Category: Cookbooks

Indie Weekend: Kim Cooks, Sue Draws #LimitedEdition #Cookbook #Art #IndieArt

BonnieReadsAndWrites17 Comments

Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie/Self-Published authors with marketing. Indie authors have to do it all, so if I can help even a little bit with marketing, I’m happy to do so. I’m asking everyone to help as well by sharing the Indie Weekend posts on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. This will help the authors gain a larger audience. Below is my review of a charming and whimsical cookbook! Check it out below.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Chef Kim Mahan teaches cooking skills in her popular classes at Class Cooking and wanted to make a cookbook highlighting some of the recipes and techniques from her classes for her students and for holiday gifts. Chef Kim knows Sue Clancy’s whacky sense of humor and thought Sue’s art would add an element of whimsy to the cookbook. People learn new skills best when they’re having fun! So Chef Kim gave Clancy her recipes and Clancy responded to them in much the same way that one jazz musician responds to the melody of another jazz musician.

Clancy created each page by hand using fountain pens, brushes and ink, color pencils and gouache paints. She wrote each of Chef Kim’s recipe texts by hand and hand-created the related illustrations.

BOOK REVIEW

This cookbook is whimsical and fun as well as informative, and the feast starts with your eyes! Talented artist Sue Clancy has turned all of the recipes in this book into fun and imaginative sketches that give “works of art” new meaning as the culinary arts combine with the work of a talented fine artist to create one-of-a kind recipes that you will treasure. It is not a long book (about 20 pages), but the carefully chosen recipes from Chef Kim’s cooking classes look delicious and are presented in such an amazing way by Artist Sue that they will always be remembered. The Baked Apple French Toast shown above is going to be part of our Thanksgiving breakfast this year.

There is also a wonderfully illustrated “How To” section at the end that shows the reader how to chop onions, peel garlic, and roast peppers. This is a delight, as practical lessons from Chef Kim’s kitchen dance to life through Sue’s imagination.

If you want to see a cookbook absolutely come alive, purchase this recipe book. Watch “palate” meet “palette” in this wonderful cookbook. It is a whimsical and colorful creation that will delight your palate and your eyes.

After reading a free digital copy provided by the artist, I absolutely had to purchase a print copy to display in my kitchen. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kim Mahan is a Pacific Northwest native who rebelliously learned to cook with fresh ingredients because her mother used prepackaged food.

Class Cooking is the culmination of Chef Kim Mahan’s years of training and exploration in the culinary field, complimented by a background in fine arts, psychology and education.

Chef Kim’s small-group gourmet cooking classes offer students a hands-on learning experience, and her catering and event-planning services have received rave reviews from clients and guests alike.

She plans to continue having fun with food (and all things tiki) the details can be seen via Chef Kim’s social media and website (links below).

Kim’s Social Media:

Instagram | Facebook | Website

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Sue Clancy is a professional artist, author, and illustrator who thinks kindness is the point. She is the author-illustrator for over ten children’s books which can be seen on Storyberries.com

Clancy is a visual storyteller, an accidental poet, an avid reader, and a pretty good cook. Clancy views her creations as souvenirs of moments of love and kindness. Clancy’s fine art and artist books have been collected by the Bainbridge Island Art Museum in WA, the UCLA Fine Arts Library in CA, the Curtis Children’s Justice Center in WA, Washington State University in Vancouver WA, the NW Surrogacy Center in Portland OR and by many other public and private collections.

She plans to continue her whimsical artistic love of living as long as she can hold a pen. Follow the fun via Clancy’s social media and website (links below).

Sue’s Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website | Substack.com

BUY LINKS

This Special Limited Edition cookbook is available online only via Blurb Books at this link or can be purchased in person from Chef Kim Mahan at her culinary school Class Cooking. I would like to highlight the “Special” part. Pick this unique book up while it’s available.

BEFORE YOU GO

*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share this book with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help indie authors go a long way!

Self-Published Spotlight: Fall in love with #MediterraneanCuisine

BonnieReadsAndWrites4 Comments
by Bernetta Paris

*Not a book review

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Awesome photos, video tips, and proven recipes – just three reasons you’ll definitely fall in love with this book!

