Tacolicious: Festive Recipes for Tacos, Snacks, Cocktails, and More by Sara Deseran

I was so excited to get this book. I love Mexican food, in any form or fashion, but I am a huge fan of tacos. So I thought there would be nothing better than this book of recipes and I was completely right. There are so many recipes that I am super excited to try. It's very odd, but the one I am most excited to try is the "Pickled cauliflower, carrots, and jalapeño" (p. 42). 

Like I said, I know it's very odd that I'd want to try this one the most, but I love the relish that you get at a Mexican restaurant so I'm hoping this will be just as good.

Another reason I love this book is because of the layout. It's a super easy layout which makes it easier to find things. Also, the book is just very easy to read as well. There's a personal touch to the book as well. The last three recipes in the book are "mocktails" that the author's children love. This is going to end up being one of my favorite recipe books and I can't wait to have a huge party and as many of these recipes as I can.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Fried and True by Lee Brian Schrager with Adeena Sussman

Fried and True by Lee Brian Schrager with Adeena Sussman

Is there anything better than fried food? Fried food is delicious and comforting and most everyone loves to eat fried food at sometime or another. If you're a person that loves eating fried food, then Fried & True is for you. I adore this cookbook and I can't wait to try many of the recipes in it, but the one that I'm really looking forward to is the Fried Green Tomatoes (pg. 43). I love friend green tomatoes but have never made them for myself, so I'm super excited.

There's more than 50 mouth watering recipes in this book and they all center around something fried. The pictures in the book really do make you want to salivate. Once you look in this book you'll be itching to try some of these.

The order of the recipes are well thought and the pictures enhance the book and recipes but do not take away from it. If you're thinking about one cookbook this year, it definitely needs to be Fried & True.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review

Meat and Potatoes by Rahm Fama with Beth Dooley

I adored this book. My husband and I are both 'meat and potatoes' people and this book was great at helping me find other ways to make the meat and potatoes. I was so excited to be getting this book because meat and potatoes are the main ingredients for most meals. The book itself is exquisitely put together. The cover is inviting and almost makes you instantaneously hungry.
Now, that we've talked about the book as a whole, let's take a look inside. The recipes are separated into six categories: beef, pork, chicken & turkey, lamb, game, and one-pot favorites. Each section has several recipes and the recipes are easy to read and understand. There are definitely more than a few that I can't wait to try, however there are a few that I almost salivate when I see the picture because they look so delicious. One of the ones that makes me want to salivate is the 5-B Burger with Smoked Paprika Parsnip Fries and Asparagus with Mint Hollandaise (p. 35). Now, I'm not a big fan of parsnip of asparagus, but this burger looks so delicious that I'd give the other things a try.

Doesn't that look amazing?

This book is wonderful and will really help with not knowing how you want to make your favorite meat and potatoes. My suggestion is that this cookbook should be in everyone's kitchen. It's definitely a keeper for me.

Trust me, you need this book!

The Great American Slow Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

The Great American Slow Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

I was very excited about getting this book, but while it was good and have many recipes it kind of fell short. There were plenty of recipes and they're written wonderfully and look easy to follow. I think my biggest problem with this cookbook is that there were not enough pictures of the food. The book is 512 pages long and there are only 16 pages of pictures of the food. Most cookbooks generally have at least one picture for every recipe so that the reader can see what the dish is supposed to look like. I think that the writers may have overextended themselves when it came to the amount of recipes.
The recipes themselves are beautifully written and sound delicious. I went through the book and I found so many that I want to try. The Spicy Garlic Shrimp (p. 368) and the Fudgy Brownie Cake (p. 461) are two recipes that really stood out to me and that I can't wait to try. I'm not a big soup person, but the soup section made me reconsider my stance on soups. I only really eat tomato soup and there was a great recipe in the soup section for Creamy Tomato Soup (p. 57) that I wan to try very soon.
The book is set up well and the set up of the sections makes sense. Starting with Breakfast all the way through Dessert. The cover of the book is enticing ut not busy and you can clearly see what the book is about. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book is you learn easier by reading. However, if you're more of a visual learner it might not be for you.





I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Chopped Cookbook published by Clarkson Potter

The Chopped Cookbook published by Clarkson Porter

    After reading through this cookbook, I've gotten a new respect for authors of recipes. You never really consider how difficult it can be to put recipes together, especially when you put together one that only includes ingredients that would be in the average person's refrigerator. That's what all of the authors of the recipes in this book did and it turned out phenomenal.
    While I was reading through this cookbook and checking out the recipes I was mentally going through what I had in my kitchen and I realized that right then and there I could have made several of the recipes in the book. I absolutely love to cook, but one of the biggest problems is that sometimes I can't think of something to make with the items I already have. That's where the The Chopped Cookbook comes into play. There were so many recipes that I just can't wait to try.
    The first recipe that I'm dying to try is the Spinach and Artichoke Dip Mac and Cheese (p. 21). I adore spinach and artichoke dip and the thought of making mac and cheese out of it absolutely blows my mind. It sounds like an amazing idea and something that I would definitely love (especially on a day when I'm in need of comfort food). Another that I can't wait to try is the Warm Salted Caramel Banana Pudding (p. 225). I'm not very big into bananas but this just seems so delicious. I think that when you pair them with caramel and pudding that you can't lose. Also, I think that this would be a great recipe to learn how to make pudding (which is something I've wanted to figure out for a while).
    All in all, I think that this is a great cookbook. It's especially great for those of us who get a cooking block, where we've got ingredients but can't figure out what to do with them. Make sure to check it out.

 

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."

The Homesick Texan's Family Table by Lisa Fain

 I love to cook. However, at the same time, I'm very picky about the recipes that I'll use when I'm cooking. I love comfort food as much as the next person, but when I make it I want to be sure that it's something that my family is going to love. One way to be sure of that is to make sure that someone else's family loves it as well. 'The Homesick Texan's Family Table' by Lisa Fain does just that. The recipes in this cookbook do just that. They pull you in and make you say to yourself, 'This is something that my family will adore'. I haven't actually gotten to try any of the recipes yet (I'm making Jalapeño Pesto-Stuffed Pork Roast tomorrow night, pg. 155), but I've got almost every page of the book marked.
     Lisa Fain does a wonderful job of taking you into her family as she's telling you about the recipes. Each chapter starts out with wonderful stories about her own family and her recipes. She makes you feel like you are part of her family and for someone like me that's the best part of a cookbook. No one wants to make something that you don't feel like your family will eat. Ms. Fain takes you into her world, it feels like you are in her kitchen with her helping her make each recipe.
     This cookbook is topnotch and should be on the bookshelf of anyone that loves to cook, especially someone who loves to cook comfort food that they know their whole family will enjoy. After the pork roast the next recipe I'm going to try is Stacked Jalapeño-Cheese Enchiladas (pg. 194). What are you excited to try?

I received this book for free from the publisher’s Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.

Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul is a wonderful fantasy novel that begins with a young girl who grows in a woman and finds out what her destiny is. Dragonspell is an uplifting novel that will keep you interested and wanting more. The best part is that you can see and feel the Christian themes that are so beautifully put in the writings. Dragonspell is a novel that will last the test of time and will become a favorite of many people.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review