The Basics - my basic recipe book

I've had a goal to write a recipe book for many years. One Christmas I did one for all my siblings called "Enjoy". It had a few of the recipes that I liked at that time and was printed on my home printer. I can remember the cover - it was a black card with the word Enjoy written in gold card on top. I think some of my family members used it for a while. Sadly I didn't do a copy for myself and have long since changed computers......

Many ideas for books have come and gone over that time. One idea I got when my daughter moved into her own home and started cooking was to write a book dedicated to beginning cooks - with a title like "help mum, how do I cook this....". Another idea was to write a seasonal book - working through a year and cooking based on what was growing in my garden (I still like this one....)

Then late last year, I decided that I wanted to write one with some of the recipes I do all the time. This would be a record for me, but also to hand out to my kids as they are all starting to get into the cooking from scratch principle. I had decided on an ebook, so that it could be on a mobile device and able to be used anywhere. It's taken me a while to sort through what I wanted to put in and what wasn't really necessary or useful, but I've finally done it!

I've called it "The Basics" as it is a compilation of my basic staples. Things I cook often or if not often, seasonally.  This is a list of the contents:

Table of Contents

Introduction

Bone Broth

Seasoned Salt

Feta (and Quark) Cheese

Grain Free Toasted Muesli

Fritters

Vegetable Slice

Sourdough

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Wraps/tortillas

Sourdough Seedy Crackers

Pizza Base/Flat Bread

Tortillas or Roti

Seedy Crackers

Mayonnaise

Mustard

Salad Dressings

Basic Salad Dressing

Yoghurt Salad Dressing

Pickling, Fermenting, Preserving

Pickled Beetroot

Whole Beetroot Ferment

Sauerkraut

Kimchi

Tomatoes

Tomato Sauce (ketchup)

Chocolate

Cacao Bites

About the Author, Lucy House

Reference Materials and Links:

I used a program called Blurb to design an actual ebook, but have not been happy with it, so have decided to settle for a PDF format for distribution. You should be able to save this on your phone/tablet (iBooks for Apple users, but not sure for Android). You can click on one of the links below to download using google drive or drop box.

I have used my own photos. I haven't included nutritional information. I occasionally included the  number of serves.  I have recipe tested but as I often change things around, I encourage you to do the same. Change and adapt however you want. It's not a professional, glossy publication. It's raw. It's Basic.

I decided not to actually charge anything for this book. I did contemplate it, as I thought I could then put the money towards my next book - maybe I'd engage a photographer for that one!

I really want people to use the book. Have a go at making more things from scratch. Be prepared to spend a little more time in the kitchen. Plan how you can incorporate the recipes into your everyday life.

However, if you find that the recipes are useful and you feel that there is some value for you, please consider to "Pay as you Feel".  The bank details to do this are at the end of the recipe book, so if you get to the end and you are so inclined, you can direct deposit a small contribution. This will be greatly appreciated!

Links for Google Drive or Dropbox:

Google Drive - The Basics

For an iPhone/iPad: After opening in the app, click on the 3 dots up the top left hand corner, scroll down to "open in" and select iBooks.

Drop Box - The Basics

For and iPhone/iPad: After opening in the app, click on the 3 dots and select "Export" and then "Copy to iBooks.

For Android, you'll have to work it out yourself, sorry.

And after all this, I hope you can access it and if not let me know and I'll have another crack at it! But most of all,

Enjoy......