Mayim's Vegan Table - Cookbook Review

Mayim's Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik and Jay Gordon

Let me start with the facts that I'm not vegan or even vegetarian.  Nor do I have any desire to become either.  What I am interested in is new and interesting ways to prepare and serve vegetables so that my family will actually eat them and dishes that will allow us to have more meatless meals without feeling like we're being deprived.  I've been interested in looking at Vegan cookbooks but have always been somewhat intimidated by them.  When I saw Mayim's Vegan Table I couldn't pass it up.  It's impossible to be intimidated by Blossom or Amy.  I had also read a few articles in the past and really liked how she presented her point of view.  She keeps to a "This is what works for us" versus a "This is what you need to do and if you don't you're wrong" that seems to show up so often.  So with all that in mind I couldn't wait to see what I would find!

The first 4 chapters discuss the ins and outs of a vegan lifestyle.  The health benefits are explored as well as things like What do you eat?  There is a chapter for substitutions and tips for removing animal based foods from the diet.  There is also a look into what the authors keep on hand as well as the usual dirty dozen list.

Now for the recipes.

There are tons of recipes for regular life which I love.  They're broken up by type of food and most have a little paragraph discussing how the recipe came to be.  There's a variety of dishes from standards like Potato Hash or Creamy Enchilada Casseroles to more exotic dishes like Tzimmes or Vietnamese Banh Mi with Do Cha and Sweet Sauce.  The Butternut Squash soup and Hot Pretzel Challah bread stood out just because they look absolutely amazing..  I loved that a number of recipes are vegan just because they happen to be vegan not because they have to be altered to fit into a vegan diet.  Also the majority of ingredients would be easy to find in a standard grocery store so this wouldn't require multiple trips to hunt down some special ingredients.  The recipes are easy to follow and wouldn't take hours of prep.  This would be a great book for vegetarians too because with a few little tweaks (regular mayo vs. vegan for example) you've got some great options that don't contain meat.

Verdict: Interesting cookbook with a wide selection of recipes.  Would be a great book for a new vegan, vegetarian or someone (me!) looking to add more interesting vegetable dishes to the regular rotation.

The Madhouse Cookbook - Review

The Madhouse Cookbook by Jo Pratt

I was thrilled when I saw this book on Netgalley.  Having 4 kids of various ages and activity levels I can definitely identify with the word madhouse.  The book is divided into 3 chapters - Monday-To-Friday Survival, The Busy Weekends, and Cling Onto Your Social Life.  British food writer, stylist, and TV host Jo Pratt tries to take a realistic look at putting food on the table between work and activities.  I do wonder how well some of the recipes translate to American diets.  Smoked salmon, anchovies and beans on toast aren't a regular part of my diet as a rule.  I don't see my children (or in some cases my husband) eating many of these recipes willingly.  There are some very tasty dinner ideas like Simple Slow Roast Chicken dinner, Pan-Fried Chimichurri Steak, and Mozzarella and Risotto Primavera Cakes.  There is a sizable collection of desserts including some delicious looking crumbles and a fruit yogurt brulee as well as the standard frosted cakes and cupcakes.  This may not be the book that keeps your pickiest kids fed but it's a book full of intriguing recipes that could help break you out of the same old same old cooking rut.

Verdict: Recommended with reservations.  Not a book if you're looking for a solid go-to family cookbook but perfect if you're looking for something new.

The Messy Baker - Cookbook Review

The Messy Baker by Charmian Christie

This is a review for a book obtained from Netgalley so I haven't tried quite as many recipes as I usually like to do before I review a cookbook.

This book isn't quite what I expected from the yummy looking brownies piled up on the front cover.  I think I was expecting a standard collection of baked goods - chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, brownies, cakes with frostings with maybe a handful of savory or breakfast recipes.  What I got was a beautifully photographed book of baked good for grown ups.  The recipes are separated by texture.  The chapters are entitled things like "Flaky", "Crumbly", "Dippable".  She clearly lays out the tools you will need to make the recipes and the great thing is no special tools are required - not even a stand mixer.  Her attitude on baking is a nice change from the books of perfectly decorated cupcakes, cookies, cake pops, etc.  Baking should be fun, it should be messy and it should be delicious.  It's hard not to be charmed by that.  There is a recipe for a puff pastry that I'm dying to try as well as recipes for savory tarts and sweets that include ingredients that may not be the most kid friendly but sound amazing to make for lunch with friends (candied ginger, combinations of cherry and chipotle, espresso and hazelnut).

I made the Basil and Aged Cheddar Scones this morning intending on saving them for dinner tonight.  After I tried 1/4 of one that became a half and then a whole I'm not sure they'll last that long!  The recipe came together beautifully and the texture of the finished product is everything a scone should be.  The flavor combination of a sweet scone with the cheddar and basil is both familiar and unusual at the same time.  If this is an indication of how all the recipes turn out I will be getting a lot of use out of this book even if the audience isn't exactly what I expected.

Verdict: Buy! This book will be published August 26, 2014

Come Home To Supper - Cookbook Review

Come Home to Supper by Christy Jordan

This is the second cookbook from Christy Jordan of the blog Southern Plate.  Some of the recipes can be found on her blog but many are new and can only be found in this book.

Cookbook Genre - family friendly/weeknight cooking

Number of Recipes I've Made - 7 (so far.  About 50 I want to try!)

This book consists of mostly main dish and side dish recipes with small chapters for breads and desserts.  The main dishes are broken up by protein (chicken, pork, etc) with beef and chicken having the most pages devoted to them.  The recipes I've made have basically gone from start to table in 30 minutes or so.  All ingredients are easy to find at just about any grocery store.  While there is some reliance on cream of whatever soups, especially in slow cooker meals, she includes recipes for DIY cream of soups that are pretty simple to make and would refrigerate well.   While this isn't a book I would recommend if for dinner party food or cooking to impress this is the perfect book for a Tuesday when you just need something tasty to put in front of the family.  Also, there's a recipe in the desserts for an old fashioned peanut butter pie that looks to die for.  Can't wait to make it!

This is definitely a book I'm glad I bought.  While it may not be the most exciting food it is solid comforting food that's easy to put together and satisfying to eat.

College Cooks by T.C. Stephens - Review

College Cooks by T.C. Stephens

Rating: 3 Stars

Description: This cookbook was written by 4 roommates whose food knowledge, cooking and grocery shopping abilities had evolved during their years at college.  This is a compilation of everything they've learned.  There is a mix of food basics, food safety, how to grocery shop with a good number of basic recipes.

Genre - Cookbook

My Impression: I'm a pretty experienced cook now but at 22 I could just barely boil water.  Even now there are basics I'm completely missing because I'm completely self taught and no one ever told me how to fry an egg.  This cookbook is definitely not designed for me now but the 22 year old me would've benefited from this book immensely.  The recipes are fine - there's a mix of pasta, sandwiches, salad, main dishes, side dishes and desserts.  Some involve more prepared food than others.  Most look pretty good but they're not ground breaking.  The part that I really found interesting were the sections on food safety and things to stock up on.  I also like that before many of the food sections they break down the basics of that item.  Before the salad recipes they talk about the basics of building a salad, before the breakfast recipes they talk about all the different ways to cook an egg and give instructions.  There are also lots of tips sprinkled throughout for things like how to substitutions (for example substituting frozen shrimp for fresh) that would be useful.  This is not a book designed  for the experienced cook but for someone just out on their own this would be great.

Would I Recommend This Book?:  Yes definitely. This may be part of what I give my kids after they graduate from college.

*This book was received from Netgalley for review purposes.