Memories

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen has a cookbook out called Cravings with a tagline recipes for all the food you want to eat. When opening the book, I was unsure of what to expect with a cookbook written by a super model. When I first thumbed through books, what caught my eye was several pictures of her along side her husband, John Legend. I rolled my eyes thinking this is another celebrity couple that are going to nauseate me with their highfalutin lifestyles. However, when I flipped to the introduction I could tell that Chrissy was the one really doing the writing here. The entire book is written like Chrissy is just talking to you and I love that! The book is broken in to 10 chapters ranging from Breakfast All Day (p. 14-39) to Thai Mom (p. 104-119) to Supper (p. 192-233). She confesses in her intro that she is not a baker, so you won’t find a section on desserts.

I recommend this cookbook to anyone and everyone that wants to up their game in the kitchen. Chrissy takes classic meals and make them better, like on p. 90-91 Chrissy’s Mac and Cheese with Cheesy Garlic Bread Crumbs and p. 32-33 Pull-apart Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy. All of the recipes have gorgeous, nicely composed pictures.

In the introduction, Chrissy mentions she has a blog, which I was unfamiliar with so I decided to check it out. I wanted to see if all the recipes that were in the book were on the blog as well. After using the search bar at the top of her blog, I only found 1 (out of 5) recipe that was on the blog. So if you’re a fan of her blog, it looks like you’ll find lots of new recipes in the book. Check it out!!

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Tabasco Cookbook is a cute little book filled with recipes that use America’s Favorite Pepper Sauce. The book starts off with an introduction, which was interesting. I loved on p. 15 they included a Piquancy Scale, which helps determine about much tongue stimulation to expect depending on how much Tabasco is used. The books is broken into chapters; Breakfast & Brunch – Soups, Starters, & Drinks – Mains – Sides & Sauces – Desserts

I loved this book because it opened my eyes to using Tabasco in things I’d never realized would benefit from this sauce. The Guacamole p. 35 as well as the Cornmeal Nips on p. 40 both are on my must make ASAP list. Eula Mae’s Jambalaya on p. 80 is one I think I’m going to love as well. The dessert chapter is one that has me the most interested as I don’t usually think about putting spicy into my sweets. Smoldering Swirled Brownies on p. 134-135 along with Hot Bananas with Rum and Chocolate p. 140 sounds delicious. Have you ever used Tabasco in your desserts?

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Chinese food is one type of food that I struggle with in the kitchen, so when Lucky Peach hit the shelves and proclaimed to have 101 easy Asian recipes, I was excited to read it. The book starts with a quick rundown of equipment that is needed for Asian cooking as well as an entire section on what you need in your pantry. I really appreciated the Pictorial Pantry on p. 16-17. From there author, Peter Meehan, jumps right in with recipes broken down into 12 chapters.

When I got into the chapters of the book, I was hoping to see lots of different common dishes you see in Chinese restaurants like Mongolian Beef and Moo Goo Gai Pan. However, I was a bit disappointed because there were very few of those. I was excited to see Kung Pao Shrimp on p. 238. I am dying to try the Dollar Dumplings and Sauce on p. 60-61. Many of the recipes were ones that I’ve never heard of, but there are several that do have me intrigued, like the Beef Noodle Soup and Chinese Sausage Fried Rice. I recommend this book for those that want to try some new Asian recipes and aren’t looking for your everyday Chinese recipes.

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

American Heart Association Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook is the newest book by the American Heart Association that is chop full of delicious recipes to help reduce bad fats and lower your cholesterol. This is a paperback book with no pictures, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from snatching this one up. The first few chapters gives great tips on healthy fats, healthy hearts, and healthy lifestyles; something we should all be striving towards. The appendices are a true wealth of information as well from healthy shipping strategies to risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

The middle section of the book is the heart of the book. I’m super anxious to try the Confetti Catfish Fillets (p. 110) and the Apple-Lemon Carrots (p. 255). Pecan-Topped Cinnamon Oatmeal (p. 286) sounds like a great way to start off a healthy day. Maple-Blueberry Bar (p. 304-305) is on my dessert to do list. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone because in this day in age of fast food and processed foods, we’ve all got to take charge to cook and eat healthier.

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Longevity Kitchen: Satisfying, Big-Flavor Recipes Featuring the Top 16 Age-Busting Power Foods [120 Recipes for Vitality and Optimal Health] is written by Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson who also wrote The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen back in 2009. When I saw this book was for review again, I was excited to see what age busting recipes they shared. However, after flipping through the pages I noticed about 1/4 of the book is informational. As I started to read, I was sucked in this vast knowledge written in a way that is not only informational, but interesting. The first 3 chapters:
–Food, Nutrition, and Your Body
–The Healing Power of Food – Love the section called “The Culinary Pharmacy” that lists foods and how they are beneficial to our bodies (antioxidant, heart health,anticancer, etc.).
–Making the Most of This Book

I’ve got a lot of pages tabbed in this book. I’m so anxious to give these healthier versions of recipes a try, like The Chicken Tortilla Soup (p. 70) and the Insanely Good Chocolate Brownies (p. 221). There’s also several new recipes I want to try like the Sesame Miso Dressing (p. 187), Greek Chicken Salad (p. 145), and the Thyme Onion Muffins (p. 166). I highly recommend this book for people that are looking to make their recipes healthier with a few simple changes.

