The Ultimate Chick Flick Cookbook by Richard Sargent, Reviewed

The Ultimate Chick Flick Cookbook: Fall in love with over 60 mouthwatering recipes, each inspired by the iconic romantic comedies you adore by Richard Sargent is a delightful fusion of romantic comedies and culinary creativity, offering over 60 meticulously crafted recipes inspired by iconic films like ‘Love Story,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Crazy Rich Asians.”

 

As a passionate “Waitress” fan, I was thrilled to find recipes that completed my collection, reflecting the author’s deep research and love for both cinema and cuisine. From Ah Ma’s Special Dumplings (“Crazy Rich Asians”) to Kalteen Bars (“Mean Girls”), each dish is thoughtfully designed, accessible to novices yet captivating for experienced cooks. Stunning photography, clear instructions, and playful bonus drinking games enhance the experience, making it perfect for a rom-com-themed movie night.

 

 However, the book falters with its opening recipe, Bridget Jones’s “Blue Soup,” which feels unappetizing and sets an awkward tone. More troubling are recipes like “Anal Leakage” (“The Sweetest Thing”) and “Unsanitary Chocolate” (“Bridesmaids”). Though tied to their films, these names are off-putting in a cookbook, detracting from its charm. While the playful spirit is clear, these choices hinder full enjoyment. The absence of a recipe index is another drawback; although a film-to-page listing exists, a comprehensive index would improve navigation. On the positive side, conversion charts and note pages at the back are thoughtful additions.Having tried recipes like the delectable Wind Beneath My Cauliflower Wings (“Beaches”), I can attest to their quality and flavor. The book’s originality and immersive appeal earn it 4 stars. With more appetizing recipe names and an index, it could have been a five-star triumph. For foodies and rom-com enthusiasts, this cookbook remains a charming, if imperfect, celebration of love, laughter, and culinary magic.

 You can pick up a copy here.

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The Cozy Christmas Cookbook, 50 Recipes to Rediscover the Magic of the Season, Reviewed

 

I felt very nostalgic while reading this fun new cookbook, The Cozy Christmas Cookbook, 50 Recipes to Rediscover the Magic of the Season by Taylor Vance, because it reminded me very much of the cookbooks that my mother had when I was a little girl. That’s a good thing because while it made me feel nostalgic, it was still fresh, and modern, and new, with beautiful photography and clever ideas.

I appreciated the fact that there was an engaging photograph for nearly every recipe. I think that’s important for all cooks whether they are just starting out or are seasoned veterans. I also liked that the recipes were clear, concise, and most of all doable for all skill levels. Nothing is too difficult for anyone to make in order to create something unique, festive, and flavorful.

Despite the retro feel, this book is perfect for today’s cook, who may want to incorporate vegetarian or vegan meals into their diet. There are recipes here that fill the bill in both categories, but for those of us who enjoy our meat and cheese, easy substitutions can be made.

The recipes themselves are whimsically presented, with acute embellishments, frames, and illustrations. You can’t help but feel a sense of fun when flipping through. I also appreciated tips, anecdotes, and helpful hints that were festively scattered throughout.

If you are looking for a way to recapture that culinary Christmas joy, this book is for you.

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Disclaimer: I received a complementary digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Baking Cookbook, Reviewed

 

I don’t recall ever having to mop up drool before, but I certainly did while reading this amazing new book, The Christmas Baking Cookbook: ‘Tis the Season for 100+ Festive Treats from Cider Mill Press. It is absolutely GORGEOUS!

 

Some years I can be a bit of a Scrooge, but paging through this book makes that an impossibility. All I want to do is go into the kitchen and bake; there are 40 recipes for cookies alone! Often times baking books will just regurgitate recipes from the past that, while we all enjoy, we don’t need to see again. That is not the case in this book. I don’t think I have ever seen such a varied assortment of recipes, 90% of them new to me, 100% I want to get into the kitchen and bake.

