Cookbook Review ~ Whitewater Cooks with Passion by Shelley Adams

Shelley is back and this time she is cooking with passion! The fourth and latest book in the Whitewater Cooks series, Whitewater Cooks with Passion, sees Shelley cooking new recipes using inspiration from her trusted family and friends as well as plenty of inspiration from around the world.

The paperback book continues with the same theme as the other books in the series with lots of beautiful, mouth-watering photographs to accompany a lot of the recipes. There are 7 chapters dedicated to recipes including Breakfast, Starters, Soups, Dinners and Desserts.

It didn’t take me long to start bookmarking plenty of recipes and in the end I tested 6.

Tested Recipes:

Green Curry Chicken with Roasted Eggplant and Red Peppers

Mango Cucumber Salad with Mint and Sweet Chilli Vinaigrette

Italian Wedding Soup

Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing

Chickpea Flatbread

Indian Artichoke Hummus

The first recipe to be put to the test was the Green Curry Chicken with Roasted Eggplant and Red Peppers. We love Thai curries so I couldn’t resist this recipe especially as it was so easy to prepare – you literally put the ingredients in an ovenproof dish and pop it in the oven and forget about it. I was very hesitant about the amount of curry paste suggested but since I had the same brand as she suggested I stayed true to the recipe and I am so glad I did! The end result was absolutely delicious. It was a perfect Thai curry made without any fuss. I would serve this to friends coming round for a relaxed dinner without any hesitation. I did skip the cucumber you put on at the end because I couldn’t get the mini cucumbers suggested but also because I served the curry with the Mango Cucumber Salad with Mint and Sweet Chilli Vinaigrette which takes me to the second tested recipe.

I absolutely love mango salads with Thai curries so I had to make this to accompany the above recipe. The recipe does have quite a lot of ingredients but it’s still simple to make and really just a case of some chopping and assembling. The dressing makes a lot and to honest in future I don’t think I would use quite as much oil but it was delicious and full of wonderful flavours. As for the salad it was packed with bright flavours, great texture contrasts and lovely fresh and vibrant flavours. It was also a huge hit and brought a wonderful ray of sunshine to our plates and palates on a miserable rainy, grey January day!

Cookbook Review & Giveaway ~ How to Cook Everything Fast by Mark Bittman

It seems that for the most part everyone is just too busy these days and in order to continue to get food on the table and eat well we need food that is nutritious and delicious but in record speed. I’m not talking about every day because there are days (weekends especially) when I like to slow down and really take my time to cook, but during the week there are definitely days when I need something delicious for dinner that doesn’t take long to prepare and cook and will keep everyone happy. I’ve tried using my slow cooker which is ultimately long slow cooking (where you do nothing) with fast and easy preparation but so far have yet to be wowed so How to Cook Everything Fast by Mark Bittman seems like the perfect solution…Good food fast.

When I received my copy of How to Cook Everything Fast by Mark Bittman it was like Christmas had come early! The doorstopper of a book (and I mean a doorstopper) has over 1000 pages and is packed with 2000 recipes and lots of invaluable advice on ingredients, cooking techniques and plenty of other information that is both important and very helpful. When you flick through the book the first obvious downfall is that there are absolutely no photographs. It’s probably just as well since it is already a monster book and photographs would just add to it but if you are someone that has to have photographs you will be disappointed. Ordinarily I am that someone but for some reason it didn’t really bother me with this book once I had gone through it…. Maybe because it seems more like a culinary encyclopaedia ….regardless, with this book I was ok without the pictures.

The book has 14 chapters devoted to recipes including Soup and Stews, Pasta and Noodles, Beans and Tofu and Meat as well as additional chapters on how to prepare your kitchen for speed, how to shop for speed and lots of others fast strategies.

So what about the recipes?! Well the downside to reviewing a book with 2000 recipes is that it is virtually impossible to narrow down that many recipes and pick only a handful to test, especially because there were so many I wanted to try. In the end however I had to pick what really appealed and I finally chose 5 recipes which admittedly doesn’t do the book much justice when there are so many other hundreds and hundreds of recipes I want to make! Still time restraints and a limit to how long this review could be was of major importance so 5 recipes it was!

