Hot Holiday Gift: Betty Crocker Cookbook in Honor of Betty's 90th!

By April MacIntyre Oct 20, 2011, 5:41 GMT

A fabulous, affordable gift this year is the new edition of the classic cookbook. Betty Crocker is releasing a new edition of the famed “Big Red” cookbook this year just in time for Christmas.

The Hot Holiday Gift series is Monsters and Critics' 2011 picks for the best in Made in America gifts for everyone. From beauty, food, wine and spirits, DVDs to fashion, we have found the best in each category for you to consider gifting a loved one this holiday season. 

The name Betty Crocker is synonymous with good eats in the USA.

There was no "real" Betty. The Washburn Crosby Company of Minneapolis, one of the six big milling companies that merged into General Mills in 1928, had so many requests for recipes in the old Boardwalk Empire days (early 1920s) that in 1921, one enterprising manager concocted the cheerful housewife.

He used retired mill boss William Crocker's last name, with the first name “Betty" because the name sounded cheerful!

Thus began a legacy of carefully vetted recipes, tried and true, that have fed families for 90 successful years with unique dishes.

A fabulous, affordable gift this year is the new edition of the classic cookbook. Betty Crocker is releasing a large easy to read, binded new edition of the famed “Big Red” cookbook this year, just in time for Christmas.  

With more than 65 million copies sold since its first edition was published in 1950, the new version of the Betty Crocker Cookbook brings Betty into the 21st century and, for first time ever, readers will have exclusive access to an online cookbook destination (http://www.bettycrocker.com/cookbooks-and-magazines/betty-crocker-cookbook).

Highlights of the new cookbook include:

1,500 recipes and 1,100 all-new photographs
Online bonus with access to 85 videos and 400 additional recipes
The Betty Crocker cookbook also is available in the following digital formats: eBook, Enhanced eBook and the recently announced fixed-page layout from Apple

Bonus recipe, courtesy of Betty Crocker:

Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Create restaurant-style spring rolls with this recipe—perfect for an Asian dinner or party appetizer.

Prep Time
40 Minutes

Total Time
40 Minutes

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
Sauce
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup canned coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped gingerroot
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Rolls
3 oz uncooked thin rice stick noodles
1/2 cup shredded carrot (1 medium)
1/3 cup julienne-cut fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small serrano chile, seeded, finely chopped
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
12 spring roll rice paper wrappers (about 8 1/2 inch)
12 small leaves butter lettuce, tough centers removed
3/4 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup organic frozen shelled edamame, cooked, drained

Preparation

In small bowl, beat sauce ingredients with whisk, adding enough water for desired consistency. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.

Fill 3-quart saucepan two-thirds with water; heat to boiling. Add rice stick noodles; boil gently 3 minutes or just until noodles are tender. Rinse with cold water; drain. Transfer to large bowl. With scissors, cut rice noodles into about 3-inch lengths. Stir in carrot, basil, cilantro, chile and 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce.

Fill 9-inch round shallow pan with hot water (110°F); place clean, damp paper towel on work surface.

Dip 1 rice paper wrapper in water about 5 seconds or just until pliable; place on towel. Place lettuce leaf on lower third of wrapper. Spoon scant 1/3 cup noodle mixture on lettuce.

Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon peanuts and heaping tablespoon edamame. Starting with edge covered with fillings, roll up wrapper over fillings, stopping after first turn to tuck in sides.

Continue to roll up, tucking in sides. Place seam side down on serving platter. Repeat with remaining wrappers and fillings, placing on platter without sides touching.   

Serve immediately, or cover with moist paper towels and refrigerate up to 2 hours. To serve, cut each roll in half diagonally. Stir sauce; serve with spring rolls.

Makes 12 servings (1 spring roll and heaping tablespoon peanut sauce)

Tips
Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker® Kitchens
If you’ve never made spring rolls before, you’ll get a feel for how long to dip the rice paper wrappers, as you make a few.

Dipping the wrappers for too short a time means they won’t bend and roll easily around the filling; too long and they become a sticky, wrinkle up and won’t lay flat for filling. As the water cools, they will require a few more seconds to soak to soften them.

Wear gloves when cutting the chile to prevent the capsaicin (the chemical which makes chiles have their heat) from burning your fingers.