Trust us, this book will turn your ideas about e-cookbooks upside down!

If that’s not enough to convince you, here are seven more reasons:

  • The main benefit of any cookbook is the recipes (you buy it to cook food, right?). And in “Falling in Love with Mediterranean Cuisine” you are guaranteed to find both traditional time-tested recipes and contemporary ones that are already well-loved by professional chefs and nutritionists.
  • High-quality photos will give you a clear idea of how each dish looks. These photos are guaranteed to get you inspired and whet your appetite.
  • In the unique table of contents the title of each recipe comes with the time needed to cook it, and the level of difficulty. So you’ll know for sure if a particular dish is right for the moment without even opening the recipe.
  • Video tips are provided for processes which require experience. You’ll learn how to cook like a true chef and get the best results!
  • You’ll find useful hints in the margins of the recipes – everything you should know about the choice of products, the cooking techniques, the professional secrets of chefs, storing the prepared dish, and more.
  • The book design deserves special mention. Each section is color-coded for easy navigation, and ingredients and step-by-step instructions are on one screen – you won’t miss a thing!
  • We’ve put cross-references in the recipes – if a recipe matches with another dish in the book, or a sauce accompanies it, or there’s a helpful tip in the “How to…?” chapter, you’ll find a link to it right in the recipe. Pretty handy, right?

Once you pick up this book, you’ll never settle for less again!

BUY LINKS

AMAZON | AMAZON UK

*Kindle Unlimited Subscribers can read this for free.

From Bonnie: Although this is not a book review, it’s an opportunity to check out a book on Kindle Unlimited that you might enjoy. If you do enjoy it, please be sure and leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. I am currently reading it and I’ll post a review after I get a chance to try a recipe.

#BookReview: Bake: My best ever recipes for the #Classics by #PaulHollywood

BonnieReadsAndWrites7 Comments

Paul Hollywood, The King of Bread and of course the star of the Great British Baking Show, gives us a wonderful book of classics perfect for both beginning and experienced bakers. This book is easy to understand and the pictures are beautiful. I love sourdough bread, so why would I not want Paul Hollywood’s recipe? He’s Mr. Bread! Likewise for the pizza dough. Of course I want to try it!

I’ve always wanted to learn to make macarons, and the lime macaron recipe looks amazing. That is top of my list, along with the Victoria Sponge, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Individual Lemon Sponges, and so much more. All the classics are here, and they are shared in a much more casual way than we’re used to seeing from Hollywood, who is normally in “baking competition” mode on our tv screens.

If you want a beautiful cookbook of all the classics as shared with you by an experienced and famous baker, pick this one up.

I received a temporary digital copy of this book from Bloomsbury USA via Netgalley, but I will purchase a hard copy of this one. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

BUY LINKS

Amazon|Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Apple Books

Google

Paul Hollywood is an English baker and celebrity chef. He has worked as a baker since taking up the career at his father’s bakery as a teenager and has gone on to become head baker at a number of hotels around Britain. After returning from working in Cyprus, he began appearing in guest spots on a number of British television shows on both BBC and ITV channels. Since 2010 he has appeared as a judge on The Great British Bake Off. He runs his own artisanal baking business, which supplies stores such as Harrods.

Blog Tour and Book Review: Cook It, Eat It, Live it

BonnieReadsAndWrites6 Comments

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Cook It, Eat It, Live It is written by Jo Kenny, food writer and owner of GirlEatsWorld.co.uk.
In this first publication, Jo offers readers a vibrant and varied collection of recipes inspired by both travel and family ties to the UK, Japan, Guyana, the Caribbean.

This delicious collection of everyday recipes satisfies appetites for light bites, indulgent dinners, fresh sides, and delicious desserts. You’ll find a spectrum of dishes from rich, earthy flavors to fresh aromatics giving you meals to enjoy year-round. All recipes are firm favorites in Jo’s own household and cooked regularly. This is family-style, everyday inspiration to ensure no more boring dinners.

