Top Ten Cookbooks
While making dinner tonight, I noticed that my cookbook was falling to pieces from being used so much (see number five on my list) and I got the idea for the latest top ten list. As I sifted through my rather large cookbook collection, however, I had a little guilty twinge because I have gotten in a cooking rut, and I haven’t been trying new recipes like I should to provide some culinary variety for my family. Perhaps this public profession will prod me to pry into the pile of proliferating primers for palatable provender of which my progeny may partake.
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook
One of the best basic cookbooks, everything you need to know without weird ingredients or ostentatious oratory to distract you. I’ve had my copy since we got married over 22 years ago, and both the front and back covers are coming off. It’s time to replace it with one of the newer editions with photographs of the food. I love looking at pictures of food!
Cookin’ With Home Storage by Vicki Tate
Written by a Mormon lady whose mother wrote a classic book about food storage, this book obviously is geared toward using the items you might have left over from your Y2K provisions, but it is filled with plenty of recipes for creatively using the items in your pantry. If you want to cook from scratch and stretch your food dollars, this is the book for you. It even has home remedies and beauty treatments. If you get desperate, there is a section on wild edibles, including how to gather and prepare locusts.
The Cupcake Cafe Cookbook
I first heard of this book in an article in Victoria magazine, when I drooled over the pictures of beautiful cakes decorated with frosting wisteria and sunflowers. The directions for baking and decorating those cakes are in this book, but there are many other baked goods, too. We have tried many of the muffin recipes and some of the doughnuts. We have also used the buttercream frosting recipe and had cupcake decorating parties, using the beautiful photographs for a guide.
The Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook by Joan Scobey
Easy for young cooks with simple instructions, and the food really tastes yummy! We love the blueberry muffins and the corn bread. (Note: this is available right now from Bookcloseouts, and I have also updated my bargains page.)
Hearth and Home by Karey Swan
Karey and her husband Monte are popular homeschool speakers. This is filled with more from-scratch recipes, interspersed with Karey’s banter about family, faith and life. There are many quotes and poems, as well as lyrics to songs written by her husband.
Make-a-Mix by Karine Eliason, et. al.
One of my most-used cookbooks, it has many recipes which fit the bill for a big family, but can be packaged in smaller containers for freezing for smaller families. Our favorites are the white sauce mix, the meatball mix, the sloppy Joe mix and the hot roll mix which makes great hamburger and hot dog buns. There are recipes for each of the mixes, and you can make anything from seasonings to main dishes to desserts with this book.
The Pioneer Lady’s Cookbooks
Jane Watson Hopping is the Pioneer Lady, and she has penned a whole slew of down-home, over-the-fence cooking books which have much more than recipes. These cookbooks are filled with memories of her huge extended family and childhood, old-fashioned poetry, and photographs and illustrations that Prairie Muffins will love. These are easy to find from used book sources.
Sue Gregg’s Eating Better Cookbooks
I have changed my thinking about healthy eating, and I no longer subscribe to the low-fat, vegetarian is better thinking I used to have, but these cookbooks (there are 6 in the series) still have lots to recommend them. They are full of information on food history, nutrition and cooking advice. They tell how to do lots of things from scratch. They have scads of yummy recipes. They have menus for all types of eating programs, as well as shopping lists. There are even cooking lessons and recipes for children to make. Some of our favorites are the turkey breakfast sausage (which we like to eat for dinner) and Good Earth whole wheat rolls.
Sunset Cookbook of Breads
I have bought several editions of this at thrift stores. It has so many bread recipes that it’s fun to just read through and dream of opening a bakery. My son has become very adept at making huge loaves of braided Challah bread, and we love the bagels, the pretzels, the scones and the Irish soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day.
Whole Foods for the Whole Family, from the La Leche League International
The La Leche League has done a lot to promote breastfeeding, but it is a seriously liberal organization. This cookbook however, which has been through many editions, has many practical recipes contributed by members, and they are mostly family-pleasing and easy to prepare.
