Taste of Home: Best Loved Recipes

Genre: Reference, Cookbook
First Published: September 13, 2012
Publisher: Reader's Digest
Pages: 928

Synopsis: An impressive and extensive collection of favourite recipes from the people at Taste of Home.

My Thoughts:  As a long-time subscriber to Taste of Home's 'Simple and Delicious' magazine I was extremely happy when I was chosen to review this cookbook by the lovely folks at Reader's Digest. 'Simple and Delicious' is one of the very few magazines that I receive and, by far, my favourite.  I have to admit that I get more than a little excited when I peek into my mailbox and see my plastic wrapped bundle of joy waiting for me!  I rip off the plastic, plop down at the table and start to dog ear all the recipes that I plan to make.  Heaven, I tell ya!

Why do I get all atwitter about a recipe magazine?  Because Taste of Home embodies good ol' home cooking.  You can't get better than 'tried and true' recipes from 'regular' people.  I'm not talking about some fancy schmancy TV personality with her hard to make recipe with odd ingredients and an army of prep people behind the scenes.  I'm talking about delicious meals straight from the kitchen of Edna from Maine, the mother of five kids or Estelle, the grandmother from Montreal, QC or Stephen from Vancouver.  Family favourite recipes that people have taken the time to send in and hopefully share with thousands of other readers.  You cannot get a better recommendation for a recipe than that! 

This book celebrates the home cook and is veritable warehouse of family favourite recipes all in one easy to use book.  I'm talking about 1,485 recipes hand chosen by the Taste of Home staff as their ultimate favourites from thousands upon thousands of recipes that they've received over the past 20 years!  That, my friends is called a Culinary Score!

One of my favourite things about Taste of Home's recipes is that they're written with the home cook in mind.  Each recipe has clear step-by-step instructions; they use common ingredients that you won't have to hunt for at the food store and many have a beautiful colour picture to entice you.  This means that these recipes will impress the experienced home cook as well as not intimidating the newer cook.  There are 26 chapters filled with delicious recipes as well as cooking tips.  There is everything from appetizers, to quick breads to main dishes and delectable desserts.

One of my favourite recipes that I reviewed from the sample that I received from the publisher were the 'Garlic Knots'.  Oh m'gravy these were good.  You wouldn't believe the kudos thrown my way by my small humans and hubby.  They were definitely a hit with my carb lovin' family!  And the best part?  So, so easy!  I'm talking 'whipping-them-up-as-a-quick-side-dish-for-a-spaghetti-supper-on-a-busy-Tuesday-night' kind of easy!   Yes, the good people at Taste of Home provide awesome recipes as well as helping to keep Moms' stress levels low on those hectic nights when you have to feed the brood to get them off to extracurricular events.  Tasty food, easy to make and peace of mind.  Perfect!

I highly recommend this cookbook as well as the Taste of Home magazine publications. 

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Note: Special thanks to the wonderful people at Taste of Home and Reader's Digest for providing me with a complimentary sample of this cookbook in exchange for my honest review.