A New Year and a New Direction......

Happy New Year!! Sorry it's a little late but I've been on the down low for the last month as I was back in Scotland staying with my family for Christmas and New Year. I had the most amazing time (as usual!) but unfortunately the time flew by and we're now back home in Canada. That being said I am excited to get back into things, especially where this blog is concerned.

For those of you that read Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops on a regular basis (well as regularly as I update!) you will notice that last year I didn't post nearly as much as I wanted to or had initially planned to. It was all down to time I'm afraid and a lack of it. I'm still cooking as much (and still loving it as much) it was just hard to find the time to develop new recipes, test them a few times and then photograph them and write the post. You may also have noticed that what I was posting, especially the last few posts, were book reviews which I really enjoy, and so for the time being I will be focusing on that. If I get the opportunity to post a new recipe then I absolutely will but for now I want to concentrate on reviewing and testing out cookbooks.

For me, reviewing a cookbook takes some time. To truly test and review a book I think that you have to test the recipes. It's all very well saying a cookbook looks great, is filled with mouthwatering photographs and that the recipes sound good but what if they don't work? In my opinion it's a major fail because honestly why would you want that book?! Therefore I go through each book several times, reading the introductions and initial chapters and bookmarking the recipes that appeal to me. I then test as many as I can but for the point of the review always 3-4 which are tested by following the recipe exactly. If you have read any of my reviews you will know they tend to be quite lengthy but again that is because I am really testing the book and trying to provide as much information to you as possible.

Pros and Cons I see within the book are always top of the list, whether you need Specialty Ingredients that are difficult to buy and if I have learned anything new all feature in my reviews. Basics like whether there are photographs to accompany the recipes are always included and by providing a list of recipes that I have bookmarked I try to share a range of some of the recipes included and not just the ones that I have tested.

As well as that though I am always open to suggestions of anything else you consider important when deciding whether you want to buy a book or not, so please feel free to comment on what you want to see from a cookbook review.

I hope that despite a lack of my own new recipes (all my existing recipes can still be found in the Recipes Page) and rather a concentration on reviews you will continue to read Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops and enjoy the reviews that I do. With that being said I am really excited as I am currently reviewing three cookbooks (with more on the way) and can't wait to share them with you!

Happy New Year again! Let's hope 2015 is a wonderful, happy, healthy and safe year for everyone.

Lynds x

Cookbook Review ~ Eat Yourself Pregnant by Zita West

I’m not going to lie, when I was asked if I would review Eat Yourself Pregnant by Zita West I was a little hesitant, because to be honest I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to broadcast on my blog that we are trying to get pregnant, but then I thought why not because it’s not exactly a secret, even if I don’t talk about it that much. The reality is that my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for the last 3 years and are dealing with Secondary Infertility. I’m not going to get into all of the specifics with you but it’s a long, emotional and very difficult journey that we never saw coming and so I will take any advice I can (within reason!), so considering  that I love food, cooking and cookbooks and I am trying to get pregnant I decided why not?!

Zita West is a fertility expert and midwife based in the UK. During her career she has also worked as a nutritional advisor and then as an acupuncturist so she is more than qualified to be writing this book! The recipes however come courtesy of Christine Bailey an award-winning nutritionist, food and health consultant, chef and cookery teacher.

The 160 paged paperback is packed with information about getting your body ready for pregnancy as well as 65 healthy recipes to ensure you get all of the vital nutrients required for conception in your diet. There are questions to help you assess your overall health such as ‘How healthy is your digestion?’ ‘How toxic are you?’ and ‘How stable is your blood sugar?’ and a recommended fertility cleanse if you think you need it. As it turned out everything seemed good for us so I skipped the fertility cleanse and opted to pick and choose my own recipes from the book (the fertility detox is just a detailed meal plan with all recipes taken from the book).

The recipes are divided into chapters including ‘Boosters & Breakfasts’, ‘Light Meals’ and ‘Main Meals’ and the majority are accompanied by beautiful photographs. They literally all sounded so good so I really had a hard time narrowing down which ones to test and in the end have so far managed to test 6 recipes (with more made outside of the testing and more to come!). Since I did test so many I’m keeping the information about the recipes shorter so that I don’t have a novel on my hands!

