Faith, Food and Family

I have heard so much about Trim Healthy Mama, so I was really excited to get a chance to review this cookbook. So many people seem to have great success with their healthy eating ideas so I knew I would want to check out their book. The contents include: One-Pot Meals, Hearty Mains and Sides, Sunrise Eats, Sweet Treats, Beverages and All Things Smooth and Crunchy. The cookbook includes an intro that talks more about the plan. They include some discussion on portion sizes, kitchen tools you may find helpful and some special mention foods. The intro is super informative and gives you an idea of what to expect in recipes. So many of the recipes sound yummy! There is Wicked White Chili, Buttah Chicken, Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup and even some yummy homemade granola recipes! There are a few ingredients called for in a few recipes that I don't typically have in my kitchen. They address these in the intro under the special mention foods. So many have had great results with T...

Christmas is almost here! It sure is hard to believe. Time goes by so much more quickly than I realize. I had meant to get to this cookbook review before now, but have been very busy with school. I was anxious to get a look at Mark Bittman's Kitchen Matrix cookbook. It is indeed a very interesting book. He promises "more than 700 simple recipes and techniques to mix and match for endless possibilities." This definitely sounded like something I wanted to check out. The book is hardcover and has a nice feel to it. There were lots of photos inside, which is always a very important thing to me. What I really like about this cookbook is that it gives you so many ways to prepare one item. He gives 12 different ways to prepare cabbage, 12 different ways to make beets, 12 different ways to cook shrimp. You definitely won't be bored with the ideas in this book. I like how he shows a variety of ways to make each item. Sometimes it can be easy to get in a rut and make...

Do you have an avid reader in your household? My daughter could just about live on books alone. LOL She was very interested in reading a book called Armada by Ernest Cline. When it arrived, she was excited to get started reading it. Usually, I review cookbooks and such but this time, my daughter wanted to review this book so I am letting her. Here is her review... I first heard of Armada by watching a booktuber and it sounded really interesting. I was excited to dive in and get started on the book. However, it didn't quite meet my expectations. The book is heavily based in gamer lingo and I had a hard time following all of it. If you're a gamer, this book might be more up your alley. While the story line was interesting, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I would recommend this book be read at age 14 and above as there was quite a bit of profanity and some other more mature topics in the book. You can find more about the author here . Disclaimer: I received this book...

Do you all remember when the first American with Ebola was brought to Atlanta to be treated? It seems like it's been forever ago in ways. Last year I kept up with all of the news information about Ebola. I had first heard of the disease as a child and I remember how much it scared me because of it's devastating effects and high death rate. One of the things that bothered me most about the disease is how you lose the ability to touch another person because you are so contagious. So when I saw that Ebola was raging out of control in West Africa and that two missionaries had contracted it and they would be bringing them here to treat, I was definitely uneasy. I followed Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol's stories closely. I was so thankful for their recoveries and when I found out that Dr. Brantly would be releasing a book, I was anxious to read it. His faithfulness and devotion to God in such a devastating situation was inspiring. His book, Called for Life, arrived at ...

Do any of you have any of Trisha Yearwood's cookbooks? I have one and just added another to my collection recently. It's called Trisha's Table and the recipes look so yummy! That is one thing I have really enjoyed about this book is looking at all of the yummy looking photos! They make everything look so tasty! Trisha includes a great recipe for breakfast burritos that would make a great on-the-go breakfast. I am hoping to soon make her recipe for Spinach Frittata as it looked so good! Some of the other recipes I hope to try is the caramelized onion dip, Mama's egg salad, wild rice and mushroom soup, cornbread chili casserole, chicken enchiladas and so much more! This book has lots of fresh ingredients that are great for healthy family dinners. As well as recipes for things like unfried chicken, to put a healthier spin on some old favorites. I look forward to trying some of these recipes soon! Do you all have any favorite recipes from Trisha Yearwood? Want ...

I don't usually have allergies but last week, something knocked me down hard. I know it was allergy based because of my symptoms but I think it also went to my sinuses. I was miserable for several days. I'm feeling better but still can't taste or smell 100%. I was very excited to look through the newest cookbook in my collection while I was sick though. It's called Pure Food by Veronica Bosgraaf. Her cookbook is all about eating clean with seasonal, plant-based recipes. She has actually laid her book out in chapters of the months of the year. So it gives you a good idea of what to fix during those months with the seasonal produce that will be available at that time. This book has many yummy sounding recipes with several pictures of the recipes situated right in the middle of the book. I do wish the pictures accompanied each recipe and that there were more pictures, but I am a picture lover when it comes to cookbooks. I feel with a cookbook, you never can hav...

I've mentioned that we have been trying to eat healthier. It's been baby steps but my ultimate goal is very little, if any processed foods. I'm not sure that I will be able to eliminate them completely but the fewer processed items we eat, the better. One idea that has completely intrigued me, is making noodles out of veggies. I'm sure many of you have seen them around in recipes online or cookbooks. The most common seems to be using zucchini as "zoodles" as some refer to them. My youngest won't eat many veggies and I am looking forward to trying zucchini noodles in his spaghetti. If he will eat them, I think most picky eaters will. I will definitely report back when I am able to make them. With my interest in veggie noodles, I was excited to receive the Inspiralized cookbook by Ali Maffucci. Ms. Maffucci goes into all the ins and outs of spiralizing your veggies. She gives some great pointers and lots of information on what veggies to use. The book...

