Book Review of Smokin' and Grillin' with Aaron Brown

Get out of the grilling rut and discover a big, colorful, and fantastically flavored world of new possibilities.

Is there any kind of cooking that gets more stuck in a repetitive routine than grilling? If you’ve ever wanted to elevate your grilling beyond the endless parade of burgers, hot dogs, and steaks, Grillin’ and Smokin’ with Aaron Brown is the cookbook you need for the journey. And author Aaron “AB” Brown is the perfect guide, just as he has come to be for his four million online fans from around the globe.

AB serves up in this beautifully photographed book more than 75 grilling recipes and 25 smoking recipes —including all kinds of meat and veggie main courses , and special chapters on sauces , sides , and desserts —that draw on Southern, Cajun, and African-American traditions and make weeknight and weekend grilling more exciting and rich in variety than you’ve ever known.

Become the hero in your household and the champion outdoor cook in your neighborhood with recipes  
 
AB’s millions of online fans love to watch him grill and love to hear his rules for expert live-fire cooking. But AB has never revealed his secret recipes before, or his best tips, tricks, and hacks, until now —in the pages of this deliciously creative book. This is outdoor cooking that is at once rustic and comforting and new and adventurous.

My husband and I are huge fans of AB's YouTube channel, so when I saw this for review, I had to get it.

If you love grilling and smoking foods, this simple-follow-along grilling book is perfect for you. Aaron has several chapters on different proteins, cheese, veggie sides, desserts, and sweet treats. I especially enjoy the chapter on marinades for the grill and smoker because I often find it challenging to come up with easy, numbered steps for preparing each recipe. Not all recipes have images, but many do.

I recommend this book to anyone ready to fire up their grill or smoker and kick off the summer.

Book review of Cake Picnic by Elisa Sunga

 

From the founder of Cake Picnic—a series of joyful, diverse, and deliciously indulgent gatherings where every attendee brings a whole cake—this cookbook of 50 baking recipes includes a guide to hosting your own confectionery events and encourages bakers to lean into play, connection, community—and lots of cake!

It all started with a A few friends lounging in the park on a sunny day, eating cake. Elisa Sunga posted the invitation to that first-ever cake picnic and, to her surprise and delight, nearly 200 people showed up. And so, Cake Picnic, a joy-filled gathering where each attendee brings a whole cake to share with friends old and new, was born. Its immense, immediate popularity inspired Elisa to take her picnic series on the road, traveling from LA to New York and beyond. When she realized she couldn’t bring Cake Picnic to everyone, everywhere in the world, she did the next best She wrote this book.

Part how-to guide, part recipe collection, Cake Picnic provides everything you need to host your own delightfully decadent cake picnic. Here is practical advice for planning, hosting, and how to choose a theme, prepare your guests, set up the event, encourage connection, transport whole cakes, and more. But the icing on the—you guessed it—cake is the 50 recipes within.

Organized by theme, from an Autumn Harvest Cake Picnic to an Afternoon Tea Cake Picnic, a Beach Cake Picnic to a Salty-Sweet Cake Picnic, these imaginative recipes will inspire your creativity and tempt your sweet Cherry & Pistachio Buttermilk CakeTorched Rosemary Caramel CakeChocolate & Earl Grey Whipped Cream CakeGuava Cream Cheese Bundt CakeRoasted Apple & Sesame Upside-Down CakePretzel S’mores CakeAnd many more!
Let this book be your invitation to spread joy through baking and plan your own festive celebration. And never apologize for trying ten slices in one sitting—happiness often comes frosted, sprinkled, and cut into generous servings.

Can a cake be more than just a dessert? Yes, with the Cake Picnic cookbook, you'll find yourself transported to a new way to eat cake, and the illustrations will inspire you to get out there and have a cake picnic to ease your mind during these times. 

The instructions are easy to follow, and, as I stated, the illustrations make the end result easy to see. This book isn't just a cookbook; the author helps you create a picnic setup so you can take her ideas and twist them into something that will help you create your own picnic.  

The only downside to me was that some of the ingredients are not readily available in my area, so I'd definitely have to order online to get them. 

