Best Recipes from America's Kitchen

I bought this cookbook just before leaving for germany, so that i would have all the "classic" american recipes to take with me. everything your mom/grandma/aunt/friend's mom ever cooked for you when you were a kid is in here. once i got back home, i discovered there were lots of german recipes i could cook for my husband. they even have two or three versions of the same meal, and scads of variations on their "basic" recipes. i've used my book so often it's falling apart and i've got to buy a new one! there are lots of (small) black-and-white photos of the finished product, but if you're looking for step-by-step instructions, they don't have that, per se. there are, however, "how-to" sections on some techniques such as piecrust decoration, plus lots of tips on how to make a recipe turn out better. there are even sections on using leftovers, setting the table, cuts of beef, and things like that. i consider this cookbook a must-have basic.