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Meal prepping is the “in” thing for anyone that has a busy lifestyle. You take one day to shop and prep so that you don’t have to take the time later on.

What I like most about this cookbook is that the meal selections were not only easy to prepare but used wholesome and nutritious ingredients. You could easily swap for veggies that your family enjoy or even add more to fill up your plate and give you more fiber. But what do you expect from a book written by a dietician?!

This book is filled with not only meal plans and recipes, but tips, shopping lists, and great storage solutions. The only thing missing for this foodie were pictures.
  
I absolutely love Mexican cuisine! Spicy, hot, wonderful goodness for my taste buds. But, I love my Crock-Pot even more! Combine the two and you have an incredible cookbook that not only delivers delicious recipes, but takes a load of time off of prep work as well.

The contents of this cookbook include Soups, Mains, Street Food Favorites, Sides and Desserts. Deborah Schneider gives us a wonderful introduction with tips for using a slow cooker, using chilies and kitchen basics. I have already made the Enchiladas Suizas with Shredded Chicken. In one word it was: Divine! I am most excited to try Burrito Ahogado ("Wet" Burrito), Tamales with Carnitas and Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with Salsa Verde. I enjoy reading the descriptions and notes for each section and recipe. Deborah gives us information and history regarding Mexican cuisine, tips about the ingredients used as well as substitutes and modification ideas. Most of the recipes do require more work than simply turning on the slow cooker and leaving it all day. But it takes a lot of the stress out of preparing a Mexican dish. For a lot of the recipes the meat is cooked in the slow cooker and then you must put the finishing touches on the particular dish. I am excited to have this in my arsenal of Slow Cooker Cookbooks. I know without a doubt that it will be one of my most used.

I received a free print copy of The Mexican Slow Cooker from the publisher through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
Jenna Hart has returned home to Crystal Cove, California to help her aunt open a new cookbook bookstore. But their big guest for the grand opening - Food Network Star and Jenna's college roommate Desiree - is murdered before the store even opens. With local gossip making Jenna a suspect, can she prove her innocence?

This has many of the traits of a first in a series, but it is filled with warm characters and a sense of fun I enjoyed. I'm looking forward to many return trips. I did have a few niggles with the book - one weak character and a couple of timing issues - but they were minor overall.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/08/book-review-final-sentence-by-daryl.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Crystal Cove is celebrating all things western, and Jenna and the Cookbook Nook are joining in by promoting BBQ. However, things take a tragic turn when one of Jenna’s father’s neighbors turns up dead in a bonfire. With her father a prime suspect, Jenna must find a way to clear his name.

I truly love the different themes we get in this series, each one adds a unique flavor to the story. The characters are fabulous as well, and they definitely feel like old friends here. Toss in a plots with plenty of suspects and twists and you’ve got the recipe for another winner.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-review-grilling-subject-by-daryl.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
This is one of the most complete books I’ve ever seen on preparing and attacking a project. Many people have a book or a folder or a pile or even a document with family recipes, but this book is a guide on how to make a treasured heirloom for generations to come. It covers so many different bases, such as working with people or working with yourself, interviews, researching recipes and allowing them to evolve, binding ideas, etc. It is almost overwhelming how much information is included. That being said, one of the best part about instructional books like this is you can take your vision and search through a book for tips, instructions, and ideas. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to put together a really special family cookbook.

This review will go live at http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com on October 30 2015
  
Day of Secrets
Day of Secrets
Daryl Wood Gerber | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Chase Day grew up believing that his mother was dead. When he is surprised by a call from her one evening, he rushes to meet her only to find that she has been shot. As if all of that weren’t enough of a shock, his mother asks him to find the father who he has never known. Following along with Chase as he searches for his father and tries to figure out why his family is being targeted was a non-stop adventure. I ran through this fast-paced story in one sitting, and I’m already looking forward to the next thriller from Daryl Wood Gerber.

Daryl Wood Gerber also writes the Cookbook Nook Mystery series and as Avery Aames, the Cheeseshop Mystery series - this is her second stand-alone thriller.

