I love to cook and could easily spend days (and thousands) in kitchen supply stores! My husband just shakes his head when he gets dragged along, watching me pick up a skillet and declare it "gorgeous!" I have a wish list of new cookbooks that I can't wait to add to my drawer of recipes. I love my old favourites though... Two are extra special!

Growing up I spent a lot of time down the street at my adopted grandma's house. The majority of the time was spent in the garden or the kitchen. I felt so grown up as she taught me to bake ( and I really loved helping without my siblings). She was a true lady who stopped everything at 4pm to have tea, complete with cookis, cake, cheese, and the list went on. In the last year of her life she began to ask the people close to her what they wanted to remember her by. I told her I wanted her Cranbrook cookbook that she used on a daily basis. She laughed and pulled out her jewelry box instead. After she passed away, her family packed up her things and had an auction sale. The day of the sale, I hunted through boxes of books and it wasn't to be found. I gathered a bunch of my mom's friends and explained what I was looking for. Towards the end of the day, nobody had seen it. I was ready to go home...Auction sales suck when you know the person and the stories attached to items! A box of random items was being auctioned and a neighbour with eagle eyes spotted the cookbook! Its not the prettiest cookbook in my drawer-the cover is ripped and the pages are stained with vanilla and butter. But its the best for winter cooking! Its filled with recipes that smell like winter at grandma's. My favourites are the Christmas Cake and the Maple Syrup Tarts!

My other familiar cookbook is one Mom got me when I got married. Its an old Mennonite cookbook that was always in Mom's cupboard! Tina and I both got a copy when we got our own places. I love the cookbook, but the first time I used it, it felt so wrong...It was odd flipping through it and not seeing notes scribbled in the margins. Mom's copy has notes throughout... "reduce sugar, increase bake time, etc" Now after 5 years, I've started to add my own scribbles. It'll take some time to catch up to Mom though! I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait to see my little girl's opinions added to my book.

BTW if you've never checked out The Naptime Chef's blog, you are missing out!!! I've loved her site for awhile now. Check out her recipe for Dirty Blondies! Its a huge favourite in our house and it gets me through PMS like non-other...Who needs Midol! She's funny and I love that she has a plan for her food and her day! I'm jealous!!!