Recipes are punctuated with stories of travel, food inspirations and a personal philosophy of enjoying food unapologetically. This book is about finding happiness in the little things and injecting some joy into everyday life through wholesome, exciting meals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Kenny

Jo is a food writer from Bedford, living with her husband Alex, newborn son and Kimchi the cat. Her website GirlEatsWorld.co.uk was founded in 2012. Starting out as a personal space to capture cooking and food adventures, it has evolved into a public hub for recipes, cooking guides and food inspiration. Jo is passionate about fresh ingredients eaten joyfully, intuitively and adventurously.

Social Media Links – 

Instagram (Kingsley Publishers)

Instagram (Girl Eats World)

BOOK REVIEW

Cook It Eat It, Live It is a delightful book of recipes, family stories, and travel adventures. The pictures are gorgeous, and there are so many recipes I want to try. Jo Kenny’s work on this book and her website proves that life is an adventure, and food is a big part of that.

In this book, Jo shares recipes from four countries, including soups, stews, main dishes, desserts, and more. There are even instructions for setting up a kitchen garden. And she shares stories and beautiful pictures with each recipe.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cookbooks that not only have recipes, but the stories behind them.

I received a free copy of this book from Kingsley Publishers via Rachel’s Random Resources. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

Purchase Link 

Book Review: Trisha’s Kitchen

BonnieReadsAndWrites8 Comments

It’s been a while since I reviewed a cookbook. This latest by Trisha Yearwood is really well done and contains a lot of recipes I want to try. I especially loved the family stories that accompanied each recipe.

This is a fabulous cookbook full of original recipes from the multi-talented Trisha Yearwood. The Foreward by her husband Garth Brooks is a treasure, and the recipes are an amazing collection that include just everything under the sun. There’s even a “Veggie Night” section with an amazing recipe for homemade vegetable stock that everyone needs to try.

The desserts are amazing! Potato Chip Bacon Brownies? Hello! Hundred dollar cupcakes are accompanied by a sweet family story.. Princess Cake looks absolutely intriguing.

There is a Preserves, Pickles, Sauces, and Spreads section which includes Chocolate Gravy and Beth’s Peach Preserves. The Breads section includes biscuits, crackers, and yeast bread. Every single recipe in the Chicken, Turkey, and Fish Section looks intriguing. The Beef and Pork Section includes The Party Burger.

I could go on and on. The stories behind each recipe are intriguing and the photos are absolutely gorgeous. This is a must have for anyone who wants to create amazing food served by a friendly host who gives us a glimpse into her life.

I received a free, temporary digital copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. However, I also purchased a hardcover copy for myself. This one is not to be missed. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Trisha Yearwood

Trisha Yearwood’s spirit shines just as brightly in her cooking as it does in her music. Between receiving numerous GRAMMY®, CMA® and ACM® Awards as a country star, the singer, actress, author, chef, and entrepreneur has delivered three New York Times Bestselling cookbooks. Her hit Food Network series Trisha’s Southern Kitchen garnered an EMMY® Award in the category of “Outstanding Culinary Show.” Now, she unveils what might be her most personal cookbook yet, Trisha’s Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family, collecting 125 comfort food recipes peppered with family stories and photos.

LINKS TO BUY

AMAZON

APPLE

GOOGLE

KOBO

MY AMAZON REVIEW (“HELPFUL” VOTES APPRECIATED)

Self-Published Saturday: September 4, 2021/Pescatarian Crockpot Cookbook

BonnieReadsAndWrites2 Comments

It’s Self-Published Saturday, the day I share books from self-published authors in order to help them spread the word and make their job a little easier. We’re starting off with a cookbook today! Pescatarian Crockpot Cookbook by Martha D’Angelo shares information about the Pescatarian Diet along with some delicious recipes.

Pescatarian Crockpot Cookbook makes the Pescatarian diet easier for those of us who are busy, but still want to eat healthier. The book begins with an explanation of the Pescatarian diet, which is basically a vegetarian diet with fish added, and talks about the health benefits of eating fish. The recipes are all done in the crockpot and are divided into Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, and Desserts.