Review of The Christmas Baking Cookbook: ’Tis the Season for 100+ Festive Treats Editors of Cider Mill Press

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…to bake! Unleash the magic of baking this holiday season with 100 Christmas classics and unique indulgences.

’Tis the season for festive treats! Turn your kitchen into a haven of holiday cheer with The Christmas Baking Cookbook. From traditional gingerbread cookies to sweet innovations such as the eggnog-flavored cupcake, this cookbook is guaranteed to elevate your festive candies. Discover new favorites and expand your repertoire as you sit by the fireside this season with your favorite holiday goodies.

Inside you’ll

100 deliciously simple recipesStep-by-step instructionsEasy, festive decorating techniquesGather around the Christmas tree and treat yourself, delight your friends, and (most importantly) impress your in-laws. It’s time to deck the halls with loads of icing with The Christmas Baking Cookbook!

 Just what I needed to get the holiday baking started! 

I knew as soon as I opened the PDF to review this book, I had to have it. A few days later it arrived at my door and I have been baking since. LOL.  This book covers all of your holiday baking, everything from cookies to cakes, scones, muffins, sticky buns, bread, and more. 

I found the recipes easy to follow and loved the images of the finished product. 

Start with the Orange Cardamom cake, yummy! 

Cookbook review: The Irish Granny's Complete Cookbook By Gill Books

Title: The Irish Granny's Complete Cookbook

By Gill Books

Genre: Cookbook
Source: Publisher request
Rating: 5
Reviewed by Laurie 

Combining recipes from the bestselling Irish Granny's Pocket Recipe Book, Pocket Irish Potato Recipe Book and the Irish Granny's Pocket Farmhouse Kitchen, this large-format cookbook is your complete guide to traditional Irish cooking.

Granny has selected her best, most popular recipes to create the ultimate recipe book, something that belongs on every kitchen shelf. Let her teach you all you need to know about delicious, nutritious country cooking.

Includes traditional recipes like soda bread, Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, and the best recipe for scones.

The Irish Granny’s Complete Cookbook will have you cooking or baking up some wonderful recipes of scones, stews, bread, side dishes, main dishes, and biscuits which we American's call cookies.

You’ll find amazing deserts like butterfly cakes, Guinness chocolate cake and so much more. Each recipe offers an image and clear instructions. The downside for American’s is the oven recipes give gas temperature settings so, for those of us that have convection ovens, you’ll have to adjust. The Roasted Potatoes with Breadcrumbs and Parmesan are my favorite along with Buttermilk Scones.

Grab yourself a copy and transform your meals to amazing Irish dishes.

Modern Sourdough: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Margot Bakery by Michelle Eshkeri, Patricia Niven

Title: Modern Sourdough: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Margot Bakery 

Authors: Michelle Eshkeri, and Patricia Niven

Genre: Cookbook

Source: Netgalley

Length: 224 pages 

Rating: 5

In Tahini and Rye, Michelle Eksheri shows you how to make mouth-watering treats from the basics (bagels, sourdough starter, and bread), through to classics with a twist (challah bread and butter pudding, babka, rhubarb, and custard danish, pistachio and flower shortbread). The secrets to the seemingly the complex are broken down in an easy step-by-step guide so that the perfect  sourdough loaf will no longer be a mystery, opening up a world for the sourdough starter to hot cross buns, croissants and so much more. The provenance of ingredients is highly valued, creating seasonal twists such as wild garlic buns and flavor-forward bakes like rye brownies.

With over 100 recipes covering bread, biscuits, buns and cakes, desserts, savory baking and store cupboard essentials, Tahini and Rye is full of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

Holy smokes this book is not only drool-worthy it will make a great baker companion book.

I’ve been baking most of my life and at fifty I have collected hundreds of cookbooks and baking books, but there are only a handful I use every week and I could see myself using this one all the time. I love sourdough and have been using King Arthur Flour method for many years and have been happy with it, but I am limited with recipes I can use my sourdough in so before I know it the sourdough is gone and I have to make it again so I need to broaden my horizon and have more recipes I can use sourdough in and this book would most defiantly do that for me.

