Campbell'S Creative Cooking with Soup

This is one of my all time favorite cookbooks. My copy is 20 years old! I have both the softcover original and the hardback expanded version. The recipes are set up with a list of ingredients, including mix and match for several items (i.e. you pick what type of soup, pasta, meat, cheese, seasoning, etc. from a list of suggestions). Any of their combinations are supposed to work well together. It's especially nice for novice cooks who are nervous of experimentation, as it really helps you gain confidence or have an idea of what to do if you are out of an ingredient. I have tried SEVERAL recipes out of this booklet and almost every one of them has been very good. So far I have tried Mexican Style Appetizer, Chili, Pasta and Bean Soup, Easy Pot Roast, Stir Fried Beef and Vegetables, Souper Enchiladas, Meatball Stew, Chicken Paprika, Chicken Stuffing Bake (one of hubby's all time favorite casseroles), Pasta with White Seafood Sauce (one of the few recipes we didn't care for), Vegetables Oriental, and Broccoli & Noodles Parmesgan. Even with that long list, there are still a lot of recipes that I want to try including, Cheese Stuffed Vegetables, Teriyaki Beef Kabobs, Baked Chicken Florida, Vegetable Lasagna, Skillet Potatoes, Savory Pilaf, and others. I have five shelves of cooking books and this is by far one of my favorites. Overall the recipes are very easy and quick and mostly use common ingredients that I already have in my pantry and freezer. As I am sure you can tell by the list, there are plenty of "comfort" foods and what I think of as real home cooking. I would have to add the caveat though that for the most part I can't call them healthy recipes (although I make substitutions where I can like fat free mayo, Healthy Request cream soups, etc.) My most recent recipe attempt was Best Ever Meatloaf and it was quite yummy. I absolutely encourage you to try this book, especially if you are nervous about making substitutions. It will make you much more comfortable!!!