What I Liked: I know the benefits of eating fish, and I like the fact that busy people can load up their crockpot with some of these recipes and go on about their day, knowing they have a healthy meal waiting. Some of the recipes do require a few steps, so you have to go back and visit the crockpot more than once. The Caribbean Shrimp and Rice, Cheesy Shrimp and Grits, and Shrimp Curry all look delicious and caught my eye. The poached salmon is a perfect entree that is easy to prepare. The added bonus is that the poaching liquid can be used as fish stock in other recipes. The Italian Fish Stew with Shrimp, Cod, vegetables, and tomato sauce looks delicious and comforting. The Cajun Shrimp is a perfect spicy rice dish to have waiting when you get home. All you have to do is add the shrimp for 15 minutes at the end. Most of the recipes use salmon, shrimp, or tuna, which make it more affordable, but there are some other seafood options in the cookbook as well.

Room for Improvement: Every recipe does not have a picture, and pictures are a must for me in cookbooks. I really wanted to see a picture of Seafood Chili, which is new to me, but no picture was included. Some or all of the photos that are in the book may be stock photos, in my opinion. The picture of the Cioppino, for example, has mussels on top even though no mussels are mentioned in the recipe. High quality pictures of the actual food prepared can really take a cookbook to the next level, and it’s helpful for those preparing the food to see what it is actually supposed to look like. The Shrimp and Grits recipe under the Breakfast Section is listed twice. Although one recipe is called Shrimp and Grits, and the other is Cheesy Shrimp and Grits, they both contain cheese, but are not exactly alike. They are far apart from each other in the Breakfast Section. I would suggest putting them next to each other and explaining that there are two variations of Shrimp and Grits in order to eliminate confusion.

Three and a half stars, rounded up to four on sites without a half-star option.

Overall, I enjoyed this cookbook and I like the idea of adapting healthy but tasty meals to the crockpot. Readers will benefit from these easy and beneficial recipes. An added plus is that the book can be downloaded for free by Kindle Unlimited Subscribers.

BUY THIS BOOK ON AMAZON

BEFORE YOU GO

  1. If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. This is very important to self-published authors.
  2. Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!

The Kitchen Front

BonnieReadsAndWrites4 Comments

BOOK REVIEW

The Kitchen Front is a wonderful book which feels like a World War II based combination of Downton Abbey and the Great British Baking Show. In Fenley Village, England, 1942, Ambrose Hart is reluctantly looking for a radio cohost. His bosses have decided they want a local woman who can help listeners find the best uses for their food rations. A cooking contest begins, and the winner will be Ambrose’s co-host on The Kitchen Front radio show. The four contestants are Audrey, who is trying to raise three sons and wallowing in a mountain of debt, Nell, a kitchen maid who is tired of her poor treatment, Lady Gwendoline Strickland, the haughty grand lady of the manor, who is both Nell’s boss and Audrey’s sister, and Zelda Dupont, an English girl turned London-based French chef who has been forced to cook in a British factory and is not happy about it. As the show progresses, each woman’s life begins to change forever.

I immediately connected with the characters and the story. The “upstairs/downstairs,” “Downton Abbey” type relationship is demonstrated by Lady Gwendoline, Sir Strickland, and their cooks and other staff. The radio show cooking contest reminds me of a World War II radio version of the Great British Baking Show. For the contest, each contestant has to provide a starter, a main dish, and a dessert, all on different episodes of the show. All of the recipes for the contest, plus others mentioned in the story, are included in the book. We are given a window into each contestant’s life, both before and during the contest. Audrey is a grieving war widow. Gwendoline is a neglected wife of a strict and domineering nobleman. Zelda is pregnant and abandoned by the child’s father, and Nell is a young girl who wants to get out of the bonds of service. Interesting tidbits about food and history are included, such as why British sausages are called “bangers,” and how some villagers would run to “Anderson shelters,” to escape the bombings. We even get a little education on World War II era planes. I enjoyed every minute of this book, read it in one day, and will read it again. 

If you love cooking and cooking shows, World War II fiction, and strong female characters, you will enjoy this book.

