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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love herbs. I love growing them, and I love cooking with them. I wanted this cookbook mainly for the recipes. It has everything from herbal infused oils, honey, syrups and so much more.

We love baked eggs in our house, so I couldn’t wait to try the Baked Eggs with Parsley Pesto. I will say you could use this with most pestos, and I would actually prefer it with basil, but then basil is one of my favorite herbs.

Sickness in the house? Grandma’s Chicken Soup will fit the need perfectly. Everyone healthy at your house? Grandma’s Chicken Soup will STILL fit the bill!! We’re coming into cooler weather some, so soups jump to the front of my dinner choices and this is a great one.

From Ratatouille to Oven Poached Salmon, Cheddar and Dill Crackers or Spanakopita with Fresh Herbs and Wild Greens, there is a great variety of exciting dishes to try within the pages of this book. There is also a multitude of great information about the individual herbs, seasonal information and more.

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a lovely cookbook with over 100 nutritious, yet tasty recipes for your family. Christine focuses on packing nutrients into recipes that are tasty enough that even your pickier eaters with love.

Anatomy of a Recipe walks you through the recipes, explaining commonly used terms so it doesn’t have to be repeated in each recipe. There is also a Basics chapter with recipes for spice mixtures, gluten free flour mix, condiments, stocks, etc. The chapters are divided into Breakfast, Packed Lunches, Soups and Salads, Easy Sides, Mains, Theme Nights, Snacks, Bake Sale goodies and Desserts.

First up, I decided to make Homemade Power Bars only making them as balls instead. It took more elbow grease to make the balls than I was expecting, but the family did enjoy them. Easy Herby Cheddar Cheese Biscuits are more my style, and easy to make. Garlic and Thyme Roast Chicken Breasts are simple to prepare, but sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Honest to Goodness is a delightful cookbook that is perfect for people who love healthy but tasty food.

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely adore Anne of Green Gables. I’ve lost track how many times I’ve read them over the years, and have tried to pass that love on to my daughters as well. Therefore, I was thrilled to receive this cookbook!! The first pass through the book was just seeing what was included (Raspberry Cordial!!!), reading the quotes from the books and so on. I then moved on to the important part–the recipes!

The first recipe we tried was the Chocolate Goblin’s Food Cake. Who can forget Anne’s dream of being chased by a fearful goblin with a layer cake for a head?! Well, this one was well worth the inclusion!! Moist and decadent, it was everything a chocolate layer cake should be.

While there are a few recipes that kind of made me scratch my head such as Sunshiny Corn Souffle or Matthew Cuthbert’s Yummy Biscuit Sandwich (which were not even alluded to in the books!), it does include many recipes specifically referenced in the books such as Chocolate Caramels, Raspberry Tarts, Marilla’s Plum Pudding and Davy and Dora’s Monkey Faces.

The recipes are divided into Recipes from Anne of Green Gables, Recipes from Anne of Avonlea, Recipes from Anne of Windy Poplars and Recipes from L. M. Montgomery’s Kitchen. I like this division as it is easy to look up recipes from a specific book.

This is a great book for any Anne of Green Gables fan. The recipes are good and easy to make, and the book itself is just delightful! I am happy to wholeheartedly recommend it!

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love sausages and cured meats, so I was thrilled to check out this book. It is far more than just a cookbook, though. It is informative, entertaining and inspiring to read.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have NOT actually made any of these. My current kitchen is tiny and I need a couple of items to really get into charcuterie that I really don’t have room for right now. We are getting ready to move, however, so I am hoping for a larger kitchen so I can dip into this book.

My husband discovered mortadella on our first trip to Sicily, so I was thrilled to see the recipe included here! To make it even more authentic, add some shelled pistachios to the mix before you stuff it! Nduja is another Italian salami that I’ve wanted to try. I’ll be interested to see if I can pull it off!

If charcuterie interests you, I definitely recommend this book! It’s fascinating and while it doesn’t have a huge number of recipes, they didn’t stick with the most simple, easily obtainable types, but gave you a nice variety to choose from.

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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that this is a beautiful book! Large, beautiful photos and well laid out, it started off great! Unfortunately, it took a downhill turn once we started cooking.

