More on Betty Crocker's cook book
So here is further ramblings on my favorite cookbook, the item I posted a few days ago apparently caused several of my friends to comment via email rather than posting a comment on my blog, shy I suppose.
My friend M said after reading my blog and looking at my pathetic cookbook she would go to half dot com or amazon to buy me a much needed replacement though she nearly fell off her chair at the prices of a used 1969 edition of the Betty Crocker pie cover edition prices ranged from $24.00 upwards to $172.00, yes dear friend that is why I still use the one pictured.
L another dear friend who is a Joy of Cooking kind of gal told me to get a grip again after viewing one of the used book sites, she suggested ebay, L may not remember this but years ago she gave me a 1982 edition of the Betty Crocker cook book and I used it for several years the contents not much changed in that edition, but that book was lent to another friend and is long gone.
My friend J did give me a smile, he too was browsing ebay to replace my sad copy and just for laughs sent me this photo from an ebay item at this moment up for auction. I will pass since I already have the taped cover version.
I say thank you to my dear friends for wanting to replace my cookbook, though half the fun is the thrill of the hunt.
I have a short list of books I want, and faithfully search for when I am at the used book shops, browsing a yard sale or the internet.
In fact, I am watching 12 auctions as I type this, 8 are for a replacement cook book but I have my sanity, I will not pay the outrageous prices some of the books go for, I am not a collector, I intend to use the book as I as I do now, which means the pages will get spilled on more than once no matter how careful I am.
There was a time when I owned the paperback copy, the hardcover, and the binder style of this edition, as well as a white cover special edition.
I had a hardcover 1972 edition and I believe a 1978 edition, each of the copies were lent and they were never returned blah blah blah. This cook book is well used, at one time or another I have made just about every cookie recipe in the book and most of my friends received said cookies each year packed in a Currier & Ives christmas cookie tin. You know who you are!
I made the Boston Cream pie once, the vanilla pudding, when my son was a baby and every christmas for years I made hand made gifts, along with the salt water taffy, popcorn balls, chocolate fudge from the recipes in the book.
I still make the eggnog recipe year round, I love the pound cake, the yellow cake and the chili recipe which I have tweaked to suit my taste over the years, including using tofu crumble in place of the ground beef.
So yes my copy is taped, torn, tattered, and yellow,
the hardcover 1972 edition accompanied me to Mrs. P's Home Ec. Class in 1973, my senior year for the Senior tea, I made the petit fours and they were a huge hit, a few years later I made the petit fours for my mothers Christmas party.
This cookbook is more than just a cookbook to me, it is fond and pleasant memories of the girl who loved to cook from scratch, I tried many recipes and experienced many failures mostly the brownies which I still can not bake.
Both
M & L asked me if the 1969 edition had any other significant
meaning since this edition sells for so much. I figure there are
collectors out there collecting items from the 60's, items from
cookery and kitchenalia, (I swear I saw this word twice this week),
even 1 or 2 Betty Crocker collectors (and M there really is no Betty
Crocker she is not a person like Julia Child, really I wouldn't make
this up).