February 13th, 2004 at 5:39 am
Thanks! I’ve added a couple of those to my Amazon wish list. If you had to choose one or two of the Pioneer Lady’s, which would they be?
February 13th, 2004 at 7:34 am
Those cookbooks look wonderful. I always wonder why I need so many, but you’d be surprised how nice it is to have a whole bookshelf full of them when you’re looking for something specific… something special that only a Praire Muffin can make!
February 13th, 2004 at 7:36 am
Carmon, I have the privilege of having one of my articles on breadmaking published in the revised version of Sue Gregg’s cookbook on breads. Made me a published author, she did!
Cookbooks worth checking out imho — Better Homes and Garden’s one with the plaid cover.
-Joy of Cooking
-Rodale’s Basic Natural Foods Cookbook
And my all time favorite:
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
This last one contains just oodles of information on nutrition, ways of preparing dishes to enhance the nutritional value and just really cool recipes. I love to just sit and read this cookbook. Every page has a sidebar with notes on health and nutrition.
Lastly, the public library has been a great resource. I often take out a bunch of cookbooks and browse through them and get really good ideas for trying different things. It is especially fun to try cuisine from different parts of the world.
Ooooo. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it…
February 13th, 2004 at 7:40 am
We should post our favorite recipes somewhere in this cyberspace world. A Praire Muffin cookbook of sorts. Oh no, did I just volunteer for something? I’m in a slump, too. I’m not making as many things from scratch as I used to.
February 13th, 2004 at 7:56 am
That’s a good idea, Janet. Click on the link in the sidebar for PrairieMuffins.com, and email Valerie BBG with your suggestion. She’s looking for ideas to make the site useful to PMs. If anyone has ideas, let her know.
Here’s my contibution: Macaroni and Cheese.
February 13th, 2004 at 8:05 am
Unfortunately, I feel so awful right now my family is existing on spaghetti (Daddy’s specialty) and P.B. &Js. Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit, but not much. Everything, except egg rolls, sounds icky to me at this stage of pregnancy. I am anxious to feel good again to start cooking and adding something relevant to Valerie’s website. Sorry, Valerie, that I have been so lazy. Anyone have any suggestions on how to cook meat without it smelling like meat?
February 13th, 2004 at 9:05 am
Ooh, I love looking at cookbooks. Now you have given me several new ones to peruse - tonight is our monthly date night which often takes us to a bookstore, so…
I have several favorites of my own, and will post them on my blog.
February 13th, 2004 at 9:30 am
My cookbook lately has been from my mom,..who literally lives a minute away, alone, and loves to invite us over for dinner often! Not a bad deal I must say,..but makes one a little lazy. I have enjoyed many simple dishes from those booklet type cookbooks that you usually find while waiting for your groceries at the checkout. My hubby’s favorite is a Mexican Lasagna made from corn tortillas,..mmm what’s for dinner??
February 13th, 2004 at 9:40 am
I really like the More with Less Cookbooks - from Mennonite publishers. And I don’t know if they have them in the States (I’m from Canada) but the Company’s Coming series is great - basic recipes, mostly, with good directions and not too expensive ingredients.
My mom gave me the Better Homes & Gardens one (plaid cover) when we got married and I agree - it’s a good one too.
February 13th, 2004 at 3:12 pm
My Betty Crocker Cookbook cover gave out too (I’ve used it nearly to death over the past 17 years). I bought a thick 3-ring binder and slipped some pretty scrapbooking paper in the cover and on the outer edge. I used some pretty gold stickers to spell "Betty Crocker" on the outside. Now it’s beautiful too look at, unlike the old cover which had black rings on it from the burner on my stove (the result of a moment of distraction).
February 13th, 2004 at 8:47 pm
My BH&G plaid cookbook was given to me by my mother and it was her mother’s before that. It is absolutely falling apart, but I cannot imagine how a newer version could be better than this 50s version is.
