I always (always, always, always) try to do my best when it comes to cookbook reviews. Cookbooks are one of my greatest passions. I’ve collected them since I was around 18 or 19 and have never sold or given one away. Perish the thought! I have family heirloom cookbooks, store bought cookbooks, Church “Fund Raiser” Cookbooks (seriously great recipes can be found in these!), and.. of course… cookbooks that have generously been sent for me to review on my food blog.
Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes: 1485 Favorites from the World’s #1 Food & Entertaining Magazine is one of the recent cookbooks I’ve received and I’ve been chomping at the bit to tell you all about it. I’ve waited for a few weeks, however, because it only recently (very recently) became available on Amazon.
While, as I said, I try to do my best on all cookbook reviews, I get a little bit of stage fright when the cookbook is this extraordinary. My number one mission is always to get a cookbook that I love dearly into as many hands as I possibly can. With Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes: 1485 Favorites from the World’s #1 Food & Entertaining Magazine (Amazon link), I feel extra pressure because this truly is a cookbook you MUST have. It’s one of the best collection of recipes I’ve ever seen.
What’s more, this is beautiful and huge cookbook would make the best gift imaginable for any foodie or cook in your life. Trust me, they’d thank you each time they used it. This is well over 1,000 recipes (1,485 to be exact) that will be used, loved, and reused indefinitely. What’s more, it looks great sitting on your kitchen hutch. It’s quite the looker!
Book Description
Real recipes from real home cooks—they’re what make Taste of Home one of America’s most popular—and most trusted—names in home cooking. Over the years, we’ve featured tens of thousands of recipes in our magazines and websites. But what makes this book so special is that it features not just great recipes. Not just award-winning recipes. These are our best-loved recipes: The ones that conjure up heavenly aromas, that bring you back to Sunday dinner tables, summer picnics and holiday parties, that call vividly to mind the special cooks who made them. The ones that make you close your eyes, smile and say, “Mmmmm!”They’re all here—cook-off winners and bake-sale favorites, must-have comfort foods and secret family recipes, regional specialties packed with flavor and style. This collection contains 1,485 of the most requested, most beloved dishes, all submitted by Taste of Home readers. Recipes for all occasions are included from Blueberry Cheesecake Flapjacks to Caramel Apple Bread Pudding, mouthwatering main dishes from Creamy Seafood-Stuffed Shells to Chicken with Rosemary Butter Sauce, and delicious dessert recipes from Magnolia Dream Cheesecake to Chocolate Ganache Tarts.
- Top 100 favorites recipes
- Prep/Cook Times
- Recipe comments from our web community
- Everyday ingredients
- Easy-to-follow directions
- How-to photos
- Cooking tips
- 26 chapters
- 20 photo sections with 400 full-color photos
- Tiger Butter Candy (page 214)
- Sour Cream Chocolate Cake (page 171)
- New England Baked Beans (page 243)
- Herbed Turkey and Dressing (page 397)
- Traditional Lasagna (page 394)
- Nutty Oven-Fried Chicken (page 385)
- Onion Beef Au Jus (page 399)
- Deluxe German Potato Salad (page 411)
- Salsa Verde (page 457)
- Country Fried Steaks (page 53)
- Traditional Meat Loaf (page 73)
- Asparagus Beef Stir-Fry (page 44)
- Mexicorn Grits (page 573)
- Italian Spiral Meat Loaf (page 632)
- Best Baby-Back Ribs (page 618)
- Breaded Pork Chops (page 634)
- Speedy Jambalaya (page 629)
- Pumpkin Pies for a Gang (page 689)
- Chicken Enchilada Bake (page 723)
- Smoked Turkey and Apple Salad (page 742)
- Pepperoni Pan Pizza (page 797)
- Oven Parmesan Crisps (page 839)
- Old-Fashioned Cream of Tomato Soup (page 872)
- Cajun Corn Soup (page 861)
- Chewy Peanut Butter Bars (Page 316)
- Swedish Raspberry Almond Bars (page 323)
- Saying “And Many More” just doesn’t cut it this time! How about “Over 1,000 more recipes!”
Below is the first recipe I made from Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes: 1485 Favorites from the World’s #1 Food & Entertaining Magazine. It’s called Holiday Tortellini Soup and it’s out of this world. This will be a beautiful soup to make around Christmas – but I’m sure I won’t wait that long to make it again.
Make this one as soon as possible – you’ll blow everyone away!
Holiday Tortellini Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely-diced
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (49-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini (use gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
- 8 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add pancetta. Cook until crisp.
- Add onion; cook 3-4 minutes or until tender.
- Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
- Add the broth and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to the package directions; drain.
- Add the cooked tortellini to soup mixture.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook just until wilted.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with the cheese.
I don’t care if you’ve been cooking for 50 years, 5 years, or 5 days – you have to grab a copy of Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes: 1485 Favorites from the World’s #1 Food & Entertaining Magazine. While you’re at it, you’d really be smart to buy one for the foodie, seasoned cook, or new cook on your Christmas list.
I am SHOCKED that Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes: 1485 Favorites from the World’s #1 Food & Entertaining Magazine doesn’t cost more than it does. When I gave my arms a workout by carrying this beautiful book into the house, I thought, “I’ll bet this one will be an expensive cookbook.” Then, when I looked through at all of the AMAZING recipes and pictures and realized that I could conceivably see myself making each one, I thought, “Oh, yeah, this one will cost over $50, easily.”
And what’s more, it would have been worth every penny!
Amazingly, this collection of the best recipes in the world (what more would you expect from Taste of Home?) is just a little over $20. 889 pages of recipes, tips, tricks, and pictures should cost a heck of a lot more than this.
I sincerely hope you’ll take advantage of the price and grab this one today. You’ll thank me later, I promise!
See Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes: 1485 Favorites from the World’s #1 Food & Entertaining Magazine!