Cookbooks reviewed: Jul 30

 
 

Mocktails: A Delicious Collection of Non-Alcoholic Drinks by Moira Clark

Always feel left out when others are having drinks and I don't do alcoholic ones.

TOC where recipes are listed. Introduction discusses the flavors possible when making drinks.

Starts with syrups where recipes start with a title, tiny color photo,  list of ingredients, directions.

There is NO nutritional information and no recipe photos. 

Drink recipes start with a title then List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and there is a QR code to scan. not sure what happens when you click on it.

Links are listed at the end for mocktails.

 Lots to choose from  using spices, herbs and fruit fruits and vegetables.

  

Water Bath Canning And Preserving Cookbook For Beginners: The Complete Guide with 101+ Grandma’s Recipes to Water Bath and Pressure Canning for Vegetables, Meats, Jam, Meals and More… by Emily Moore

TOC where recipes are broken up into food groups. Into discusses in detail the art of home canning. I have done this many years and have enjoyed the jars during cold winter months especially. Step by step instructions on how to do it and explanation of what other aspects you need to pay attention to.

Each recipe starts with a title and summary of the item.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and there is NO nutritional information and NO pictures.

Conversion tables are included at the end.

The Complete Anti-Inflammatory Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 600 Easy Anti-inflammatory Recipes with 21-Day Meal Plan to Reduce Inflammation by Fernando K. Rankin

TOC where recipes are listed as food groups. Intro discusses the cookbook and what to expect.

Chapters on what the disease is, health risks, what to eat and what not to eat, 21 days meal plans are all explained in details.

Each recipe starts with a title, prep and cook times, servings.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and some nutritional information per serving: calories, fat, protein, carbs, fiber, sugar and sodium.

There are NO pictures and the recipes do NOT always start at the top of a new page.

Lots of chapters and many choices in each one. Conversion charts are included at the end.

References are included also.

 

Food on a Stick Cookbook: State Fair and Carnival Food on a Stick Recipes by Louise Davidson

TOC where recipes are listed under savory, sweet, s'mores pops.

Intro discusses how food tastes better on a stick.

Each recipe starts with a title and servings.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given. there is NO nutritional information and NO pictures.

Getting some good ideas for our kebobs for tonight’s meals.

Never thought to make spaghetti and meatballs on a stick. sounds fun to eat! 

Even dessert dishes, wow! Like fruit skewers the best, fresh local fruits. 

Conversion charts included at the end.

Cookbooks reviewed: Jul 29

The Essential Pie Cookbook for Every Season & Every Kitchen: The taste seasons with 50 creative and classic seasonal pies by IVAN POSEY

Full page color photos and table of contents where recipes are broken up into seasons of the year.

Intro discusses pies and mastering the crust which is discussed in further chapters.

Tips and tricks are also written down for you to enjoy.

Rules of when to use the frozen fruits, etc. Step by step instructions in chapters devoted to crusts are discussed in detail and color photos.

Each recipe starts with a title, time, bake times and chill time, for some, servings. summary of the dish.

Crust is suggested, for filling there is a list of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Egg wash and finishing touches are given.

Tips and there is NO nutritional information and NO individual recipe pics.

Lots of favorites, good book to keep handy.

Conversion tables are enclosed at the end.

 

 

15 Minutes Recipes for Two: 50 Healthy Two-Serving 15 Minutes Recipes (Cooking for Two Book 6) by Louise Davidson

TOC where recipes are broken up into meals and food categories.

Offer of free ebooks. Intro discusses the recipes. 

Each recipe starts with a title, servings, prep and cook times.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given along with some nutritional servings, per serving: calories, fat, carbs, protein and sodium.

There are NO pictures.

Like that there are only a handful of recipes per category. So much to choose from. Offer of free ebooks, author asks for a review and her other works are highlighted at the end.

Conversion charts are included.

Easy Panini Cookbook: Easy Panini Recipes in an Easy Panini Cookbook by BookSumo Press

TOC where recipes are listed.

Full page color pictures.

Each recipe starts with a title, to far right hand corner, sometimes in light blue shaded square are prep and coook times, servings.

Some nutritional information: calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs and protein.

In main part of the page are list of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given.

There are full page color photos, not sure what recipes they go with.

 Artistically shown. 

Everyday Mexican: Easy Favorite Mexican Recipes to Make at Home by Sarah Spencer

TOC where recipes are listed as meals and food groups.

Offer of free ebooks, intro discusses the Mexican and differences between North and South recipes.

Love seasonings for taco sauce as I know I can make it healthy with low sodium products. 

Each recipe starts with a title, summer of the dish, servings, prep and cook times.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and there is NO nutritional information and NO pictures.

Lots of recipes to choose from. Offer of free given, author asks for a review, other works by the author are listed at the end, conversion charts are also listed.

