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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I fell in love with this book as soon as I received it. It’s beautiful inside and out, if feels substantial and well made in your hands, I love the stories wove throughout the book, and the recipes are so enticing! Pasta with a Rich Mushroom Ragout, Root Vegetables with Orange Thyme Butter, Ham Hock and Apple-Thyme Pies, Rabbit Stew with Seasonal Vegetables, Whiting with Earl Grey Tea Citrus Sauce, Orchard Apple and Pear Pie…are you drooling yet? Wait til you start flipping through, salivating over the gorgeous photos, and then you actually start to cook!!

Beef and Stout Stew with Parsley Dumplings was excellent. I do not buy stout, but I had some homemade bone broth that I substituted for it with a dash of red cooking wine, and it was delicious! Anzac Biscuits are a classic. We love them around here!

The book is divided slightly differently than I’ve seen before, and I really liked it. The Chapters are: The Salad Bowl, The Veggie Patch, Larder and Pantry, The Potato Patch, Gathering and Foraging, The Soup Pot, The Flock, The Herd, The Piggery, Birds and Bunnies, Catch of the Day, The Orchard, Jam Time, Baking Day, A Good Tea Table, The Dairy and Christmas. Combined with a good index, it is very easy to find what you’re looking for whether it’s a specific recipe, a specific ingredient, or just a category.

This book is a delight to read and to cook from. I do not think you have to be an expert cook to enjoy this book as there are recipes ranging from super easy to more complex. I highly recommend it to anyone.

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Easy Cooking is a cookbook that lives up to its name. Easy and mostly simple recipes that are delicious are the hallmark of this delightful cookbook. For instance, Zucchini, Chicken & Parmesan Salad takes 20 min to prep and 10 to cook, yet is classically delicious.

You find a nice variety of dishes here from a Spring Vegetable Tart to an amazing Traditional Macaroni Gratin, or Spaghetti with Queen Scallops, Garlic Flakes & Pecorino Cheese or Eggplant Fans with Goat Cheese. Appetizers & Light Starters, Soups, Salads, Tarts, Gratins, Fish & Seafood, Meat, Vegetarian and Desserts all have a lovely selection of delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Let me just warn you, though, the dessert section is dangerous!! Lemon Tart, Coffee Panna Cotta, Linzer Torte and…wait for it…Nutella Fondant Tart! I think I just gained three pounds typing these! I’m making the Nutella Fondant Tart for potluck this weekend. If it turns out as well as other recipes in this book, it will be amazing! Well, if it has nutella, how can it not be?!

This is a great book for anyone, including novice cooks that want to branch out a little and increase their repertoire of recipes. It would make an amazing gift as well!

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ll be honest, when I first received this book, I really struggled with cooking from it. I love soups, stews and chowders, but when it’s high 90’s outside with humidity through the roof, they’re the last thing I actually want to cook! Now there are some chilled soups in this book, but unfortunately, my family is NOT a fan of them. We have a nice, cool spell come through, and I’m in the mood for soup!

I love mushrooms! Growing up I was not a fan, but now I love mushrooms about any way I’ve cooked them, so I was immediately drawn to the mushroom soups. First up was the Cream of Mushroom and Walnut Soup. Yum! Great with the walnuts, but if you leave them out you have an amazing soup that works well on its own or with anything you would normally use cream of mushroom soup. It definitely makes me never want to use a can of mushroom soup again! I’m looking forward to the Cream of Porcini Mushroom and Salmon Soup next. There are multiple mushroom soups in this book, so it could take me a bit to get through them all!

We love potato soup around here. Potato Soup with Toasted Breadcrumbs is a nice alternative to my classic potato soup. The soup is blended until creamy with part of the breadcrumbs, then served tipped with the rest of the crumbs, parsley and crispy bacon on top! Yes, please!!

There are some nice touches that I really enjoy in this book. The index is divided by ingredient so you can look up all the soups that have mushrooms, saffron, shellfish or even Tabasco! Under the title is prep and cooking times and also a “category” such as Easy and Reasonable, or A Little Expensive but Easy (Creamy Black Sausage Soup With Lobster), or A Little Tricky but Reasonable. I have to say, probably at least 90% of the recipes are listed as “easy”, and that is really nice.

