Crisco Cooking

When Myrna brought this book to coffee time, I took it home and decided I had to have one too.  It was published in 1982, and is full of great recipes that use basic foods and few mixes.  There are appetizers and soups, meats, poultry, fish and shellfish, vegetables and fruits, and, needless to say, great chapters on baking, like yeast breads, quick breads, cakes, pies and pastry and cookies.

All the recipes have numbered steps, which make them easy to read and follow.  
If you are not a shortening user, I found I could usually substitute butter, lard or an oil, depending on the recipe.  The photos and presentation are surprisingly sophisticated and the recipes are not just basics but have a nice twist on the usual.

We liked it very much; the recipes below are just a handful of the bounty from Crisco Cooking.

Mini Meat Loaves

Honey Batter Rolls

Cheesy Vegetable Tarts

Honey Walnut Cake

Almond Crunchies

Chicken Strogonoff

Homemade Quick Bread Mix

Breads from the mix:

Nutty Applesauce Bread

Olive Quick Bread

Pineapple Coconut Loaf