A Great Bridal Shower Gift: Cookbooks for Newlyweds

When my wife and I first moved in together shortly before the wedding, our experience in the kitchen was somewhat limited. We both had a few select dishes you could say were our specialties; she could whip up a fantastic chili or chicken curry dish, I was great with stir-fries and marinades. We both had adequate experience on a barbecue. Between the two of us, we managed to turn out some good meals, some bad meals, and an occasional exceptional meal.

As we began to tire of take out, as eating out began to strain our wallets, and as the food we cooked started to become too repetitive, we realized we needed to beef up our culinary skills in order to adequately prepare and cook a larger variety of meals, and more importantly, healthier meals.

Salvation came in the form of a wonderful cookbook designed for the newly married couple, and my wife and I have since risen from microwave mavens to professional kitchen contenders. Any book of this sort in which both husband and wife can share in the exciting adventures of creating and cooking your own meals, and then enjoying them with content satisfaction, is a great gift to be treasured. There are in fact several newlywed-geared cookbooks available, some designed for those with little or no cooking experience, others toward those who wish to expand their culinary boundaries.

A wonderful book for cooking novices is the Betty Crocker Cookbook: Bridal Edition, and it makes a welcome addition on the bookshelf for any newlyweds who wish to enjoy continuous well-cooked meals. You'll find thousands of common and not so common recipes, just like your mother used to make.

More than a simple compendium of recipes, the magic contained within its pages holds a plethora of useful tips, menu ideas, sections on holidays and special occasions, and other useful guides to food and kitchen equipment. Being a cookbook by the baking master Betty Crocker, the book shines in the areas of baking and desserts, but is equally balanced by a bevy of nutritious, healthy recipes.