Aussie Readers discussion

I thought I'd start this topic after a question by Dee-Ann in the top 5 Aussie books discussion. You can vote on your favourite Aussie Cookbooks in this following Goodreads Listopia list. Or just post your favourite recipe books here in this discussion.

All chat and ideas about Aussie food and lifestyle are welcome here!:)

Mandy,
The 21-day Wonder Diet: Lose Up to 10kg in Three Weeks.
It is listed in GR & I can confirm that it works. I lost 15 kilos (never felt hungry) and have kept the weight off for about a year. I now hover around 14 to 16 kilos depending on how good was the last weekend. When friends noticed my weight loss they bought copies of the book (wish I had commission)and they lost weight.
My wife & I followed the recipes for each day (21 days - each day was different) and we never felt hungry - three meals a day & a snack in the morning and in the afternoon. I did give up wine for the 21 days, but went back to evening meal wine consumption afterwards.
Some of the recipes are now in regular use because of the taste, nothing to do with weight loss.
Shortly before I started with the diet I was put on blood pressure tablets (we hadn't heard of the book at this time) - after I lost the weight I became dizzy so went back to see the quack & he took me off the tablets as my BP was normal due to the weight loss.
The only problem has been the expense of a complete set of new clothes for me - but at least I can now see my feet :-o)
cheers
Geoff

Geoff wrote: "Mandy,
The 21-day Wonder Diet: Lose Up to 10kg in Three Weeks.
It is listed in GR & I can confirm that it works. I lost 15 kilos (never felt hungry) and have kept the weight off for about a year. I..."

Good on you Geoff! ~ hurries off to buy book ~

A couple of years ago we tried the CSIRO Wellbeing diet books, as my other half is a bit overweight, cholesterol a bit high etc. The food was really good, but it was hard work in that it took an effort to find some of the ingredients here in Darwin and expensive, especially with five kids, some of whom are fussy eaters, and I either cooked two meals or put up with complaints. It was good however not having to decide what to eat each night, but in the ned I dreaded having to open the book.

I love the CSIRO cook book, it's easier to find ingredients in Sydney. I'm no longer following the diet (lost 10 kgs) we still cook quite a few of the recipes.

We had a few favourites too ... maybe I should revisit it, now the boys are older and my partner needs to lose weight again.

The book I added to the list was Day to Day Cookery. It was the textbook we used when I was doing home economics back in high school and I still have my old dog-eared, food stained copy all these years later. But my favourite cookbook is the original Australian Womens Weekly Cookbook. I have fond memories of Mum using it to cook and poring through the recipes myself as a young wife in the eighties.

I really love collecting recipes from other people and have scrapbooks filled with little notes in other people's handwriting as well as recipes I've discovered in books and magazines over the years.

My favourite Aussie cook would have to be Maggie Beer. I love her show The Cook and the Chef on the ABC.

I love Ben & Curtis. This is a favourite christmas gift choice.

Surfing the Menu

How many of you out there are interested in FOOD?? Lets get this thread going again too!!!

I use woman weekly cookbooks..hahaha

Do you?! There's a book called The 21-day Wonder Diet: Lose Up to 10kg in Three Weeks by Australian Women's Weekly which looks interesting!

Brenda wrote: "Do you?! There's a book called The 21-day Wonder Diet: Lose Up to 10kg in Three Weeks by Australian Women's Weekly which looks interesting!"

Ooo..I'll have a look!

Yeah, I think a good amount of cookbooks we own are from WW..lol But I can't find them listed here except for- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63...

My husband is a coeliac. I found it difficult to find easy to prepare dishes that are tasty and don’t require too many ingredients. I sister bought me a gluten free cookbook by Sue Shepherds and I loved it. The recipes are easy to follow and delicious....especially the cakes :)

Can't find her books listed on goodreads. Here's her link
http://shepherdworks.com.au/shop/cate...

Thanks for that information Mish! I'm sure there are many out there who have the same problem..:)

Here's another one I find interesting Changing Habits, Changing Lives by Cyndi O'Meara.

This is one I've used a lot over the years when I am in "my body is a temple" mode The Food Coach - Judy Davie. the hummus recipe is great.

When I am in the "OMG I've grown it now i need to eat it" mode I turn to Jackie French- How to Guzzle Your Garden or one of her many practical, hands dirty guides.

When I'm looking for a dinner party meal to impress, I'm more likely to select cooking goddess Maggie Beer Maggie's Table

Wow Deb, they sound like great books...thanks for sharing:)

These are both great books:
Belinda Jeffrey's 100 Favourite Recipes
and
Belinda Jeffrey's Tried-and-True Recipes

The lemon tart is to die for..ahahaha

Laura wrote: "These are both great books:
Belinda Jeffrey's 100 Favourite Recipes
and
Belinda Jeffrey's Tried-and-True Recipes

The lemon tart is to die for..ahahaha"

Oooh yum Laura!! My Mum made the best lemon tart in this world!!

