I made three recipes from this book. My husband and son enjoyed all of them! (Pasta with Bacon, Peas, Sour Cream, & Dill; Salmon, Potato, & Corn Chowder; and Pear and Pecan Baked Oatmeal) I appreciate how interchangeable the ingredients are. Also, my son cannot eat/digest dairy. I could substitute nondairy ingredients easily.
-Borrowed from the library.
Christmas in July!
I heard this book advertised on several podcasts before 2024 Christmas. How excited I was to discover that a library in my county had purchased the book!
My initial goal in reading the book was to establish a list of new, meaningful ideas to celebrate Christ at Christmas. I, however, found the ideas a bit too fancy and time-consuming for my current stage in life (plus, I am the only female in the house . . .my attempts to mimic her ideas may not be appreciated nor tolerated!!!😉😁). Instead, I relished in the beautiful writing, the word choice, her stories, and book lists-of course!! (The book lists contain titles that I long to read--older stories. Most of the titles are available via ILL. I am tempted to purchase several and read aloud to my teenage boys.) Setting up an advent wreath with real candles (although not novel) is one idea I would like to implement in Christmas 2025.
Mrs. Ivester shares magical Christmas stories and traditions from her childhood and as a newly married plus heart-breaking stories about her sorrow over infertility, a house fire, and the deaths of parents. She embraces the loveliness of the season but does not ignore the sadness that naturally occurs in this life.
Ms. Trafton's illustrations are beautiful. I, however, would have liked to see actual photos of Ruff House festooned in its Christmas glory.
*Highy recommend (for reasons above).
-Borrowed from the library.
Mrs. Dodds's devotional includes encouragement for loving the Bread of Life and reading the Bread of Life plus bread recipes. I tried the zucchini bread recipe; it was delicious. I eventually may buy this book.
-Borrowed from the library.
*Highly recommend.
I tried a couple of recipes before I had to return it to the library. My family really liked the "Sheet Pan Mahi Mahi & Baby Potatoes" (even the ones who don't usually enjoy fish). My one son loves fish, so I try to include it at least every two weeks. If I borrow this book again, I will prioritize making three other fish dishes.
I liked her "quick tips" on pg 14, especially cutting up chicken with heavy duty kitchen shears right over the pan/bowl (I despise chicken and dread prepping it!).
-Borrowed from the library.
Over Christmas break, I started trying to bake yeast bread again. I try from time to time and soon tire of it. I enjoyed it more this time! This book contains tons of delicious looking baking recipes (not just yeast bread).
I tried "Beautiful Burger Buns" (recommended by my sister-in-law who weekly bakes yeast bread), "Back-of-the-Bag Oatmeal Bread", and "Lemon Bread". My men enjoyed all three of these recipes.
I also copied down yeast bread baking tips from this book. I have learned a lot!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
I read a review about this book in a seed catalog (Seed Saver's).
As a lover of garlic, this book thrilled me and made me smile. Ms. Graves gives the history of and health benefits of garlic, plus plenty of how-tos (decorating with garlic!) and recipes. I had never heard of black garlic until reading her book. After reading this book, anyone should be able to plant garlic and experience success.
I made her "Immune Booster Soup", which my husband, my youngest son, and I liked a lot (I did not use the amount of garlic she suggested-10-12 cloves!).
Ms. Graves owns a garlic farm and a CSA in Canada.
In an old apartment building people from various cultures are cooking a favorite dish. An illustrated recipe is to the right of each narrative text page. All the individuals/families meet in their shared yard to feast upon their delicious creations.
The narrative text is sparse, so I am not sure how much this book will appeal to kids. I loved viewing the clever ways Ms. Sala depicted the culture and personality of each individual and family. As an adult who loves children's books, I found this book delightful. Ms. Sala's newer book, What's Cooking in Flowerville? : Recipes from Garden, Balcony, and Window Box appears to be wonderful. The library, however, does not own a copy.
-Borrowed from the library.
360+ Dishes for Parties, Picnics, and Potlucks
Over the last six weeks I have tried several recipes from this cookbook. My family liked almost every recipe. Our favorite one was Bacon-Colby Lasagna pg. 222. Other recipes tried- Breakfast Cookies, Peachy Dutch Pancakes, Baked Blueberry Pancakes, Maple Apple Baked Oatmeal, Ham & Broccoli Casserole, Cranberry Cake, Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars.
-Borrowed from the library.
I tried three recipes from this collection so far. My family loved the "Easy Fried Rice" recipe (better than a restaurant!). The "Mini-Chip Cocoa Pancakes" were also delicious. The pasta/ham dish did not have much flavor. I won't make it again.