  

The book is divided into six sections as follows:

Cookies
Cakes
Bread and Breakfast Treats
Pastries
Pies and Tarts
Custards and Other Decadent Confections 

Each section features a wide variety of offerings, one more mouthwatering than the other. There is a corresponding photo for nearly every recipe, and directions that are clear and concise.At the back of the book, there is a comprehensive conversion chart, as well as an index, something I used to expect in every cookbook, but that are, sadly, beginning to disappear. This index is well put together, and at least in my case, will be well used.

 

For the holiday season coming up, this could be your baking Bible. I can’t wait to dig in and get started. This would make a wonderful gift or hostess gift. You can buy a copy here.

Disclaimer: I received a complementary digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Baking in the American South by Anne Byrne, Reviewed

 

I’m sure that we all approach cookbooks in a different way. Me? I like to read them like a novel. Because of this, I am always delighted to find a cookbook that can offer me not only recipes, but historical facts, new methods of cooking, local culture, and thoughts and tips from fellow cooks. Baking in the American South by Anne Byrne (Set to be released on September 4th) has all of these things, plus it offers us recipes that are truly fine examples of the wonderful tradition of Southern baking.

 

This book contains 200 recipes from 14 Southern states, and nearly as many mouthwatering photos, that will send you running into the kitchen, whisk in hand. For me, this book was worth it alone for the cornbread recipes. There are biscuits as well, and rolls, cakes, and cookies, all most certain to send you into a carbohydrate coma.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the people who created these recipes and their varied cultures. Kudos to Bryne for being able to convert those old recipes when inexact measurements were used. To the dismay of everyone in my family, my grandmother used to say things like “add enough flour until it ‘looks right,’” confounding everyone. Because of this I was grateful for the included and most helpful chart in converting those measurements into modern day ones. This provides the reader with the wonderful opportunity to recreate those much loved, crumbling, food-stained recipes from decades past, allowing them to partake in the delights of their own family’s culinary history.

 

 You don’t have to be a baker to be fascinated by the contents. You will, however, want to explore each chapter in detail (one of which is devoted entirely to cornbread, be still my beating heart):

 Sizzling Cornbread

Hot Biscuits

Quick Loaves, Griddle Cakes, Waffles, and Fritters

Rolls, Breads, and Yeast-Raised Cakes

Comforting Puddings

Pies Plain and Fancy

Bake Me a Cake

Cookies and Bars by the Dozen

Frostings and Flourishes

 

This is really a book that needs to be experienced. Historians, food lovers, family cooks, and professionals, will all find great value here.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Anne Byrne, and Harper Celebrate for providing me with a digital advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Hauntingly Good Spirits: New Orleans Cocktails to Die For by Sharon Keating and Christi Keating, Reviewed

  

Considering how anxious I was as a child every year Halloween rolled around, it’s surprising that I now celebrate it with such unbridled gusto. Perhaps that’s because I don’t have to worry about going from house to house, and be pressured to entertain in exchange for a morsel of food, no matter how sweet and delicious that morsel be.

Because I now enjoy celebrating Halloween so much (and the spooky season, in general) I get great pleasure in reading books that help me do that. This recently released volume, Hauntingly Good Spirits: New Orleans Cocktails to Die For by Sharon Keating and Christi Keating is a wonderfully macabre tribute to the drinks culture of New Orleans, and those who make it happen. Here you will find beautifully photographed, unique cocktail recipes, all of which are Gothic, spooky, and hauntingly delicious. The book is divided into five sections:

Reverence and Revelry

Tomb Time

Ghosts & Haunted Libations

Vampire Bars with Killer Cocktails

Voodoo & Witchcraft

Each is fascinating in its own right, and where you will find cocktails like Axeman’s Ball, Ghostly Embrace, Corpse Reviver, and many more. This book has struck me as being as much about exploring New Orleans, as it was about making the cocktails. It did get me quite eager to experiment before the spooky month of October arrives, not to mention lay in a good supply of ingredients. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t tried a good number of these cocktails already. I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time doing it.Anyone interested in libations, the macabre, New Orleans, or serving something special on a dark and stormy night needs this cookbook. I highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the authors, and Wellfleet Press for providing me with a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Food to Die For, Recipes and Stories from America’s Most Legendary Haunted Places, Reviewed

