Monday, June 19, 2017

It's All in the Books

I go to the old cookbooks to this day when I need a recipe. That's where I find the best ones. If I search online, I type in the recipe but I add 'grandmother's' to the search-- grandmother's mac and cheese, grandmother's coconut cake, grandmother's lemonade...

My favorite oldies are the Better Homes and Garden red check, the church cookbooks, and good 'ol Betty Crocker. Of course, getting my hands on Grandmother's hand written recipes are better than anything else. I put together a family cookbook years ago and gave them out at the family reunion. That book has recipes spanning back from my great-grandmother to more recent favorites of everyone in the family.

People today are going for the healthy options and changing all their recipes to fit the mold or going all the way and throwing out the old recipes. Not in this house. The old recipes are my favorites and the tips are timeless. The old recipes were just fine but, because the ingredients were better back then I simply buy the purer, organic ingredients and keep the recipes as they are.

I have several older books- readers and novels. I like having old books around the house. They remind me that a simpler, more honest time did exist. And I'm not just talking about childhood but a time when people were easier and kind. A time when you could take someone at their word. A time when life was a little slower because people took the time to do things right and well. They took time to talk face-to-face with their neighbors and people they passed on the street. They spent time with one another sitting around the table instead of yelling at traffic while rushing from one activity to another.

I'm looking forward to the time I will spend in the kitchen with the grands. I even have a couple cookbooks for kids. I think they'll enjoy looking through the books and comparing them. One is a Betty Crocker from the 950s, one is an American Girl book Baby M's mommy used, and one is a more recent book I picked up at a school sale.

I was surprised at all the illustrations of boys in this one. I thought for sure it would be filled with girls. The boys were not just on the pages featuring foods like hotdogs either. This one has great tips and instructions, too. The color pictures do nothing to make the food look appealing, however. 

How much fun we will have comparing the drawings and finding similar recipes to compare.

This is my favorite cookbook for kids. I definitely expected the pictures to be all girls because, American Girl. Duh. The pictures are fantastic in this one and so are the tips, instructions, and definitions. Y'all see that banana split up there? I want that. NOW. 
They may as well learn early the things they can't help but love because of being in this family- cooking, music, reading, football, and humor. Being crazy is in there too but we don't always mention that one. Ha!

This one is kooky and has crazy cartoon characters in it instead of boys and/or girls. There are some awesome looking snacks in there but I am not fond of the presentations. It does look like something kids would enjoy, though. 
One of the things I love most about the Betty Crocker and the American Girl books are the baking/cooking tips and definitions. Sometimes I forget when I'm explaining things that I understand already but the ones listening do not. The tips and definitions in these books are fabulous.

Please notice the page in the middle, left square. It's Kitchen Manners. Very cool.These books outline utensils, pots, and pans. They define simple terms we know but kids don't like, bake. They cover safety, too.  
Once Baby M and Baby R become Kid M and Kid R, we'll be in the kitchen. We'll try some of the recipes in these kids' cookbooks but we'll also learn the same way I did. The way my grandmother taught me. These kiddos are going to be some good cooks when grandma gets finished with them.

What's your favorite thing to cook with your grandkids or kids?




Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles
and feel free to FAVORITE the shop
or buy something! :)

26 comments:

  1. Thanks for the search tip: to use Grandmother's when looking for a recipe. I'm with you on the old-fashioned recipes. The "modern" ones that work their way around "less healthy" ingredients are not worth getting fat on. Of course, there are limits. My mother used to make a Middle-European dish that was a ravioli-like round of home-made pasta that was stuffed with mashed potatoes and fried onions and served slathered with butter and sour cream. Perfect for someone who spent the day outdoors doing farm chores; mot so great for city dwellers. My mantra: portion control not ingredient deviation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. O.M.G. That sounds amazing! That's the same thing I always say about the food my great-grandparents and grandparents prepared and ate- great for the farmers, not so much for us city folk. :) Thanks!

