Month: December 2016

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love to bake, and I love to try dishes from around the world, so this is a match made in heaven! When I received the book, I went through it marking all the recipes I most wanted to try with removable sticky tabs. My book looked like a porcupine when I was done!! I love that its savory and sweet, and there is a huge variety to try.

Just from the breads I immediately marked Freeform Rye Loaves, Etli Pide (Turkish Meat-Topped Flatbreads, multiple Rotis, Simit, Pan De Queso (Cheesy Rings) and more.

Moving into sweeter breads, I made the Banana Loaf first as I had an abundance of very ripe bananas. It is easy to make, and absolutely delicious! As we’re heading towards the holidays, I’m looking to make the Gingerbread Loaf soon. My daughters love the Jewish New Year Honey Cake.

From “sweeter” to “very sweet”, I can’t wait to try the Sachertorte! I have to admit, I’m saving it for a special occasion! I’m also excited to try the Karidopita (Steeped Walnut Cake). Semolina Sponge, Lemon Shortbread Cookies…I’m pretty sure I could bake out of this book for quite awhile without repeating a recipe!

If you love to bake, be sure to give this book a try. It is a delightful journey around the world through baked goods, and a joy to cook from. I highly recommend it!

I received a copy of this book from Interlink Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have not spent much time in British Columbia, but having lived in Alaska years ago, I definitely made multiple trips through it. I can clearly remember the breathtaking scenery, and now I get to enjoy their delicious food through this gorgeous book.

There is so much to love in this cookbook, from the delightful recipes to ingenious tips and tricks. I love to make my own bone broth to use, but I’d never though of using flexible muffin tins to freeze it into more manageable portions. Love this idea! Or how about Garlic Poached in Oil. You can use the garlic just as you would fresh garlic in recipes, and the now flavored oil is perfect for salad dressings, bruschetta, etc.

As for the recipes themselves, they’re divided by season and from there they are divided into savory and sweet. We’re heading into winter, so it’s a perfect time for a Rustic Beef Stew–soooo good! Or how about what is probably my favorite recipe in this book, Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts for dessert?

Baked Eggs are popular in my house, and these kick it up a notch with a multitude of seasoned fillings to choose from. Gougeres (Cheese Puffs) are amazing and well loved at my house as well. Of course, for comfort food, you can’t miss with classic Chicken Pot Pies.

British Columbia From Scratch is an absolutely delightful book. I’ve loved reading it and cooking from it and I am more than happy to recommend it. Give it a try–I’m sure you’ll love it!

I received a copy of this book from Whitecap Books for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What fun! I love to bake and I love other cuisines, so I was very excited to get this book. I love the bits and pieces of history and trivia scattered throughout the book, and of course, the recipes are delightful!

We started with classic Scotch Pancakes. These are quick and easy to make, and my daughters enjoyed both making and eating them. From there we moved to more classic dishes. Soda scones, Thyme and Cheese Straws and more, these recipes are mostly easy to make and delicious to eat!

There is a large variety of recipes to try from Baps (up next for me!) to Border Tart, Dundee Cake to Date Crumble Shortbread. If you love to bake, you’re sure to find plenty to love in this delightful book! I definitely recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Birlinn Ltd. through IPG for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

French Country Cooking is a gorgeous cookbook. It is beautiful inside and out and makes you want to curl up and read by a nice fire, and then afterwards head to the kitchen to start cooking. However, there are a couple of issues. This is French country cooking for people who live in France. There are many ingredients that will range anywhere from difficult to practically impossible to find here in the States.

While the recipes for the most part look simply delicious, I will say that this is not the book for a beginner cook. Some recipes are quite complicated and therefore I would have to say intermediate cooks and up might enjoy cooking from this book, but I believe it would just frustrate beginners.

I struggled with how to rate this book waffling between 3 and 4 stars. With the combination of over elaborate recipes at times and hard to source ingredients I was leaning towards a three, but the overall beauty of the book and the lovely writing bumped it up to a 4.

As far as the recipes go, you can find about any kind of French recipe you’d like. There is a very thorough selection from Chanterelle and Garlic Tartlets to Cassoulet, Spring Flan with Zucchini and Mint, Poule-Au-Pot, Dauphine Potatoes, Salted Butter Chocolate Cake, Crepes Suzette and so much more.

This is a beautiful book. If you’re looking for more of a coffee-table type book, or a book that’s great to read, this is for you. If you’re looking for a good, French cookbook and are not already a fairly experienced cook, you might want to look elsewhere.

I received a copy of this book from Clarkson Potter through the Blogging for Books program for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How many of you have planned a special dinner and then found yourself frantically trying to juggle everything, get it done on time and then are so exhausted you can’t really enjoy the party yourself. This book is exactly what you need! Not only does it put together great menus for everything from a Mexican Fiesta to Summer Refresher, Picnic Table, Brunch and three major holidays, but it breaks it all down to exactly what you need to prep or cook when! At the beginning of each menu it lists each dish, the page number the recipe is on, and when you need to begin the prep. From there she goes into Order of Preparation with when you start it and what order you do each thing. For instance, on the Thanksgiving menu it starts 1 week ahead of time when you complete Steps 1 and 2 for the Cranberry-Tangerine Relish and goes to time to serve where it lists 6 steps in order to complete the meal. There are tips and head starts scattered throughout the book as well.

You don’t have to use this book exclusively for dinner parties, though. Each recipe can be made on its own as well, so don’t be put off that you don’t really host dinner parties. You can still use and enjoy this book.

It’s All in the Timing is an absolute genius of a book and delightful to read and cook from. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and am happy to recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Agate Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Adult coloring books are a huge craze right now. You can find them with about any theme. This book is all about foodies. From beautiful pictures of food to color, to pictures you can finish, some that are firmly tongue in cheek and even a recipe or two to color, there is a variety of pictures sure to entertain. There’s a bonus recipe book in the middle with several sweet treats and even a metric conversion chart. To make it even more fun, there’s a quiz to see just how much of a foodie you are!

The Foodie’s Colouring Book is a fun take on the adult coloring books that is sure to please foodies everywhere. Grab some colored pencils, crayons, markers or whatever you enjoy using best, pull up a comfy chair and relax with some foodie coloring. Now, if you’ll excuse me, that dessert page isn’t going to finish coloring itself!

I received a copy of this book from Trafalgar Square Publishing through IPG for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Foods and Fetes of Province is an absolutely delightful book! From the lyrical stories to the homey photos to delicious recipes, this book is a feast! I love that the photos are more like snapshots the author might take than big, glossy, professional photos. In this book, it just works.

The food! Ahhh!! I started simple with Goat Cheese with Herbes de Provence and Olive Oil. I didn’t have any herbes de Provence at the time, so I found a recipe elsewhere to make my own. Oh, my! It’s so amazing–and simple!–that we’ve had this at least three times since. You can spread it on thin baguette slices, crackers or even something like melba toast. It’s amazing however you eat it!

Next I tried the New Harvest Chickpeas with Garlic Sausage. This one arrived to mixed reviews. I loved it, my husband liked it okay and the girls ranged from “It’s not bad” to “I don’t like it”. I loved how it lifted the humble chickpea and gave it a depth of flavor I’d never had in chickpeas before, and then the burst of flavor from the sausage was just the perfect combination. Lovely!

From Bouillabaisse to Tomatoes Provencal, Beef Daube, Honey Lavender Glazed Chicken, Fresh Berry Galette and yes, even escargot, there is a wide range of recipes here, sure to delight anyone. I continue to thoroughly enjoy it and am happy to recommend it!

I received a copy of this book from Yellow Pear Press through the Lisa Ekus Group for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.