One of my favorite Christmas presents this year was a new copy of a frequently used cookbook. "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book" was given to me  by one of my mom's best friends when my husband and I married over 34 years ago. Also a neighbor, Dorothy was a wonderful cook. She and her husband, Joe, were like an aunt and uncle to me and my siblings, as we often played with their kids and grandkids. Many years later, we would take our daughters to visit them when we returned to see our famiy. The girls always like to pretend Dorothy was the person who played the character of the same name in "The Wizard of Oz" -- what great imaginations!

This year our youngest gave me a copy of the same cookbook. As you can see from the photo, the old book shown on the right has been much loved and used over the years! There have been many different versions of this book, and even though the covers are different, the contents are exactly the same. I am so excited!

This cookbook had gotten me through many meals in the kitchen from the time I started cooking more when we got married. One of the best recipes from the book is for "Biscuits Supreme," a wonderful recipe that produces very good biscuits every time. More importantly, this is the book I have used for many years for canning everything from peaches to tomatoes. The instructions are clear and the results are wonderful every time. This year I used the canning recipe and instructions for making applesauce. Surely the new book will see me through the next 34 years!