So I have a small collection of cookbooks that I love flipping through every so often and every time I do, I think, “ooooooh I wanna try that!” and then I close them and put them back on the ledge where they live and go on my merry way, cooking the same rotation of recipes I default to because I’m “too busy” to try new stuff. And really, in all honesty, “too busy” is really code for “too lazy”. Which is rather ridiculous because it doesn’t take that much more effort to try new recipes!
So I decided enough was enough and I flipped through a few of my cookbooks and pulled 32 recipes I want to try out this fall. If we like them, they’ll become part of our rotation and if not, hey! we tried! I share this with you for three reasons:
- Turning this endeavor into a blog post gives me a layer of accountability that I need to make this actually happen
- I need to update my pantry and fridge staples and refresh my grocery habits. We don’t eat a lot of conventional, processed stuff but I could really stand to refine how I function in the kitchen. I want to eat more whole, clean foods and I need to get out of my cycle of wasting produce and not using the dry goods we buy because I got bored with them.
- If you need some inspiration to try some new recipes, I hope this will give you some motivation to either dust off your cookbooks, buy some new ones, or search Pinterest for dishes you think you and/or your family will love!
Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing what I’m cooking, how I’m buying and what I’m doing to refine my kitchen & grocery habits. I hope you’ll get some ideas from what I learn!

I pulled 4 of the cookbooks I tend to flip through the most. The first two I’ve used and the second two I haven’t used. I’m excited to dig into all of them!
1. Magnolia Table

I absolutely love this cookbook – it’s one of my favorites! I picked 8 that I can’t wait to try out this season:
8 from Magnolia Table –
- Overnight French Toast
- Country Potato Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- White Cheddar Soup
- Becki’s Mac & Cheese
- Creamy Squash Casserole
- Chicken & Dumplings
- Blackened Fish Tacos
2. Magnolia Table Vol. 2
The second Magnolia Table volume is just as good as the first and I chose 9 recipes to try this season:
9 from Magnolia Table Vol. 2 –
- Homemade Pizza Dough
- Homemade Noodles
- Braided Loaf
- Pretzels
- Blueberry Sweet Rolls
- French Lentil Soup
- Weeknight Salmon
- White Vegetable Lasagna
- Chewy Granola Bars
3. Love Real Food
This is another fantastic looking cookbook that I’ve flipped through several times but I haven’t actually made any of the recipes. They’re all vegetarian which is great because the hubs and I want to eat more plant based without using too many processed, fake meat subs. Whole and clean is what we’re going for when choosing plant based options.
The author of this cookbook, Kathryne Taylor, has a beautiful blog called Cookie + Kate and you can check it out here.
I’ve chosen 7 recipes from this book to try this season:
7 from Love Real Food –
- Fresh Taco Salad
- Kale and Quinoa Salad with Crisp Celery, Plumped Cranberries, and Lemon Dressing
- Green Goddess Kale Salad
- Tuscan White Bean, Kale, and Farro Stew
- Hearty Lentil Minestrone
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Quinoa-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
4. Love & Lemons Everyday
This cookbook has plant-forward recipes, none of which I’ve tried so I’m excited to dig into this too. The author of this book, Jeanine Donofrio, has a beautiful blog called Love & Lemons, as well as another cookbook appropriately called The Love & Lemons Cookbook. I chose 8 recipes to try this season:
8 from Love & Lemons Everyday –
- Loaded Butternut Squash Queso
- Coconut Soup with Sweet Potato & Kale
- Sheet Pan Squash Soup
- Vegan Potato, Leek & Artichoke Chowder
- Versatile Vegetable Lentil Soup
- Rosemary & Meyer Lemon Focaccia
- Broccoli Rabe & Burrata with Lemon
- Chocolate Cake with Sweet Potato Frosting
I’m really looking forward to doing more than just flipping through these beautiful books and actually doing more cooking this fall! Are there any cookbooks that you have that are collecting dust? Are there any recipes you want to try this fall season? Let me know in the comments!
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