Oct 15, 2018

Cookbook Review: Cooking with Scraps by Lindsay-Jean Hard

Cooking with Scraps is a creative resource for using every bit of your food and ingredients. From artichoke leaves to tortilla chip crumbs. I loved how it was organized by ingredient alphabetically so that it can be an easy reference. There were some obscure items: shiso and bacon ends you might not come across in your daily cooking, but overall most recipes featured common ingredients. I tried several different recipes and they were both good and were easy to prepare when following the directions. There are several more I bookmarked to try another time. Great book to add to your collection.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy. All thoughts are my own.

Jun 6, 2018

Cookbook Review: What Can I Bring? by Elizabeth Hiskell

I thoroughly enjoyed cooking through this book for the last month or so. What can I bring? is a question most of are faced with at least several times a year, if not weekly. I enjoyed reading her suggestions for the various situations. The book is divided into chapters of scenarios in which you might bring food. Everything I made (which is listed below) was great and simple to prepare. Directions were clear and easy to accomplish. My one criticism is that it would have been nice to see more healthy sides included. Otherwise a solid cookbook to add to your collection.

What I cooked:
Yoste Roast, p. 24 - Similar to the famous Mississippi Roast floating around the internet. Simply delicious. (Side note: I was brought a similar dish after having my second baby and we thoroughly enjoyed it with a couple of healthy sides.)
Pimento Cheese, p. 48 - Great. I'm forever in search of the best pimento cheese recipe and this one is one I will try again.
Crack Crackers, p. 78 - I actually took these to a family as they were packing to move.
Roasted Vegetable Pasta salad, p. 84 - great side dish. Especially for the spring/summer months.
Chicken Enchiladas, p. 104 - awesome. I will for sure be making this again.
Refried black beans, p. 105 - also awesome.
Tossed Green Salad with Tequila Lime Dressing, p. 110 - Served this with the above two recipes. Great.
Pasta Jambalya, p 165 - Delicious
Hangover Sliders, p. 190 - good.
White Bean and Kale Soup, p. 207 - delicious. One of the more healthy dishes I tried from this book.
Turkey, Brie, and Apple Sandwich, p. 240 - Great. I didn't make the hot mustard sauce because I was short on time and ingredients.
Cola Cake, p 257 - A classic.

There are still many more recipes I'd like to try from this book and I will be turning to it again and again.