While I was pregnant with G, I somehow stumbled across an online plea for household cooks who’d be willing to test recipes. I didn’t have a whole lot to do at the time (except for feeling Baby kick and typical nesting urges), so I said, “Why not? Sounds like fun.”
I don’t remember which three recipes I tested. I can’t find record of my reports in my email, so there’s no way of knowing. (And most of you know what pregnancy-induced memory lapses are like.) I do remember having fun with it, but after G was born, I promptly forgot all about the cookbook itself.
Fast-forward to this year. I randomly checked out a cookbook in the “New Non-Fiction” section of our local library called The Good Home Cookbook. Hm. Something about it struck a familiar chord with me — maybe I’d checked it out before — but curiosity made me add it to my bag anyway.
I used and cooked out of this wonderful all-inclusive cookbook for over a week before I thumbed through the entire thing, including the credits and appendices. Wait a minute. Could this be??…. I scoured the list and, sure enough, my name appeared within the list of recipe testers. Wow! It always makes me look twice when I see my name in published print.
I now have my own copy. Since that day, I have tried countless recipes from this book, and all of the dishes turn out splendidly. This book really has become one of my most-used cookbooks on my shelf. It is basic and, well, thoroughly tested. Nothing fancy, impractical, or over-the-top. Let me describe it this way: Like the Betty Crocker Cookbook on steriods, and like The Joy of Cooking for the practical, everyday cook.
This book looks kitchy on the outside (which I love). The inside boasts nary a photo (which usually turns me off in a bookstore), but I soon found it didn’t need any. The recipes are so wonderfully simple and well-laid out and explained you can literally taste the dish you’re reading about.
I snapped a few photos of our favorites. (They all happen to be sweet-ish foods, but hey, we’re like that.)
Date Nut Bread (with whipped cream cheese)
Chocolate Snacking Cake
German Apple Pancake
Monkey Bread
Some other recipes in the book we tried (and loved) but that were devoured too quickly to make it to the foodie photo shoot:
- Breaded Chicken Fingers with Peach Dipping Sauce
- Party Cheese Ball
- Pasta with Marinara (excellent, frills-free marinara)
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Veggie Omelets
- Lemon-Baked Fish Fillets
The best news I’ve heard all week is that the folks behind this cookbook are working The Good Home Vegetarian Cookbook — which means they’ll be looking for more recipe testers. Pick me! Pick me!
SO. If you’re looking for a good catch-all, user-friendly cookbook that’ll stand the test of time and trend, pick this one. I’m adding it to my list of wedding gift ideas, too. Where was this when I was a young bride eight years ago? (Still a brainstorm in someone’s head, I guess. Oh, well. Good things do come to those who wait.)
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