Not only does this book offer chapter after chapter of recipes for your sourdough, it also offers specialties recipes for things such as cookies, cakes, muffins and there is also a jam and spreads.

Each recipe offers step by step instructions and wonderful images.   

Cookbook review of Char-Broil Grilling for the Family: 300 Delicious Recipes to Satisfy Every Member of the Family by Editors of Creative Homeowner

Title: Char-Broil Grilling for the Family: 300 Delicious Recipes to Satisfy Every Member of the Family 

Author: Editors of Creative Homeowner

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Cookbook

Reviewed by Laurie

Rating: 4

Let's Get Everybody Together for a Family Grilling Fiesta!

The best part of grilling is the shared experience of cooking and eating great food. Welcome to the definitive cookbook and how-to guide for memorable outdoor family meals, packed with recipes from America's favorite grill brand. Inside you'll find 300 mouth-watering ideas for delicious appetizers, main courses, salads, vegetables, and even desserts, all with easy step-by-step instructions and color photos. We've made sure to include plenty of suggestions on ways to include everyone in the family--from the youngest to oldest--when making a grilled feast.

- 300 flavorful new recipes for epic family cookouts.
- Backyard cooking tips for perfect hamburgers, drumsticks, kebabs, steaks, chops, ribs, fajitas, wings, sliders, skewers and more.
- 47 ways to use The Big Easy(R) for delicious fried turkey, rotisserie chicken, BBQ pork, roast beef and grilled vegetables.
- Tips on getting the kids involved with simple child-friendly tasks that they can do to help.

It’s that time of the year where we get our grills out and start cooking and you know you need a cookbook to help you with that right? LOL.

Char-Broil Grilling for the Family feathers over 300 recipes that will help you be the master griller with recipes for drinks, breakfast foods, meats, seafood, vegetables, salads, desserts and of course, great marinades, sauces, and rubs that will help you this summer and beyond.

The starting of the book gives you inside on different types of gills, woods to use, tools, and much more to help you make the most of your grilling. What I really liked best was the heating and temperature setting for different methods of grilling.

I would have given this book a 5 rating, but the images seem very generic for the time they spent on the recipes, but it could be because I have an ARC copy.

Book review of Growing Your Own Tea Garden: The Guide to Growing and Harvesting Flavorful Teas in Your Backyard by Jodi Helmer

Title: Growing Your Own Tea Garden: The Guide to Growing and Harvesting Flavorful Teas in Your Backyard 

Author: Jodi Helmer
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Gardening and cookbook 

Reviewed by: Laurie 
Rating: 5

You Love To Drink Tea. Why Not Grow Your Own?

If you’ve ever considered raising your own tea, this comprehensive guide is the place to start. Growing Your Own Tea Garden is packed with inspiration and practical instructions for cultivating and enjoying delicious teas. Author Jodi Helmer helps you plan and plant a productive backyard tea garden, with sample garden designs and cultivation advice. She shows you how to choose the right crops for your soil and climate, starting with the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and going on through a comprehensive survey of tisanes, or herbal teas. Discover how to grow the full range of herbal infusions that make wonderful teas, from flowering chamomile and lavender to chicory roots, rose hips, lemon verbena, peppermint, aromatic bergamot and more. Jodi shows you how to harvest, dry and store your tea to enjoy all year long, along with brewing tips and creative recipes.



Inside Growing Your Own Tea Garden

· Everything you need to know to create a healthy, bountiful tea garden and enjoy high quality tea

· How to grow dozens of crops that make marvelous teas, herbal infusions and decoctions

· Sample tea garden designs, including instructions for growing tea in container gardens and raised beds

· Understanding the differences between black tea, green tea, white tea and herbal tea

· How to dry and store your leaves for consumption on cool autumn days

· Let it steep: how to brew the perfect cup of tea

If you’re like me love growing all kinds of herbs and tea this book is for you. This book will help you learn what leaves have vitamins and nutrients and how to brew them. 

I really enjoyed the history of tea section so informative as a matter of fact, this whole book is full of useful information, heck I never know you could use blackberry leaves in for tea either.

