The Cookbook Junkies

Supermarket Healthy — Melissa D’Arabian

January 2, 2015 by Jenny Hartin 1 Comment

I enjoyed Melissa D’Arabian on Next Food Network Star and on her show 10 Dollar Dinners (but come on – we all know those dinners cost more than ten bucks).

In Supermarket Healthy, she continues to provide us with recipes for eating well without spending a lot of dough.

The recipes are interesting enough to merit some attention and include Sesame and Pumpkin Seed Breaded Chicken, Cod and Coconut Curry over Cilantro Rice, Piri Piri Barbecued Chicken Kebabs, Cider-Brined Pork Loin with Pine Nut Relish, Vietnamese Chicken Kale Wraps, Red Cabbage Stuffed Enchiladas Verde and more.

Her recipes are great for the busy mom or cook – trying to get a nice meal on the table.

The Skinnytaste Cookbook

December 19, 2014 by Jenny Hartin 1 Comment

I’m not a diet cookbook fan…but I have heard so many wonderful things about The Skinnytaste Cookbook that I had to take a look at it.

The photographs are beautiful in the book and the recipes sound intriguing:

PB&J Overnight Oats in a Jar
Winter Potato, Kale and Sausage Frittata
Pumpkin-obsessed Vanilla Glazed Scones
Dad’s Jammin’ Crepes

Breadless French Onion Soup with Parmesan-Asiago Crisps
Too-Good-to-Be-True Baked Potato Soup
Rustic Italian Gnocchi Soup

Buffalo Chicken Melts
Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks
Summer Lobster Rolls

Caliente Bean and Queso Dip
Loaded Nacho Potato Skins
Cheesy “Fried” Mozzarella Bites

Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs (these look INCREDIBLE)
Skinny Shrimp, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Chapters on meatless mains and dessert too!

I will be using some of these lightened up recipes in the new year when we all promise to eat healthier.

There is nothing unique and innovative in this book – just good looking recipes that are “light on calories, big on flavor.”

Thank you Blogging for Books for this review copy.

Tamales Fast and Delicious Mexican Meals

December 12, 2014 by Jenny Hartin Leave a Comment

Tamales Fast and Delicious Mexican Meals — is written by Alice Guadalupe Tapp – who is a West Coast restaurateur. Alice wrote “Tamales 101” in 2002 and has expanded and shared with us her knowledge of tamales in this cookbook.

Tamales includes from scratch recipes and also recipes using masa that you can purchase from your local market. Her instructions are easy to follow and straightforward.

She provides us with dough, salsa and filling recipes as well as the full spectrum of tamales including a Nose to Tail Tamale chapter as well as vegetarian and vegan tamales. She has a chapter on inside out tamales — or tontos — which I found interesting as well as dessert tamales! Oreo tamales yes!

I am totally unexperienced in the world of tamales and this book will help me remedy that.