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees is a gorgeous cookbook by Kian Lam Kho, which covers essential techniques of authentic Chinese cooking. The first few chapters of the book discuss necessary kitchen materials as well as pantry necessities and basic ingredient preparations and Chinese stocks. The rest of the chapters are divided by cooking techniques.

Like I said this is a gorgeous cookbook filled with many beautiful composed picture of mouth watering Chinese dishes. Many of the ingredients (carp, goose, conch) and techniques needed cook many of these recipes look way out of my league. For an beginner to average cook, this book seems to be more than most would care to try. However, I tempted to keep this book on my shelf because its an eye-catching book and does have a few recipes that don’t seem to hard that would like to try. Three Cup Chicken on p. 206 as well as the West Lake Beef Soup p. 276 are two recipes from this book I’d like to try.

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Matrix: More Than 700 Simple Recipes and Techniques to Mix and Match for Endless Possibilities is a cookbook that has me so excited to get back in the kitchen! Truthfully, I have been burnt out when it comes to cooking, but when I started to read and look over this amazing cookbook, I’m anxious to try many of Mark’s mix and match recipes. Each chapter is broken down by items; like in Appetizers and Entertaining you’ll see Cocktails +12 Ways, Party Dips +3 Ways, etc. He covers 12 different easy recipes for Cocktails and then 3 ways to make Party Dips. At the end of the chapter he combines all the different recipes into a matrix, where you can have different palate themes (Mediterranean, East Asia, South Asia, Latin America).

After reviewing this book, I have a renewed spirit to get back in the kitchen and try many of these recipes. These recipes seem to range from easy to more advanced and the ingredients range from things you see everyday to others that may not be on your everyday menu (lamb, paella, squid). I’m anxious to try the Watermelon +12 ways next summer, the Bell peppers +16 ways, as well as the Vegetable Soup +12 ways. I recommend this to any cook, who is feeling blah when it comes to cooking. This will give you tons of new ideas and maybe get you motivated like it has me.

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve always been a fan of Giada De Laurentiis, so when I saw she a new cookbook coming out that I could review, I was ecstatic! Happy Cooking: Make Every Meal Count … Without Stressing Out is music to my ears! I love to cook, but when you’re a busy mom who works full time and wants to have home cooked meals on the table most nights, I was curious to see what tips, tricks, and recipes Giada shared. She breaks the book into 10 chapters, starting with Breakfast and ending with Treats & Sweets. In the Breakfast chapter, she shares recipes for everything from smoothies to crepes. She labeled the recipes that Gluten-Free (GF), Vegeterian (V), and Vegan (v). I love that there’s lost of gorgeous pictures throughout the book as well.

Happy Cooking is a book I’m going to hold on to, because the recipes look simple enough to use on busy nights. I’m anxious to try to the Smoky Candied Carrots on p. 207 as well as the Pasta Pizza on p. 132. The Orange Cream Butter Cookies (p. 278) are on my list for Christmas cookies to make this year. You definitely need to check out this cookbook, which is Giada’s 8th cookbook. I venture to say it’s probably her best!

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison is a piggy back to their first book called Trim Healthy Mama Plan. While I haven’t read the first book, I’ve heard and read a lot about the plan, so I was quite anxious to see what they had in store with this cookbook. There over 350 healthy recipes in the glossy paged, paperback book including lots of beautiful pictures. I appreciate that the authors have a lengthy introduction with plenty of great tips and information, I feel like to really understand the THM plan you must read the first book.

I’m anxious to see what many of these recipes are like. Potsticker Patties on p. 175 as well as the Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup on p. 90 both totally have me wanting to go cook, like now! The sweet stuff is where I get a little leary because of the artificial sweeteners. I recommend this book to someone willing to give this plan a try and isn’t afraid of ingredients like Pure Strevia Extract and Xanthum Gum.

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tacos: Recipes and Provocations by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman challenges you to see Mexican food in a whole new way. With a non-glossy hardcover and semi-glossy pages, this cookbook has a host of beautifully composed pictures by photographer Evan Sung. The book starts off with an introduction, a section on “The Mexican Pantry” which I found to be quite interesting, as well as a section called “The Chiles in This Book.” Stupak and Rothman then dive into the recipes with a section on Tortillas, Salsas, and Tacos.

This cookbook is not for those that don’t love a challenge. However, I while I haven’t had a chance to try any of the recipes, I cannot wait to, because I think it will have you wanting to challenge yourself more and more. Now, I’ll admit I’m a Mexican food lover and some people call me a Mexican food snob, because I grew up in Texas where Mexican food is not just Tex-Mex. So if there’s a book to make my Mexican food better, it’s this one! I’m anxious to try the 3 Salsa Verdes, because lately I can’t seem to get enough of that stuff. The Cheeseburger Tacos as well as the Carnitas Tacos are on the top of my recipe list. I highly recommend this book to Mexican food snobs like me who are looking to up their game when it comes to cooking their own Mexican food.

I am thankful for Blogging for Books who sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.