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Jane
Marie and I grew up with The Better Homes and Gardens
Cookbook - it was our mother's basic reference. If you
don't own a copy, it's worth a good look. Nancy
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Healthy living
is important no matter what the state of your health. I like the
recipes in Betty Crocker's Living with Cancer Cookbook because I know my family eats too much junk food. I feel that
every good thing I can get them to eat is a small victory for our future
well being. Nancy
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The
Bride & Groom's Menu Cookbook by Abigail Kirsch isn't
an all around cookbook, but the theme makes it a nice gift and the
recipes are detailed, running the gamut from home cooking to delicious
experiment. Nancy
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While I don't make
as many to go lunches as I used to, I always appreciate good
food. If you find yourself in the brown bag set, The Brown
Bag Lunch Box has some great ideas including my new favorite
recipe for gazpacho. Nancy
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Even if you never
prepare any of the recipes in Peg Bracken's book, The Compleat
I Hate to Cook Book, you will enjoy the her light and breezy
writing style. The book was first published in 1960, which
was the end of the Dark Ages in housekeeping. (Women were
expected to all the household chores while wearing pearls.)
Don't miss this still useful time trip. Nancy
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Cooking for
Dummies is a very basic cookbook. I enjoyed the explanations
and descriptions - details you don't find in most kitchen standards. Nancy
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If I were to write
a cookbook, my approach would be similar to Pam Anderson's CookSmart.
It's a collection of my favorite ways to make my favorite dishes. Nancy
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Junior League cookbooks
are apt to feature recipes that read "Take a jar of spaghetti
sauce," (and who hasn't done that?) and go downhill from there.
The Junior League of Denver, on the other hand, knows how to cook. Crème de Colorado is a winner. Nancy
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I've done a bit of
professional catering, and I can honestly recommend Denise Vivaldo's Do It for Less Parties.
Vivaldo breaks everything done to clear, well-illustrated instructions
on everything from recipes based on the number of people to sanitation
advice. This is a great book Nancy
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I've been curious about
the Dr. Atkins Diet for a long time, though the thought
of giving up my beloved carbs wasn't enticing. However, since
macadamia nuts and cream cheese are an integral part of the picture, I suspect I would survive quite
nicely if I were to follow the program.
Caution - while this book contains recipes,
it's really about an eating lifestyle. Nancy
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The title fits.
There are lots of good meals within the the pages of Family
Circle Recipes America Loves Best. Nancy
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Check your pantry
for a can of soup, then check Favorite Brand Name Recipe Cookbook from the editors of Consumer Reports for a correlating recipe.
It’s a massive collection of all those recipes you never got around
to clipping from the back of the box or the label on the can.
Eat hearty! Jane
Marie
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Firefighters are heroes
in everyone's book. But the firefighter who can cook, ah well,
there's a super hero.
Joseph T. Bonanno, Jr. has put together some
mouthwatering recipes in The Firehouse Grilling Cookbook, AND he threw in some safety
tips besides. Good job, Joe. Nancy
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Frances Virginia Whitaker founded her tea room in Atlanta in 1920.
For four decades, ladies with white gloves enjoyed the sumptuous food.
You can, too, with the glorious cookbook, Frances
Virginia Tea Room Cookbook by Mildred Huff Coleman.
It's filled not only with recipes, but tea room notes. Jane Marie
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The Good Housekeeping
Everyday Cook Book comes in an odd shape with an old fashioned
recipe format. It's as much a trip through time as a resource. Nancy
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No one has enough
time any more, and even those of us who like to think of ourselves
as scratch cooks tend to take shortcuts. That's where Half-Scratch
Magic by Linda West Eckhardt & Katherine West DeFoyd comes
in handy. I like it because it saves me precious time. Nancy
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Good food is not always
good for you, but in The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil,
MD and Rosie Daley, Weil and Rosie, Oprah's former chef, make things
fun as well as delicious. That's why I'm a fan. Nancy
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I do everything my
way, which is often the hard way. In cooking, that means some
of our meals are not as successful as they might have been had I followed
the recipe or learned the technique before I plunged right in.