      Delete
  2. What a genius idea to use "grandmother" in a search! I will have to try that. I have a bunch of those good old 50s cookbooks and I can't even think of getting rid of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you'll like the results. It makes a huge difference in the results. I'm the same way. I'll get rid of more recent years but not those old ones.

      Delete
  3. I have all three, the BHG red book, the Better Crocker and the church one...the church one actually has some of my MIL's recipes in it...my favorite thing to make with the grand kids is banana bread. They love it and when they see brown bananas they get excited....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are the best, aren't they? I can't wait for Baby M and Baby R to be old enough to help out in the kitchen. :) It's going to be such fun. Or disastrous. Ha!

      Delete
  4. I still use cookbooks and favorite cookbooks! I love old really old cookbooks with their instructions that today seems vague!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the old ones, too. I haven't found the instructions vague,though. Maybe because of learning to cook with my grandmother and mother???

      Delete
  5. Oh my this was bloody great, I wish my nan had some of her recipes written down but she never bothered with doing that

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine did but she didn't write down what she actually ended up putting in the dishes. LOL

      Delete
  6. There's just something for me about actual books, in general...maybe it's the feel of them in my hands, I don't really know. I am in total agreement with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. Having the book in my hand is just better. Besides, the power saver comes on when I go digital and I have to turn everything back on. LOL I love seeing my grandmother's handwriting in her books. :)

      Delete
  7. I still have my old favorites. I do like cookbooks. I make pizza with my grandkids when them come. They think it is important. I always let them pick their own toppings. I love the pictures of yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want to do the pizzas with mine as soon as they're old enough. I think they'll love it! Everything with grandma is fun, right? :)

      Delete
  8. I do love my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. However, I am not and never have been much of a cook. Hubby does the vast majority of our cooking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I am able to cook because I spent so much time in the kitchen with my grandmother. Of course, we'd all starve waiting on anyone else around here to cook anything. LOL

      Delete
  9. Love it! You're going to have so much fun with them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think so, too. This whole Grandmother Club is the best. :)

      Delete
  10. The old recipes are the best. Surprised me too about the boys. Thank you Pam for linking up at the #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty. I shared this post.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have the big red and white checked Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook that actually belonged to my mom when she was married to my dad. I got a new one for myself as a wedding present when I got married 33 years ago and when my sister found my mom's I passed my cookbook down to my daughter.

    I have to say though that my favorite cookbook is the cookbook from the church I went to for 16 years as a young wife and mom. All my favorite recipes are in there.

    I really haven't cooked a lot with my grandson but has been known to help me out in the kitchen by mixing things for dinner or lunch. I think I need to schedule some more intentional cooking time with him.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Such a good idea to add the word 'grandmother's' when searching on-line for a recipe. I am definitely going to try that next time! #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty

    ReplyDelete
  13. My 3 year old grandson helps me make birthday cakes for his mummy and daddy. The icing goes everywhere but it is fun. Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty I have shared on social media. Have a great week and see you at next week’s link up! Sue from Sizzling Towards Sixty & Beyond
    http://www.sizzlingtowardssixty.com.au

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the old cookbooks! I have one that I still use and it was given to me when I was 21 and that was many, many moons ago. But it is still my favorite. It's a country cooking cookbook and I have memorized some of the recipes and they have become mine. Thanks for sharing at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I had a kids cookbook when I was young and I loved it so much! Thank you for sharing at ‪#BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty‬‪#BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty‬.

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's amusing to look at the pictures in those old cookbooks. The old recipes are often tastier than newer versions. Thank you for linking up at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty. I’m sharing your link on social media.
    Carol (“Mimi”) from Home with Mimi

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the pictures in the old cookbook. My grandkids and I have had fun baking lots of things together. The most recent of which was our homemade pretzels. Thank you for sharing with us at the #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It makes me feel connected to everyone even though we may live far apart! Have a wonderful day!

 
Design by Imagination Designs
Illustration by MerryLittleDoodle
Background by CinnamonDove