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Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Better Than Store Bought A Cookbook, for Book Review Linky #13!

Welcome to the Book Review Linky Party, a sharing link-up for books! We are so happy that books are once again, back in fashion! And a great way to keep them front and center is to share a review of what you have read, if and how you enjoyed it and if you would recommend the book to a friend! Oh and a story or two of how you came to own or stumbled upon the book would also be fun...




The Book Review Linky will start each Wednesday at 12AM MST 

and will run Wednesday through Tuesday of the following week. It is hosted with a full link-up at Homemade On A Weeknight! After linking do be sure to take a look at some of the other reviews. You just might find your next good read...plus it is just good fun to support other readers and bloggers. Reading, like travel is the one area where you can and will spend money and yet, you are much richer after doing so! 
 


I am so happy to be a part of this weekly event!

Reading has always been something I have enjoyed. First as a child visiting the library each week (hello Little House books!), then as a parent and grandparent (Good Night Moon!) and always as a cook in my own kitchen. Cookbooks in particular have played a large part in recipe development and as a means to widen my own limited food horizons! While I might not get to Spain or Germany, through a recipe, I can cook the foods enjoyed there! Not to mention learning how to knit, fix a leaking pipe, or even plant a garden, because books can be a large part of our own, journey of a lifetime!

What am I sharing this week?


Better Than Store Bought
by: Helen Witty 
      Elizabeth Schneider Colchie
Copyright 1979 by Helen Witty & Elizabeth Schneider Colchie


I have had Better Than Store Bought for many decades, 

and honestly when I took a look around the blog to be able to link the recipes I have made from this jewel of a cookbook, I could only find one. Certainly not because I have only used this book for one recipe, but rather it is because I have not blogged more of the recipes made from this book! And there are many. Delicious recipes for food that, yes you might not have known you could make at home, but you will certainly want to, once you peek inside of this book! For me, this book is used as much for inspiration as it is recipes. 


And yes, that shaggy pink mess sticking up from the pages, 

are some of the marked recipes I still plan on making. And before I go any further and forget this detail, this is the best book to use for food gifts from your kitchen! And not just at Christmas time, but for any gift giving occasion that pops up in your family. Food gifts are always appreciated, but these recipes are gourmet shop delicious! I have no doubt that I was first inspired to make my own mustard from taking a gander through this book. Often this book comes down off the shelf to be searched for inspiration or a method that I am needing. 


Let's take a look at some of the marked recipes: 

Crisp Pickled Green Beans, page 136

Sweet Red Pepper Relish, page 145

Walnut Dessert Sauce, page 161

Coarse Ground Mustard with Red Wine and Garlic, page 192

Tangerine Liqueur, page 222

And I was just about to add the next marked recipe, until I realized I have made this one, and it has been a part of the blog forever!  

Gingerbread and Ginger Cookie Mix, page245



This recipe makes two pouches of mix to store in your cupboard. 

You may use the pouches to bake Gingerbread or Ginger Cookies. We like to call them Gingersnaps, at our house but Ms. Witty and Ms. Colchie both refer to the cookies as Ginger Cookies. Probably because they are not quite firm throughout to actually snap when you take a bite! 

What they do have is a nice crispy edge and are softer, chewy middle. They are delicious as is, but quite lovely with a lemon glaze on top or a lemon butter cream used to sandwich them together. And by the way, when you do sandwich them with buttercream, and store them in a tightly lidded container, they soften to a lovely tenderness that is just about perfect. The Gingerbread is tender as well and goes with anything you like, from poached fruit to a lemon sauce over the top with a touch of whipped cream. 

I think there is a lot of cooking from this book in my future! Have you used this book? If so, what were your thoughts on the recipes? 


And now on to the Book Review Linky @homemadeonaweeknight!




Meet your book nook crew aka the Librarians!

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And with that. I let's go to the Book Review Linky #13! 

Thanks for sharing with us, and bring on the reviews!

Would you like to comment?

  1. I've always wanted to be the person that gives food gifts. This books sounds like something I need to make that happen!

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    Replies
    1. Estelle, the recipes are great, and the instructions are very complete. It is not necessarily a quick and easy recipes kind of book, but definitely a book filled with delicious recipes you can trust.

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  2. Mother had that exact cookbook! I did not bring it home from her house, so I'm sure it got taken to Goodwill or somesuch. She used to love making her own things, like soup mix, ketchup, and mango chutney!

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    Replies
    1. Gina, that is wonderful, I always enjoy hearing about memories of someone else having the same cookbook. Thank you!

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  3. Thank you for featuring my review of the Korean Vegan Cookbook. I appreciate it. I tried to leave a comment on the other site, but it would not go through.

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  4. That sounds like a fabulous book. It's funny to me the things we've made homemade that I've had people ask/remark that they never knew you could make it yourself. I typically reply that if it can be bought in a store it can be made or grown at home!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne, and most products found in the marketplace, started out as a homemade product!

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  5. Sounds like a handy book to have-I have gotten some used to finding recipes and ideas online that I have given away most of my cookbooks, except the really treasured ones. It's great that you have found lots of recipes that you like. thanks for the review .

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    Replies
    1. Judee, I have done the same thing, keeping only one bookshelf of books, from my original collection of over 3000.

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