 

Whether you are interested in the paranormal or not, I’ll bet every one of you will admit to loving a good ghost story. I know that I do, and have many fond memories of sitting around a campfire with my fellow Girl Scouts, listening to them. A couple of my own rather strange experiences have pushed me in the direction of believing in the paranormal, if only slightly, versus scoffing at it previously.

 

Those of you interested in the paranormal may be familiar with Ami Bruni, co-star and Executive Producer of the widely successful paranormal series, “Kindred Spirits” wherein she helps frightened people reclaim their homes from the mysteries of the unknown. Bruni, who admits that she grew up in a haunted house, was also one of the stars of the program “Ghost Hunters,” with which everyone is no doubt familiar.

 

Her combined love of vintage regional recipes and the paranormal shine through in this unique and fabulous cookbook, Food to Die For, Recipes and Stories from America’s Most Legendary Haunted Places, a book dedicated to Lizbeth “Lizzie” Borden, “…whose killer meatloaf recipe inspired the idea for this book.” I don’t think I have ever enjoyed reading a cookbook as much as I did this one. It combines haunted sights across the country — mysterious hotels, eerie ghost towns, and possessed pubs (one of which was visited by “Ghosthunters” in my town) — pairing these with recipes reflecting happenings on those sites. Case in point, there is a recipe for Lizzie Borden’s meatloaf. What a perfect dish to serve at a Halloween party, proffering slices on the blade of an axe.

  Bruni is not wrong when she says, “Food can bring the dead back to life.” A rather frightening sentiment, but an accurate one, considering that I can’t make fried chicken without thinking about my grandmother. I could really relate to Bruni when she talked about her late mother, her signature dish being a Caesar salad recipe that the family loved, but for which there was no physical recipe. When her mother passed away, the recipe went with her. This caused her to associate food and recipes with the dead and paranormal experiences. She was delighted when she found a Caesar salad recipe from Sheboygan Asylum, that reminded her so much of her mother’s. I’m just going to leave that there. 

The recipes are largely gleaned from other sources, many of which are now out of print. Imagine serving cinnamon sugar cookies from Alcatraz. What a great way to give your kids a tasty dessert and teach them some history at the same time. Many of these recipes do come from penitentiaries, all of which have a haunted past.

If you are looking for a new way to host a dinner party, you need this book. Nothing, I guarantee, will make you as popular in your neighborhood, at family gatherings, or as a member of your gourmet club, but to follow one of the menus and recipes in this book, pairing them with creepy music and a complementary story.

The book is full of wonderful vintage photographs as well as fabulous full color photos, along with recipes from the corresponding haunted places. I was pleased to see two places from Missouri listed in this book, but at the same time surprised that one of the most haunted places in Missouri, namely the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis was not.

 

 If you enjoy entertaining guests in a unique and memorable way, this is the guidebook on how to do it. The book is divided into the following sections:

Eerie Hotels
Horrifying Homes
Otherworldly Watering Holes
Hair-Raising Historic Landmarks
Hellish Institutions
Ghoulish Ghost Towns

It was so much fun learning the creepy history of so many places, as well as seeing the interiors the way these places looked back in the day, and even, in some cases, seeing a photo of their menu. I have to tell you that this book is the best cookbook that I have read all year. This book will appeal to those who love cookbooks as well as those who love the paranormal. It is a must have for either one of these personal libraries.