I've been trying to eat healthier lately so I was excited when I received my new cookbook Lighten Up, Y'all by Virginia Willis. Many of the typical southern favorites aren't always the healthiest, so it was so neat to see a cookbook with the premise of making southern food healthier. I'm all about that! This book features so many beautiful pictures. Every recipe doesn't have a picture, but many do. There is a recipe for pimento cheese that I am anxious to try. The recipe for grilled potato salad sounds yummy and would be wonderful to try when it gets a bit warmer. There's even a recipe for Summer Squash Lasagna! That sounds really good. Flipping through this book definitely gets me excited about the warmer months and the yummy produce that follows, especially at the farmer's market. I can't wait! One recipe that I would like to make soon that would be good for these colder months is the Smothered and Covered Chicken and Gravy. Good comfort ...

This time of year, there is nothing better than some home cooked soup. It's good year around, but just even better in the winter. My newest cookbook to my collection is all about soups, so I was excited to look through and see what all there was. What is so neat about this book is that this group of ladies actually decided to form a soup club. Hence the name, The Soup Club Cookbook by Courtney Allison, Tina Carr, Caroline Laskow, and Julie Peacock. On page 11, they explain a bit more about how it works...."What we do is simple: We take turns cooking big pots of soup, enough to feed our four families. We drop off the soup, along with sides and garnishes, at the homes of our three other club members. This happens once a week, which means that we each cook our big pot of soup once a month. The other three weeks, we are treats to one another's home cooking". What a great idea! This book is full of so many different yummy soups! Soups like Lentil soup, Egg Drop ...

My latest cookbook to review is Supermarket Healthy by Melissa D'Arabian. If you watch the Food Network, you may remember her from the Next Food Network Star competition. I loved the feel of the book and the beautiful pictures right away. There are plenty of healthy recipes in this book. You'll find things like Morning Glory Muffins, Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce, Creamy Cauliflower "Baked Potato" Soup, Poached Chicken Puttanesca, and more! There aren't pictures for every recipe, but many do have pictures. The food looks very yummy! One of my favorite parts of the book is where Melissa gives you a blueprint to customize dishes how you like them. For instance, on page 36-37, there is a blueprint to customize your own frittata. I think this would be a great help from those cooks who want to start learning to come up with their own recipes. It's kind of a stepping stone to take to learn how ingredients work together. I think it was a great idea to add that ...

I recently received the One Pot cookbook From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. I was especially looking forward to this cookbook, because one pot means less dishes right? That's always a plus! This book had plenty of mouth-watering photos to enjoy and that is something I consider very important when I choose a cookbook. I love seeing what the finished product should look like. You might think by the title, One Pot, it would always mean a stockpot or dutch oven type of pan. However, this book has recipe for all kinds of pots and even roasting pans! The chapters are: Dutch Oven Skillet & Saute Pan Slow Cooker Roasting Pan & Baking Dish Pressure Cooker Stockpot & Saucepan Desserts The recipes look delicious! Some that stood out to me were Carnitas Tacos, Arroz con Pollo, Sausage, Chicken, and White-Bean Gratin, Turkey Skillet Pie, Skillet Macaroni and Cheese (with multiple variations!), and more! There are definitely several tasty things to make in th...

I recently received My Perfect Pantry by Geoffrey Zakarian with Amy Stevenson and Margaret Zakarian. You may know him from the Food Network if you watch that channel often. I was really intrigued by the books premise of “150 easy recipes from 50 essential ingredients.” Zakarian starts off the cookbook with foundation items to have on hand. These are various spices and such to have on hand to help your dishes have more flavor. Then he heads right into the meat of the cookbook, the pantry. He gives recipes for such common items as bbq sauce, rice, ketchup, honey, vinegar and more. There are many beautiful pictures of the food in the cookbook. I have to say, that’s a very important feature to me. I like to see what a recipe looks like before I decided to make it. There are exceptions to that, but they are rare. There are some yummy sounding recipes in the book like Supercharged Chicken Wings, Huevos Rancheros, Veal and Bean Casserole, and even Chocolate-Dipped Candied Oran...

I have been very excited to get my copy of The Skinnytaste Cookbook by Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones, R.D. First let me say that the book is pretty good size. There’s a little over 300 pages and it’s hardback. The book is filled with beautiful pictures of many of the recipes. The author starts the book with “The Skinny Basics” which gives some great tips on eating healthy. She talks about making a plan, keeping it simple, portion size, and giving your kitchen a skinny makeover. Most recipes have a picture along with it. Which I always feel is such a plus in a cookbook. We eat with our eyes and it’s difficult to know if we want to make something if we don’t know what the recipe looks like. So I was very happy that Ms. Homolka included so many. Some recipes that really stood out to me were Make-Ahead Western Omelet Muffins, Too-Good-to-be-true Baked Potato Soup, “Un”Stuffed Cabbage Soup, Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks, Loaded “Nacho” Potato Skins, Turkey Santa Fe Taco Salad ...