Overall, this is a great little book to have on hand to make a plethora of soups. Anyone can make great soups out of this delightful cookbook.

I received a copy of this book from Fitzhenry & Whiteside for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Do you like to make preserves and jams, pickles and café style food? If so, this is the perfect cookbook for you! From Blackberry Preserves to Bread & Butter Pickles (a rarity to find in a cookbook these days, but a great, easy pickle to make!), Patrice’s Tomato Ketchup to Preserved Mushrooms in Oil, there are a multitude of preservation recipes and that doesn’t even take into account all the other recipes!

The book is divided into seasons, with a focus on the produce for that season. For Spring you have recipes for things like Strawberry, Rhubarb and Rose Jam, a delightful Spring Vegetable Chicken Soup, Lemon Cordial (oh, my!) and Quick Pickled Radishes. Moving into Summer you find recipes such as Hazelnut Meringue Cake with Lime Curd, Peach and Mango, Tomato Passata and Red Cabbage, Pickled Corn, Chilli & Coriander Slaw. Autumn brings its bounty with delights such as Quince and Apple Jam, Jamie’s Sauerkraut, Pork Chops with Fennel, Apple Sauce and Mustard and more. Winter delights include Carrot Jam, Cornersmith Reuben-Style Sandwich and Kristen’s Baked Ricotta.

This is a beautiful book, with gorgeous photos and delightful recipes. It would make a great addition to anyone’s cookbook library!

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Italian cooking as it should be! Delightfully delicious dishes prepared simply with quality ingredients. From a classic Tomato Bruschetta to White Focaccia with Olives or a lovely Zucchini Frittata, there is an array of dishes to satisfy.

Lentil Soup sounds practically boring with its seven simple ingredients, but it cooks up to something that is so homey and satisfying it seems impossible that it was so easy to make! My family are not big on lentils (though I love them!), but they all enjoyed this classic dish.

Rustic Tomato Sauce is a fairly quick, rich (thank the anchovies and olives for that) sauce to grace any pasta, or even just to let your meatballs swim in! Roasted Potatoes with Breadcrumbs bring a new twist to your basic potatoes. For dessert, why not try Shortbread Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Almonds (a match made in heaven!), a sleek Chocolate Tart, or a light Coffee Pudding!

Less is more. It’s an old adage, but this book just proves it true once more. Simple flavors, well prepared. Experience this delightful cuisine for yourself!

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

The Little Pasta Cookbook by Murdoch Books
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We love pasta around here, so there was great excitement when this little book arrived! I spent some time drooling over it, before heading to the kitchen.

I had a box of large pasta shells, so headed straight for the Conchiglie Ripiene di Ricotta con Sugo di Pollo–Ricotta-Stuffed Pasta Shells with Chicken Sauce. I was out of mushrooms and substituted ground turkey for the ground chicken, but otherwise followed the recipe. (Well, as a bit of a cheeseaholic, 3T of parmesan cheese seemed a little light, so I did add a little more. It will be our little secret!) Other than burning my hands a bit on the shells, it went smoothly. This dish is really easy to make, and it was a huge hit with my family. I’m sure I’ll be making it again.

From Classic Sauces to Pasta with Meat, Pasta with Seafood, Vegetarian Pasta, Filled Pasta, Baked Pasta and Soups and Salads, there’s a little something for everyone here.

Now, in full disclosure, I expected this to be a fully authentic, Italian pasta cookbook and it’s close. However, I’m pretty sure most Italians would NOT put cheddar cheese in the sauce for their lasagne. There were a few little things like that, but this is still a great little cookbook. Give it a try! I’m sure you’ll find something great to cook.

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

Gluten-Free for Good: Simple, Wholesome Recipes Made from Scratch by Samantha Seneviratne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me start out by saying that my family and I do not eat gluten free. I do, however, have multiple friends who are dealing with celiac or other gluten issues, and it is interesting to cook for them. I wanted some good recipes to cook for my friends. Well, this book does the trick!

