What's New? Part 2.

Oops! I nearly forgot about my anniversary presents! Yesterday was my 28th anniversary. My hub/ best friend sent me a lovely budding azalea and a cute little violet, which would've been quite enough really. We went to our favorite restaurant with two of our sons plus one girlfriend and shared appetizers and generally pigged out. It was a quiet, low-key, fun evening filled with conversation.

When I turned down my covers later, I discovered six wrapped books, which turned out to be these:

Hahahahaha! I need another cookbook like I need another book, in general.

Last week, I jokingly told my husband that I was giving him a cookbook for our anniversary. I do 99.9999...% of the cooking in our household. 99% of the time, I enjoy it immensely. It helps that the boys are appreciative eaters (as long as I don't serve vegetables and experiment too wildly). When I don't feel like cooking, we order in. Hence the hysterical laughter when I opened, What the F*@# Should I Make for Dinner?

It used to be that he would do the barbecuing and make the pancakes or french toast when we planned Sunday morning family breakfasts. Somehow, I've taken over those duties as well. I can't remember the last time he cooked. So, while I waited for a prescription to be filled in my local pharmacy, I browsed the gift section and discovered a cookbook entitled, One Pan, Two Plates, which, we almost are. He's all about simplicity, so I thought the cookbook might inspire him...

Back to the stack.

Three of the cookbooks are gluten-free cookbooks. I've been cooking gluten-free for the past five years, ever since #4 son was diagnosed with celiac disease. It helped that we weren't a family who ate many processed foods, so the transition was fairly seamless. All pastas and flours were replaced. G-free breads are served for son and the rest eat regular crusty breads but everything else is g-free. I did very well w/o any g-free cookbooks for four years as one really just needs to substitute the gluten ingredients in any regular recipe. But, last December, I broke down and purchased the cookbooks of the authors of a blog that I follow and discovered a few others that intrigued me. And now these. 

I will pull out the recipes that interest me and most likely pass the books on to son, who moved out of the dorm and into an apartment this year because his college does not offer enough g-free options and he came home last spring, um skeletal. He's in an apartment close to campus this year, has a Wegmans close by and a good friend who loves to cook and he's been experimenting in the kitchen. 

The fifth is called, Esquire: Eat like a Man. Hahahaha! So apt. Besides the cat, I am the only female in the house.

Finally, the last cookbook: Bride & Groom: first and forever cookbook - probably being returned although I love the romantic sentiment. It's a bit too basic for someone with 28+ years of cooking under her (expanding) belt.

I'm such a lucky gal.