When WISDOM celebrated its 10th anniversary, families were invited to send in some of the recipes that had become favourites around their own kitchen tables. WISDOM mom Jocelyn LaRocque gathered those contributions together, and Cooking With WISDOM I was born. It was filled with the kind of recipes community cookbooks do best: tried-and-true family favourites—the meals, baking and treats that had actually been made, shared, adjusted, loved, and made again in WISDOM homes.
And it became a favourite in its own right. “It is still my favourite cookbook,” says Terry Yaceyko, “and is full of recipes that I love.”
Today, we’re sharing a few of those recipes from the original Cooking With WISDOM I. Perhaps some of our long-time families will recognize them! ❤️
Pistachio Cake - moist, easy and freezes well (Submitted by Penny Granger)
- Combine 1/2 milk, 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup water
- Add 5 eggs and mix well
- Add 1 pkg white cake mix and 2 Instant Pistachio Pudding pkg.
- Mix well.
- Pour into a greased bundt / angel food cake pan
- Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes
- Yield 12 to 15 servings
Poppyseed Bundt Cake - Penny Granger
*I like to have a few of these in the freezer to take to potlucks or to friends for coffee.
- Soak 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds in 1/2 cup milk and set aside
- Combine 1 pkg Lemon Cake Mix, 1 pkg Instant Lemon Pudding mix, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup oil, and 3 eggs
- Beat on medium for 2 minutes
- Drain the poppy seeds and discard milk
- Add poppyseeds to the cake mixture and mix well.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 48-52 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean)
- Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan
- Dust with icing sugar
- Yield - 12 to 15 servings
Patty's 20 Minute Chicken Cordon Bleu - Patty Marler
*This is one of our favorite meals and it is so easy to prepare!
- Cut 4 chicken breasts into cubes
- Mix together - 1/2 cup flour w. dill weed, poultry seasoning, sage - and coat cubed chicken
- Fry with oil and garlic until chicken is cooked (about 10 - 15 minutes)
- Turn down heat and place (2 cm squares) sliced swiss cheese and black forest ham over cooked chicken.
- Wait about 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Serves 6 with no leftovers
Granola Snack Bars - Brenda Wohlgemuth
*We have 5 children from 2-19 years of age whom we have been homeschooling for 8 years on our farm in Alberta. Home Schooling has allowed us the freedom to teach our children many interesting things, and to spend their precious childhood years with them. This fall, our 9 year old daughter watched quietly, as Dad called a moose within yards of them.
*These bars are handy to send in lunches or take on a hunting trip with Dad. *Our family has wheat and dairy allergies so I use lactose free margarine and rice flour.
- Melt 1/2 marg and 8 cups of mini marshmallows
- Add: 2 cups rolled oats, 1 cup crushed graham wafers (or 1 1/2 cups rice flour), 1 cup flax seed, 2 cups raisins (or mixed dry fruit), 1 cup of seeds (pumpkin, almond, sunflower, etc.) and 1/2 cup coconut
- Press into a pan.
- When cool, cut into squares.
Colored Popcorn (Rachel Yaceyko) 
*Very similar to the purchased candy popcorn
- Combine 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 T. margarine, 1 tsp. red food coloring, and 1/4 tsp. salt
- Boil together for 3 minutes.
- Pop 2 cups of popcorn kernels
- Pour liquid mixture over popcorn
- Stir until evenly coated
- Cool and cookie sheet
----
Five years after that first cookbook, WISDOM marked its 15th anniversary with Cooking With WISDOM II—an even larger collection celebrating both the experience of long-time WISDOM families and the new families joining the community.
With hundreds of favourite recipes, helpful tips, quotes and little tidbits of wisdom from WISDOM families, the second volume is the sort of cookbook meant to be used rather than simply admired. Inside you’ll find everything from baking, breakfasts and appetizers to main dishes, grilling and desserts, along with Kids Can Cook, canning and preserving, and even home remedies.
With its coil binding, thorough index and easy-to-read format, it’s perfectly at home propped open on a busy kitchen counter.
📖 Cooking With WISDOM II is still available through the WISDOM Web Shop for $15.