Ultimate Bisquick Cookbook: Book Review

Happy Friday y’all! This week I am starting a new series. It’s called Foodie Friday. What does that mean? Simply put, each Friday I will be posting food-related content. For the first Foodie Friday, I am sharing a cookbook review. What, a cookbook review? Yes! Just because many recipes can be found online doesn’t mean that cookbooks aren’t still essential. So, why not review cookbooks? Exactly! This week I will be reviewing the Ultimate Bisquick Cookbook from Betty Crocker.

Am I the only one who grew up eating various meals featuring Bisquick? Oh, I hope not, especially as it has been around for 90 years. Did you know that? I certainly didn’t!

While many people use Bisquick mix for biscuits, which was its intended purpose, it is versatile. From pancakes and waffles (which have the recipes on the box) to pizza crust and dumplings!

The copy of the book I am reviewing was initially published in 2008 by Rodale for General Mills. The book has 323 recipes and is over 400 pages in length. Several recipes have full-color photographs of the recipe. While some include tips and/or suggested alternatives. There are also various images used in advertising in the book.

The book starts with a brief history of the product, from the 1930s-2000 and beyond. That is followed by a Bisquick Q&A or a FAQ with an insert about high-altitude baking. Bisquick Basics offers some of the same recipes often found on the box: pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and shortcakes. On each basics page, you can find inserts containing tips and answering common questions about that recipe.

Chapters and Sample Recipes

In total, there are eight chapters in the book. I’ll list each chapter and mention a few sample recipes in each.

• Bisquick through the Decades
  • Breakfast Pinwheels
  • 1-2-3 Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Fresh Peach Cobbler
  • Easy Lasagna Squares
• Day Brighter Breakfasts
  • Apple and Sausage Oven Pancake
  • Orange Waffles with Maple-Orange Syrup
  • Rise ‘n’ Shine Muffins
  • Banana-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
• Savory Appetizers, Snacks and Breads
  • Pear and Blue Cheese Tart
  • Spinach-Cheese Balls
  • Crab Cakes
  • Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
• Comforting Casseroles and Oven Meals
  • Cheesy Italian Beef Bake
  • Quick Cheeseburger and Vegetable Bake
  • Cowboy Casserole
  • Beef Pot Pie with Potato Crust
• 30-Minute Weeknight Dinners
  • Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
  • Chicken Chili with Cornbread Dumplings
  • Barbecue Pork Shortcakes
  • Coconut Shrimp
• Cooking for Two
  • Curried Country Chicken
  • Chicken Chowder with Dijon Dumplings
  • Deluxe Turkey Cheeseburger Melt
  • Baked Monte Cristo Sandwiches
• Impossibly Easy Pies and Pizzas
  • Impossibly Easy Cheesy Meatball Pie
  • Cheesy Beef Sloppy Joe Pizza
  • Impossibly Easy Bacon Cheeseburger Pie
  • Turkey Gyro Pizza
• Delicious Desserts, Cookie and Bars
  • Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes
  • Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
  • White Chocolate-Berry Bread Pudding
  • Impossibly Easy Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

My Opinions

Recently, I have rediscovered the joy of Bisquick. It was something that I grew up with in the house, but as I got older, it disappeared. The only exception would be the small packages for biscuits or the pourable pancake mixes. After I moved to Canada several years ago, I felt a desire to return to Bisquick but found it challenging to find and expensive when I did. Imagine my surprise a few months ago when I learned one of the stores I get some baking supplies from often has it on sale roughly once a month. Yay for sales!

But I digress! My struggle to find Bisquick has nothing to do with the cookbook.

The cookbook has some of my childhood favorites (Easy Lasagna Squares) and a few new favorites (Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes). I find myself turning to this book when I’m stumped for dinner ideas and only have a pound of ground beef out. The recipes are straightforward and generally call for ingredients I have on hand. If my kids were into cooking, I feel they could handle these recipes.

Each recipe includes a nutritional breakdown. Keep in mind these values are based on the ingredients used when designing the recipe, which may not be the same ones you use at home. For example, a recipe may call for Monterrey jack cheese, but I use cheddar. The nutrition may be similar, but it’s not the same.

While many of these recipes can be found online, I still think Ultimate Bisquick Cookbook from Betty Crocker is worth buying. The recipes are easy to make, most don’t take a lot of prep time, and they’re delicious.

I look forward to bringing you more Foodie Fridays!