Okay, I'm relatively good about the amount of cookbooks I keep in my home. There's one I've had for over 20 years which is my favorite. The reason being is that my mother gave it to me when I first got married...that was prior to the Internet being a household word.

Another favorite of mine was one that was created after my grandmother died. My mother and one of my sisters copied all of her recipes down and put it together in a book for all of us. It makes me think of my grandmother and makes me laugh at her never ending quest to find the perfect crab cake (she had this problem with people not getting the ratio of back fin crab meat and breadcrumbs right...oh, and I should say she was from Maryland so people understand the obsession).

My most recent favorite is from Libbie Summers who wrote The Whole Hog Cookbook. Now, I, for one, would be the first to admit I've not done a lot with pork due to the lack of ideas. Libbie's book not only has great ideas and recipes, but it could be put on your coffee table because the pictures are so beautiful that they should be framed. I love the whole style of it because it's a combination of art and food...two things I love.

How many cookbooks do you own? What's your "go to" cookbook? Do you prefer newer methods of looking at cookbooks to eliminate having a collection (such as using a reader like Nook or Kindle)?

I find that as much as I love my Nook for some things....I just like an "old fashioned" cookbook when I'm in the kitchen.

What's your favorite cookbook, and why does it hold a special place in your heart?

I love the idea of a family reunion cookbook! I think everyone should incorporate that idea for family reunion planning!

I have a cookbook I created of my own recipes I have gathered over the years and stories to go with them about where I got the recipe. It is all my favorite and time tested recipes. If I didn't like it, it doesn't go in my cookbook.

Thank you Pamela, I remember attending a benefit for someone with cancer here in town-there were raffles and I won a basket with about 10 cookbooks-some of them were church pot-luck books. I was amazed at the variations and variety in those books :) Also, when I go to the check out lane in a grocery store I can't help but pick up one of those small paper bound cookbooks-they are lightweight and convenient and usually have seasonal recipes. It is neat that you and Gayle have created your own cookbooks-I am getting there! Thanks again for the compliments.

I once had about twenty cookbooks but then I became homeless and all of my books - no matter what the topic - were lost. So today I have just a few - The Williamsburg [VA] Cookbook, The Alpha and the Omega of Greek Cooking, Gourmet's Old Vienna Cookbook, and a newer Betty Crocker that I bought in recent years. Also, my alma mater - Duquesne University's - School of Public Health published a Healthy Eating Cookbook. And my Church published a local cookbook from recipes donated by parishioners.

In all honesty, though, my own cookbooks [2 of them] are the ones that I use most. These are based on meals that I have developed for Meals on Wheels, as well as recipes for this Cooking Contest. There are more tha 150 such Meals and recipes. I also have have Seasons 1 and 2 of this cooking series, but I am ashamed to admit that I do not have any of Paul Deen's cookbook.