ode to Better Homes & Gardens

The thought of winning an endless amount of money for a lifetime was the only thing my great aunt Gladys could fathom. But as it turned out, I was the winner.

As a child my imagination was larger than myself.

There was no better place to let it run wild and free than at my grandma's house. Only a stone's throw away from her home was my great aunt Gladys' house. I spent many summers soaking in the farm where they lived; The life of a housewife, amazing down home cookin', good ol' country living.

My great aunt Gladys had this image of Ed McMahon showing up at her front door followed with a giant check with her name on it. That woman entered the sweepstakes as often as she possibly could. This particular sweepstakes (conveniently) offered magazines, books, encyclopedias (the list goes on and on) for people to purchase at a discount price. She believed that if she jumped in and bought all she could, this would increase her chances of getting to meet ol' McMahon himself.

Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas; you name it. We knew what we were getting from Gladys. We were getting to share in her Publishers Clearing House "collection." It was the Christmas of 2001, at the age of 17, when I too received one of these gifts. Upon opening I realized it was a BH&G cookbook. At the time I had no knowledge at what this beauty contained. The perfectly thought out sections. From cooking with basics, appetizers, candy, cakes, salads, soups, and so much more! Or that each section give you a "dummies" guide to the different cuts of meat, types and varieties of veggies, and even a run down of prep and cook times and nutrition facts.

Now in 2010 my BH&G cookbook, with each and every stain, contains a memory. From the "trying to impress the new boyfriend" old time fudge on page 152, to the "thrifty and loved christmas present" banana bread on page 114, and more recently the "go-to quick and easy family breakfast" frittata page 233, all the way to the "oh my gosh, I'm out of that!" emergency substitutions on page 539 (which, might I add, I use ALL the time!).

With each and every craving, dinner party, birthday bash, office get together, or just a simple dinner with my family and friends, and everything in between, I always refer back to my 11th edition, torn, tattered, sticky, stained yet much loved BH&G cookbook.


It still contains the sweet little note signed by my dear Aunt Gladys who has since passed on. I will always cherish this cookbook.

Tell me about your experience with BH&G. Do you have a special story about your cookbook. Or did the magazine inspire somthing you created?