Cookbook Review ~ Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook by Nancy Vienneau

The second Southern Cookbook to be added to my collection, Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook by Nancy Vienneau is a treasure of recipes and stories that celebrate local, seasonal food with family and friends.

What started off as a couple of friends wanting to get together once a month to share good food and company turned into a hugely successful monthly gathering and a cookbook to boot! The book features just over 150 recipes (taken from their monthly potlucks) and the chapters are divided into months which I know I have said before but I personally love! There are quite a lot of photographs throughout the book however a lot of them are for ingredients rather than the recipes which is worth noting. The theme is potluck but this is no ordinary potluck….Instead it is a group of friends getting together to celebrate the local bounty with new and innovative dishes. What each guest brings is a total surprise as there is no RSVP, no assigned dishes and absolutely no rules!

Quite honestly I didn’t even know where to start with this book because I bookmarked SO many recipes (the book was literally a sea of yellow post-it notes!!), however I finally managed to narrow things down and in the end I tested 4 recipes.

Tested Recipes:

Silky Butternut Squash Bisque

Fresh Dill-Feta Quick Bread

Cara Cara Cashew Chicken

Italian Meatballs in Hearty Italian Tomato Sauce

The first recipe to be put to the test was the Silky Butternut Squash Bisque since it looked delicious and I love Butternut Soup. The recipe was straightforward and I really liked the idea of roasting the vegetables first which added another level of flavour. I tasted the soup after each stage (and each new addition of the final ingredients) and I’ll be honest, for me it tasted best before the Greek Yogurt and Vanilla was added. I was definitely hesitant about the vanilla and in all honesty I wouldn’t do it again. It was a nice soup, definitely a bit different from any type of squash soup I have made before but I didn’t love it. It’s unlikely that I would make it again.

Cookbook Review ~ Madhouse Cookbook by Jo Pratt

I have always been a fan of Jo Pratt's books. For me they always seemed to echo where I was in my life at the time of reading so they have always appealed that little bit more than usual. Her style of cooking and writing and the food she enjoys resonates so easily with me that I managed to convince myself that of course if I knew her, we would be best friends! (Don't worry Jo – I now live on the other side of the world!) But like a true, trusted friend that you can rely on here we are once again with her third book and surprise surprise it's just what I am looking for!

Her latest book, Madhouse Cookbook, comes from the current time in her life where she is a busy parent juggling work and young children so it is only natural that she deems her home a madhouse! Her latest book is all about trying to balance her work and home life and still have time to cook dinner for family, friends and of course, herself, so this book is all about simple, quick to prepare and easy to shop for meals that cover all eventualities! The book has three main chapters – Monday to Friday Survival, The Busy Weekend and Cling on to Your Social Life. Each chapter is further divided into different categories for even more direction and organisation, such as 'The Need for Speed', 'Quick Prep – Leave to Cook', 'The Family Meal' and 'Saturday Night (Kids are Banned)'.

The book is packed full of recipes as well as ideas for transforming leftovers. In the end I tested 4 recipes plus a leftover recipe.

The Tested Recipes:

Very Special Fried Rice

Simple Beef and Barley Casserole and Beef and Barley Pasties

Leek, Bacon & Brie Pasta

Sticky Toffee and Banana Pudding

Cooking the Books ~ May

I thought it was about time that I treated myself to a new cookbook so I managed to restrain myself and narrowed down the choices to 3 popular new books that have been recently released in Canada. The choice was between Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking (originally entitled Ultimate Cookery Course, which I have been watching on TV), Curtis Stone's new book What's For Dinner and finally It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow. It was a really tough choice but in the end after looking through all 3 books I picked What's For Dinner by Curtis Stone which is the book I will be putting to the test for this months Cooking the Books! 

As usual if you have recently bought this book why not cook along with me or leave a comment and let me know what you think of it. Since it's so new I know there has been a lot of publicity on it so if you have perhaps seen a review or article in a magazine why not try those recipes? So what are you waiting for, let's put this book to the test and start Cooking the Books!!

