Betty Crocker Found Recipes, Reviewed

 

 When we read books of various kinds, if the author is a good one, feelings are evoked. I don’t think I have felt quite so warm and snugly while reading a book as I did while reading this one. Betty Crocker Found Recipes (scheduled for publication November 26^th, so plan ahead) is an absolute delight for anyone who remembers her early cookbooks, magazine advertisements, and other bits of ephemera that would feature recipes of one kind or other. Paging through, I remembered meals that my grandmother used to make employing the use these old recipes. Seeing them all in this book, with beautiful photographs to accompany them, made me feel so loved. I know that sounds strange when talking about a cookbook, but that is how I felt. 

From beginning to end, this cookbook is an absolute delight. It is a collection of “found” recipes from the past. They have been re-created with modern kitchens in mind, and all placed into this one book. In addition to re-creating lost recipes, consumers who helped participate in the making of this book described favorite dishes they remembered from their past but for which they had no recipe, and using that descriptive information, Betty Crocker created replicas. I guarantee that you will find many old friends while paging through this book. I was amazed at how many memories came to mind while looking at these recipes. Suddenly, I was transported decades into the past sitting beside family members, now gone, enjoying Sunday dinner at grandma’s table.The book is divided into five sections:

Holiday Celebrations
Memorable Main Dishes
Warm from the Oven Breads
Irresistible Cookies and Bars
Better than Desserts 

The origins of the recipes are mentioned in a blurb proceeding each one, something I found as fascinating as the recipes themselves. The old advertisements peppered throughout the book were both a visual and nostalgic delight. Also included are individual cook’s (fan's) memories of the recipes that they had requested be included in the book.

  

If anything is lacking, it’s the absence of vegetable recipes. I happen to like vegetables a great deal, so was disappointed not to see any vegetable recipes contained within.This cookbook is unique, a joy to page through, and no doubt pure delight to cook from. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Young people will appreciate the recipes for their ease, variety, and failing to employee ingredients that are hard to find. Older people are going to love looking back to when they themselves made these recipes, and enjoyed sharing the results with their families.

 Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher Harvest Books, and Betty Crocker for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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