October 1, 2011: Cookbooks Are For More Than Just Recipes

Welcome to October! Are you ready for this month that epitomizes autumn? I love it when the mornings are crisp, the days are short and warm, and in the evenings a faint hint of wood smoke wafts through the air. Plus, October means we’re just one month closer to my very favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving!

October is a busy month when it comes to celebrating things. October is, among other things, National Cookbook Month, National Cookie Month, National Pasta Month, National Apple Month and National Dessert Month. In honor of all these food-related celebrations, the bog this month will be focusing on the above mentioned items.

Just some of my collection of vintage (and new) cookbooks.

Let’s start with cookbooks. What can you do to honor your cookbooks this month? For one thing, you can use them for more than just great recipes. Personally, I collect cookbooks – the older, the better. Some of them have some really super graphics on the cover, which makes them perfect for displaying in a prominent place. In fact, at this time of year, I put my cookbooks out turned to the appropriate pages that show off Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. There’s just something warm and homey about a kitchen that is full of cookbooks.

My fall display of cookbooks on the kitchen counter top. The little teapot actually holds sugar (my husband uses LOTS of sugar in his coffee).

Here’s a quick decorating idea: Take several pretty cookbooks and prop them in a corner on the kitchen counter top; use an old coffeepot or vintage appliance as a bookend.

I put these large cookbooks in a corner of the counter because they're pretty - and they're green, just like my kitchen!

If you’re not too attached to your cookbooks, you can also remove some of the pages with the best pictures and frame them as artwork for your kitchen. If you’re really ambitious, you could compile a whole stack of beautiful cookbook pages and decoupage them on an entire wall of your kitchen.

And finally, cookbooks can be the theme of a party. Why not get together with your friends and do a cookbook exchange/tea party? Use recipe cards for invitations. Serve different types of hot tea or cocoa along with appetizers to munch on while everyone looks over the offerings. If you don’t have enough cookbooks in your collection, a quick trip to the thrift or used book store and a few dollars will instantly add to your inventory!

Happy National Cookbook Month!