I mentioned in my last blog that I was going through all my closets and reorganizing. Whew! Thank goodness that huge job is over and done with.
One of my many interesting discoveries was my late mother’s “The Good Housekeeping Cook Book”. The moment I unearthed this treasure I was hit with a thousand memories of her cooking up some delicious meal or dessert with this book propped up open on the counter. Until I opened the cover and read the handwritten inscription, I don’t realize it had been a wedding gift from my mom’s younger sister—something that makes this keepsake even more special.
What I love about this cookbook is not only does it have more recipes than I could possibly make in a lifetime, it also includes sections on how to use leftovers, home canning, wines, box lunches, entertaining, meals for the business girl (I need to check this one out), dinner planning tips, and a guide to properly serving meals. And while dated and old-fashioned in many ways, the book is nonetheless charming and a look into life seventy-five years ago. There are also many wonderful recipes that I can’t wait to try. Here’s a twist on the classic sweet potato casserole I might make for Thanksgiving.
What’s the old saying? Everything that’s old is new again? It’s true for me when it comes to this cookbook. All these old recipes are brand new to me again. I’ll think of my mom every time I use one.
How many of you or your mother or grandmother had this cookbook in their kitchen? I think it was a staple back in the day 🙂
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What a treasure!
My grandma had the Betty Crocker cookbook, and I have her copy.
That is so cool, Denise.
I know Mom used some cookbooks but none of them came my way (don’t move 2,000 miles away from family, MD to CA). She also loved to get recipes from magazines and the newspaper and did most of her cooking from memory.
My mom collected recipes from magazines, too 🙂
I have several cookbooks that belonged to my husband’s grandmother. It is fun just to read thru them.
Yes, it is fun, Ann. Some great old-timey hints!
My grandmother had this book. She gave it to my mom when mom and dad got married. Mom received the Betty Crocker Cookbook later. She used them both. I have them both now. They both have such wonderful recipes. When I was married for about six years, mom’s side of the family had a reunion. Everyone submitted their favorite recipes. Someone had put them all into a small cook book. The Shelton Cook Book. I have moms book now.
I love family cookbooks. It’s such a cute idea 🙂
Good morning! I am pretty sure Mama had a Good Housekeeping cook book. Looks a bit newer than the one you have. Didn’t they make more than one? Or Mama had a newer cover over hers. Anyway she had that and Betty Crocker.
I stand corrected! Mama had Better Homes & Garden cook book. It was a plaid cover(1976). Not Betty Crocker. But, she did have a newer version on Good Housekeeping. They wrote several.
I think both cookbooks were a staple in kitchens for many decades 🙂
I have my mother’s old cookbook – a first edition “All About Home Baking” by General Foods Corp., 1933. It is well-used but still completely intact. She even has many clipped recipes from other sources stuck in it.
What a treasure, Janice. How fortunate you are to have that.
I have my grandmother’s cookbook but I can’t read a single recipe in it. It’s all in Dutch!
Oh, wow. I wonder if you can get Google Translater to translate the recipes for you.
I have this one! It belonged to my Mom. I’ve used it for reference, and so did Mom. I honestly don’t remember her actually making any of the receipes, though. She mainly used it for reference, too. My poor copy is now held together by duct tape!!
Yours with its duct tape is a cousin to my mom’s book – hee, hee.
I don’t remember my grandmother ever using a cookbook and my mom has several but I don’t know if she has this one.
Your grandmother probably kept all her recipes in her head – the best ones!
My grandmother never used a cookbook. My mother staple was Betty Crocker cookbook. I also had one and use it some, but also use a variety of other cookbooks.
After this blog post, I’m thinking I need to start going through my cookbooks more often 🙂
My mom had a vintage copy of the MIRRO Cookbook ( Wisconsin). She had a Betty Crocker one too but not same cover as yours. She also had the 1953 version of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.
I think back in the day, all the women’s magazines had their own cookbook 😉
My family had one. they were amazing.
