Better Homes And Gardens New Cookbook

I actually don't have the latest edition yet. Somehow feels wrong to pick it up and flip through pristine, fresh pages. I'm used to yellowing pages splashed with greasy blotches, wine, worcestershire, what have you and annotated with "Bill's favorite", needs more rosemary, etc.

The seventies version, yes, yes, I do have a copy. It's my favorite. I will not answer any further on the grounds that I might incriminate myself.

I remain in search of the one 1960's version that is so controversial. I think it was the earliest one of that decade. One of my prizes is my 1940's version. Don't really tend to use that one very much, but I have enjoyed reading it.

I had done something similar for my daughters about 15 years ago, but within the past couple years I've been assembling a (now massive) Google drive of recipes that I come across online. My daughters have access to the drive as well and take advantage of it probably much more than I do these days since I've slacked off on cooking with so many parental obligations to take care of.

I've culled through a lot of my old cookbooks because I wasn't using them very much. So many of them wound up sitting unused even when I was cooking very regularly because tastes have changed so much and a lot of the books utilized a lot of ingredients people don't gravitate towards because they came out of necessity of the war years and/or general thriftiness that generated a lot of strange ingredient substitutions/combinations.
I hear you on the stained pages! You know which recipes are tried and true that way!

I deliberately chose to hand-write my kids' cookbooks, so they would see the recipes in my hand--decades from now, it'll be like Mom is right there with them. Digital would have been easier with 4 kids! I also put in family notes--like the fact that, this is Grandma's pie crust recipe, but I didn't get the pie crust gene, so I just buy it. And the snickerdoodle recipe serves 1 Dad.

Another cookbook I loved was from the 70's--The Encyclopedia of Cooking. I don't know if it was sold in grocery stores (given free with purchase?) or mail-order, but it was several books in alphabetical order. My favorite was the CH one--it had chocolate, Christmas, and cookies in it. My mom had the full set, which my sister inherited, but I found the set at a yard sale and bought it.
 
No. I used to have the Family Circle Encyclopedia of Cooking (a traveling salesman showed up at the place I was temping at over 35 years ago, and I bought it from him).

With the advent of reviewed recipes online (I used to LOVE AllRecipes before they went all stupid), I stopped using it and got rid of it.

Makes me want to revisit it -- it, along with the Joy of Cooking, which my husband threw out "because it was falling apart" (because I USED it), really helped me learn to cook.

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I collect old cookbooks. I was collecting newer cookbooks, but decided to focus on older cookbooks (pre-1960), and getting rid of most of the more modern books. I can read them like a book. They are a great stepping stone to get basics or ideas to putting together my own creations, too.

a few years back I tripped over peg bracken's 'the I hate to cookbook'. I remember my mom having it (never using it but having it). I got some good laughs reading it.

I love looking at some of the older 'cookbooks' that were designed to be a guide to new brides on how to set up/manage/operate their new kitchens. stuff like how to select produce, meat cuts, very basic to very overblown recipes.

A few years back, I gave each of my kids a hand-written cookbook, with "Mom's" recipes in it, so they could make the snickerdoodles and lasagna and so forth that they grew up with. This is to supplement a good, basic cookbook.

Nestle chocolate chip cookies (because it's still the best

I've got a small spiral recipie book a friend gave me 30 odd years ago. I have handwritten recipes in it but in each section there's a page dedicated to listing the individual cookbook and page number for specific recipes I 'go by the book' for (like nestle chocolate chip cookies). works nice during the holidays when we are making certain baked goods and trying to remember which book to pull.
 
A few years back, I gave each of my kids a hand-written cookbook, with "Mom's" recipes in it, so they could make the snickerdoodles and lasagna and so forth that they grew up with. This is to supplement a good, basic cookbook.
My kids just asked for a number of my recipes -- they got together and made a long list. I wish they'd mentioned something before Christmas, but I'm thinking maybe Valentine's Day.
 
My kids just asked for a number of my recipes -- they got together and made a long list. I wish they'd mentioned something before Christmas, but I'm thinking maybe Valentine's Day.
I had good luck finding the blank books at Ollie's--a salvage store near me. You could try any discount-type store (Ocean State Job Lot? Whatever you have in your area). Or make your own in binders would work, too, but the blank books had tabs (main dishes, desserts) and things like conversion tables. They also have places to write in notes, and refer to recipes in other cookbooks, like someone mentioned up-thread.

Of course, if you were doing your own from scratch, you could add these extras in, too.

I recognize that Family Circle cookbook--my mom must have had it.
 
I have handwritten recipes in it but in each section there's a page dedicated to listing the individual cookbook and page number for specific recipes I 'go by the book' for (like nestle chocolate chip cookies). works nice during the holidays when we are making certain baked goods and trying to remember which book to pull.
This is a fantastic idea!

I reduced my recipe book collection drastically when we replaced the shelving unit that housed them. I kept my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook though it’s rarely used anymore. I remember loving the variety of simple recipes, perfect for when I began cooking for myself (and pre-YouTube and Allrecipes). The cover is duct taped together.

I also kept my very first childhood cookbook-Beany Malone, and my original Power Eating book. I have a series of Williams Sonoma books which hold some delicious recipes, so they stay. A local restaurant, the Silver Palate, which closed some years back produced a cookbook- that’s a keeper too. Mixed in are handwritten recipe ‘cards’, a few cookie and specialty magazines- I subscribed to Cooking Light when it was a monthly, Hello Fresh/Marley Spoon recipe cards, and copies of various recipes collected over the years.

