Eating Well Made Easy: Good and Simple Hemsley Sisters Show Us How

Eating well is hard (and expensive!). Anyone looking to start on a healthier eating journey should look no further than Good and Simple: Recipes to Eat Well and Thrive by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley.

Photos of the food are appetizing and mouth watering and lots of great tips about how to eat well and a wide assortment of recipes to meet every need and satisfy every taste bud. Do not pass up the Cajun roasted cauliflower (my favorite in the book).

Blogger Note:  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. This review is entirely based on my opinion.

Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Hit All the Right Spots

Who doesn't love Chrissy Teigen? She is absolutely adorable and funny and down-to-Earth, or at least that's how she comes across to her followers on Twitter & Instagram. Continuing her trend of inviting us into her life, Teigen has given us the cookbook that we've all been waiting for, perfectly titled Cravings.

Teigen completely embraces her authenticity in this book. From candid shots of herself beside hubby John Legend, to her famous food photographs, this book is the perfect hybrid cookbook slash coffee table book.

You get a sense of how important food is to Teigen through this book and it translates over into the recipes she's included. She is most known on Instagram for her food that is both man-friendly (read: meat and potatoes) and perfect for indulging in and her book hits all those marks perfectly, but also goes beyond that.

While there are plenty of recipes that you'd expect her book to contain (Frito Pie, Stove Top Stuffing crusted pork chops, Wings (!!)) there are also plenty of healthier fare to balance it all out.

If you like Chrissy Teigen in anyway, this book will not disappoint.

Blogger Note:  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. This review is entirely based on my opinion.

Lighten Up Y'all: Southern Style Favorites Tweaked for Healthy Eating

Cookbooks are odd to review. It comes down to whether or not you will actually make a fair amount of the recipes, that determines if you like the book or not.

I mention this because most of these recipes in Lighten Up Y'all by Virginia Willis are not typically things I would make more than once or twice, simply to try out. But I don't think that should sway your decision about trying them out or incorporating them into your food repertoire.

Lighten Up Y'All by Virginia Willis

If you like traditional Southern fare, than this book would fit into your kitchen nicely. Willis adapts traditional Southern foods such as Dirty Rice, Oven Fried Okra, Smothered Chicken with Gravy and Etoufee and makes them healthier.
I did happen to like a few recipes in particular such as her Makeover Broccoli Mac and Cheese, Sinless Seven Layer Dip, Sweet Potato Gratin, Buttermilk Biscuits and Pineapple Right Side Up Cake.

If Southern home style cooking is your thing, than this book is a must stock for your kitchen. Everyone else should browse through it at the library and pluck a few choice recipes to throw into your lunch and dinner rotation as the mood strikes.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Martha Stewart Living's One Pot Cookbook is THE Answer to What's ForDinner Question

You need to know something about me from the get-go: I am not domestic. As in, me and Martha Stewart exist on the polar opposite ends of the domesticity spectrum. However, I have to give her new cookbook, One Pot, an infinite amount of stars in this review solely because everything inside is EASY to cook and is equally delicious.

One Pot by Martha Stewart

Most of the time when you are recipe surfing and you want an easy to prepare meal, you are also knowingly resigning yourself to not the best tasting meal. It's a tradeoff, you have to sacrifice some of the flavor for convenience. Well that notion is no longer valid, thanks to who else (??!!) but Martha Stewart, Goddess of all that is Good. She packed this book with over 120 one pot recipes you can make in your stockpot, crockpot, skillet, pressure cooker, dutch oven, baking dish and even left room for dessert!

Most Pinterest aficionados are familiar with Martha's One Pot Pasta that still reigns supreme as the easiest and most delicious pasta recipe hands down. And for me, that's only the beginning. This book has an endless array of meal ideas that don't require much more than chopping, slicing and tossing into a pan. The Macaroni & Cheese (original plus three variations) is enough to satisfy any comfort food junky's urge, The Pasta with Farm Stand Vegetables is a great use of all those left over summer veggies you may still have hanging out in the kitchen and the Chicken Soup (original plus three additional variations) will become your winter favorite (it's already mine!). Finish your meal off with the Rustic Apple Tart (go pick those apples now!) and you can thank me later.

