Just in time for Mother's Day, I'm going to share one of my favorite cookbooks with you all. I love all of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, but this is one of the everyday standouts in my collection. I received a free copy of this cookbook because one of my recipes, Grammy's Potato Wedges, was published in it. I've been so thankful for this book and I turn to it often. There are six sections in the book which include recipes for breakfast, brown-bag lunches, snacks, main dishes, sweets, and a special section of recipes for kids to make.
First up is Grab & Go Breakfasts. There are egg dishes, cereals, muffins, coffee cakes and more. I always enjoy baked oatmeal, and this book has three recipes for it -- one with a pumpkin pie flavor (which I have not tried) and one with a peanut butter/chocolate flavor as well as a simpler, more basic recipe. I made Melanie's Oven Omelet for a ladies' brunch and Country Skillet Breakfast for a supper meal. Both very good! There are also French toast and pancake recipes, several smoothie recipes and much more.
Next chapter is Brown-Bagging It. Lots of portable recipes for soups, sandwiches and salads. Tuna Egg Salad is one I've tried that was very good, as is Mamaw's Special Tuna Salad, which includes shredded apple along with pickle relish. Don't shudder at the shredded apple; it's actually very tasty in tuna salad. Seems to give it a fresher flavor.
Healthy Bites for Snacking is the next chapter, and it is just what it says. Salsas, dips, frozen treats like yogurt pops and individual fruit salads; hummus, mini pizzas, and much more. One day I watched my friend Jenn make Paper Bag Popcorn as a quick and easy treat for her toddler. What a great idea. This chapter is full of them, and kids are always hungry.
Dinners for the Daily Dash is the largest section in the book and is subdivided into four smaller ones. The first of these is One-Dish Wonders. I've made the Italian Chicken and Penne Skillet and the Spinach & Sausage Soup -- and there are still many more that I want to try. The second smaller section is Made From Scratch. From here, I've tried the Veggieful Italian Hot Dish, the Savory Chicken & Rice Soup, Kathy's Italian Zucchini Dish -- and again, still more that I want to try. From the next section, Ready When You Are!, I've tried Sam's Chicken-Cabbage Soup, Mom's Best Chili, Mother's Sausage Supper -- but there are still loads of recipes that sound good to me. Lastly in the main-dish section is $5 to $10 Dinners. The Farmhouse BBQ Muffin Cups are so tasty. I made the Bacon Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes for friends who loved them. Again, plenty of recipes that sound good that I haven't yet tried.
The next section is Kids in the Kitchen and includes a variety of recipes of all types that kids can make or help with. My potato wedges are in this section. They have been a huge hit with my kids and grandkids over the years. There's also a Macaroni Pizza Pie that I've tried -- it starts with a box of mac'n'cheese mix! The Microwave Mac & Cheese is fabulous. So good. I use 3 cups of elbow macaroni or rotini rather than the 2 cups the recipe calls for.
Lastly is the Sweet Treats chapter. It includes muffins, cookies and bars, a couple of easy pie recipes, and some recipes for individual mug desserts. The Blastin' Blueberry Crunch is the only recipe I've tried from this chapter, and it was yummy. Though I found the recipes for sweets the least enticing in the book, truthfully. Probably a good thing!
I find this to be a very practical cookbook, filled with quick and easy recipes that families will enjoy. I highly recommend it to you as well!
I only have one Gooseberry Patch recipe book. It has survived many cookbook cullings. I have only one shelf for cookbooks and if a new one comes in, something has to go. You've mentioned so many tasty dishes that it makes me want to invest.
ReplyDeleteSent you an email about this, but one of my favorite sources for used books of any kind (maybe especially Gooseberry Patch ones) is Thriftbooks.com. They can often be found for under $5 and are often in like-new or very good condition.
ReplyDeleteAnd Gooseberry Patch has great sales -- up to 85% off -- a couple times a year, so that's another possibility.
I reviewed another Gooseberry Patch book over on my Christmas blog, so you may wish to check that out as well!