Must Have's

When I have a day off from work during the week, there are two daytime television shows that I try not to miss, Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray.

This past Monday, I was off work for Martin Luther King, Jr. day. On Martha Stewart's show, she had a short segment on "Must Have's." This was something she felt she couldn't do without in her kitchen. Her choice was a juicer that she said her housekeeper used every morning to make fresh juice. The first thing I thought was it's your Must Have and your housekeeper uses it? She showed the audience her juicer and then announced that everyone in the audience would get one.

That segment got me thinking about what my "Must Have" would be for my kitchen. Trying to figure it out wasn't as easy as I thought. But, I finally came up with my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook.

I've had it for twenty-five years and it was my first cookbook. It's also the first one I go to when I need a recipe. As I recall, I got this cookbook right about the time I got married and only had to pay shipping and handling charges for it. I remember getting that cookbook with some proof of purchase coupons.

I've put that cookbook to good use over the years. The pages have browned with age and are stained from spills and splashes. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's bound like a paperback novel and won't lay flat on the kitchen counter. I usually have to lay my manual can opener across the pages to keep it open while I'm making something.

Recently I solved that problem by buying a new, revised edition that has a plastic spiral binding and lays flat open just perfectly. It has shiny pages that hopefully won't turn brown and can be wiped clean of any splashes. It also has wonderful color photos that my older book doesn't.


So, I choose the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook as my "Must Have" for the kitchen. Unfortunately, I'm not Martha Stewart and cannot give all my readers a copy. You'll just have to search for that bargain like I did. I found my new copy at a Dollar General Store for $10.00 and my mother found her copy for the same price at Walden's Books.

Now, I want to hear from all of you. Let me know what your kitchen "Must Have" is.

Carol