GENRE: Cookbooks
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MY GRADE:
FROM PUBLISHER: Over 900 new recipes -- 1,200 in all-reflect current eating habits and lifestyles; 500 new photographs -- over 700 in all-including 60 percent more of finished food than the last edition; Dozens of new recipes offer ethnic flavors, fresh ingredients, or vegetarian appeal; Many recipes feature make-ahead directions or quick-to-the-table meals; New chapter provides recipes for crockery cookers; Efficient, easy-to-read format, with recipes categorized into 21 chapters, each thoroughly indexed for easy reference; Expanded chapter on cooking basics includes advice on food safety, menu planning, table setting, and make-ahead cooking, plus a thorough glossary on ingredients and techniques; Appliance-friendly recipes help cooks save time and creatively use new kitchen tools; Nutrition information with each recipe, plus diabetic exchanges; Contemporary food photography attracts browsers and helps cooks discover new recipes to make; Icons identify low-fat, no-fat, fast, and best-loved recipes; Every recipe tested and perfected by the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen; Revised and updated cooking charts, ingredient photos, emergency substitutions, and equivalents; Respected, reliable kitchen reference with hundreds of cooking terms, tips, and techniques.
Table of Contents: Cooking Basics, Appetizers and Snacks, Beans, Rice, and Grains, Beverages, Breads, Cakes, Candies, Canning and Freezing, Cookies, Crockery Cooking, Desserts, Eggs and Cheese, Fish and Shellfish, Grilling, Meat, Pasta, Pies and Tarts, Poultry, Salads and Dressings, Sauces and Relishes, Soups and Stews, Vegetables and Fruits.
THINGS I'VE MADE
CHICKEN STEW WITH CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS
This turned out great and I didn't make the dumplings. It's a very simple, basic recipe from the 'soups and stews' section. You basically just dump everything in a 2 qt. pot then stir in a mixture of milk and flour, which will thicken this.
The recipe states to use 1/2 t. of either basil leaves or oregano. I knew that was way too much for this amount of broth so I used just 1/8 t. of each of those herbs for a total of 1/4 t. Anymore and it would have been ruined. I cooked about 1/4 c. diced onion in 2 T. margarine first though it wasn't part of the recipe. I highly recommend you do that extra step. I added 1/2 c. dried medium egg noodles which wasn't part of the recipe either. The stew was ready to eat when the noodles were cooked, in just 10 minutes. The noodles are too delicate for this thicker broth so next time I'll use a sturdy pasta like Barilla mini penne, the very tiny one. I used three chicken tenderloins that I baked for eleven minutes on 350 degrees then shredded up with two forks. I added them to the stew after the pasta had cooked. I forgot to measure out how much chicken that was but it was plenty for this recipe.
This has good flavor but next time I'll use just broth and water, no milk, and use a lot less flour so it'll be a slightly thickened soup.
WHITE CHILI SOUP
This turned out to be very good. I didn't make it in a slow cooker, just cooked it in a 2.5 qt. pot on the stove and I made half the recipe. I used a lot less cumin than called for. I also added an extra 1/2 c. of water. I used three baked chicken tenderloins that I shredded up. I also added less than 1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes in place of jalapeno and I omitted the sweet pepper. I cooked onion in butter, which wasn't part of the recipe, and added a little garlic powder too instead of fresh. This soup is ready to eat when the beans have heated through. This is good-tasting and very easy to make. If you make it on the stove like I did you could cut up your chicken into very small pieces and cook them in the soup before you add the beans. It'll probably take about 5 minutes to cook the chicken.
CHERRY CRISP
This recipe is called Fruit Crisp and I made the cherry crisp version. I used half the filling recipe but used the whole topping recipe. I used two drained 14 oz. cans of red tart pitted cherries. I also added a little salt and almond extract to the filling. It baked in about 30 minutes in a 1.5 qt dish.
In the topping I used equal parts white and brown sugar instead of all brown sugar, which I don't care for. The topping has more old fashioned/rolled oats than flour and the topping just sort of falls apart when you scoop it out. It should have more flour than oats, in my opinion. The cherry filling needed a little more flour to make a thicker sauce.
BEEF-BARLEY SOUP
This soup is made with beef chunks, beef bouillon, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, vegetables, quick cooking barley, and potatoes. I omitted the beef and diced tomatoes. The recipe called for no salt so for half the recipe I used 1/4 t. salt and I used half of the oregano and basil. This tastes good and couldn't have been easier to make.
CAKE BROWNIES
These are made with melted butter and cocoa powder. I made half the recipe in an 8" square foil-lined pan. They baked in just 18 minutes and are thick. If you don't want them so thick, use a 9" square pan. They're very moist. The recipe called for no salt so I added 1/4 t. but it needed a little more. I doubled the vanilla to 1 t.
The frosting is called No-Bake Fudge Frosting but since the recipe is almost identical to the one I make, I just followed my own recipe, where you heat the milk and butter together and pour it into the powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture. I sprinkled chopped, toasted pecans on top.
CHIPTOLE PEPPER AND CHICKEN SOUP
This broth is made of chicken broth, onion, garlic, and canned chiptole peppers in adobo sauce. I omitted the small can of diced tomatoes and added a little extra water to make up for it, and used water and chicken base in place of chicken broth. I also added 3/4 c. medium egg noodles. They cooked in ten minutes. I added one tablespoon of flour to the cooked onion mixture to help thicken the broth. I used three chicken tenderloins that I baked on 350 degrees for 12 minutes and shredded with two forks when they cooled.
CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRÈME
Boy, is this stuff rich. It's basically the same exact ingredients as baked custard (cream, chocolate, sugar, vanilla) but uses yolks instead of whole eggs and you don't bake it but cook on the stove, like you'd do for a custard pie. I used milk chocolate in place of semisweet. The recipe called for no salt so I used 1/4 t. It's like a creamy pudding and I put a huge dollop of thawed frozen whipped topping. Very easy to make but I wouldn't make it again.
APPLE CAKE
This cake is made with vegetable/canola oil instead of butter. I omitted the allspice and used far less vanilla extract than called for. It's good but I don't like how dense it is or how dark it looks.
LAMB AND ORZO SOUP
I omitted the lamb. In place of chicken broth I used water and chicken base. I used celery seed in place of real celery. I also added onion that was cooked in margarine and added a pinch of garlic powder. I used the stated amount of oregano and marjoram but I feel it was slightly too much oregano, maybe 1/8 t. too much. I added salt because the recipe called for none. I used a little more orzo and 1 c. less water. I used a small amount of thawed frozen spinach. This does taste good and I'd make it again.
MY THOUGHTS: I'm happy with almost everything I've made out of this book. This is a large hardcover without a dust jacket. There's a color photo or two on about every other page.
I purchased this book myself.
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