As I have mentioned before, I love Chrissy Teigen (I also love her husband. Did you see John Legend perform at the inauguration? Amazing!), and I already reviewed her second cookbook, Cravings: Hungry for More. I own that cookbook, and have made several of the recipes, which are all great. So I was excited when I got her first cookbook, Cravings, for Christmas. I know, I’m going in the wrong order! Both of her cookbooks are pretty si...

Like pretty much everyone who knows how to cook, I love the Barefoot Contessa. I have already written about two of her cookbooks on the blog: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Cooks Like a Pro. When I saw that she had a new cookbook out, I immediately went and got it from the library. I made three recipes, all great, before I had to take it back. Then my mom gave me a copy for Christmas, so now I’m excited to make a bunch more of these rec...

Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving? Do you even know what you’re doing for Thanksgiving? We were supposed to host a small family Thanksgiving, but now it looks like it will just be the four of us. I love cooking for Thanksgiving, so I will probably cook too much anyway. I’m trying to keep it under control. 🙂 I picked up Antoni in the Kitchen at the library, and it has a great Brussels sprouts dish, perfect for Thanksgiving. Who is ...

I know everyone’s stress levels are through the roof right now, and I know what I do when I’m stressed. I eat chocolate! This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen Every Day, the second cookbook of O.G. food blogger Deb Perelman. I already reviewed her first cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, when I made Balsamic and Beer-Braised Short Ribs. They were so good that when I saw she has another short rib recipe in this cookbook, I really wa...

How is everyone’s stress level? I feel like mine has been through the roof because of getting ready for the school year to begin. I work in higher ed, so getting ready for this unusual school year has been a little insane. Also, I have two sons who still haven’t started school yet (it was pushed back to after Labor Day), and we don’t even know for sure yet what their schooling will look like. Anyway, all of that is to say I have...

I have had Sister Pie borrowed from the library for quite awhile (I checked it out right before my library closed because or COVID-19), and I kept avoiding it because I am not a pie baker. If I feel the need to make a pie for some reason, I usually just get a store-bought crust and call it a day. (My husband loves blackberry pie, and about the only baking he ever does is making homemade pie crusts.) But this book, which has a gorgeous cover, kept...

Previously I reviewed Lucinda Scala Quinn’s cookbook Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys. Now Quinn, who worked for Martha Stewart, has a line of Mad Hungry cookbooks. I picked up Mad Hungry Family from the library (before it closed). This book seems pretty similar to the other Mad Hungry cookbook. It’s full of dishes that are simple and filling, so you can feed your family homecooked meals. Quinn is a big proponent of the family meal a...

So I already mentioned that i’m a big Emeril fan. The last cookbook of his I reviewed was all about comfort food. This cookbook is really the basics of Cajun cooking. I haven’t used it a lot, because my husband does most of the Cajun cooking in our house. The other day he make this gumbo recipe, but he always likes to tweak recipes, so I will provide info about that below. Six servings 2 pounds small okra 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups ...

My husband bought this The America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook (2001) at a used bookstore quite awhile ago, and I hadn’t made anything from it yet. So I sat down and looked through it the other day, and it’s full of good stuff. As I’m sure most of you know, America’s Test Kitchen is a real kitchen in Boston where they test recipes that they publish in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine and demonstrate on their PBS show. B...

Ok, so since we are all cooking at home a lot, I thought I would go ahead and share some recipes. Canal House Cook Something: Recipes to Rely On by Christoper Hersheimer and Melissa Hamilton is one of those basic recipe cookbooks that are great gifts for anyone who is just starting to cook. A lot of the recipes are just variations on a simple recipe. The one I tried out, Pimiento Cheese, is about as basic as it gets. This is something my husband ...

My Verdict: Run Fast. Eat Slow.
Cookbook Reviews / May 4, 2018

Here’s my verdict on Run Fast. Eat Slow. : Nourishing Recipes for Athletes. To Read: Yes, if you are an athlete or want some inspiration, but it’s not a particularly interesting read for non-runners. It is interesting to read about the real-life of an Olympic athlete, and one of the authors, Shalene Flanagan, is an Olympic medalist. But there is not a lot of depth to what they cover, just a few interesting stories about the...

