Every day that I've posted on here, I've gone back and forth all day long about what I should write about for the day. Today was no exception. I came up with an idea while reading in bed last night and I was all set to write on it today.
Then I made dinner.
Tonight I made one of Jon's favorite meals: hamburger stroganoff. Not the Hamburger Helper kind. I made a recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook. I also made Jon a belated birthday cake (his birthday was a week ago today and I wasn't feeling well enough on his birthday to make one then). The cake and frosting recipes were also from this cookbook.
Why would I think to share the Betty Crocker cookbook with you? I mean, who doesn't know that there's a Betty Crocker cookbook out there? It's not like it's some hidden treasure I found buried in a bookstore. It's just a plain-old Betty Crocker cookbook.
Well, I have had this cookbook since I moved out of my parent's house when I was 19. I didn't know how to cook at all, and the recipes were pretty easy to follow. I've also always been a pretty picky eater (although I've gotten much better since becoming a "grown-up") and the recipes aren't exactly gourmet. I could easily find the ingredients that I needed in any grocery store. There's also plenty of pages of how-to's with pictures that have helped me out many times and an easy-to-navigate index (believe it or not, some cookbooks have indexes that make it very difficult to find what you're looking for).
I've acquired several other cookbooks over the years. Nothing exciting though. Just your Better Homes & Gardens, Joy of Cooking, and Good Housekeeping. Still, none of them measure up to my beloved Betty. You see, the thing is, even though I can cook now (pretty well too, I might add), and even though my tastes have "graduated", I still like knowing that I can find easy to follow recipes that have withstood the test of time. I'm also comfortable enough now that I can change the recipes to suit my mood (such as adding more of an ingredient that I really like, omitting ingredients that I dislike, doubling recipes, and even combining some recipes with similar ones from other cookbooks to get the best of both worlds).
I would highly recommend this cookbook for anyone who has never cooked, baked, or is afraid to even try. If it could work for me, it can definitely work for you!
Here are a couple of links if you're interested in purchasing one. They even give you the ability to "peek" inside to see what some of the book looks like.
The 1998 edition that I have: http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crockers-Cookbook-Crocker-Editors/dp/0028630092/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1302660333&sr=8-12
The 2005 newest edition: http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crocker-Cookbook-Everything-Today/dp/0764568779/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302660333&sr=8-1
Does anyone else have a favorite cookbook that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about it! :)
Blessings to everyone!
P.S. Don't worry, I will definitely write about my first idea on another day!
This cookbook does sound good. I have the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, but may have to purchase this one. Do you just replace the ingredients with organic? I am also curious about some of the organic meals that you make! I am slowly working my way in that direction. :)
ReplyDeleteI do replace ingredients with organic, but you can do that with any recipe. I really don't have any special "organic" recipes. I just substitute organic ingredients (like I already said - duh, Gen!). I do have a blog to refer you to that my friend has. She's a nutritionist and posts recipes once a week for healthy meals. http://mealsatmyhouse.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteHope this helps! :)
Thanks! Sounds great!
ReplyDelete