The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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As a home school mom with kids ranging from K to 9th grade this year, I LOVE my slow cooker!! We also have potluck every week at church, so I use my slow cooker a LOT! This book was an eye-opener, though. I had no idea you could make things like "Salty Almonds with Thyme", poached salmon, polenta and even poached pears in a slow cooker! I just recently learned you could cook rice in the slow cooker, so "Brown and Wild Rice with Bay Leaves" was right up my alley. Try the Chicken Cassoulet or Zesty Braised Beef with New Potatoes.

I was surprised to find some recipes in here that had nothing to do with a slow cooker such as "Oven-Baked Kale Chips" and "Yogurt Flatbread". Otherwise, this is a great cookbook for people who either love their slow cooker, or are just getting into using one.

I received a copy of this book from Robert Rose Inc. for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes by Jane Sharrock

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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Who doesn't love homemade candy?!? If you have a serious sweet tooth, this is the book for you. From toffee to pralines, taffy to buckeyes and truffles to fudge, this book has it covered! Have a love for history?--host a taffy pull or make some old-fashioned horehound candy! Crazy over fudge?--you probably haven't seen this many kinds of fudge in a long time! (Who knew they had banana, orange, lemon-white and even PINEAPPLE fudge!). There's over 50 pages--many with more than one recipe--of fudge alone!! Glazed nuts, popcorn balls, lollipops, divinity, s'mores and brittle all make appearances in this amazing book.

This book is a little light on photos, but the recipes are clear and easy to follow. I love that at the top of each recipe you can find the skill level, how much it makes and equipment needed. That was a very nice touch. This is a great book packed with mouthwatering goodness, and I highly recommend it. What are you waiting for?!? Let's make candy!!

I received a copy of this book from Robert Rose Inc. for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Authentic Mexican Cooking by Scott Myers

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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There's nothing like a good Mexican dinner. I'm quite comfortable with some of the basics, but I've never really delved very deep into this fascinating cuisine. I'm not big on really spicy foods, and there is that reputation that Mexican food is very spicy and that has kept me away from it for too long.

I have had a secret longing for several years now to learn how to make tamales from scratch. I've had no problem diving into French pastries, Italian breads and other complicated recipes, but tamales felt overwhelming to me. While I haven't made them yet, this book has inspired me to try! I just have a couple more ingredients to pick up, and then we can have some family time making tamales!

I first fell in love with flautas in a tiny restaurant in Emporia, KS of all places. I was thrilled to find the recipe in here. YUM! The churros are great to do with kids, though of course they don't last very long afterward! The Burrito de Desayuno (Breakfast Rolls) took me back to Texas and the huge breakfast burritos we used to get with everything in them.

I was disappointed to find there there wasn't a single recipe for making your own tortillas. I've made my own flour tortillas many times, but haven't tried my hand at corn tortillas. I was really hoping for a corn tortilla recipe. A few less drink recipes would have left plenty of room for a tortilla recipe.

Overall, this is a great cookbook of Mexican cooking. Lots of gorgeous, full-color photographs and clear directions. I would highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Skyhorse Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beach House Baking by Lei Shishak

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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I love to bake. I fell in love with baking long before I fell in love with cooking, so this book was definitely calling my name!! Now, I love sweets like most people, but I have to admit that I'm definitely more of a savory-type person. I really appreciated the savory side of this book as well as the sweet. The Aged Cheddar, Bacon and Scallion Biscuits were the first to call out my name (Oh, my! You have to try these!), and the blueberry scones are on my menu for tomorrow morning. I know the Surfin' P.B.J. cupcakes are going to be a huge hit with my family, and my girls loved the snicker doodles!!

On a personal preference side, while I love having a photo for every recipe, the style of the cookbook (type font, large lettering, etc.) reminds me more of a kids cookbook. Not to my taste, but the recipes help make up for that. Also, this is a baking book, so the frozen pops and the beverages--especially the alcoholic ones!--seemed completely out of place.

Over all, this is a great little baking book that about anyone could find something to enjoy!

I received a copy of this book from Skyhorse Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An Edible Mosaic by Faith Gorsky

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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Though a long time fan of ethnic cuisine, my education in Middle Eastern fare has been sketchy at best, so I was delighted to get a chance to cook from and review this cookbook. The cover photo alone made my mouth water and made me want to dive in! I was somewhat surprised that the cover photo was of chicken kebabs--not something you'd necessarily expect from a book like this. I would have expected beef or lamb, but not chicken! My girls thought it looked amazing, so I thought I'd make some for supper--until it came to the spices. I don't have a Middle Eastern store handy, so I headed to the front of the book to make the Chicken Spice Mix myself. I ended up sitting there laughing as I would have to make 5 different batches of spice mix to finally get the Chicken Spice Mix!! While the spices weren't necessarily hard to find, they aren't necessarily spices I have right at hand, either. Therefore, the Chicken Kebabs still sit on my "to make" list, and we moved on.
Meat Sautéed with Leeks (Bellasia) gets a definite thumbs up as does the Zucchini Fritters, and Sesame Seed Breads. The Spiced Shawarma Chicken Wraps have gone the way of the Chicken Kebabs for now as I haven't been able to find the fenugreek yet, and I'm not willing to purchase online and probably pay more for shipping than the spice itself. However, it is definitely on my "to make" list as well.


Overall, this is a great book. I did lower the rating a bit as there are definitely some harder-to-find ingredients that make cooking some of the recipes a bit of a challenge. However, I do highly recommend this book.


I received a copy of "An Edible Mosaic" from Tuttle Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tina Nordstrom's Scandinavian Cooking by Tina Nordstrom

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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I have never seen Tina Nordstom's cooking show, but when I was offered this book to review I jumped at the chance. I love cookbooks from around the world, and haven't had the opportunity to check out many from Scandinavia. The book is large, beautiful and full of color photos and scrumptious recipes. I recommend the Chanterelle and Ground Beef Pie, Chanterelle Topped Veal Patties (yes, I love mushrooms!), White Wine Poached Mussels with Fennel and Garlic, and the Flounder Fish 'n Chips is sure to be a hit with the kids! My almost-12-year-old daughter is actually a huge mussel and fennel fan, so the mussel recipe was about as perfect for her as you could get! The recipes are clear and typically easy to follow.

On the down side, when I pick up a book that touts itself as cooking from a specific place, I'm looking for their specific ethnic recipes. Even though this book is called "Scandinavian Cooking", there is recipes from all over the world. Greek Lamb Balls, French Chicken Stew, Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella Salad and--the one that made me laugh out loud--American Pancakes! I wish she had stayed with Scandinavian cooking or named it something different so there wasn't the disappointment of finding an international cookbook instead, but that is my only issue with this book.

I received a copy of this book from Skyhorse Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Haute Dogs by Russell Van Kraayenbert

My rating: 4 of 5 spoons
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What a fun book! As a mother with four kids, hot dogs are a fun part of life sometimes, especially during the summer. This book is full of fun facts, history and recipes for all aspects of hot dog cuisine. Learn to make your own buns, condiments and, yes, even hot dogs! How to make all your classic hot dogs from the Chicago Dog, to the Coney Dog, and even some fun international dogs! Some recipes were hits-Coney Island, Maxwell Street Polish to name a couple--and some fell more in the "Please don't make these because we won't touch them!" category such as the Swedish Shrimp Dog, The Vegan and the Columbian Pineapple Dog.

This is a great, fun cookbook for hot dog lovers everywhere. I recommend you pick it up and try it out!

I received a copy of this book from Quirk Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.