They do know how to pick winners! 

Portia's Little Cookbooks

Portia Little's Cookbooks

These little gems are great and you should have a set of them in your collection!  Portia Little is very creative with her little cookbooks and while they are fun to read, they are also of a practical size that you can easily carry along to the grocery store, tucked away in your purse.

Hello and Welcome!

I've shared my cookbook collecting thoughts with hundreds of cyber friends for the past 8-1/2 years at a yahoogroup called CookbooksEtCetera.  We've had fabulous cookbook reviews, e-published several cookbooks of our own, and even met up occasionally at mini-conventions and regional gatherings.  

While we are currently meeting up with each other at smaller regional gatherings all over the US, there is a bigger event coming in October 2009 in Kansas City, MO.  The occasion will be the celebration of our 10th birthday as a cookbook collectors group and it will be a BIG Birthday Bash complete with birthday cake and ice cream!  More details to follow, but if you are a true collector of all things cookbook, you may want to join us and experience the fun of getting together over cookbooks!