Here’s my verdict for The Beach House Cookbook: Easy Breezy Recipes with a Southern Accent by Mary Kay Andrews.
To Read: Yes, if you are on or near a beach. Andrews writes popular novels, and she has some entertaining family stories to go along with each menu, which is how this book is organized. There are just a few descriptive sentences to introduce each recipe. Unlike a lot of cookbooks, there are no “cooking tips” or “essential tools” types of chapters. It might have been nice to have ideas about shopping and preparing to cook while on vacation. The most detailed recipe, including both the story to go with it and recipe instructions, is in the epilogue of the book, and it’s for biscuits. Not something I can see myself making while on vacation, but maybe that’s why it’s at the end.
To Look At: Yes, there is a gorgeous photo for every recipe, with some family and beach photos thrown in for fun. If you are not at the beach, this book will certainly make you wish that you were.
To Cook From: Probably, the recipes that I made were quite simple and didn’t even necessarily involve cooking. Personally, that is what I want when I’m on vacation. Food that is delicious, but easy to make. Most of the recipes in this book are pretty standard. The directions are clear cut, and nothing is very complicated.
The thing I liked most about this cookbook was the menu ideas and recipe inspiration for what I might want to cook (and eat) while on vacation. We will be renting a house with my family for our vacation this year, so I might try out some more of these recipes. I hope it’s OK that we will be in the mountains instead of on the beach!
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