• Photo of Hot Chocolate in a Paris mug on a grey and blue placemat
    Cookbook Reviews

    Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes

    by: Dominique Ansel “The second half of the book holds the recipes to some of my most sought-after creations. This is where you have a chance to get your hands dirty, so you can follow my footsteps in your kitchen,” Dominique Ansel.  I grew up baking and I love it. I was so excited to get my hands on the Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes cookbook. However, even as experienced as I am in the kitchen, my skills were no match for these recipes. They are very complicated and require speciality ingredients and equipment. Both of the recipes I tried were from the beginner recipe section. I looked through all of the recipes and…

  • Photo of Chicken-Fried Steak Fingers with gravy on a white plate
    Cookbook Reviews

    The Pioneer Woman Cooks Super Easy!

    by: Ree Drummond “For those times when you’re looking for a simpler, easier approach for your everyday cooking (and eating), I hope you enjoy this super-fun cookbook…and the super-easy recipes within these pages,” Ree Drummond. I have always been a huge fan of The Pioneer Woman. Her cookbooks have given me delicious recipes for dinners that I make on a regular basis. The Pioneer Woman Cooks Super Easy! is another great cookbook. Recipes in the cookbook are easy to follow with most ingredients being things you have in your own kitchen.  Anyone will be able to find a recipe in The Pioneer Woman Cooks Super Easy! that they will love. The recipes are…

  • Photo of Gingerdead Twins on Black Placemat
    Cookbook Reviews

    The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die For

    by: Helena Garcia “Most of the baking projects in this book have a spooky decorative touch, but not all. There are recipes for all skill levels, from simple cookies to an elaborate four-layer haunted tree cake,” Helena Garcia.  Before the fire one of my friends gifted me The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die For and I was really bummed it got destroyed. I knew I had to purchase it again and make some of these fun desserts. The recipes in the book are well written and I love seeing all of the photos of the finished desserts.  Monster Fortune Cookies When I saw these spooky fortune cookies I immediately wanted to try…

  • Ghost Cookies on a skeleton platter with candy corn
    Cookbook Reviews

    The Easy Halloween Cookbook 2021

    by: Lenora Sawyer “Easy, delicious, horrifying and spooky, desserts, cookies, candy, drinks, appetizers, breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes for kids and adults,” Lenora Sawyer.  I am a sucker for fun Halloween treats. Sometimes the recipes are super complicated and take way too much time. Luckily, I stumbled upon The Easy Halloween Cookbook 2021 which has recipes that are super quick and easy. Your kids could help with most of the recipes and although they may make a mess they will definitely have fun. Plus the  recipes are really delicious and  not ones I had seen before.  Making Halloween treats should be something fun and not so draining that you dread the holiday. The…

  • About,  Cookbook Reviews

    My Favorite Baking Magazine

    Magazines aren’t as common as they used to be, but I still love them. Over the years I have found recipes and tips and tricks in magazines that I haven’t seen anywhere else before. My Favorite baking magazine is Bake From Scratch. I love the layout and content offered in the magazine. The recipes are inspiring and make me want to try things I would normally be scared of. One of my favorite issues was the Irish issue this past year, unfortunately, I lost all of my past issues in the fire.  Bake From Scratch offers recipes from so many different contributors you are always able to find something you will love in…

  • Photo of Lemony Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini
    Cookbook Reviews

    Flavor Pop

    by: WW Healthy Kitchen “We make it our mission to find new ways to amp up the taste of meals and snacks while keeping SmartPoints surprisingly low. And it turns out there’s a hack for that: using what we call flavor boosters. These are ingredients that bring satisfying intentsity, richness, or texture – and often all three – anytime you cook with them,” WW Healthy Kitchen. The number one compliant I have with healthy meals is that a lot of the recipes lack flavor, well Flavor Pop from WW Healthy Kitchen doesn’t have that problem! They show you how to use flavor boosters to make great meals that you will enjoy eating.  Honey-Mustard…

  • Photo of a cocktail called That Old Devil M
    Cookbook Reviews

    Shaken: Drinking with James Bond and Ian Fleming

    by: Ian Fleming introduction by: Fergus Fleming text and recipes by: Edmund Weil, Bobby Hiddleston & Mia Johansson “So take comfort as you raise the glass that it contains no ordinary drink. You have mixed a measure of Ian Fleming’s imagination,” Fergus Fleming.  Martini’s are my favorite drinks. I have always been a huge fan of James Bond and have loved his references to fun drinks throughout the movies. I am always happy to try a new cocktail book and Shaken: Drinking with James Bond & Ian Fleming has great drinks in it.  The variety of recipes it offers over many different categories allow you to make something new and different. The categories…

  • Photo of Grandma Maroni's Meatballs
    Cookbook Reviews

    Bobby Flay’s Throwdown!

    by: Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Mariam Garron “Throwdown…It sounds like a brutal death match between two wrestlers or an Ultimate Fighting Championship cage fight. But in fact, a Throwdown is a friendly surprise competition and the best part about it is the ending, when we all get to eat some seriously delicious food,” Bobby Flay.  I love Bobby Flay’s Throwdown, it is such a fun show to watch even now you always learn something from the show. Recently a friend lent me some of her cookbooks and I was so intrigued by Bobby Flay’s Throwdown! cookbook. It gives you Bobby’s recipe and the recipe from the competitor – it also tells you…

  • Photo of Mac and Cheese Cups on a light blue tray
    Cookbook Reviews

    Game-Day Eats: 100 Recipes for Homegating Like A Pro

    by: Eddie Jackson “This book focuses on 100 of my absolute favorite, all-star recipes that are fit for any homegate or gathering. These recipes will allow you to focus on all of the essentials – eating, drinking, and spending time with friends-all while watching a good game,” Eddie Jackson.  I grew up in Georgia and football is such a big part of life there. Over the years I can’t even count how many college football games I have seen. One of the most important things for the games is to have the best food for you and your guests. Game-Day Eats gives you the recipes to have an incredible spread of food for…

  • Photo of Extremely French Carrot Salad
    Cookbook Reviews

    À Table

    by: Rebekah Peppler “However you say it, À Table is about gathering over food and drink, coaxing the fantastical from the real, and unabashedly sharing it with your people,” Rebekah Peppler.  It’s not a secret that I am a self proclaimed Francophile, so I am always on the lookout for my next favorite French cookbook. A lot of home chefs are scared of making French food worrying that the recipes are too complicated or that they won’t be able to find the ingredients. I have found that with the newer French cookbooks that you don’t really run into any of those problems. À Table offers a slew of recipes with simple instructions to make your…