They are amazing. I can’t believe how much stuff is in there!
I remember all of my female relatives having this cookbook – mostly in the old binder type hard covered style!
Thanks!
I can imagine how many households still have them!
How neat that you have that. I love cookbooks. lol My pantry has one whole shelf filled with them. About the oldest one I have is a Fanny Farmer paperback that I ordered through a magazine add back in 1967. It was only $1 and has some of the best recipes. I wish I could find a new one just like it; mine is pretty well used. Enjoy your treasure. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Fanny Farmer? That sounds awesome. I have to look it up 🙂
What an awesome find! I have an old one of my grandmother’s that I have always enjoyed using.
It was awesome. I’m lucky to have a daughter who loves cooking and baking and may want this cookbook one day.
I do think my mom ever had one and I don’t remember my grandma ever having one either.
I think a lot of the cookbooks got lost or given away over the years.
My mom and grandmother didnt have a cookbook. I have The JOY of Cooking cook book and it has been used alot by my husband and I , we have had it for over 30 yrs. it is a very good cookbook, it also shows about canning and talks about veggies and fruits. How Special for you have your moms Cookbook. I enjoyed reading your post. Have a great day .
Oh, I had forgotten about The Joy of Cooking. Another classic!
Thanks for sharing this, especially the recipe for Baked Sweet Potatoes and Apples. I’ve been trying to decide what to do with the sweet potatoes from my daughter’s garden. (You can grow them here in the Columbia Basin). I have the same edition that came from a great aunt. I use it mostly for reference but do love the apple raisin dressing recipe which I make to go with roast pig or crown roast of pork for Christmas. It’s great with ordinary pork roast or stuffed chops too. My mom’s go to recipe book was Betty Crocker. My m-i-l had a Better Homes and Gardens book. My daughters have them now and use them regularly.
Its so nice to see people still use cookbooks. I think many people go online, use a recipe once and then forget about it.
My mom, my grandmother and my aunt all had cook books. I think they were Betty Crocker, or it might have been one of the flour companies. I don’t know where my mom’s went, I had my Nana’s but in one of my moves it got misplaced and I lost it, and my aunts went to her great granddaughter who at 13 is a fantastic baker.
How nice that your aunt’s cookbook got passed down and is being used. Such a neat tradition.
I know my mom had a Good Housekeeping Cookbook but it didn’t have a red cover. Last year we moved from the family home and sold the house. She doesn’t use cookbooks per se anymore so she donated them all to the Goodwill. They actually have a store with just books right over the Ohio border into Michigan! Nothing but BOOKS!!!!!!!
How cool is that? A Goodwill book store. I love it!
I don’t remember my mom or grandmothers using cookbooks. They had recipes written on cards or just from memory. Sadly, after my mom died (at only 47) and my dad remarried, my stop-mother threw out all my mom’s recipes even though we had asked for them. None of us had married or set up a household, so none had any of her recipes.
I have several cookbooks from that era, but not that particular one. I loved my grandmother’s rice pudding recipe but no one in the family had it. I started buying the old cookbooks to try and find a recipe that sounded much like her pudding. I think I have finally found one. Now I just need to find time to try it. My other grandmother gave me some of her recipes from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. I tried a cookie recipe, but they were a flop. With directions like “a scoop of lard the size of an egg,” it was a bit too vague. If I find the recipe, I might be tempted to try it again
I am planning to print up a booklet of favorite family recipes for each of our children. They have all of them and can get copies of needed. They already have a few.
So sorry about you losing your mom’s recipes 🙁 But it’s nice that you have some of your grandmother’s recipes. Gotta love those old-fashioned instructions.
I have it, but my cover is gray. I treasure it and didn’t realize until my daughter borrowed it, that some of the ingredients, people don’t recognize anymore! 10X sugar? It’s powdered sugar aka confectioners sugar.
Huh! I didn’t know that. How interesting, Lynne 🙂