• 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…

  • Photo of Mushroom Bruschetta on a Blue Plate
    Cookbook Reviews

    Rocco’s Healthy + Delicious

    by: Rocco Dispirito “I’ve dedicated my life to proving that healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive concepts. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor to eat well. You can be healthy, lose weight, and still enjoy amazing food all day long,” Rocco Dispirito.  I have always been a big fan of Rocco Dispirito. One of my favorite dishes to make is a chicken cordon bleu from his cookbook Now Eat This!. I have always found his healthier recipes to be really easy to follow and delicious. Rocco’s Healthy & Delicious: More than 200 (Mostly) Plant-Based Recipes for Everyday Life delivers more of those mouth watering healthy recipes.  I picked…

  • Photo of Cod Baked in Foil with Leeks and Carrots
    Cookbook Reviews

    The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook

    by: America’s Test Kitchen “With the constant schedule juggling that we all do, meal planning and meal prep are invaluable skills to master if you want to avoid eating takeout every night,” America’s Test Kitchen.  When I first saw The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook I was really intrigued by it’s promise of “one grocery list, one week of meals and no waste.” We all want to make our grocery shopping and meal planning easier so we know what’s for dinner.  I have been meal planning for a really long time and find when I don’t that my eating tends to be a little strange. Some nights if I am on my own I…

  • Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch
    Cookbook Reviews

    The Healthy Swaps Cookbook

    by: Danielle Davis “You don’t have to give up the foods you love when trying to eat better. All it takes is a few simple swaps,” Danielle Davis.  It’s no secret that I love to eat. I try not to be restrictive with what I eat, however, I always find myself searching for healthier versions of the recipes I love. The Healthy Swaps Cookbook offers so many scrumptious recipes that it’s hard not to make all of them at once. Throughout the book the photograph is beautiful and makes you crave something new for dinner with each page you turn.  I loved both of the recipes I made and can’t wait to try…

  • Photo of sauteed shrimp on a white plate
    Cookbook Reviews

    Hook, Line, and Supper

    by: Hank Shaw “Think of this book as a codex, a master class on fish and seafood cookery. It will enable you to develop your own recipes that suit your time, your place, your season, and your taste,” Hank Shaw.  My parents both grew up near the water, my Dad in New Orleans and my Mom in both Maine and Florida. Growing up we spent a lot of time near the water. I learned to fish as a kid but don’t do it very often anymore. Hook, Line, and Super drew my attention earlier this year and I was so excited to finally try these seafood recipes.  The cookbook offers so much information…

  • Photo of Lime Curd Bars on a green tree plate
    Cookbook Reviews

    Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule

    by: Michelle Lopez “My hope is that when you flip through this book, you’ll find these time-saving qualities in classic, accessible recipes to match your cravings-like chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies, and banana bread. Because it’s usually the simple stuff I crave most on a weeknight, and I suspect that’s the case for you, too,” Michelle Lopez. I have wanted to try out this cookbook for a while, I love to bake but sometimes I don’t have time to make a complicated recipe. The recipes in Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule offer simple tips and tricks to make delicious recipes any day of the week. In the cookbook you will find…

  • Photo of Rosemary Bar Nuts
    Cookbook Reviews

    Drinking French

    by: David Lebovitz “When asked to name a French drink, people think of wine or pastis, but cocktails don’t instinctively come to mind. but in truth, many of the most sought-after cocktail ingredients are French, including cognac, Armagnac, Chartreuse, Lillet, eau-de-vie, and calvados, as well as champagne, Suze, Gran Marnier, elderflower liqueur, dry vermouth, Salers, and Cointreau, not to mention pastis, crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and crème de cassis, among many, many others,” David Lebovitz. Wow, I had never thought about how many cocktail ingredients are French. I love a good cocktail, if I am out at a bar I rarely order anything other than a cocktail.    Drinking French provides…

  • Photo of Shrimp roll on a white plate with blue dots
    Cookbook Reviews

    Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals: Over 280 Incredible Supper Solutions

    by: Editors of Cooking Light Magazine “These Test Kitchen approved recipes are tailor-made for hectic lifestyles and health-conscious families,” Editors of Cooking Light Magazine. We are all searching for those meals that are quick and healthy and most of all that our family will love.  I have owned Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals: Over 280 Incredible Supper Solutions for years and have loved every recipe that I have made from it. Even though it is an older cookbook the recipes still hold up today. I love the variety in the recipes with the great shortcuts that help me save time when I need a quick meal. Before the fire I had marked…