NOTE: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
  
Soulful Baker: From highly creative fruit tarts and pies to chocolate, desserts and weekend brunch with Julie Jones, and Lisa Linder is one of those gorgeous cookery books that is great for any time of year, but especially for people who like to cook more around Christmas.

This is more than a cookery book, it’s actually a lovely reminder of how the author and her mum began cooking together again, after her mum was diagnosed with dementia. As a form of mutual therapy they shared their joint love of cooking over on Instagram and gained many followers.

These are simple recipes but done in such an elaborate way, I too was managed to fool people I was good at cooking! There are detailed ingredients and easy to understand methods to follow. Plus there are many equally tasty looking colourful photos to inspire you.

Beautiful and moving. Not the usual thing you’d say about a cookbook, right?

“Soulful Baker” is a bakery book with heart.
  
I am extremely impressed by this book. The sheer amount of work that went into making this such a valuable tool will, I hope, bounce back to benefit many people.

This is not just a cookbook. This is a reference book. The book starts with a rundown of the different kinds of athletes and their specific dietary needs (with constant reminder that everyone is different and you should check with your doctor or dietician to confirm diet changes). Then it provides practical's on how to meet those needs. Not just recipes (that are all divided up by high or low fiber, low fat, high carb, and high protein) but also meal plans, detailed appendix, water replacement recipes, recovery meals and drinks, and even athlete-friendly deserts. It covers how to determine how many calories you need, how to balance your energy, measure your BMI and BFP, and eating for each stage of training, up through recovery from a performance or event.

The recipes themselves are detailed and easy to follow, and most of them fall into the Easy category (which automatically gives it a plus). It includes a rundown of the categories, prep time, ingredients, yield, make ahead and freeze plans, substitutions in case you want to make it gluten-free or vegetarian, and the breakdown of nutrition information.

There were a few recipes, mostly baking recipes like muffins and breads, that I thought could have used less sugar. There are lots of ways to substitute sugar, oil, and eggs by using things like avocado, apple sauce, peanut butter, honey, agave, etc. and I thought there could have been more of that happening. There were a few drinks that seemed like they had too much sugar in them as well. Sugar really is an athlete’s poison (actually it’s everyone’s poison). And honestly I don’t see how a fudge pop with pudding and whipped topping as the only ingredients belong in a healthy athlete cookbook. But even including those few recipes, this book still blew me away. It should be a staple in every health-conscious home, and every athlete’s shelf.
  
1G
101 Gourmet Cake Bites: For All Occasions
Wendy Paul | 2011
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The recipes in this book takes the simplicity of a pre-packaged cake mix and builds on it with a few extra ingredients and decorating techniques to create what are known as cake balls, cake bites, cake pop, and cupcake pops. The basic concept is crumbling a baked cake and mixing it with frosting, forming a desired shape, and then coating it in melted chocolate. Further decorations all depend on the recipe and your personal preference.
There is something quite appealing about bite-size finger foods like these little bites of cake. Any occasion is made more special by baked goodies, and cake on a stick is a both unique and appealing concept. I thought the Scrabble recipe made quite adorable cake bites and the Southern Red Velvet I would hoard all for myself.
The one thing that bugged me about these recipes is that if you do not want to depend on a pre-packaged cake mix, then you have to find your recipes elsewhere, as this cookbook does not give any other options.
  
This is a good looking cookbook.

Sectioned into the usual courses, Breakfast, starters, fish, meat, pasta, and baking/desserts, each recipe has a crisp, clear looking instructions page and a full page colour image so you know what your finished dish should at least look like. A short description or tips from the chef is included, along with the standard prep/cook times and what skill level you might need (although most are easy to moderate)

A great mixture of chefs and bakers are included, may well known like Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, many others will be known if you have watched programs like Masterchef and The Great British Menu and Great British Bake Off. Others I had never hear of before but I will go looking for them now.

Recipes of note included “black sesame seed ice cream” by Jordan Bourke … I have to admit I took a double take at the picture as it looked like a greyscale image. Grey ice-cream sounds most intriguing.