I don’t know that I’d purchase any more cookbooks, as I shifted to a minimalist/decluttered mindset 5 years ago when we were stuck home and I haven’t changed. I’m always trying to get rid of things and only buy items I know I need and will use.
 
I had good luck finding the blank books at Ollie's--a salvage store near me. You could try any discount-type store (Ocean State Job Lot? Whatever you have in your area). Or make your own in binders would work, too, but the blank books had tabs (main dishes, desserts) and things like conversion tables. They also have places to write in notes, and refer to recipes in other cookbooks, like someone mentioned up-thread.

Of course, if you were doing your own from scratch, you could add these extras in, too.

I recognize that Family Circle cookbook--my mom must have had it.
Ah. You've never seen my handwriting. I'll need to type them up.

I didn't know those blank recipe books existed, though! They have a number on Amazon! Too bad I write so poorly!
 
Ah. You've never seen my handwriting. I'll need to type them up.

I didn't know those blank recipe books existed, though! They have a number on Amazon! Too bad I write so poorly!

You could definitely give them typed recipes in binders, then. (They have them with clear covers that you could slip photos or cute title pages into for each kid, and you could buy dividers or make them yourself from scrapbook paper.) Then they can also add recipes they print from websites.
 
a few years back I tripped over peg bracken's 'the I hate to cookbook'. I remember my mom having it (never using it but having it). I got some good laughs reading it.

I love looking at some of the older 'cookbooks' that were designed to be a guide to new brides on how to set up/manage/operate their new kitchens. stuff like how to select produce, meat cuts, very basic to very overblown recipes.





I've got a small spiral recipie book a friend gave me 30 odd years ago. I have handwritten recipes in it but in each section there's a page dedicated to listing the individual cookbook and page number for specific recipes I 'go by the book' for (like nestle chocolate chip cookies). works nice during the holidays when we are making certain baked goods and trying to remember which book to pull.
I have a vintage guide book from probably the early fifties that's got a few recipes, but is really intended to be more of a handbook to teach young brides how to manage a household as a new housewife, including becoming a "proper" hostess and etiquete. I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, but it's absolutely hilarious. My daughters have come across it in the past and absolutely cried and howled laughing at the contents and suggestions -- and ridiculous expectations. That thing does just about everything but recommend waiting for the husband to come home at night nicely dressed with hair styled and pearls so you can hand him his pipe and slippers.
You could definitely give them typed recipes in binders, then. (They have them with clear covers that you could slip photos or cute title pages into for each kid, and you could buy dividers or make them yourself from scrapbook paper.) Then they can also add recipes they print from websites.
That's more like what I put together for my daughters quite a few years back. Arthritis makes it too painful to hold a pen and write very much, so typing allowed me to cover everything I wanted times two. I was able to include notes and occasionally a few "stories" about where or how a recipe came from and even a special occasion where we served it. I also included a couple plastic sleeve inserts in the front so they are able to pop the recipe they want inside, take the sleeve out of the binder and use it easily while prepping or cooking and are able to wipe off any splatters without damaging the recipe. Over time as we've migrated to recipes in digital formats they've taken images of the recipes and put them in the Google drive we share so we can easily access them on the tablet when cooking along with a lot of the other recipes we use these days.
 
My old JOC from the 80's doesn't have etiquette tips, but it does have sections on preserving and canning, as well as preparations for game meat. I can't vouch for how tasty the recipes are, since I've never made squirrel or bear meat (we do have venison on occasion).

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a typed version of a family recipe book, but do try to put in a few notes or an inscription in your handwriting--even if it's horrible. It will make your children and grandchildren think of you when they see it--even if they struggle to figure out what you said!
 
You could definitely give them typed recipes in binders, then. (They have them with clear covers that you could slip photos or cute title pages into for each kid, and you could buy dividers or make them yourself from scrapbook paper.) Then they can also add recipes they print from websites.

I took a binn old binder and set it up with the particular recipes I use that were in a pile of old magazines I wanted to get rid of. I tore out the pages and put them in clear sleaves. if I print out a recipie I like it goes in a sleeve in the binder as well. the odd 3x5 card i'm given a recipie on goes into one of the sleaves. it's easy to keep on a shelf. got some harder plastic dividers so I could break it into generalized sections.
 
I took a binn old binder and set it up with the particular recipes I use that were in a pile of old magazines I wanted to get rid of. I tore out the pages and put them in clear sleaves. if I print out a recipie I like it goes in a sleeve in the binder as well. the odd 3x5 card i'm given a recipie on goes into one of the sleaves. it's easy to keep on a shelf. got some harder plastic dividers so I could break it into generalized sections.
I have three binder similar to this- one for baked goods and desserts, one for dinner meals, the third is for saved Hello Fresh/Marley Spoon recipes. I go through them periodically and discard ones we haven’t made in a while.

My mom passed in 2008 and though I haven’t made any of her meals in ages, I won’t through out a scrap of paper in her handwriting. I have a bunch of her recipes calling for ‘lard’ and written in metric units (she was German).
 
I have it from when I got married in 1969. It sill sits on my shelf with my Betty Crocker cookbook from the same year.
When my mom would look up a new recipe for a new food she wanted to make she always had a copy of Better Homes And Gardens New Cookbook and I would like to know if anybody had this cookbook? Mom got her first Better Homes And Gardens New Cookbook a long time ago and she still has it today and from time to time I love looking through it with my mom at all the neat recipes they have. And it's still a bestselling cookbook today with new editions of new recipes added each year. Mom loves old cookbooks and I wonder if her Better Homes And Gardens New Cookbook is a collectible item today?
om
 
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