The Kitchen Front will be released on February 23, 2021. I highly recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Ryan

Jennifer Ryan is the author of National Bestseller THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR, THE SPIES OF SHILLING LANE, and THE KITCHEN FRONT. Her writing has featured in Literary Hub, Moms Don’t Have Time to Write, The Daily Mail, The Irish Times, The Express, BBC Online, YOU Magazine, The Simple Things Magazine, and Good Reading Magazine. Previously a book editor with The Economist, DK, and the BBC, she moved from London to Washington, DC after marrying, and she now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children. Her novels are inspired by her grandmother’s tales of the war in Britain.

JENNIFER RYAN’S WEBSITE

PREORDER THE KITCHEN FRONT
(Released February 23, 2021)

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

BOOKS-A-MILLION

Vegetable Simple

BonnieReadsAndWrites2 Comments

Vegetable simple is a lovely cookbook with gorgeous pictures that provides recipes for vegetables that can be done often in the simplest and freshest ways. My favorite so far is the romaine caesar gratin, where you actually broil the parmesan on the top of the romaine before serving. Ingenious idea. I also want to try the Vidalia Onion Risotto and Vegetable Lasagna. In the summer when garden tomatoes are available I plan to try Tomato Croque Sel.

There are a few recipes that are not as simple as the title implies, but overall this book uses recipes with fresh ingredients and simple methods to help you prepare wonderful and healthy food.

I received a free advance review digital copy of this book from Random House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

This book will be released April 20, 2021.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric Ripert is the chef and co-owner of the New York restaurant Le Bernardin, which holds three Michelin stars and has maintained a four-star rating from The New York Times for more than two decades. He is vice chairman of the board of City Harvest, a New York-based food rescue organization, as well as a recipient of the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest honor. He serves as a regular guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef and is the host of his own TV series, Avec Eric, which has won Emmy and James Beard awards. Ripert is the author of five cookbooks—My Best: Eric Ripert, Avec Eric, On the Line, A Return to Cooking, and Le Bernardin: Four Star Simplicity—and a New York Times bestselling memoir, 32 Yolks.

Link to Preorder Vegetable Simple

Link to My Goodreads Review

Gardening to Eat

BonnieReadsAndWrites1 Comment

Gardening to Eat: Connecting People and Plants by Becky Dickinson is such a helpful book for home gardeners who want to eat healthy. Part One talks about the basics of organic gardening. Part Two, Grow and Eat, is broken down by type of vegetable or fruit, and tells you how to plant it, grow it organically, and keep pests away, and then follows it up with recipes. For example, after walking the reader through the process of organically growing green beans, a recipe is immediately provided for Thai green bean curry. After the process of planting, growing, and protecting blueberries, recipes for Yogurt and Blueberry pancakes and blueberry cheesecake are provided. Garden to plate instructions for tomatoes, garlic, kale, leeks, onions, carrots, and a lot more are provided in this book.

I love the way this book is organized and is geared towards healthy growing and eating. From seed to plate, everything you need for healthy family gardening and eating is right here.

I received a free digital copy of this book from White Owl Publishing via Netgalley. However, as a home gardener who tries to eat healthy, I will be buying this book in hardcopy. My review is voluntary. This book will be released May 5, 2021.

Link to Pre-Order on Amazon

Link to Becky Dickinson’s Amazon Page

Link to My Goodreads Review

Chasing Flavor

BonnieReadsAndWritesLeave a comment

Chasing Flavor is an amazing cookbook by Dan Kluger that is true to its name and helps you get the absolute best flavor into your food. He starts with suggestions for pantry and kitchen equipment to help you make his recipes. He shows different techniques, such as how to cut and blanch vegetables, make pasta, and slice brisket. The cookbook is full of great ideas, such as adding pureed cauliflower to tomato soup so you get creaminess without dairy, or turning chicken nuggets into something insanely special by adding a maple chile glaze. 

Among the recipes I plan to try are Cashew Vinaigrette, Crushed Cucumbers with Yogurt and Chiles, Heirloom Tomato Panzanella with Parmesan Croutons, Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Fermented Chile Sauce, Grandma Pie, Raisin Stuffed Pork Loin, and Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Warm Potato Salad.

I received a free, temporary digital copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.