Are you wanting to kick the habit of those carbonated no healthy syrup drinks? Well, grab this book pick some herbs you would like, buy the dirt and containers and get to growing. I plant most of my herbs into containers so they are easy to keep up with and handy to cut off when needed so this book just adds more excitement for me to use more of my herbs.  Oh, and don’t forget a lot of flowers are great in tea, yep, this book covers it all herbs, fruit, and flowers.

Highly recommend to anyone that would like to expand their tea drinking horizons.

Cookbook review of The Keto All Day Cookbook: More Than 100 Low-Carb Recipes That Let You Stay Keto for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner by Martina Šlajerová

Title: The Keto All Day Cookbook: More Than 100 Low-Carb Recipes That Let You Stay Keto for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner  
Author: Martina Šlajerová
Genre: Cookbook
Source: Netgalley
Reviewed by Laurie
Rating: 4

In The Keto All Day Cookbook, best-selling author and creator of the KetoDiet blog Martina Slajerova compiles her best recipes for every meal of the day (even snacks)—plus 17 new ones, accompanied by nearly 40 gorgeous new photos—to help you stay the keto course, deliciously!

Keto is the top-trending supportive diet. Bolstering its reputation is research that strongly suggests that a keto diet may help reverse diabetes, obesity, cancer, and the effects of aging. However, in order to reap the benefits, you need to stick to the keto plan at every meal. That can be challenging when eating breakfast during your commute or figuring out what to eat for dinner after a long day. And what to do about lunch? Especially when your lunch "hour" maybe 10 minutes at your desk. With Keto All Day you won't be tempted to blow your keto diet on a carb-filled snack or a processed convenience meal simply because you are tired, rushed, or just don't know what to prepare.

Enjoy tasty, flavorful recipes for snacks and meals, such Breakfast Egg Muffins, Pizza Waffles, Carrot Cake Oatmeal, Southern Duck Deviled Eggs, Eggplant Parma Ham Rolls, and Taco Frittata. Keto All Day even has recipes for delicious drinks and desserts, including Cookie Dough Mousse, Boston Cream Pie, and Raspberry Lime Electrolyte Cooler.

Reap the benefits of the amazing keto diet in a delicious way with Keto All Day.

After watching the video on Netflix about the Keto diet, I wanted to see how easy or hard it was to live off of this diet, I must say even as easy as this cookbook gave instructions, there is no way, I could do it daily. I guess I am a huge grain eater. LOL

Martina Slajerova knows how to make recipes easy to read and follow, each recipe is very detailed and explained very easy, so anyone could follow and the book has great pictures.

Now, as for the diet itself, there are ingredients in here I have never heard of or even seen before in my lifetime and that is saying something because I have always used harder recipes with ingredients that made me Google or look up in books, but quite a few of these are just really questionable. I am sure Amazon has every ingredient that is offered in this cookbook, but the thing is I am not an online grocery shopper so if my local Kroger doesn’t carry the ingredient then it’s a no go for me and some of these ingredients are not at my local market.

I would definitely recommend this for experienced Keto cooks.

Cookbook review of Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook: More Than 150 Recipes for One-Pan Meals for Any Time of the Day by Lucy Vaserfirer

Title: Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook: More Than 150 Recipes for One-Pan Meals for Any Time of the Day  

Author:Lucy Vaserfirer

Source:Netgalley

Genre: Cooking

Rating:4

Reviewed by: Laurie  

The cast-iron renaissance is heating up, and Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook is here to show you how to make the most of these great pans!

Modern cooks are realizing that grandma's had it right when she cooked with the big cast iron skillet. Cast iron has the incredible ability to spread heat quickly and evenly to create a crispy, seared surface that locks in freshness and flavor.

Author Lucy Vaserfirer knows how to work magic on cast iron, and in Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook she shows you how to prepare more than 150 recipes that are definitely not the kind of fares your grandmother cooked up. You'll get to see how to cook up vegetables (something previously thought to not be possible on cast iron); see how cast iron is the perfect vessel for cooking all types of fish and shellfish; and even how you can use your skillet for baking.

Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook is loaded with recipes that keep up with specialty diets like paleo and no meat, and even includes unique ways to bring your cast iron directly to the table as a serving vessel. So don't wait, just because your grandmother swore by her cast iron doesn't mean it's boring!

