America's Best-loved
Community Cookbook Recipies

Better Homes and Gardens, $15.95 each

Gifts for the cook, either fancy or simple

Review by Sybil Pratt

Three new volumes of America's Best-loved Community Cookbook Recipes add to the home-spun splendor of this best-loved series from Better Homes and Gardens. Collected nationwide, these recipes come from families and communities just like ours and reflect the grassroot glories of our national cuisine. A note, a sort of warm personal garnish, about the creator/donator accompanies every recipe. There's a full-page, full-color photo of each finished dish, as well as helpful photos of prep techniques. Any or all make welcome, practical presents, the kind you may just want to give to yourself. Brunches & Lunches ($15.95, 0696205904) yields bunches of munches, ideal for everyday eating and for special occasions, too. There are coffee cakes and breads sweet and savory, pancakes, sandwiches, salads, and veggies.

Dinner time can be a wonderful time for family members to come together, and Family Dinners ($15.95, 0696205890) is chockablock with hearty, healthful dishes that will please the small fry and the large. "Cranberry Cornish Hens" make an easy holiday treat, "Company Meat Loaf," from the good women of Richardson, Texas, is a well-seasoned version of this age-old stand-by, "Cincinnati Chili," that comes via Alaska, is bound to banish winter chills and "Barbecued Salmon Steaks with Avocado Butter" will appeal to family members and guests alike. Serving suggestions and ideas for savvy substitutions ensure success.

When supper is over, it's time for a sweet. Cakes, cookies, pies, and puddings from the surprisingly simple, cholesterol-free, iced Christmas dainties called "Von Trapp Rum Pennies," to a simply divine confection referred to as "That Chocolate Thing," can all be found in Desserts ($15.95, 0696205912). And the Better Homes and Gardens test kitchen experts give you their tips for chopping chocolate, flaky pie crust, freezing cream puffs, and much more.

Sybil Pratt is an avid cook who lives in New York City.

©1996, ProMotion, inc.

www@bookpage.com