 

It is available for pre-order with the publication date of July 30, 2024. You can get your own copy (and you know you want to) by clicking here.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 Disclaimer: I received a complimentary digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Betty Crocker Found Recipes, Reviewed

 

 When we read books of various kinds, if the author is a good one, feelings are evoked. I don’t think I have felt quite so warm and snugly while reading a book as I did while reading this one. Betty Crocker Found Recipes (scheduled for publication November 26^th, so plan ahead) is an absolute delight for anyone who remembers her early cookbooks, magazine advertisements, and other bits of ephemera that would feature recipes of one kind or other. Paging through, I remembered meals that my grandmother used to make employing the use these old recipes. Seeing them all in this book, with beautiful photographs to accompany them, made me feel so loved. I know that sounds strange when talking about a cookbook, but that is how I felt. 

From beginning to end, this cookbook is an absolute delight. It is a collection of “found” recipes from the past. They have been re-created with modern kitchens in mind, and all placed into this one book. In addition to re-creating lost recipes, consumers who helped participate in the making of this book described favorite dishes they remembered from their past but for which they had no recipe, and using that descriptive information, Betty Crocker created replicas. I guarantee that you will find many old friends while paging through this book. I was amazed at how many memories came to mind while looking at these recipes. Suddenly, I was transported decades into the past sitting beside family members, now gone, enjoying Sunday dinner at grandma’s table.The book is divided into five sections:

Holiday Celebrations
Memorable Main Dishes
Warm from the Oven Breads
Irresistible Cookies and Bars
Better than Desserts 

The origins of the recipes are mentioned in a blurb proceeding each one, something I found as fascinating as the recipes themselves. The old advertisements peppered throughout the book were both a visual and nostalgic delight. Also included are individual cook’s (fan's) memories of the recipes that they had requested be included in the book.

  

If anything is lacking, it’s the absence of vegetable recipes. I happen to like vegetables a great deal, so was disappointed not to see any vegetable recipes contained within.This cookbook is unique, a joy to page through, and no doubt pure delight to cook from. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Young people will appreciate the recipes for their ease, variety, and failing to employee ingredients that are hard to find. Older people are going to love looking back to when they themselves made these recipes, and enjoyed sharing the results with their families.

 Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher Harvest Books, and Betty Crocker for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Gathering Boards by Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill, Reviewed

 

I am a bit charcuterie board obsessed, which is why whenever I see a unique board, book, or card deck relating to the subject, I succumb. What can I tell you? I love cute food. I also love easy and relaxed food and entertaining.

Gathering Boards by Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill (scheduled for publication June 4, 2024) is one of the best books on the subject that I have seen. More text than photos, although there are plenty of those, I enjoyed reading about Sarah and what she’d learned from her mother, as much as I did reading about the various ways to make food boards to serve, to gift, and to pair with cocktails. If you only buy one book on food boards, make it this one. 

Sarah stumbled upon food board entertaining quite by accident. Her mother (to whom the book is dedicated), like mine, knew that if you’re serving cocktails, you also need to serve nuts. Sarah took it one step further, grabbed three different types of nuts, dumped each into its own bowl, added bowls of olives, and put everything on the entrance hall table. When her evening of entertaining was over, no one commented on the dinner over which she had slaved, but more on the clever way that she had served snacks. I loved that story.

  

Everything that you need to know about charcuterie boards is in this book, from selecting an appropriate board, choosing your cheeses, choosing the proper knives, prepping, arranging, and serving. Not only that, but there are photos and ideas for making specialty holiday boards for holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Mother’s Day. Her “Lakeside Snackle Box” is one of my favorites, and one of her most inspired. All ingredients are assembled in a [clean] tackle box, making it not only immensely clever, but perfect for Lakeside or Seaside dining.

 

There are special sections in the book containing information and ideas on every day gathering boards for winter, spring, and summer, making seasonal entertaining so easy for you. You will also find recipes for cocktails, snacks, and making your own cheese spreads.

 

 I don’t think I have seen a book on the subject as cleverly put together as this one. From the beautiful photos, to the various recipes for accompaniments such as cocktails and dips, to the delightful stories of her youth, this is one of the most informative and readable books you’ll find.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher Globe Pequot, and Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.