That's why I'm glad to have Pam Anderson's book, How to
Cook Without a Book, around - it let's me be me, but provides
those guidelines I've always needed. Nancy
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I'm drawn to cookbooks
with good recipes and interesting stories like Lobster Rolls
and Blueberry Pie by Rebecca Charles and Deborah DiClementi.
(Hey, we try to do that too!) So it wasn't a stretch for me
to enjoy Charles' adventures and salivate over her Maine beach food
- even though lobster is not an everyday staple of Oklahoma cooking. Nancy
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We just can't get
enough comfort food these days - especially when we're between diets.
Marion Cunningham's Lost Recipes contains recipe gems
from yesteryear. Perhaps even a recipe you've been looking for. Nancy
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In The Low Carb
Comfort Food by Michael L. Eades, MD, Mary Dan Eades, MD and
Ursula Solom, the authors have put together a book for diet conscious
folks looking for a full spectrum cookbook. Nancy
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We don't dis any Martha on this website (these
websites) and Martha Stewart is no exception. The Martha Stewart Cookbook contains lots of wonderful ideas. Nancy
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Mom used to have a collection of cook booklets from the pre and post World
War II eras. I don't know where they went, but they contained
all sorts of wonderful dishes that she prepared for us. Discovering
Bunny Crumpacker's The Old-Time Brand-Name Cookbook takes me back to my childhood and as Jane
Marie and Martha Bear® will tell you, that's a
better thing Nancy
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From table manners
to pilaus (pronounced pur-low, made of okra, red rice, ham and chicken),
take a lesson in timeless social graces and enjoy Mrs. Whaley's
Charleston Kitchen: Advice, Opinion, and 100 Recipes from a Southern
Legend by Emily Whaley, William Baldwin. Jane Marie
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Nigella Lawson is beautiful,
and she can cook. I can cook, too (OK, not as well), but I can't
hate her because I like the recipes in Nigella Bites.
You will too. Nancy
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With frugal tips, Not Just Beans: 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites by Tawra Jean Kellam is a modern cooking encyclopedia, informative
and fun. Jane
Marie
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You can tell my favorite
cookbooks by the little pieces of paper hanging out the top. Once Upon a Tart, by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau
with Carolynn Carreo, is a gem of baked goods and soups and salads.
It has a whole bunch of page markers. Nancy
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If
a book you're looking for is out of print, click on any link
to Amazon Books Home Page,  Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, or Alibris to find out if it is available as a used book. |
Whether you camp or
just enjoy outdoor cooking (and eating!), The Outdoor Cook's
Bible should be in your cookbook library. Nancy
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I adore Jill O'Connor's Phyllo. The subtitle is Easy Recipes for Sweet
and Savory Treats so you can imagine how often I refer to it.
Besides, the versatility of phyllo makes the family think I'm a great
cook. Nancy
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The Red Hat Society Cookbook has a ton of great recipes.
Red Hat Society
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Romantic
Dinners: Surefire Recipes and Exciting Menus for a Flawless Party!
(The Perfect Party) is a small, hardcover guide by famed
caterer and cooking teacher Rick Rodgers with Robbin Gourley.
He offers tips on preparing a romantic
evening with table decorations and even a morning breakfast
menu. Perfect for an anniversary or Valentine gift. Jane
Marie
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When
you're swamped, but don’t want to take the time to go out to a restaurant,
try one of the Six Ingredient gems by Carlean
Johnson. Jane
Marie
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If you like
the HBO series or even if you don't, you'll enjoy The Sopranos
Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker. It's a collection of
Italian-American recipes complete with cast photos and cheesy character
interviews. Nancy
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Top Secret
Recipes Lite!: Creating Reduced-Fat Kitchen Clones of America's Favorite
Brand-Name Foods by Todd Wilbur shows us how to make the brand
name foods we love with fewer calories. Perhaps this is the
cookbook from heaven. Nancy
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We all prefer good
home cooking, but who has time everyday? Fortunately, Jean
Coates has gathered good tasting quickie recipes in the very useful The Ultimate Cooking with 4 Ingredients. Nancy
PS I especially like all the easy biscuits.
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Even if you're
thin as a rail, you can improve your health with healthier eating. Weight Watchers® cuts the fat and keeps most of the flavor
so I'm a fan. Nancy
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