*You can now read my full review of this book by clicking here.

Cookbook Review ~ Mexican Food Made Simple by Thomasina Miers

I received Mexican Food Made Simple just over a year ago after reading my Sister-in-laws copy and loving it! Since I'm not particularly familiar with Mexican cooking this definitely looked like a great book to get me started. I know a lot of Mexican cookbooks can be off-putting due to long lists of hard to find ingredients and complicated, time consuming recipes, but this one really did look straightforward so it was time to put the book to the test.

For those of you unfamiliar with Thomasina Miers she was the winner of Masterchef (UK) in 2005. Her first book 'Cook' was published in 2006 but her true calling definitely pointed towards Mexican food after spending a lot of time living in Mexico and even opening a cocktail bar there. Her time in the country allowed her to explore the regions of Mexico learning about culture and of course food and even the opportunity to cook with some of Mexico's top chefs. Returning to live in the UK she since opened the cantina Wahaca (in various locations) which focuses on Mexican street food and has published Mexican Food Made Simple (2010) followed by Wahaca: Mexican Food at Home, in 2012.

Mexican Food Made Simple is packed full of recipes that are divided up into Chapters including Salsas, sauces & relishes (a favourite of mine!), Soups, Street food, Cheesy things, From the grill and Soul food. The chapter on 'Basics' is a great guide for introducing you to the way Mexican's eat, but more so is incredibly informative on classic Mexican ingredients you will use throughout the book and on ingredients you can substitute if you can't fend the authentic ingredient suggested. In the introduction Miers states that she can show how “easy, healthy and exciting Mexican food really is” using ingredients that are easy to source so baring that in mind it was time to put the book to the test!

Cooking the Books ~ April

After deciding that's this month's theme for Cooking the Books would have more of an International twist to it, I narrowed down my choices to 4 books featuring Italian, Mexican, Thai and a mixture of European delights (courtesy of Jamie Oliver Does), and let those of you on Facebook vote for your choice. It was very close but in the end you picked Mexican as your cuisine of choice to be put to the test with Thomasina Mier's Mexican Food Made Simple. I'm so excited to try out this book and I'm hoping since I can't quite jet off to Mexico for a little break, that perhaps this book will give me at least a culinary holiday in the comfort of my own home!

As always if you have this book why not cook along with me and put your copy to the test, or if you use it on a regular basis let me know some of your favourite recipes that you recommend I try! So what are you waiting for - let's start Cooking the Books!

Cookbook Review ~ Home Cooking by Rachel Allen

Although this is one of her older book's (2009) I couldn't resist testing out and cooking from Rachel Allen's Home Cooking for this month's Cooking the Books. My son is now 3 years old and although a fairly good eater, I'm always looking for ideas and reminders of family friendly meals that we can all enjoy without a fight at the dinner table! On top of that, my sister was coming to visit us for 2 weeks during March and unfortunately despite being 17 weeks pregnant was still suffering from morning sickness, so I thought she would appreciate some good home cooking and nothing too over the top! Cue therefore Rachel Allen's Home Cooking book which is packed full of very family friendly meals that are guaranteed to keep even the fussiest eater in your family happy (hopefully!). It was just coincidence that I happened to pick a book by an Irish chef for the month of March and the celebration of St. Paddy's Day!

The Chapters are divided up into meals of the day including Breakfast, Lunch, Supper and Dessert. There is also a chapter on Sunday Lunches and since this really is a family friendly cookbook there is even a handy chapter on Baby Purees. It is a lovely homely book with pages printed on different pretty pastel colours and lots of photographs throughout, showing not only the delicious looking meals but family snaps as well, which really adds to it being a family cookbook.

Cooking the Books ~ March

I am SO excited that my Sister is coming to visit us for a holiday for 2 weeks this month and so because of that and the fact that she is pregnant (Yay!!!) but still suffering from sickness (boo!), for this month's Cooking the Books I will be testing and reviewing Home Cooking by Rachel Allen (available from Amazon and some book shops). If you have this book why not try it out with me? I'll post what recipe I'm trying the day before I make it on my Facebook page  and Twitter so you can join in. So what are you waiting for? Let's Cook the Books!