 

Casseroles: From Oven to Table - Easy Everyday Casserole Recipes (One Pot meals) by Louise Davidson

TOC where recipes are listed as meals and food categories.

Offer of free ebooks,  intro talks about how to make the casseroles, tips are included.

Each recipe starts with a title, servings, prep and cook times.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and there is some nutritional information per serving: calories, fat, carbs, protein, and sodium There are NO pictures.

Free ebook offer, author requests a review, other works are highlighted at the end, conversion charts are included.

Pressure Canning Without the Danger: Your Comprehensive Guide to Safely Using Your Pressure Canner by Linda C. Johnson

TOC where chapters are listed, free ebooks,  Intro about using the pressure cooker for canning and preserving.

Step by step instructions are included. Different parts of the item are also described in detail and what role they play.

How to prepare.

What you can preserve and what you shouldn't can are listed.

Love section on making your own stock. so useful, Disasters to avoid and what to look out for. 

Useful book but NO recipes.  conclusions, thanks, references are included at the end. 

Cookbooks reviewed: Jul 28

  

The Potato Hack: Weight Loss Simplified by Tim Steele

TOC where chapters are about potatoes.

Forward and intro with some pictures and how potatoes are used to reset your metabolism and help your gut health.

Follows a journey in how it all works. Potato quotes start the chapters.

Lots of pictures help explain the process of what the meals are like.

Lot of different methods o cooking potatoes. Check with your doctor before you start.

Each recipe starts with a title, list of ingredients and directions. There are also variations.

There are NO recipe pictures or nutritional information.

First year planting potatoes for me and made a lot of mistakes, watering 2-3 times a day. i have one pot left, the others were diseased so badly i tossed out the dirt with what was left.

Have hilled them and will continue to do so. Flowers look awesome, hope this works. Lots of tips in this book along with references.

A KEEPER for just growing ptoatoes.

The Art of Canning: A Complete Guide to Water Bath Canning and Pressure Canning With 111 Safe and Tasty Recipes by Sophia Hall 

Still on search for best blueberry jam and have yet to find one but have tried several. Always canned and preserved with my mother growing up. it's a way of life to make food with things you have and have grown in your own garden.

Not from the author and free offer. , TOC where recipes are listed under a few categories fruits, jam/jellies, pie filling, tomato, vegetables, even meats, poultry and seafood.

Have done both methods of canning and like both depending on foods I'm working with.

Charts are shown where you can  decide which of the methods would be best to use.

List of things NOT suitable for canning is also listed.

Safety of troubleshooting problems that could occur are explained.

How to pick out a pressure cooker and what to look for along with equipment you will need. 

Pro tips and PC is explained in detail.

Each recipe starts with a title, which method is using, hand drawn sketches of the fruit. 

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given along with chart, style of pack, jar size, water bath process time at altitudes.

Nice combinations of fruits. Like broths and have frozen them before and they work out fine.

Like the process of canning clams, never thought of it as we usually will eat all we bought.

Bibliography is included at the end.

 

 

 

Baking Cake with New Style with New & Delicious Recipes Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Pastries from the British Queen of Baking by TONYA CONNOR 

Starts with TOC where chapters are broken up into the food groups: cakes, cookies, etc

Each chapter then has its own listing of recipes Techniques of baking the new style method are included with pictures.

How to mix, prepare pans, baking and removing when done are all discussed with pictures and words.

All kinds of crusts also have examples of how to make.

Each recipe starts with a title, servings and list of special equipment and a list of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and picture is included.

there are NO nutritional information.

Some fancy names and I’m not sure what they mean

 

 

Gout Hater's Cookbook IV: The low purine diet cookbook by Jodi Hockinson 

TOC where recipes are broken up first into seasons then meal and food categories.

Lots of info about the book tiself, then all about gout. Foods allowed are broken into green-good, yellow, caution and red-should not be eating these foods.

Explains why also and what it does inside your body.

Each recipe starts with a title and List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given. There are NO picture and NO nutritional information.

Very basic recipes some of these are with few ingredients.

Can't wait to try baked zucchini, although I do not have gout it's a good source of nourishment for our bodies and I just picked two the other day.

Has recipe for making your own bbq sauce also with things we already have in pantry.

Chicken curry and/or dumplings sound good enough for our family also.

OM, a carrot cake recipe with frosting to boot!, I would throw in pineapple and coconut also.

Bibliography, master index from books 1 through 4 and more info about gout and about the author are at the end of the book.

Great information!

Books reviewed: Jul 28

 

 

The Crayon Man: the True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow

Enjoyed this read about how crayons came to be. I do remember the thick ones we used, trying to hold them in our tiny hands and actually using them.

I have two sets of 8 colors only in my arsenal for when I am designing some colorwork for knitting items. Get out my graph paper with the grid lines and magic happens.

