The Joy Of Cooking is a classic, and I'm finding more and more that it's a classic for a reason. I have the 75th anniversary edition, and lately when I have a yen to cook something, I'll check to see if it's in TJOC and try that recipe if it is. No offense to the rest of my cookbooks, which I love, but I've had great results with everything I've tried from TJOC, and I look forward to trying more.
Tonight I had an urge for Tuna Noodle Casserole, and I looked through all my cookbooks for the different recipes. Mostly they differed in how much butter, milk, and cheese to use, though one of them suggested adding green beans. Ultimately, I followed the recipe out of TJOC with two minor and one major change: I used green and red bell pepper instead of just one or the other (and I added a little more than the recipe called for), I used Colby Jack instead of cheddar because it was what we had on hand, and for the major change, I added those green beans!
Well, Grant thought the green beans were overpowering, and in retrospect, I agree with him. (I guess I should've followed TJOC more strictly!) However, they were still good, and I really enjoyed the way this recipe turned out! What we didn't eat has been saved for leftovers (two small and four large pieces), and I'm definitely looking forward to the next recipe out of TJOC. :)
I also have a goal to try out 24 new recipes this year -- despite my great love of trying new things, I'll all too often end up sticking with the same six tried-and-true things I always make -- and this is the first out of that 24! Go me! :)