Cookbook Review ~ Bill Granger Easy {And Marinated Steak Rolls with BBQ Sauce}

When I bought this book (over the internet so with only a brief preview) I was a little worried that the recipes might be a little too easy and simplified since Bill Granger's books are generally always filled with fairly straightforward, relaxed recipes, however, I shouldn't have worried. What fills the pages are beautiful recipes that aren't too complicated but still have a bit of oomph to them so that I wasn't bored or had seen the recipes hundreds of times already. It became obvious very quickly that this was a book that I really wanted to cook from and with 100 recipes I had plenty to choose from.

One of the first things that I loved about this book was the fact that the chapters are divided up by specific ingredient such as 'Piece of Chicken', 'Slab of steak', 'Mince & Sausages' and 'Carton of Eggs', (to name a few). I found this approach really helpful cause it means you can go raid your fridge or freezer, decide what you want to cook with and then just jump straight to the chapter for instant inspiration. There were so many recipes that I wanted to try that I literally gave up bookmarking them since it seemed I was putting a sticky note on almost every page! In the end I managed to try 6 recipes but I still have quite a few that I want to try!

The Tested Recipes:

Orange and Oregano Marinated Pork

Marinated Steak Rolls & Barbecue Sauce

Light Butter Chicken

Spanish Fish Stew

Individual Baked Beans with Eggs

Chilli, Sausage and Broccoli Pizza

Cooking the Books....Again!

After a much longer than intended absence from 'Cooking the Books', I'm back at it with the intention of cooking from 1 or 2 books a month. A picture of the book(s) will be posted on the right sidebar at the start of each month so you can see which book(s) I'll be cooking from and reviewing for that month. As always if you have that particular book I would love for you to join along with me, cooking whichever recipes you like the sound or look of and letting me know how you get on!

Up first and I have picked one of my newest cookbooks to be added to my collection which is Bill Granger Easy. After the busyness and overindulgence of Christmas and New Year this seemed like the perfect choice especially since it has so many recipes that I am desperate to try! Since I'm late on starting this month (with being in Scotland) I'll only be doing 1 book but will do 2 for February. As always at the end of the month I'll post my review of the book and will also include a recipe for one of my favourite dishes that I tried!

So what are you waiting for? This is a great way to start really using your books and putting them to the test and hopefully getting lots of delicious meals in return!

To see this review click here.

Cookbook Challenge Oct. 2012 ~ 31 Days; 10 Books & 1 Challenge!

The Challenge – To cook at least one meal a day from a cookbook of choice for the month of October. The recipes must be followed exactly so as to properly test them and the budget must be no more (and hopefully less!) than an ordinary month.

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That's right folks, for the month of October I am challenging myself to cook at least one meal a day using a cookbook! Now while that might not sound like a challenge for a lot of you, for someone who owns over 1000 cookbooks and rarely cooks from them, this is a challenge for me! Inspired by the bloggers challenge 'Random Recipes' hosted by Dom over at the lovely Belleau Kitchen, I have stepped things up a few notches so that I am not making one recipe a month from a random book, but rather one a day!

With that said however, this challenge isn't quite so random as I have picked out 9 books of choice (fairly randomly and without looking through them) in order to help with meal planning and shopping. The final book for the challenge - book number 10, was picked by you - the readers (through facebook). For those of you that missed it I selected 5 books from my 'library' and the one with the most votes was the lucky book to join the challenge, which turned out to be the Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten. The other 9 books were fairly randomly picked - I tried to do a real mix and choose books that I thought might be fairly familiar to people..... so here they are the 10 books I will be cooking from in October.....

Cookbook Review ~ My Father's Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow

Not content with being an Oscar winning actress, mother, wife to one of the world's most successful rock stars and founder of GOOP.com.....Gwyneth Paltrow has now also added cookbook author to her resume. My Father's Daughter (or Notes from my Kitchen Table which is what she called the UK version) was published in April 2011 and is Paltrow's first cookbook.