I don’t know about you but I love Mexican food and many of the spinoffs of it. Things like enchiladas, Mexican rice, and guacamole are some of my favorite things to eat. So you can imagine how excited I was to receive The Homesick Texan’s Family Table by Lisa Fain. This book is full of so many yummy sounding tex-mex recipes! What kinds of recipes did I find inside? Instructions for tamales as well as recipes are included. I once made tamales with a couple of friends and it was so fun! There are recipes for fajitas and enchiladas. Then there are kicked up classics like Chipotle Chicken and Dumplings and Jalapeno Fried Chicken. Chapter 7 includes hot sauce and salsa recipes as well as several others. There is a nice section on chile peppers that describes different types and how to use them. There are even directions on making your own chili powder and roasting fresh chiles. If you enjoy these types of food, I highly recommend you checking out this cookbook. I am glad ...

I’m finally getting around to my first recipe from one of the cookbooks I reviewed. I really am sorry it took so long, but life has been pretty hectic lately. My husband and I are both back in school full-time and we have begun homeschooling our oldest. This recipe is from My Irish Table by Cathal Armstrong and David Hagedorn. You can find my review of the cookbook here . Beef Stew Serves 6 Ingredients: 1.5 pounds of beef stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 yellow onion, diced 4 carrots, peeled and diced 4 celery stalks, diced 8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 cups of veal demi-glace or store bought beef broth 1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped, with seeds 3 large bay leaves 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves Brown the beef : Pat the beef cubes dry on all sides with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper. I...

How many of you watch Food Network? I'm guessing there are quite a few of you that do! One of my favorite shows to watch is Chopped, so I was excited to get to review The Chopped Cookbook. I do have a recipe planned to make from this book to share with you soon. I am hoping to get caught up on my cookbook review recipes by the end of next week. I have a recipe ready from each book to share with you, just need more time in the day! One of the neat things about this book is that the recipes all seemed to have easy to find ingredients, so nothing crazy like the show. The book begins with a pantry list of items that are good to have on hand. There is a good variety in the cookbook with chapters on a variety of meals. The chapters that are included in the book are: Pasta Night, Chickens Gone Wild, Eggs after Breakfast, Flash in the Pan (meaty entrees), Completely Fun Ways to Cook Vegetables, All Things Ground: Beyond Beef, Big Salads: Hearty and Fresh, Fishing for Compliments, Gr...

I recently received The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook by Alexe Van Beuren with recipes by Dixie Grimes to review from Blogging for Books . I'm planning on making a recipe from it to share with you a bit later. I still need to make one from the Irish cookbook I reviewed, but it's summer vacation and school starts back soon so I haven't had a chance to do it yet. I will try to asap though. :) Anyway, back to the review. This is a very nicely bound book with a very neat cover that has a ridged feel to it. Very unique! The B.T.C. Old Fashioned Grocery is a store and cafe in Water Valley, Mississippi, owned by Alexe Van Beuren and her husband. Dixie Grimes is the chef for the cafe part of the store and cooks up many customer favorites. I have to say, that Mrs. Van Beuren made me fall in love with this little town. I literally read every bit that she wrote throughout this book, falling more and more in love with this town and it's people. I even had my husband d...

I'm very excited to be back at my blog, and begin reviewing books! I recently signed up to be a book reviewer at Blogging for Books and received my first book to review. It is called My Irish Table by Cathal Armstrong and David Hagedorn. Ireland has always interested me so it was a no brainer that I picked this book to review. I hope one day I can visit and explore the beauty of Ireland. I want to begin with saying that the book itself is very beautiful. It's hardcover with wonderful pictures of just about every recipe in the book. I'm hoping to make a recipe from the book to share with you later this week. So make sure to keep an eye out for that post. There is a very neat introduction that gives Cathal Armstrong's story, and it is very interesting. You won't find a bunch of processed, canned ingredients in this book. Recipes are from scratch. Armstrong informs you how to even make your own sausage and pork loin bacon. I was also very impressed with h...

I was contacted to complete a review of the book, The Voice That Calls You Home by Andrea Raynor. More than happy to read a new book, I completed it in about two days. The Voice That Calls You Home by Andrea Raynor About The Book: As a hospice chaplain, cancer survivor, and a chaplain at Ground Zero following September 11, Andrea Raynor has gained a keen perspective on the meaning of life and death, comfort and grief. Through her own experiences, Raynor reminds readers that even in the most dire of circumstances, we still have the opportunity to recognize beauty, to be inspired by the tenacity of the human spirit, and to feel connected to something greater. Raynor acknowledges that we may not be able to prevent the difficulties that come in life, but we can always choose the way in which we face them. She urges us not to "live with our heads down, our eyes closed, and our hands in our pockets." Instead, she prompts us to remain open to the blessings that are all around us and...