Most of the recipes seem simple to prepare with ingredients you already have in your fridge or pantry.
-Borrowed from the library.
Fascinating book! Ms. Mangini shares how to cut and prepare a wide variety of vegetables. Recipes are included. This book may be one I reborrow during the spring/summer/fall.
-Borrowed from the library.
I love PW and her recipes!
Over a three week period I made pickle chicken bites,preztel dogs, hot Hawaiian beef sandwiches, and chuckwagon brownies. All of us loved the chicken bites and preztel dogs. I want to try several other recipes but have to return it to the library without the ability to renew it since it is a new book.
I own all of her recipe books but am not sure about this one . . . I don't have room where I store my cookbooks and probably won't make the steak recipes (an entire section is dedicated to steak).
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Our history textbook devoted a small textbox about the Gullah Geechee people. To celebrate their food culture, I made Lowcountry Spaghetti & Geechee Salsa from this book for my boys for lunch. The boys did not like the salsa, but I did. A lot of other recipes looked delicious.
-Borrowed from the library.
My one son seems to have difficulty digesting dairy. I tried a couple of recipes from these books. The recipe results were average. Some of the ingredients were unusual and expensive.
I was not able to make many recipes from this book since I had to return it to the library. As I paged through it, a lot of recipes caught my eye, so I plan to check it out again when I have more time to try new recipes. The first one will be "Brownie Cookies" (my two favorite desserts combined!). In the short time I was able to borrow it, I made two of her muffin recipes-"Lemon and Raspberry Muffins" (my sons loved) and "Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins" (I loved)--Very easy to follow and turned out perfectly the first time. Most recipes are accompanied with a full-page photo of the dish.
-Borrowed from the library.
I made severals recipes from this book. We enjoyed all of them! Some of our favorites were: Lucy's Peanut Butter Brownies, Blueberry Sweet Rolls with a lemon glaze, and Chicken Street Tacos. If I borrow this collection again, I will try Oatmeal Cream Pies and Aunt Mary's Cherry Mashers.
Each recipe has an accompanying full-page photo. Most recipe ingredient list and instructions fit on one page, next to the photo. Pages stay open to the recipe you want to make.
She just published volume 3 the beginning of May 3, 2023. I requested to borrow it from the library.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
I tried a few recipes from this book: overnight Irish oatmeal, blueberry ricotta breakfast cake, & overnight mac/cheese. She displays food boards for every meal and even dessert! Beautiful photographs for each recipe make this book eye-catching. Some of the ingredients are a bit pricey and not ones you find in your fridge/pantry on any given day.
My favorite recipe I tried was the overnight mac/cheese. I made it for my son's sixteenth birthday dinner. People reacted positively to it.
-Borrowed from the library.
A recipe book by a Mennonite woman
The layout & recipes are simple and not overwhelming. I made simple granola & cheesy breadsticks with good results. I especially liked her list on how to keep a clean fridge. . .my mom follows these guidelines without ever reading someone else's list on how to do it!!
-Borrowed from the library.
A well-laid out recipe book that guides all levels of kid cooks. Clear ingredients list, supplies list and directions are included with all recipes. I tried a few of the recipes. We found them a bit lacking in flavor. We did enjoy "Chicken Burrito Bowls". The marinade infused the chicken with a deep, spicy flavor.
-Borrowed from the library.
I love reading Ms. Gerard's little narratives with each recipe.
I tried the sheet pan french toast (the sheet pan method didn't save me much time. I like another french toast recipe I have better), pumpkin struesel coffee cake (not sweet so I didn't mind serving it for breakfast or snack), blueberry lemon poppyseed muffins (took me a lot longer than the 15 min she said it would take, the boys and I really liked them), and zuppa toscana with gnocchi (the boys liked it). I wanted to try a few more recipes but had to return the book to the library. Some of her ingredients are unique and ones I do not have on hand. Also, I feel her recipes require a bit of involvment, which I do not have these days!
-Borrowed from the library.
Our family is friends with a family whose husband/dad has a slow-growing cancer. To thwart its progress, the family is adopting a Mediterranean diet. When I asked the wife/mom if she had found any good recipes, she showed me this book.
Chris's story is interesting and amazing. Reading the different foods that prevent cancer was fascinating. Most of the recipes did not appeal to me at the moment, but I am thankful to know about this resource. I did make "Supercharged Oatmeal" and really liked it.
-Borrowed from the library.