Is there anyone out there who would love to share some of their delicious recipes, plus special cookbooks they cherish, and can't be without?

I am addicted to cookbooks. Always have been. The big hardcovers, with food-porn photography (for every recipe) that can and do sit on my coffee table for months on end. I’ve been thinking about this as I sit and wait for my Book Depository order to arrive with the cookbook I bought with some birthday money - Lands of the Curry Leaf : A vegetarian food journey from Sri Lanka to Nepal by Peter Kuruvita. I actually wanted two, but resisted ordering the other one so that when people ask me what I want for Christmas I will have something to suggest...

I’ve had this ‘problem’ for years and years. And they take up a lot of space, so I have to regularly cull them. Usually I try to get friends to re-home them for me rather than dropping them off for charity, because I inevitably go looking for them months later to revisit a particular recipe.

But that’s a funny thing about this addiction - I read them, but actually don’t cook from them very much.

My favourite cookbooks are those where the author includes a lot of themselves in the text; either anecdotes about researching the recipes, or family history with the recipes or cuisine.

Why is it that it is cheaper to buy this type of Australian-published cookbook from overseas than it is to buy locally? Something wrong there.

In Melbourne we are very lucky to have specialist bookshop Books for Cooks at Vic Market. I love to spend a lazy afternoon in there, browsing the shelves. I always feel a little thrill when I see that they have an obscure cookbook that I also have at home 😀

Andrea wrote: "I am addicted to cookbooks. Always have been. The big hardcovers, with food-porn photography (for every recipe) that can and do sit on my coffee table for months on end. I’ve been thinking about th..."

Andrea I am the same! I have loads of cherished cookbooks...and I'm slightly envious of your newest arrival...Spice cookbooks are amongst my favourites, but anything from the Commonsense Cookery book we used at school, and Country Women's cook books to the huge big glossies, I love them all!
I didn't know about that Bookshop in the Vic Markets and now have a new thing to tick off on my bucket list lol!

☼♄Jülie  wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I am addicted to cookbooks. Always have been. The big hardcovers, with food-porn photography (for every recipe) that can and do sit on my coffee table for months on end. I’ve been th..."

I went to school In Tasmania and we used Central Cookery Book. Because I am the second child, I used the copy that had been bought for my older sister, but it was always understood that it was her book. About 10 years ago I was visiting my parents and spotted a copy in the local newsagent, so I grabbed it! It’s my go-to for all the basics, despite the lack of stains and torn pages that my sister’s has.

Wow! Good on you for bumping this thread Andrea! Over 6 years since the last comment! Keep them coming :)

When I left home, Mum gave me a copy of the Commonsense Cookery Book. I still have it although it is falling apart. Like Andrea, I love to collect cook books but don't always cook from them. I have just heard that Broadsheet has released a cookbook so I'll be looking out for that - its Italian food. I op shop most of my cookbooks and current faves are the Pete Evans Pizza and Pete Evans Family Food ones. I have used both of these and his butter chicken recipe is fantastic. My best buy has been David Thompson's Thai Street Food for $4. I gave this to my sister and she was rapt as she had bought a copy for friends and it cost her around $70. Right now I am interested in making jams, pickles, chutneys and sauces and I bought a cute little pocket style book with 40 of these recipes in it. I love to bottle up these kinds of condiments and add a lovely label and some kind of decoration.

Diana wrote: "My best buy has been David Thompson's Thai Street Food for $4. I gave this to my sister and she was rapt as she had bought a copy for friends and it cost her around $70..."

What a bargain! I bought that one for my sister's birthday once, and I might even have paid more than that for it. Massive book though - it would barely fit on my kitchen bench.

I'm kind of interested in pickling too, but at the moment I'm into a long journey of perfecting my water kefir technique and flavours. One book I've bought on this - which I find quite good - is Probiotic Drinks at Home. It's given me some great flavour ideas.

Andrea wrote: "☼♄Jülie  wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I am addicted to cookbooks. Always have been. The big hardcovers, with food-porn photography (for every recipe) that can and do sit on my coffee table for months on..."

I have a cook book I bought in Tasmania many many years ago, it's packed away atm but I will look it up and post in here when I get it out again, it's a great little book that covers everything ;)

Last Monday my sister and I went to a Books for Cooks event celebrating Filipino food. My nephew is married to a Filipino-American girl so I bought the cookbooks for her. They are 7000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines by Yasmin Newman and I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook by Nicole Ponseca. We sampled some Filipino food including a very purple dessert.
Yesterday at the op shop I bought Topp Country: A Culinary Journey by Lynda and Jools Topp. I am a big fan of the Topp Twins and this book is a companion to their TV series exploring New Zealand food producers. I don't usually read cookbooks from cover to cover but I am halfway through this one and there are a lot of recipes I am going to try.

Sounds like you had a fun few hours Diana :)