A Popular Betty Crocker Cookbook
Do you have a favorite cookbook? I’m often asked that question and trying to come up with an answer is difficult for me. I love cookbooks—all of them.
Cookbooks That Rise to the Top, was the title of a newspaper article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, on Sept 3rd. As a part of that article, journalist Lee Svitak Dean shared a list of the 20 cookbooks that every cook should have. This list was devised for the James Beard Foundation by a committee of its members.
On this list were classic cookbooks by famous names among food professionals (not TV Food Network stars) such as: James Beard, Rick Bayless, Jacques Pépin, Marcella Hazan, Maida Heatter, Julia Child, Deborah Madison. Some of these folks are no longer living but their books are still in print.
I have nearly all of the 20 cookbooks on the list and lots of other ones too. And while I often reference one of the 20 books for cooking information and techniques, I don’t often cook from them, especially for week-night meals. For these meals, I cook from books like the one shown at the top of this blog-- Betty Crocker Quick & Easy cookbook, which has also stood the test of time and was just republished in a soft-cover edition.
The recipe for Feta-Topped Chicken is one of my favorite recipes in the book. It’s also one of Kristen’s (our Assistant Food Editor) favorite recipes too and she is the one who reminded me to make it for dinner earlier this week--to use up some of my fresh tomatoe from the CSA. You can make this delicious chicken recipe in just 15 minutes or so, using only six ingredients. Jack and I made a simple Greek salad and sliced some crusty French bread to serve with it. If you ask me this week, that is my favorite cookbook for getting recipes to make week-night meals.