This book works for great for a beginner and an advance cast-iron cook. The first part of the book introduces you to how to care and use your cast-iron then comes the great recipes from breakfast to dessert this cookbook will give you a recipe for every meal.

Let me just say the biscuit recipe alone is totally worth the kindle price that is how amazing they were. I am not a newbie to cast-iron and have backed several different recipes of biscuits in my cast-iron but nothing like the amazing taste of these.  

Recipes are easy to follow the only downside to the books was it just needed more pictures of the finished products. 

Dump Cake Magic: The No-Bowl, No-Mess Method of Fuss-Free Baking by Anne Schaeffer

Dump Cake Magic: The No-Bowl, No-Mess Method of Fuss-Free Baking 

Author: Anne Schaeffer

Source: NetGalley 

Genre: Cookbook

Length: 128 Pages 

Reviewed by: Laurie 

Rating 3 

Short on time or just looking for a quick and easy dessert? With no dirty bowls and no tedious mixing time, you can toss together a delicious dessert in just minutes. No wonder dump cakes have skyrocketed in popularity lately--they're perfect for busy bakers. All you have to do is layer your ingredients right in the pan that you are going to use to bake, and pop it in the oven. What comes out is a delicious treat! Dump Cake Magic offers more than 75 creative recipes for tarts, pies, cookies, bars, cakes, and more. Perfect for spur-of-the-moment baking, moist dense cakes like Lemon Blueberry, cobbler-type desserts like Peachy Butter Pecan, or rich brownie creations like Orange Chocolate Truffle are a "piece of cake." Layer upon delightful layer, desserts have never been easier. And clean-up? It's a snap!

 I was really looking forward to this book, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me. I did enjoy that each recipe had images and that they walked you through each step, but I didn’t care for the complete image of the featured recipe being at the end of the recipe. I guess I am used to the standard all images of the full recipe being at the beginning of the recipe.  

The majority of the recipes you have to use store-bought cake and cookie mixes and with times being like that are now, I along with many others have quit buying all of the processed foods so I was again left disappointed.

When I review a cookbook or baking book I always at least make one or two recipes. I chose to make the Chocolate Mocha Cake and wasn’t impressed with the taste or texture.

I am sure this book is great for a lot of cooks out there, but it’s just not something I would keep on my cookbook shelf to grab every day. 

Cookbook review of Thinner in an Instant Cookbook: Great-Tasting Dinners with 350 Calories or Less from the Instant Pot or Other Electric Pressure Cooker by Nancy S. Hughes

Title: Thinner in an Instant Cookbook: Great-Tasting Dinners with 350 Calories or Less from the Instant Pot or Other Electric Pressure Cooker 

Author: Nancy S. Hughes

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Cookbook

Review by Laurie 

Rating: 3

Team up with your Instant Pot (or any other brand of electric pressure cooker) to control or lose weight with the quick, delicious, and waist-conscious recipes of Thinner in an Instant.

There are loads of Instant Pot cookbooks. However, almost all are filled with rich recipes that taste decent but deliver a nasty caloric punch right to your waistline.

Here's a tasty and good-for-you alternative. In Thinner in an Instant, Nancy S. Hughes, one of the most-respected and best-selling cookbook authors in the US on health-related topics, offers up the first and only book that will help you watch or lose weight by cooking with an electric pressure cooker.

Each recipe maxes out at 350 calories per serving and comes with a complete nutritional analysis, including calories, fats, cholesterol, salt, and other information that is important to you if you are a health-savvy or weight-conscious cook—or if someone you cook for needs help losing a few pounds.

These are soul-satisfying dinners that won’t leave you hungry: Beef Burgundy on Sweet Potato Mash, Seafood Gumbo, and Greek Lemon Chicken with Asparagus, to name just a few. Plus, there are delectable, yet lo-cal, desserts, like Upside Down Chocolate Crusted Cheesecake and Lemon-Berry Bread Pudding, to round out the meal.

