May challenge - Kerri's Greatest Hits

Wow, is it May already? Robin - thanks for the last challenge. I don't feel like I participated as much as I would have liked...apparently we have a late growing season here. We are just NOW seeing berries stands pop up. But it was fun an interesting to see the combinations that everyone came up with!

For May, we will be doing a cookbook challenge and cooking from Kerri's Greatest Hits. I think everyone has a copy, but if you are reading this and don't have one, let me know!

The early, early editions of Kerri's Greatest Hits started when I was in college. I didn't cook as much as I do now, but there were some favorites: Worthy Cesar Salad, Thai Chicken, etc. As people I knew got married, I would give them copies of these recipes on note cards for a personal wedding gift. I was in college and poor, and it probably was a lame gift. I usually would get them a "real" gift for their shower.

After I started in the real world, my very good (ex?) friend Craig gave me a subscription to Cooking Light when the gift he wanted to get me didn't work out. That is when I really started cooking and I would cut out all the recipes I made and put them in a photo album. This was before digital cameras and you had to keep all your pictures in a photo album, circa 1999-2000. The following year was when I made the next version Kerri's Greatest Hits cookbook. I made copies of the recipes I had and again, put them in a photo album along with comments. I used this as a wedding/shower gift, and included a subscription to Cooking Light as a supplement. The book itself had come along way, but the recipes, to be honest, I don't make that much anymore. My apologies to those of you who have this early edition (KAJ, MOM).

These cookbooks were better received and I started to have more requests as more people got married. And MEL, I SWEAR I made you one of these early editions because you didn't want to wait until you got married! I made a bunch for Christmas presents that year (2001) and at this time, it was starting to beat me down. I think it was my (ex) friend Amy who suggested I have it bound instead of using the photo album method, and I think she got the first one of that version for her wedding. She apparently got it in the divorce. Oh well.

In my current system, I keep a file folder of all the recipes divided into their subsections. When it is time to make a new one, I take my stash and the photo album cookbook I am currently filling to a copy shop. I add new recipes, and take out old ones as I go, then have it bound. This process takes usually 2 hours and cost about 20 dollars.

The largest section...desserts, which is weird because I feel my dessert standards are highest. When trying a new recipe, it is usually very clear if it will make the book or not, but unfortunately, I end up with a lot of recipes in the book that I have only made once (white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, African chicken peanut soup). It happens just as often that I will make a recipe and not be wowed by it, but still go back to it over and over until it makes the cut (jam filled whole wheat almond muffins)(adobo flank steak). Some versions have comments "I made this for you!""Mark hates peanuts.", some have stars, but a lot of care goes into making all these books, so it means a lot that people enjoy them.

I will be using this challenge to cook my standard freezer meals, as my personal monthly challenge is to have a baby by May 31st!!