Eileen Tighe

This was my go-to cookbook for 30 years. It still serves me well, but now it shares the shelf with The Joy of Cooking. I could live on the Italian Sausage & Rice Casserole (Vol. 10, p. 1636 in my edition); and Mae's Date Cookies (Vol. 3, p. 476) are my all-time favorite. My only complaint is that someone (who apparently has never used a book before) put the page numbers on the inside corners next to the binding. Why, why why?

The second volume in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cooking, this one has everything from Baba and Bacon to Brains and Brazil Nuts. There's also a thirty-page section devoted entirely to Beef, and a smaller section dedicated to Barbeque. What can I say, you had me at Scrambled Eggs and Brains.

This set was offered by our local grocery store. My mother purchased each volume as it was offered, one each week, until she had all12 volumes. I would sit and read them cover to cover when I was a girl.

This volume of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of cooking covers everything from Carrots to Chick-Peas, including the "art of carving," casseroles, celery, cheese (and cheesecake), cherries, and chicken.