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The best cookbooks for home cooks

These are the best cookbooks for home cooks! These are the cookbooks I use most often to keep my family fed and happy without (too many) complaints.

The Comfortable Kitchen by Alex Snodgrass is one of the newest in my collection, and it's already risen to one of my favorite cookbooks.

Must try recipes:
- One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta (p. 90)
- Texas Tamale Pie (p. 120)
- Juicy Indoor Burger with Burger Sauce (p. 133)

105 Laid-Back, Healthy, Wholesome Recipes

Cook Once Dinner Fix by Cassy Joy Garcia makes cooking a breeze! The premise is that you can cook extra ingredients on day 1 to use for meals on days 1 and 2.

Must-try recipes:

- Barbecue Chicken Casserole With Sweet Potato (p.30)
- Dry-Rubbed BBQ Brisket With Zesty Cabbage Slaw (p. 88)
- Mongolian Beef Bowls (p. 93)

Cook Once Dinner Fix: Quick and Exciting Ways

Cook Once Eat All Week by Cassy Joy Garcia is a cookbook worth having on your shelf. It's got 26 weeks of gluten-free and affordable meals that you can prep to make your week easier.

Must-try recipes:

- Buffalo Turkey Casserole (p. 108) (We use chicken.)
- Taco Casserole (p. 120) *This a a Piccoli-house extra favorite that goes in the rotation a lot.*
- Barbacoa-Stuffed Poblanos (p.194)

Cook Once, Eat All Week: 26 Weeks of Gluten-Free

The Defined Dish cookbook by Alex Snodgrass is full of easy and delicious recipes.

Must-try recipes:

- One-Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice (p. 68)
- Black Pepper Chicken (p. 76) *A huge Piccoli family favorite!
- Thai Basil Beef (p. 79)
- Mongolian Beef Stir Fry (p. 95)

The Defined Dish's Amazon Page

The Skinnytaste Simple Cookbook from Gina Homolka contains easy and healthy recipes with 7 ingredients or fewer. And they taste great too!

Must-try recipes:

- Skillet Andouille Sausage with Potatoes and Vegetables (p. 145)

- One-Pot Chicken Sausage Pasta (p. 149) * a Piccoli family favorite. We do use regular pork sausage for this one.

- Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken Bowls (p. 170)

Skinnytaste Simple: Easy, Healthy Recipes

Tavern on the Green cookbook by Jennifer Oz LeRoy and Kay LeRoy is a cookbook I pull out when I have a special occasion. The recipes are from the famous restaurant in NYC.

There's only one main recipe I use in this book, but it's one that we use often for Sunday lunch:

- Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Sauce (p. 115)

There are plenty of other awesome recipes in this book like:

- Roasted Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops (p. 143)
- Steak Au Poivre with Blue Cheese Butter (p. 182)

Tavern on the Green: 125 Recipes For Good Times

How to Cook Like a Top Chef is a great book for special occasions. If you've ever watched the show Top Chef, these recipes come right from the contestants.

There is one main recipe I make all the time that makes this whole book worth it:

- Hubert Keller's Mac and Cheese (p.39)

I've made it so many times the page is splattered with butter and cheese. This is a big-time family favorite!

How to Cook Like a Top Chef

The Slimming Foodie by Pip Payne offers hearty meals with lower calories. If you want a meal that sticks to your ribs, but you don't want the extra grease and fat, you will love this book.

Must-try meals:
- Zesty Chicken & Chorizo Paella (p. 69)

- Chili Mac 'N Cheese (p.74)

- Warm Spiced Squash & Pumpkin Seed Salad (p. 81)

The Slimming Foodie: Healthy, Hearty Meals

The Bon Appetit cookbook by Barbara Fairchild is one that I come back to often. It's a huge book full of recipes, and I don't think you can ever run out of ideas with this one!

Must-try recipes:

• Pasta with sausage, bell peppers, and basil (p. 206)
•Flourless peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies (p. 698)
• Gingerbread waffles (p. 41)

The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fairchild, Barbara

Power Foods is a cookbook from the editors of Whole Living Magazine. It has loads of easy recipes with the healthiest foods.

Must-try recipes:
• Sweet potato hummus (p. 95) *this is one of my personal favorite recipes!

• Open-faced tomato sandwiches with herbs and creamy tofu spread (p. 122)

•Paprika shrimp with walnuts (p. 231)

Power Foods: 150 Recipes with the 38 Healthiest...

Everyday Food Light is cookbook from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. It features hundreds of easy recipes that are all under 500 calories.

Must-try recipes:
• Baked fennel with parmesan and thyme (p. 100) *this is a family favorite

• Chicken Posole (p. 285)

• Salmon with brown sugar-mustard glaze (p. 173)

Everyday Food: Light: Quick & Easy Recipes

The Healthiest Meals on Earth by Jonny Bowden is an oldie but a goodie on my cookbook shelf. It includes recipes with the healthiest ingredients on the planet. And they're delicious too!

Must-try recipes:

- Baby spinach salad with fresh raspberries (p.58)

- Striped bass with sun-dried tomato and kalamata paste (p. 142)

- Persian-style chicken with walnut, onion, and pomegranate sauce (p. 182)

The Healthiest Meals on Earth: Unbiased Truth

Radically Simple by award-wining chef Rozanne Gold contains 325 easy and delicious recipes. Back in the day, I had a website called The Cooking Rookie, and Rozanne was kind enough to leave me comments on my blog!

Must-try recipes:

- Apple cider cucumbers (p. 64)

- Pasta cooked in a bottle of wine (p. 119)

- Roasted brussels sprouts with medjool dates (p. 259) *this one turned my dad from a brussels sprouts hater to a believer!

Radically Simple: Brilliant Flavors, 325 Recipes

The Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals cookbook by Mark Sisson is a great one to have, even if you don't follow the Paleo diet. It's got easy, healthy and delicious meals for anyone.

Must-try recipes:

- Nutty blueberry protein balls (p. 3) * I used to make these for my kids all the time when they were little. I used chocolate chips instead of blueberries, but they were so good and satisfying!

- Arugula and blueberry salad with raspberry vinaigrette (p. 51)

- Vegetable coconut stew (p. 113)

The Primal Blueprint Cookbook: Primal, Low Carb