There isn't anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book. I'm a picky eater/almost vegetarian (I eat chicken) and I found plenty of filling meal ideas, but Martha has something for everyone so don't overlook this gem, even if you fall on the pickier edge of the spectrum.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Extra Virgin: The Cookbook Your Italian Grandmother Would Be Proud toSee in Your Kitchen

This cookbook can easily be confused as a coffee table book. The photography is stunning! Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar transport the flavors and family atmosphere to your home through their book, Extra Virgin: Recipes and Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen.

Extra Virgin by Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar

Beautifully presented, Extra Virgin provides the recipes that are authentically Tuscan and will impress even your picky Italian Grandmother! There is something for every occasion, season or craving, from your pasta to your soups and even Tiramisu. All of the ingredients were easily accessible and the recipes were clear and easy to follow.

My favorite thing about this book though had to be the was that Corcos and Mazar infuse this book with their personal stories. It comes across as a mix of cookbook/family album that just adds to the authentic Tuscan vibe.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

It's Easier Than You Think to Be the Mom That Makes the Crafty Goodies,Thanks to Candy Aisle Crafts

You've seen those moms. The ones with all the carefully crafted goodies for every occasion. You've tried and failed to master the art of the infamous snowman cupcake. You are more familiar with Pintrest fails than you are with bragable success stories of treats gone right. Well let me stop you right there and let you in on a little secret. Come closer. Ready? Candy Aisle Crafts by Jodi Levine.

Candy Aisle Crafts by Jodi Levine. Photo courtesy of Crown Publishing

I know what you are thinking: You've tried to master the easy treats and you fail miserably. Cut yourself some slack. It's not you. It's that the instructions you were trying to follow were way too convoluted and overly-complex. This book is the answer. You will impress all the Moms at the PTA when you craft the coolest cookie castle cake for your son's party! Your daughter will love the snowman cupcakes for her Frozen-themed soiree! There are really adorable (and super-easy Halloween and Christmas) cake toppers! Specialty lollipops! Do you like marshmallows? Then there is a whole chapter devoted to the amazing and easy-peasy treats you can make with 'em!

This book is for the Mom who wants to give her kids fun treats without spending all day in the kitchen. The ingredients are all things you can pick up at the local grocery store and the directions are easy to follow, with gorgeous photos. Totally fool-proof, tasty and adorable treats are just a book away.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Go from Clueless in the Kitchen to a Cooking Diva with KitchenConfidence

True Confession time: I hate cooking. Scratch that, I don't like cooking. Wait, that isn't quite right either. I think what I'm trying to say is that I can't cook. It's a little embarrassing to admit that, especially with everyone constantly Instagramming pics of their super-yummy looking (and I'm sure tasty) meals.

Enter Kelsey Nixon's book, Kitchen Confidence. Really, there is no false advertisement here at all. This book makes cooking easy. The recipes are delicious, well-presented and the instructions are simplified, even for an un-domestic goddess like me!

Hands down the best recipes in this book are the Berries & Cream Stuffed French Toast, Grilled Veggie Panzanella, Stovetop Mac & Cheese, Grilled Fruit Skewers and Skillet Blueberry and Peach Cobbler (I'm a vegetarian so I skipped over the meat meals!). But honestly, everything is so well-presented and easy to follow that you can't mess any of them up.

Most of the recipes come with variations so you can change them up from time to time. I also really like how Nixon provides recipes for some staples like your basic rolls and quinoa pilaf. She also provides lots of useful how-to's as a great introduction to techniques such as braising, pickling, blanching and stir-frying just to name a few.

This book is perfect for a young person trying to navigate their way in the kitchen for the first time or anyone like me who is clueless when it comes to cooking. These meals are impressive and delicious.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

photo courtesy of: Clarkson Potter Publishers