This Week’s Favorite Things
Favorite Things / May 3, 2018

Here are a few things I’m enjoying this week. Podcast: My new favorite listen is Satellite Sisters. It’s five sisters, although mainly three do the podcast, who talk about everything from their grandchildren to national security, with an emphasis on supporting each other and other women. They are funny and smart, and it just makes me happy to listen to hem. Recipes: My husband sent me a link to 23 High-Protein Sheet Pan Dinners...

Parmesan and Herb-Crusted Cod
Recipes / May 2, 2018

OK, I really cheated on this recipe, but I will get to that in the notes. Parmesan and Herb-Crusted Cod 1 pound (4 fillets) Pacific cod Fine sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup fine cornmeal 1 egg 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup almond meal 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon thyme 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper on both sides. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pl...

Healthy Living: Run Fast. Eat Slow.
Cookbook Overviews / April 30, 2018

OK, I am not a runner. At all. I have tried Couch to 2K several times and never made it past week three. So why am I reviewing Run Fast. Eat Slow.: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes? My fifteen-year old son is a distance runner, and my mom mentioned this book to him. We happened to be at Barnes & Noble the other day and saw this book. He has been working on eating healthier, so I decided to go ahead and buy this for him. I almost neve...

My Verdict: Butter Baked Goods
Cookbook Reviews / April 27, 2018

Here’s my verdict on Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Bakery. To Read: Yes. Not a ton of text, but a nice story about how she started her bakery. Some of the recipes have personal stories with them also. A little technique info in the front, but nothing too earth-shattering. To Look At: Absolutely. I would say that the design is pretty girlie, with a lot of pink and roses, but it’s really pret...

Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day
Holidays / April 26, 2018

Mother’s Day is on May 13, which is fast approaching! Having trouble coming up with an idea for what to get your mom (mother-in-law, grandmother, friend who is a new mom)? I think we are always so ready for spring this time of year that anything to do with flowers or gardening is a great gift.   For the Martha Stewart Wannabe Mom: Martha’s Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying For the Mom Who Sa...

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Recipes / April 25, 2018

I let my youngest son pick a recipe from this week’s cookbook, Butter Baked Goods. My oldest son is a distance runner, and he’s decided that he’s cutting out dessert. Since he loves chocolate, his younger brother was nice (it does happen occasionally) and picked Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. Not exactly a difficult recipe, but one of my son’s favorites. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins 3/4 cup butter 3 cups all-purpose flou...

This Week’s Favorite Things
Favorite Things / April 24, 2018

Just wanted to pop in with a few of may favorite things this week. Blog: There are so many blogs that I try to keep up with. I love fashion and style blogs because I get so many great ideas, and it’s just fun for me to look at clothes (even if I can’t afford to buy most of them). But so many fashion blogs are by and for women who are much younger than me. So I was very excited to find Style at a Certain Age. Blogger Beth Dja...

Sweet Treats From Vancouver: Butter Baked Goods
Cookbook Overviews / April 23, 2018

Today’s cookbook is one I picked up at the library just because it was so gorgeous. Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Baker was written by Rosie Daykin, the owner of Butter Baked Goods in Vancouver. It’s a pretty standard dessert cookbook with a lot of the basics and a few Canadian goodies thrown in. Daykin started out as an interior decorator but always dreamed of opening a bakery. She opene...

Salt, Fat, Heat, Acid: My Verdict
Cookbook Reviews / April 20, 2018

Here’s my verdict on Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking. To Read: Yes. Nosrat’s tone is both fun and informative, and she really knows her stuff. There is plenty of science in here, but she makes it simple and interesting. This is definitely a cookbook you can curl up with for awhile. To Look At: Yes, as long as you are OK with illustrations instead of photos. This book is illustrated by Wendy Mac...