These are the six cookbooks I simply couldn't -- wouldn't -- live without!

Our Joy of Cooking has seen many a soil, it's like a badge of honor. This is the definitive cooking bible and no kitchen should be without it. I especially recommend it as a gift for newlyweds and recent graduates going off on their own because non-cooks can find plenty of simple recipes with simple instructions. Peppered steak recipe!

Puerto Rican Cookery is a handy reference for those days when my Latin blood awakens and demands comfort food with a little hot flair. It's a primal instinct that cannot be denied... It even includes a glossary of ingredients for gringos. Pumpkin fritters recipe!

Then there's the Penelope Casas' books… The Food & Wines of Spain is one of my favorite books ever. It reads like a culinary and cultural guide to Spain, so that it is interesting and fun to browse. The recipes are divine and I don't suggest going through the book on an empty stomach. Pork Roast Simmered in Milk recipe!

Ms. Casas is very helpful in suggesting simple methods -- where a recipe may require Herculean efforts that go beyond the casual cook's abilities -- and easy-to-get substitutions. Although she also offers mail order businesses that can provide some of the most esoteric ingredients.

Tapas are the Spanish equivalent of an appetizer and this book is chuck full of amazing little dishes! This book is perfect for those who enjoy throwing cocktail parties. Shrimp Al Ajillo recipe!

The Mafia Cookbook is the culinary equivalent of GoodFellas. It is full of sublime Italian cooking (mostly Sicilian treatments) and stories of a former gumba running with the bad boys, his fall from grace, subsequent trial and a bit on the aftermath as he looked over his shoulder waiting for the bullet that would end his good eatin' days for ratting out a former associate. Joe Doggs offers good food and spins a good story too. It's The Godfather with the munchies! Simple Fried (Lorretta's) Chicken recipe!