Only $1.50? Are you kidding me?

One of the things we love to do on the weekends, if we have time, is go to yard sales or thrift stores. Yesterday while in Abbotsford we stopped at one of our favourite second-hand stores, Hidden Treasures. They are a great bunch of people there and we have gotten to know them quite well.

As I was approaching the book section I had an eery feeling that I was being watched. Sure enough, there I was being watched by me from a little green basket: Chef Dez on Cooking Volume Two. The price? Only $1.50.

This is not the first time this has happened where I find one of my books for sale second hand. The first thing I always do is check the inside cover to see if I signed it to someone. If no signature appears, then I know they bought it from an online bookstore. No real reason to do this, other than I am just curious to know its origin. This particular book was signed to "Jim & Rene".

Obviously my opinion is biased, I get that, but why would someone give up this book? Were they downsizing their cookbook collection? If so, then they probably never made some of the best recipes I have ever written that are in the pages of this book. If the book was there because they passed away, then I understand, but the person who had the sorrow filled job of going through their belongings obviously was too grief stricken to decide to keep this one book for themselves. I know, I know, my biased opinion is getting in they way again, but just please hear me out.

I have a huge collection of cookbooks myself. Some I have barely opened, but I have them there for inspiration if I need it. Never would I ever get rid of one of them without going through it in detail first. Ok, maybe I am being a bit over protective about one of my "babies" being tossed aside, because if I ever did get rid of a book from my collection I am sure the author would feel the same as I do. Regardless, there are so many recipes within the pages of this certain volume that are great and have made it into my "best of" cookbook, "The Best In Your Kitchen", with honours.

They are as follows: Colcannon, Dublin Coddle, Guinness Beef Stew, Guinness Cream Sauce, Guinness Sheherd's Pie, Hold My Chipotle Beer Pasta, Irish Soda Bread, Corn Date & Goat Cheese Salads, Greek Tabbouleh Salad, Grilled Potato Salad, Homemade Muesli, Lavendar Lemonade, Spicy Fennel Nuts, Cranberry Bread Pudding, Garlic Roasted Crab, Sweet Biscuits with Rum Flambeed Bananas, Grilled Meat Jambalaya, Mozza Stuffed Hamburgers, Peppered Cheese Bread, Pepper Steak Madagascar, Peach & Thyme Pork Chops, Tomato & Sausage Clams, Fiery Asian Grilled Pork Chops, Oven Roasted Tomato Soup, Easiest Mussels Recipe Ever, Drunken Pig, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Soft Polenta, Hop 'n Shrimp Gumbo, Minestrone, Banana Nut Muffins, Blueberry Bran Muffins, Ham and Cheddar Scones, Health Nut Pancakes, Popovers, Spiced Apple Loaf, Pineapple Salsa, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Bluberry Cobb Salad, Blueberry Bread Puddong, Blueberry Salsa, Grilled Blueberry Brie Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Vegetable Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette, Rack of Lamb with Blueberry Reduction, Beurre Blanc, Pan Seared Sage Scallops, Pasta with Butter Garlic & Cheese, Patricia's Mediterranean Chicken, Cheddar Sesame Crackers, Oatmeal Breakfast Bars, World's Best Cornbread, Pan Roasted Duck Breast with Red Wine Reduction, Pork Medallions in a Single Malt Pan Sauce, Louisiana Red Beans & Rice, Spanish Paella, and Cajun Grilled Flank Steak with Grits.

Wow, with a list that big you would think that would be all the recipes in this Chef Dez on Cooking Volume Two, but there are over 100 recipes in total in there. As I said, all the recipes above made it into "The Best In Your Kitchen" plus many more from my other volumes to make over 150 "best of" recipes.

Will someone please go rescue this book for only $1.50! If someone beats you to it, then please just do yourself, and your family, a favour and purchase a copy of "The Best In Your Kitchen" - you won't regret it.

Until next time... Happy Cooking!