February 13th, 2004 at 9:08 pm
What a good idea, Jona! It is easy to find some of those old cookbooks at thrift stores and library sales. Cheryl, the Nourishing Traditions cookbook is also available through the Urban Homemaker. Valerie, I only have the summer and winter cookbooks, but both are wonderful…packed with stories, poems and pictures, as well as recipes. I put the one about mothers on my wishlist ;-). Kendra, just have your husband use the barbeque. My husband is an expert at "flashlight" barbequeing (that’s grilling, for you southerners).
February 13th, 2004 at 10:32 pm
Here’s a ‘Prairie Dawg’ contribution:
I have two favorites-
1. Carmel knowledge by Al Sicherman. I use his hot pretzel recipe all the time, and he writes recipes much the same way that I do- they are stories as well as culinary instructions.
2. The Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. (in twelve volumes). I’ve got the whole set, and I have found it quite valuable. Lots of base recipes in there that you can play with to your stomach’s content.
Theognome
February 14th, 2004 at 5:57 am
Hi Kendra. Hope you feel better soon! You might try using a crockpot for the meat. It would cut down on your interaction time with it at least, maybe. :~\ Hope that helps.
February 14th, 2004 at 7:37 am
Kendra! I’m so sorry you are feeling yucky! That sensitive to smell stuff is rough. I do hope you are feeling better soon.
Thank you, Carmon, for sending Janet my way! Recipes was definitely something I wanted to put up on the PM site and I’m working hard to get a dynamic Prairie Muffin Cookbook going. In the meantime I’m looking for submissions. I’m pasting a portion of the email I sent to Janet below.
~~~~~
I thought it would be a good idea to introduce each recipe with the
contributor’s personal experience with the finished product and anything else that might help the reader discern it’s appropriateness to whatever occasion and what to expect from the finished product. After all, Prairie Muffins tend to be busy people and the quicker they can determine if a certain recipe meets the current need, the better. Right? :*)
Thanks again! Please feel free to email to me any recipes you would like to
share! Please also be sure to let me know exactly how I should give credit.
~~~~~
Also, please put "Recipe" in the subject of your email. Additionally, I welcome suggestions as to what "category" you think your recipe belongs in. One recipe per email, please.
February 14th, 2004 at 7:43 am
Ugh! "Recipes was…" What WAS I thinking?! Please forgive me!
That part of my last post should read: "Recipes were…"
Carry on…
February 14th, 2004 at 8:44 am
Theo…if you write the Prairie Dawg Cookbook, let me know, and I’ll edit it gratis. It’s sure to be a bestseller. I have seen those Women’s Day Cookbooks at the sales for next to nothing. I’ll pick them up next time!
February 15th, 2004 at 2:02 pm
The Prairie Muffin Cookbook is now up and hopefully running well! (This is a little difficult to tell with only ONE recipe in it. Your "contribution" was meant for it, wasn’t it, Carmon?)
February 16th, 2004 at 8:49 am
Valerie-I sent you a recipe. I might actually make something soon.:)
Thank you, Stephanie, for the crock pot idea. I am going to see if I can’t get a bigger one for my birthday as we are outgrowing my little one. I have been doing a lot of chicken soup kind of things (or meatless varieties in the crock pot). I seem to be able to handle chicken.
Carmon, the BBQ is such a lovely idea. My Prairie Dawg is incredibly gifted in the BBQ department. He is the one I really feel for when it comes to the lack of meat in our house. My kids think cereal (not the sugary ones) is a big treat for dinner:) My husband seems to want something more filling since he is a hard worker. He drives forklift at a lumber mill (how un PC can we get!) Gosh, not only are we reformed, have lots of kids, homeschool and homebirth my Prairie Dawg works at a mill to support us in all this. (Oh and we voted against the school levy that failed).
Well, I still feel pretty icky, but I was letting it get me discouraged. We have been listening to John Piper on the radio (via the internet) and his perspective on God has definately helped my focus a bit.