Cookbooks...

So, my boyfriend wants me to cook for him. That isn't a problem. The PROBLEM is that when I ask what he wants me to cook, he says, "I don't know, food." So my question is...how do you figure out what to cook every night if you not given any input???? Should I get a cookbook for some ideas?? Which ones are good ones?? What do you guys do in this situation???

Cookbooks do help, but I only refer to them on certain occassions.

If B does know what he wants, I'll cook what I want then. Or I run through a list of ideas until something sounds good.

Cookbooks are a great way to find interesting new things to fix, so I like to keep several around. But my favorite one is one that I got as a wedding gift from my Grandmother. It is old as God's own ancient dirt, stained and torn, but it has basic, inexpensive, everyday-sort of meals that real people eat in their real homes at their real dinner tables. Some of the recipes I see out there now nearly require you to be a professional chef! (Does anyone ~really~ work successfully with frozen phyllo dough??????).

You might check around with the older women in your family to see if anyone has an older book with basics in it for you to use as a starting point. You might find your guy is one of those ones who will eat just about anything you fix so after meals, ask if "this one is a keeper". He will let you know if he likes it or not and if not, then by all means, don't waste the time, effort or money to make it again.

Your BF sounds like mine my cooking leaves something to be desired most of the time. I went out and bought a cookbook called vegetarian cooking for dummies. I figure if he wants me to cook he can eat what I like

I love cookbooks. The best ones I think are the fund raiser cookbooks that schools, churches and other people put togher. They tend to have real everyday type recipes.

*shameless plug*

I have found that the best cookbooks are ones that a variety of people contribute to and share their favorite recipes...such as the TCS Cookbook that we're working on the second edition of. Seriously, the first Cooking with Cat-itude has such great recipes in it, and I hope more people will contribute (hint, hint ) to the second one (see the sub-forum of the Lounge to contribute).

*end of shameless plug*

OK without trying to sell the TCS cookbook, honestly it really is the ones made up from contributions from real people that I think are the best, like Sheila just said. From church groups, PTA, school groups, or TCS it's always the tried and true recipes that end up in there. They are usually recipes that contain ingredients that you already have on hand (to add to Gaye's comment - who HAS frozen phyllo dough when you're trying to think of something to make at 6:00 at night??), and are usually as good as any of the fancy schmancy recipes.