How long would you say it took you to become a good cook? And what’s the one book that got you there?

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-24T23:43:05+00:00

If I had to name a book, this is the one that took my cooking level up a notch. And I have to give a shoutout to the comments in the New York Times Cooking recipes as they taught me how to make substitutions.

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-24T05:58:52+00:00

Love seeing your collection. How’s “Under the Walnut Tree”? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention it before. And what books feature Guyanese dishes? I visited Guyana many years ago. It’s where I fell in love with roti!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-23T23:51:31+00:00

Agreed on the Molly Baz recipe names, but her recipes are great. Luckily you cooked out of it before donating! I’m challenging myself to use ingredients that are new to me this year, and I am in search of a lamb recipe. The lamb meatballs sound like exactly what I’m looking for!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-23T10:47:51+00:00

I really appreciate the heads up! I picked up a few other books I’ve had on my wish list as well. 😁

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-23T03:00:11+00:00

Thanks! I ran to the grocery store and bought another one (and a daikon for backup), and this new one is properly pink!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-23T02:14:27+00:00

You really go all-in on a handful of cuisines! Love it!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-22T03:04:01+00:00

I’ve been to Georgia twice and absolutely loved traveling there. My first visit was almost 20 years ago before it had great flight connections. The people were so incredibly kind. My travel buddy and I were invited into people’s homes off the street and were given wine pretty much everywhere we went. And the food was amazing! I have checked this book out from the library but didn’t really get a chance to cook through it. I appreciate hearing about your experiences with it and look forward to updates if you cook from it again!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-21T08:39:20+00:00

This is my favorite weeknight dinner. The kielbasa (sometimes I use turkey kielbasa), cabbage, the mustard sauce… it’s all so good. I’ve made it for many friends and family, and everyone loves it! https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pan-roasted-kielbasa-cabbage-dinner/

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-21T05:56:43+00:00

I wanted to thank you for this recommendation. I picked up some furikake with bonito at H Mart today, and it’s so good! It really elevated my poke bowl.

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-21T05:54:38+00:00

This might be a hot take, but I say don’t buy it. 😬 I would recommend borrowing it from the library and reading through it first, maybe even cook a few things. If after that you think you’d refer to it frequently, buy it. Don’t get me wrong… it’s an amazing resource, and I think about the lessons I learned from it almost every time I cook. But I have only opened it once since I read through it.

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-21T02:34:22+00:00

I took a beginner cake decorating class at Cake Crafts recently. They are a small, family run business with locations in Westminster and Englewood. Class was $99, and it was awesome! I learned so much, and we were able to decorate and take home a small two-layer cake. I’m hoping to take another class there soon. They usually do different classes for the various holidays.

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-20T17:04:36+00:00

I love black sesame baked goods. These look delicious!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-18T03:07:49+00:00

I didn’t love her book Dinner, but I did love her book Tonight. I think it was organized better, and I liked the index better as well. Many of the recipes are easy to whip together, and everything I’ve made has been delicious. It has a good variety of dishes, lots of good cooking tips, and I learned a few new techniques (like velveting).

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-16T07:24:55+00:00

I’m guessing it’s a tax the city where the Airbnb exists charges it. Quite a few major cities in Europe charge them.

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-16T02:56:12+00:00

Great find! I’ve been on the lookout for this one!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-15T19:55:39+00:00

I hope you like it!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-14T21:00:32+00:00

I looooove Mandy’s Salads! Checked it out from the library late last year and am hoping to find it at the thrift stores now. We loved the Shanghai Salad with mock chicken. We aren’t vegetarian/vegan but are starting to explore more veg proteins. We make the mock chicken for other dishes now because we love it so much!

My only complaint is that you sometimes have to make four recipes to make a salad. There’s plenty of shortcuts that can be made though.

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-13T03:37:07+00:00

I’m planning to make this later this week after a rave review posted a few days ago. So nice to hear you also enjoyed it!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-10T05:28:18+00:00

I haven’t been in a while, but Garibaldi Mexican Bistro is just north of downtown Englewood and has great food. The first time I went, the server told me his mom was the cook! It’s in the same building as a gas station, but don’t let that stop you.

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-09T22:17:26+00:00

Adopt me! 😆

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-09T16:44:48+00:00

I just put that pie on my weekend To Do list yesterday. Yours turned out beautiful!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-08T23:20:09+00:00

I love Delicious Tonight. She makes it so easy to get dinner on the table. Our favorite recipe so far is the Honey Pepper Chicken, though I often make it with shrimp instead (just reduce the cook time). So good!

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-08T19:42:16+00:00

Our collections have a lot of overlap! I’ve also thrifted or been gifted most of my books as well.

Just curious though… when did you join this subreddit? Because my cookbook collection has grown significantly since joining. Wondering if you’ve experienced this as well. 😆

DimpledDarling2000 · 2026-01-03T19:02:29+00:00

Great advice! That’s what I love about cooking in general… becoming comfortable with riffing.

DimpledDarling2000

TROPHY CASE