I have to admit due to completely preconceived ideas I wasn't sure what this book was going to be like. I thought it was going to be all healthy food (not that there's anything wrong with that!) based around her following various macrobiotic diets in the past......I couldn't have been more wrong. There are recipes of all kinds throughout this book, both healthy and perhaps not so(!), but they are recipes for every occasion and include plenty of vegetarian and vegan recipes along with recipes that you can make-ahead, or quick recipes when you are in a hurry and of course lots of recipes for sharing with family and friends. She doesn't eat red meat so there are no recipes using beef or pork but instead she focuses on chicken, duck, turkey and plenty of fish. If you are a big fan of red meat though you could definitely substitute it in some of the recipes. The chapters are divided into the standard Soups; Salads; Pastas; Main Courses and so on, so it's easy enough to find what you are looking for.

Cookbook Review ~ Whitewater Cooks with Friends - Shelley Adams

If you look through my Cookbook collection (it might take a while!) you will quickly notice that it is a very British collection of cookbooks. For most of you that won't come as much of a surprise since you know I am Scottish and only moved to Canada 7 years ago...however for those of you in America and Canada (and of course around the world) there will be a lot of authors you have never heard of that I take for granted, so this month it was lovely to be able to review a Canadian book, and one that is close to home for me.

Whitewater Cooks with Friends is the third published cookbook by Shelley Adams (Whitewater Cooks and Whitewater Cooks at Home), who is the previous owner of Fresh Tracks Cafe at Whitewater Ski Resort in Nelson, BC. Although Adams has now retired from running the Cafe this book is the result of some gentle persuasion and a reminder from her daughter and friend of Shelley's mantra that “great recipes are meant to be shared!” Here Shelley has teamed up with her friends to collaborate on a fantastic selection of their favourite recipes that they have shared together throughout the years.

Cookbook Review ~ The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days - Tarek Malouf

It was only a matter of time before I reviewed this book - The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days....For those of you that regularly follow my blog you will know that the recipe for my Cupcakes is courtesy of the first book by Tarek Malouf – The Hummingbird Bakery (which was the first book I ever reviewed). I can't say enough how much I love the recipe – it never fails me and every time I make Cupcakes I end up with beautifully moist, melt in your mouth cakes that disappear far too quickly! So as I said, it was literally only a matter of time before I gave in and book number two was used and reviewed!

This book varies slightly from the first (in addition to the obvious fact that it's about 3 times as big!) in that the chapters are divided into occasions instead of specific cakes, such as Valentine's Day; Spring Weekend Bakes; Mother's and Father's Day; Birthdays and Celebrations and Rainy Day Treats to name a few. I happen to love this – it makes searching for a recipe for a special occasion so much easier. The rest of the book however is on the same par as the first, filled with mouthwatering pictures of delicious cakes that you just want to devour and the accompanying recipes don't disappoint. Now as much as I was desperate to review this book it was a little trickier for me than any other book I review as generally we don't eat a lot of baking in this house – unless of course it's a special occasion! Not because we don't enjoy it, but more so that with just being the 3 of us (and really Wee One has only recently started eating cookies and cakes and is definitely limited to special treats!) we just don't eat enough to justify me making a giant cake. I would love to – really I would, but my jeans and expanding waistline wouldn't, so I had to tread with caution for this review! Thankfully I chose to review it when Mum was out visiting so that we had at least one extra person in the house to help enjoy the results! I did however decide to only review 3 recipes for the time being but there are so many amazing looking treats and delights that I will certainly be trying a lot more in the future and will try and update here when possible!

Cookbook Review ~ Kitchen: Recipes From the Heart of the Home - Nigella Lawson

It wasn't my intention to pick yet another 'home cooking' book, it just happened that way! I decided to pick Nigella's most recent cookbook as I received a copy of Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home from Mum and Dad for Christmas and Mum was coming out to stay so it seemed appropriate (and I thought it would be fun for us to cook from it together!). On top of that I did already have a copy of this book but due to the size and weight of it, it has had to stay in Scotland, however that just makes things even better as it means Mum can use it when she goes home and I have a copy for when I'm back home! Nothing like having 2 cookbook libraries!

I think pretty much everyone is familiar with who Nigella Lawson (aka 'The Domestic Goddess') is so I don't think there is any need to introduce her or her culinary background, however what you might not know is that this is her 8^th book and just like the majority of them this is a huge book packed with almost 200 recipes (although it seemed like there were many more, but I wasn't about to start counting!). Being such a big book it didn't take me long to have bookmarked way more recipes than I could possibly try in a month but there are just so many recipes that I want to try which is always a good start to reviewing a book.

True to her usual style this book is full of recipes that are fuss-free, with zero stress but still delicious to eat. There are 2 sections to the book – Kitchen Quandaries (which is packed with recipes ideal for the reality of everyday home cooking) and Kitchen Comforts (full of more leisurely, relaxed recipes when you have more time to spend in the kitchen). One of the best parts of the book (in my opinion) however, is that with a lot of the recipes there are additional recipes and tips for using up any leftovers. To me that is fantastic idea as I know that is a common complaint for a lot of people. Finally, just when you thought you couldn't get any more out of this book, to make it even more user friendly for the every day cook, as well as the normal index, there is also a second index at the back of the book listing all of the recipes within the book that are 'express' recipes, in other words recipes that take 30 minutes or less to make and serve. So the practicalities of the book are great, the lay out is great, but what about the recipes?

Cookbook Review ~ A Taste of Home - Angela Hartnett

Being a home cook I couldn't resist a book entitled 'A Taste of Home' especially when it was by renowned chef (and protege of Gordon Ramsay) Angela Hartnett. I love knowing what other people cook at home for their families and friends, so cookbooks that are all about home cooking are favourites of mine.

Perhaps known more for her Italian cooking this second book by Angela Hartnett features a mix of Mediterranean and British influences to create delicious looking recipes with minimal fuss. There are 10 chapters featuring recipes within the book, some of which include Snacks; Soups; Pasta and Risotto; Pies and Gratins and Cakes and Puddings. This book has 200 quick and easy recipes – just what you want for home cooking!

In the introduction she states that for her, home cooking is all about sharing good meals with friends without showing off “cheffy skills” in the process. And just like the other book I was reviewing this month – Casual Entertaining by Ross Dobson – her approach is all about relaxed and enjoyable entertaining and reassuringly though she does admit to having mistakes in the kitchen like the rest of us! The recipes are meant to be simple, uncomplicated and perfect for making at the end of the working day so hopefully that is the case – along with being deliciously tasty!

Cookbook Review ~ Casual Entertaining - Ross Dobson

I found this book sitting in a bookstore reduced to the point where they were practically giving it away so of course it seemed only right to buy it! I never ever feel any guilt about a book that costs me less than $10....in fact I feel it my duty to buy it and lovingly add it to my collection! Of course I don't buy all books that are under $10....it still has to have a certain appeal and this one did just that! I already had Kitchen Seasons and Fired Up so I was familiar with Ross Dobson but this book, Casual Entertaining, seemed extra special - full of recipes that looked and sounded absolutely delicious.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ross Dobson he is a popular Australian food writer that writes for both Australian and UK magazines and newspapers as well as of course, writing and publishing his own cookbooks! Like many Australian chefs he has a very simple, no nonsense and relaxed approach to food, and his recipes are full of vibrant, bold flavours that appeal from the moment you read the title of the recipe. The mantra of the book is to keep entertaining at home as stress free, simple and casual as possible while still providing delicious, relaxed meals and of course, enjoying yourself.

There are 6 chapters featuring recipes which are divided into fun titles including 'Keeping it Casual'; 'Grazing'; 'Food in a Flash' and 'Chic Eats' - perfect for every occasion while entertaining! I have to admit though that although this book is called 'Casual Entertaining' there was a distinct lack of entertaining on my behalf while reviewing this book but I just couldn't resist cooking from it any longer! Therefore the recipes I made were rather selfishly enjoyed only by myself and hubby (oh and Wee One had one of the meals!), however I will definitely use this book in future when we are entertaining. The majority of the recipes are accompanied by stunning photographs that have you licking your licks and writing shopping lists before you are even half way through the book. So far I have tried 4 recipes in total from the book but it is my intention to try quite a few more as there are so many that really appeal.