I started with the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It was pretty easy to make, and I was amazed by the results. I took it to church for Sunday potluck, and the plate was scraped clean. Even the non-gluten free people loved it!! I’ve had gluten free cakes before, and did not enjoy any of them. This one changed my mind! It was moist and light (well, as light as a carrot cake needs to be!) and utterly delicious! I loved that the flours were coconut and almond–both of which I had on hand. There were no other “specialty” ingredients that I would have to search for.

There is so much in this book. From pizza to salads, mains, baked goods and so much more. I’ve passed it along to my gluten free friend to cook from, so I’ll update this review once she’s had a chance to cook from it as well.

If you need to avoid gluten, I highly recommend you give this book a try! I think you’ll find it well worth it!

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

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The Big Book of Kombucha: Brewing, Flavoring, and Enjoying the Health Benefits of Fermented Tea by Hannah Crum

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This could easily be called The Kombucha Bible, as it pretty much covers anything you might ever need to know about making, storing and using kombucha tea! Having dealt with severe stomach issues for quite some time, out of desperation I tried kombucha. The results were amazing!! The pain disappeared, as did the heartburn and other issues. I couldn’t believe how quickly and how well it worked!

This book is great how it walks you through each step of the process. Everything is explained, and photos abound. There are delightful recipes for using your kombucha other than just drinking it straight or with juice. Try a Kombucha Kefir Smoothie, a Rootbucha Float, Chai Latte Float, and even cook with it! You’ll be amazed at all the ways you can use this amazing drink!

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

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Maggie Beer’s Summer Harvest Recipes by Maggie Beer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maggie Beer has done it again. Delightful recipes based on fresh, local ingredients. Well, local for her! Living in the US, some of these items would be hard to nearly impossible to come by, but there’s still plenty to cook from this delightful book!

Summer makes me thing of tomatoes, fresh herbs, fruit and more and it’s all covered here! Make your own Tomato Sauce (think marinara) or a lovely Rustic Tomato and Bread Salad. Zucchini flourishes in the summer and there is a lovely recipe for Cocktail Zucchini Fritters. You could mix it up with Gill’s Zucchini and Apple Salad as well.

Whether it’s a great pickle recipe, a lovely jam, fruit tart, eggplant, or chicken recipe you’re looking for, you can find something here. There’s even a Christmas section–just a reminder of how “down under” they are!

This is a lovely book from a set of lovely books. Give it a try! I’m sure you’ll find something to please!

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

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The Fly Creek Cider Mill Cookbook: More than 100 Recipes from New York’s Historic Cider Mill and Orchard by Brenda Palmer Michaels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Apple, schmapple. Who needs apple recipes when you have such an amazing molasses cookie recipe?! Grandma Jane’s Molasses Crinkles are absolutely amazing!! You can make them soft and chewy (my personal favorite!), or cook a little longer to make a crisper cookie. A side benefit is your house will smell amazing!

All joking aside, this book is filled with delectable recipes for the apple lover in you. Apple Butter Banana Bread? Yes, thank you!! As an added bonus, make your own apple butter!! There’s a great recipe included, but you can also just dump it in the crockpot and let it cook all day! I’ve also found that if you don’t have many tart apples in the batch, you can leave the sugar out completely and it’s still amazing!

We know apples and cheddar are a marriage made in heaven, so why not give the Famous Fly Creek Apple Cheddar Bread a try? Or even the Hot Cheddar Cheese Dip–it says serve with crackers, toasts, or sliced baguette, but I’ll bet apples dipped in it would be scrumptious!

Christmas will be here before you know it, and there are lots of goodies to add to your Christmas feast. Whether you want a lovely Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce, or mix it up with Apple Pie Fudge, you can find may great ideas to surprise your family and/or guests with.

There’s much to love with this delightful cookbook. I highly recommend you give it a try. You’re sure to find an array of dishes to please your palate.

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

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