Such a fascinating read.

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Book review: Beyond Stitch And Bitch: Reflections On Knitting And Life by Afi-Odelia Scruggs

  

 

Beyond Stitch And Bitch: Reflections On Knitting And Life

by Afi-Odelia Scruggs

What I love about this book is the patterns and the ease of them but complicated also.

Story follows a girl when she first starts to learn how to knit, puts it down then sparks her interest again and it mentions a shop in Providence, RI,

one I've not visited myself that gets her creative juices flowing again. Love hearing about the color sequences and how her hands tell her what it is she's making as she starts knitting.

Love the story of the woman from Africa coming and connecting with her.

 Fun read. Comradery is awesome.

 I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

 

Book Revieew: Penny: Hands I Passed Through…Things I Saw…Stories I Can Tell! by Peter Davidson

  

 

Penny: Hands I Passed Through…Things I Saw…Stories I Can Tell!  by Peter Davidson 

After reading the summary of the book I wanted to search through my coins and see if I had a special penny of the same year.

LOVED this story and will recommend to my book clubs, such a fun read. Love all the facts and travel and especially diverse groups of people that interact with the coin.

Have been or read about some places just in the past week, so fascinating.

Never in a million years did I see the penny as being front and center of the real facts of the murder. WOW  very relaxing even though parts of it were political.

Can’t wait to read more of this wuthors works,

I received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Cookbooks reviewed: Jul 25

  

Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 500 Healthy, Flavorful and Easy-to-Prepare Recipes even for Absolute Beginners | Begin the Journey to Discover the Wonders of Mediterranean Cuisine by Amanda White

TOC where recipes are broken up into meals  and food categories.

Intro discusses the Mediterranean diet plan, not only  food but other aspects.

Pictures are charts are included in intro sections.

Each recipe starts with a title, some have a tiny color photo, prep and cook times, servings.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and there is some nutritional information, not sur eof serving size: calories, fat, fiber, carbs and protein.

Not every recipe starts at the top fo a new page. Interested in fish/seafood area and soups. Enjoy healthy foods nowadays, so flavorful and fresh.

For stock I'd use fresh made or low sodium variety. So many recipes I want to try.

Shopping lists are included with meal plans. Conversion charts are listed at the end. 

A KEEPER!

Anti Inflammatory Cookbook: 1000 Affordable & Delicious Recipes with 30-Day Meal Plan to Reduce Inflammation, Balance Hormones and Lose Weight. by Megan Solari

TOC where recipes are listed under meals  and food groups.

Meal plans are listed and they note calories per meal.

Each recipe starts with a title, prep and cook time and servings.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Some contain a LOT of items, be sure to have them all lined up before you start.

Directions are given and there is some nutritional information per servings: calories, fat, protein and carbs.

There are NO pictures. Recipes do NOT always start at the top of a new page.

There are SO many recipes I want to try, everything from soups  to meals. 

Conversion charts are included at the end.  along with index.

  

Anti-Inflammatory Diet Cookbook: Reduce Inflammation and Say Goodbye to Chronic Pain With Recipes to Keep You Full and Healthy (The Anti-Inflammatory Diet Cookbook Book 1) by Julia Hensley 

Author bio and thank you gift, other works by the author are listed also.

Book description, table of contents where recipes are listed as meals and food groups.

Intro material discusses how to cut down on inflammatory disease by eating right foods.

Color photos in intro material.

Each chapter has a title , medium size color picture, summary of the items, facts and numbers about best parts to eat.

Each recipe starts with a title, summary of the dish and tips.

Prep and cook times, servings, notational information: calories, carbs, fat, protein and fiber, not sure of serving size.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and some contain more in. Recipes do NOT always start at the top of a new page.

There are NO individual recipe pictures. Lots of recipes to choose from.

Gout Hater's Cookbook III: Low Purine Diet Cookbook by Jodi Hockinson 

Dedication page and thanks for help from others.

TOC where recipes are listed in food categories and meals.

Intro discusses the culprit and how get a handle on gout.

Lots of foods are listed: green are great to eat, yellow is cautionary and red is not allowed.

Conversion tables are enclosed. Recipe suggestions for different seasons are also listed, very helpful.

Always wondered what foods effected my father and his gout and I'm pretty sure it was all the fresh seafood.

Each recipe starts with a title and summary of the dish.

List of ingredients and directions re included, servings.

Like meals included as squash is now harvesting  There are NO pictures, No nutritional information.

Squash casserole sounds great, going to make it for family dinner this week.

Ingredients and more directions on next part of the dish.

LOTS of ingredients, be sure to have them all.

Love section on basics from scratch. no reason to buy them store bought.

Bibliography is also enclosed. Helpful links are included and about the author is listed at the end.

Very resourceful and helpful book.