Chicago is experiencing a heatwave today... so to cool down and stay out of the kitchen, I met up with some friends from my Chicago Cooks & Bakers group for a Cookbook Swap & Exchange.Up until the 18th century cookbooks were used by the wealthy only. Their servants were not supposed to know how to read a cookbook, so the mistress of the household would read the directions as the servant prepared the mixture. Later, cookbooks were written with the middle class in mind and they began turning up in more homes. For the home cook and chef today, the problem many times is not how to make an unfamiliar dish but which cookbook or recipe to use to make it.

It was a good turnout with 5 of us and several cookbooks to choose from... with even a few more to recycle at the next cookbook swap. Here are some pics from the event:I came home with some great cookbooks I'm looking forward to trying recipes from: