Stephanie's Meals

“Hey, Stephanie! Where do you get the recipes mentioned on your website?”

Well, although I asked the question here and have been asked by more than one person otherwise, I will divulge a secret: I get them from just about everywhere. For example, I found the “Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie” recipe on this site on the back of a bag of Gold Medal all purpose flour. I also have a killer (read: AWESOME!) slow cooker chili recipe (Easy Crockpot Chili) that I once found on a bag of onions I had purchased. As far as I know, I do believe these recipes are tested by the product makers. They know their product; they should know what to do with them!!

I have two favorite cookbooks. The first one is Betty Crocker’s Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition. Copyright 2000. It is oil-stained, slightly sugar-crusted, some pages are torn off the binder hinges, other recipes I have collected are falling out of it, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The cookbook starts off with the first chapter giving you a basic cooking overview. It tells you about measuring ingredients, mixing terminology, stocking your pantry, how-to’s, the different pots and pans for baking and cooking you may have or need, and includes “cooking terms” and “ingredients” glossaries. All the stuff you need to know about unpretentious cooking for yourself and/or your family is right there. If you are nervous about just starting out on your cooking journey in the kitchen or you are just looking for ideas on recipes you and your family would love to keep in your repertoire, then this cookbook is for you. I love it!

The other cookbook I love is actually a 1406-page textbook I had to get for my first cooking class while I was getting my bachelor of science degree in nutrition and dietetics. It is the fourth edition of On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 2007. Authors: S R Labensky and A M Hause. The class really gave me the confidence I needed to try new recipes and really get to love cooking and baking. I often use this textbook for reference and for recipes. It delves into the history of cooking, professionalism, sanitation and food safety, nutrition, knife skills, and talks about menus and recipes even before getting into the actual recipes. The book is broken down into chapters that covers a vast array of foods, such as beef, veal, vegetarian cooking, to name a few. For each of the foods chapters, there are recipes from all over the United States that have been developed in culinary classrooms. If you can find this book, get it. Devote some time (and about $80+) and get serious about cooking!

I really love both of the aforementioned books for their recipes and information, but I suggest asking friends and neighbors for their favorite recipes, trying recipes you find in magazines, and turning over the bag of chocolate chips you find in the grocery store to find a new awesome recipe for fudge. Happy hunting!!