Saturday, June 20, 2015

Too Many Cooks - Review + Recipe

Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids and 102 Recipes by Emily Franklin

Rating: 5 Stars
Source: Purchased

Description:  A foodie and former chef, Franklin wants to pass on her love of food and cooking to her kids; she wants them not only to not only enjoy what they're eating but know what they're eating. So over the course of a year, she introduces her children to new dishes - some exotic, some thrown together with whatever she has in her cabinets - with varying degrees of success.  (from Goodreads)

Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

Why I Picked This Book:  I can't resist food in memoir form!

My Impression:  This is a book I read back in 2011 and I absolutely loved it.  I had just finished Julie and Julia and been incredibly disappointed in it and I saw this and absolutely had to have it.  This was everything I wanted in a book.  It was warm, funny and incredibly easy to relate too.  Her attitude is laid back without being preachy which I always appreciate in any book that involves children.  While it does focus quite a bit on children I think it's a book that anyone who is familiar with kids and their at times maddening eating habits would enjoy.  I got rid of this one for space reasons and if I made a list of books I regret getting rid of this would be in the top 5.

And now for the recipe!  This isn't the fanciest or the healthiest but it is so tasty and satisfying and heats up beautifully.  The official title is "Corn Pudding" but I call it "Corn Casserole" because my husband doesn't think anything with the word pudding in the title can be served as part of a main course.  Really the word casserole isn't much better but it's good enough that he and the rest of my weirdly picky family can't resist it.  Plus it's so versatile that you can serve it with just about anything.

Corn Pudding
from Too Many Cooks

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 egg
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl until fully incorporated

Pour into greased 9 x 13

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Try not to burn your mouth when sampling just to make sure it's "not poison" or "fully cooked" or whatever excuse you use to sample food.

The instruction are probably shortened considerably as it came out of my personal recipe notebook where I copied it from the original book.

Linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads



28 comments:

  1. How did you know these are the excuses I use to sample food ? ;) When my daughters were little, they ate everything I gave them. Then they went to school... and now they're teenagers... I hope their tastes will evolve when they grow !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think we all have those excuses! You never know when food might be poisoned!

      Delete
  2. I have a corn casserole (and that's what my recipe calls it) recipe that is very, very similar to this. It's really good as a side dish or for Thanksgiving or big family gatherings. Good leftover too. The book sounds interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really like the tone of this book. It was just a fun read and this is such a tasty side dish!

      Delete
  3. I'm like a 5 year old kid when it comes to eating. Well maybe not THAT bad. But I'm picky. I just don't like a ridiculous range of food. Nor am I adventurous. Especially with meat. I just can't. Ew. :P
    Happy reading!
    Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are in the beige phase right now. All he eats is beige food unless it's chocolate.

      Delete
  4. Pudding or casserole, that recipe wouldn't pass muster with the author of the Eat Bacon, Don't Jog book that I posted about for Weekend Cooking today! Sure sounds tasty, though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think it would pass muster for any diet but it is definitely is tasty!

      Delete
  5. I love corn but have never made a recipe like this. I think I'll give it a try for my family's next get together!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you love it! It's definitely one of my family's favorites!

      Delete
  6. Sounds like a good book for mothers with small children at home, very encouraging.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a fun book and one I think anyone who has ever had young children would enjoy it!

      Delete
  7. I bet this would be great for a summer dinner on the deck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's perfect for that! And so good with just about anyone!

      Delete
  8. I liked Julie and Julia and I also like foodie memoirs. I like the sound of this one and that corn puddings is on the list of sides i am making this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I Iiked Julie and Julia but it just wasn't quite what I wanted it to be! I hope that if you make it you enjoy it!

      Delete
  9. Now on my list! Cheers from Carole's Chatter

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is a cute cover. Yes. The best way to expose our children to food is cooking. I'm very lucky that my daughters aren't that picky and at least like five vegetables in the greens arena. We have our favorite recipes and always stick to the basic meats but I find a few different ways to cook them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are definitely lucky. I've had 2 kids who would only eat beige things another who would only eat cheeseburgers and frozen waffles for years!

      Delete
  11. I think I'd love this too, thanks for the recommendation :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope if you read it you enjoy it. I found it entertaining and there were some good recipes.

      Delete
  12. Mmmm yum, indeed! I always burn myself just a little sampling to make sure everything came out okay. lol And I am SO with the hubby on the whole pudding thing. Nope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL I'm always telling them that if he likes it it doesn't matter what it's called. He doesn't quite believe me.

      Delete
  13. I got a very similar recipe to this from Jeff Hughes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so cool! This is one of my favorites. I miss Jeff.

      Delete