At last, weight-watching and calorie-conscious cooks and eaters can enjoy the speed, convenience, and ease-of-use of the Instant Pot and its cousins

** spoiler alert **
The nutrition facts for each recipe is great, the recipes are very easy to follow and I also like the tips in the front of the cookbook, but there are only 50 recipes and none of the recipes have images. 

Now, my biggest problem is the sodium content in each recipe, a lot of the recipes has over 500 milligrams of sodium and for someone wanting to watch their sodium intake this something, you’ll have to consider before buying.
If you are new to pressure cooking and you are just concerned about cutting a few calories than this cookbook would really work for you, there are quite a few great recipes from Sandwiches and Wraps, One-Dish Suppers, Main-Courses, Sweets and Desserts and more. 

If you are like me and have way too many cookbooks on hand now and are really watching your sodium intake, I would suggest looking at more cookbooks like this one before you decide to get this one, even if you have to pay a bit more for it. 

The Southern Living Party Cookbook: A Modern Guide to Gathering by Elizabeth Heiskell

Title: The Southern Living Party Cookbook: A Modern Guide to Gathering 

Author: Elizabeth Heiskell

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Cookbook

Length: 368 pages 

Rating: 5

Reviewed by: Laurie 

Say “hello” to the modern-day reinterpretation of the best-selling Southern Living cookbook of all time, 1972’s Southern Living Party Cookbook.

This new essential guide to entertaining is divided by occasion, offering a fresh lineup of menus and ideas for every celebratory scenario life serves up from What Can I Bring? Author, Elizabeth Heiskell, In this update to the best-selling book of our mothers’ and grandmothers’ era, Elizabeth’s tell-it-like-it-is voice provides a twist to the classic Southern advice that is a refresher for entertainers of any age or experience. Packed with delicious recipes from the original book like Smoked Salmon Canapes, Hot Cheese Squares, and Brandy Alexanders, the book also includes popular picks from the current pages of Southern Living as well as Elizabeth’s treasured recipe box. The Southern Living Party Cookbook is an entertaining handbook loaded with lifestyle tips and hilarious Heiskell stories, along with lush photography to help you get the look from table setting to plated dish. 

This cookbook is not only great for entertaining and parties, but it’s also excellent for everyday use.  

Each chapter offers you a different party and at the beginning of the chapter, you get a picture of a decorated table so you can grab some inspirations off of that and then you dig into the recipes for that party. You have parties such as Graduation Coffee, Welcome Tea, Tailgating, Thanksgiving dinner, Garden Club Luncheon, Impress the boss and many more party choices.

Now, as I said this cookbook can also be used every day, but with the majority of these recipes severing 10 and up all you have to do is cut the recipes in half as I did. So, far I have made the Chocolate –Bourbon Pecan Pie and The Cowboy Bean and loved both of them.  

Great images, easy to follow recipes what more can anyone ask for.

Take this from someone who has way too many cookbooks and cooking magazines, this cookbook would be an excellent addition to your ever-growing collection.  

Cookbook review: The Coalson Family Cookbook of Memories by Maggie Adams

Title: The Coalson Family Cookbook of Memories 
Author: Maggie Adams 
Length: 266 paperback
Source: Author requested review
Gere: Cookbook
Review by Laurie 
Rating: 5 





You asked for it - You got it! The feisty, no-nonsense mother, Ginny Coalson, of those wild Coalson Brothers has put together a cookbook featuring the fabulous recipes found in The Tempered Steel Series along with stories of the boys growing up! PLUS, some author friends and family have contributed to the scrumptious fun as well.

It's a must have if you love the series, and a great introduction to it if you like to collect down-home recipes that add a heaping helping of love and leave out the calories. 

Review

No matter if you a fan of The Tempered Steel series or not, this cookbook will fit anyone cookbook shelf.

Maggie Adams not only gives you recipes, she also gives a glimpse of characters in the series, how cool is that!

There are appetizers, soups, salads, bread and baking, side dishes, breakfast favorites, main dishes, chicken, pork, seafood, and dessert.  There is pasta, stews, canning recipes, Chinese, home-style favorites and much more.

I was very pleased with the recipes I made and was happy how easy they are explained. There are some images, but not images for every recipe.

I recommend this cookbook for any cook or baker.