My daughter decided to make the Jumbo-Sized Chocolate Butter Cookies. Where to begin. We double and triple checked the recipe and followed it exactly. First off, the cookies were not jumbo–they didn’t hardly spread out at all. Secondly, the tasted awful!! We ended up having to throw them away.

I’ve cooked from and loved other French cookbooks, but this one really didn’t fit our family. The recipes are things like Soft-Boiled Organic Eggs and Oven Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese Emulsion or Seam Bream Tartare With Spring Onions, Wakame and Grilled Sesame Seeds.

If you like pretentious food with expensive and/or hard to source ingredients (at least for me in Tennessee!), you’ll love this book. If you’re just looking for good food without spending a fortune or extensive time, you might want to look elsewhere.

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just starting from the top, this is a beautiful, high-quality cookbook with gorgeous photos and delightful recipes. I just asks for you to pick it up and start cooking!

From Fresh Butifara with Beans (though I had to substitute another sausage as I was unable to source butifara), Rigatoni with Prawns & Mussels, Chicken Cannelloni and Crema Catalana, there is a delicious array of dishes to make to bring the flavors of Catalonia to your table.

The book is divided simply into Meat, Seafood, Vegetables and Desserts with an added section for Catalan Menus and Places to Eat. The photography is amazing and makes you want to visit this beautiful place and sample the food for yourself. Until then, you can make the food you want in the comfort of your own home.

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Greek food and this cookbook is filled with great recipes to bring the taste of Greece to your table!

Lamb Filo Parcels–oh, my! Some of my favorite ingredients combine to give you a delicious meal. While filo can be fiddly to work with, it’s definitely worth it! Another great combination is Chicken with Herbed Feta Crust. If spice is not your thing, just leave out the chilis for a dish that is still delicious!

If simple is your thing, try the Haloumi, Basil and Tomato Salad. Absolutely delicious!! Make your own Kalamata Olive Bread for a nice accompaniment! If you’re looking for sweets, look no further than Baklava!! We love it! If it’s not your thing, there are still great dishes to choose from.

This is a great cookbook for Greek food lovers everywhere. It has easily made its way onto my favorites shelf.

I received a copy of this cookbook from Countryman Press for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dumplings, dumplings everywhere!! I love dumplings, so I was excited to get this delightful cookbook to review! You won’t just find what you might classify as a dumpling here, there are also empanadas, Dried Fruit Fried Pies (I grew up on these and love them!), pasties and pastas.

Far from just being full of recipes to fill pre-made wrappers, there are recipes for many wrappers as well. The book is divided by region: Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, Russia and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and The Americas.

All of my favorites are here from the fried pies I mentioned above, pasties (a definite favorite of my kids!), pastas, spring rolls, and–be still, my heart!–Shanghai-Style Soup Dumplings!! I first had these in New York City back in 2009 and my family STILL talks about them today. Now I can make my own!!

If you love dumplings of all shapes and sizes, then this is the book for you!! I highly recommend it!

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a die hard National Trust Cookbook fan, and this one doesn’t disappoint! Great recipes you can make for the family! I like that there’s plenty of veggies and some good, healthy options such as Wholegrain Granola, Cherry Spelt Biscuits, etc.

My daughter made the gingerbread for Christmas and it turned out well. Definitely try the Slow-Roast Lamb Shoulder with Flageolet Beans, Rosemary and Garlic and the Sausage and Tomato Pasta on Ricotta! Three Bean and Cheese Quesadillas make a quick, nutritious lunch!

You can find a bit of everything in this book. The recipes are easy to follow to produce delightful dishes! I am happy to recommend this book.

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Classic British dishes are presented here in all their glory with an emphasis on season ingredients. Sauces, Beef, Birds, Mutton & Lamb, Pork, Gammon, Ham & Bacon, Offal, Cheese, Eggs, Vegetables and Tracklements (bits and pieces that don’t fit anywhere else) fill the chapters of this lovely book.

I love old books, and many of the dishes I’ve read about I find in this book from Bread Sauce to Gammon Pie, Potted Cheese and so much more. The date or time period for each recipe is also included. Recipes are easy to follow to produce lovely dishes.

There aren’t a large amount of photos in this book, but the ones that are included are lovely and make your mouth water to try the dish!

If you are a fan of British food, or just want to try it for the first time, I think this would be a good book for you. It’s has delightful tidbits scattered throughout as well as delicious recipes. I definitely recommend it.

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