Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook

9780470556863.pdf The updated and revised 15th edition of America's favorite cookbook.  The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book has been an American favorite since 1930, selling 40 million copies through fourteen editions. This new 15th Edition is the best yet, with 1,000 all-new recipes and a fresh, contemporary style.

Plenty of new chapters have been added to meet the needs of today's everyday cooks, including new chapters on breakfast and brunch, casseroles, and convenience cooking. More than 1,000 photos accompany this wide selection of recipes, which cover everything from Pad Thai to a Thanksgiving turkey.

  • NEW FEATURES: icons that call out fast, healthy, or classic dishes; an expanded and revised chapter on canning and freezing foods; and new chapters on pizza, sandwiches, wraps, and more
  • Presents more than 1,400 recipes, including 1,000 brand new to this edition
  • More than 400 helpful step-by-step, how-to images and photos
  • New suggestions for personalizing family dinners, new twists on favorite dishes, and plenty of recipes that yield leftovers you can use again in other recipes

Heidi Says . . . When this cookbook arrived, I thought what a nice mother I would be if I would give it to Ashley to start a hope chest with.  I think this book should be in the hands of every young lady!  However, I love it so much that I’m not sure I want to part with it!

This cookbook is unlike any other cookbook that I’ve got in my cupboard.  First of all, I’ve never seen a cookbook divided into so many different categories.  There’s a tab just for “Beans, Rice & Grains”, one for “Breakfasts & Brunches” (which I would so totally make for supper!).  There’s a tab for a section on “Cooking Basics” and one on “Canning & Freezing” (which I can really use!)  There’s a section just for “Casseroles” and one on “Convenience Cooking” – these are both right up my alley.  Brian will enjoy the section on “Grilling” and our love of Italian food can be fed with the section on “Pasta”.  Have you ever seen a cookbook with a tab/section devoted to “Sandwiches & Pizza”?! 

There are so many recipes in this book that it’s hard to decide where to begin.  So, I didn’t.  I assigned that task to Ashley.  She picked out a few recipes that she would like to try and wrote the ingredients on our store list so that she can prepare them for us.  The first dish she prepared for us was “Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole”.  I think she was attracted to it because there is a full-color picture of it in the cookbook.  We were all attracted to it because it was different and yummy! 

There are just so many “extras” in this book!  For example, in the Pasta section there is a 2-page spread just containing pictures of the various pasta noodles (with labels).  Handy!  There is a cool feature called “Cook Once, Eat Twice” – make a recipe tonight then use the leftovers to prepare something equally yummy for tomorrow night.  For those of us who are limited on time, this is great! 

I also love the sections called “Make It Mine” – these take a  recipe, such as Skillet Chicken, and list the basic ingredients.  Then, they give alternatives to all the ingredients, so that you can change it up and make it your own.  I may be simple, but I LOVE that.  I’m not one to follow recipes exactly – I’m always changing things up to suit my family’s tastes, so this is perfect for me.  Using this feature, you could take one basic recipe and change it up and make it entirely different several times.  That’s exciting to me! 

If you only have one cookbook in your home, this is definitely the one that I’d recommend.  This cookbook would be a great gift idea for any new bride or someone taking up housekeeping for the first time. 

NOTE: I received a free copy of this cookbook from Wiley Publishing in exchange for my honest review of it.  Seriously, I can’t say enough good about this one!

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