Whitney Miller's New Southern Table Cookbook by Whitney Miller

This cookbook was everything I hoped it would be and more. I absolutely love the beautiful pictures inside and the stories of reminiscing and Whitney Miller's own personal thoughts on certain dishes. Each recipe begins with this wonderful introduction, which made me immediately want to invite some people over and start cooking.

It's not often when I get a new cookbook and I want to cook every single recipe inside. In fact, I think there may be only 1 or 2 that I have cooked everything out of it. This book is going to be added to that shelf. There was not one recipe that didn't churn up some memories or excitement for me. As I was going through it, I was already planning ahead for Thanksgiving and making a list of some wonderful dishes to try.

Another wonderful thing about this cookbook is that there are several gluten-free recipes included, as well. I appreciated that sensitivity to those with different diets who need an alternative but would love to eat some good food.

The recipes are made from a list of ingredients that I actually keep in my pantry. There wasn't anything extra special about the ingredients, which I love! The steps are simple and makes it so easy and quick for the home cook to follow. This makes cooking so much more fun and not quite a burden with a list of steps to follow that are difficult or time-consuming.

We tried the Seared Beef Tips and the Not Your Grandma's Roast. These were delicious! I have pretty much made my entire weekly meal plan from this cookbook. I can't wait to try all of these dishes--from breakfast to dessert, I'm anxious to see what my kids like!

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I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Berenstain Bears' Country Cookbook by Mike Berenstain

My kids were really excited to get this cookbook. Our family enjoys reading Berenstain Bears books, having read them ourselves when we were little kids. In fact, those books were some of the few my husband and I kept from childhood to share with our children.

Since our children enjoy cooking and baking, I was excited to have child-friend cookbook where we could do an easy recipe, but still create fun memories into the kitchen. As soon as my daughter opened the book, she started making a list of recipes for us to make together. Some of her favorites were the Bear-y Delicious Scones and the Banana Pops.

This cookbook has a wide range of recipes, including breakfast, lunch, main dishes, desserts, and snacks. The photos are very eye-appealing. The recipes are easy and include less than 10 ingredients. I also like that it uses a lot of fresh ingredients and not a lot of pre-packaged items. It's the perfect book to encourage healthy eating.

I'm looking forward to cooking many things in this book as we try out all of these recipes. This cookbook has already become a favorite among my children. I'm thankful for a book that will encourage family time in the kitchen and will give me many opportunities to spend meaningful time with my children.

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I received this book free from Zonderkidz through the Booklook Program in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Amish Canning Cookbook by Georgia Varozza

I have always wanted to learn to can foods.  My mother does and we grew up eating canned tomatoes, corn, beans, etc.  When I saw this book as one being offered for review, I immediately wanted to read it and try some recipes.

 

I did the apple pie filling and the bread and butter pickles.  They were easy and I can hardly wait to grab a jar and use it in the near future.  I'm thinking the apple pie filling will come in handy at Thanksgiving and will shorten my time in the kitchen.

 

Looking through this book, I was surprised by the things that can be canned.  I honestly had never thought of canning soup...even though it comes in cans at the stores.  I guess that should have been quite obvious to me, but it wasn't.  (Perhaps that tells my age.)  You can even can pickled three-bean salad.  Let's just say that it takes a lot of self-discipline to not want to eat these things right away!

 

I want to do the tomato sauce and the barbeque sauce next, along with some jelly.  I know that some of these things will be perfect for Christmas gifts.

 

I liked the history of canning that is found in the beginning.  If you're new to canning, like me, you will definitely appreciate the information on how to get started.  It explains the different canners and what all you need.

 

Once you choose what kind of canner you are going to use, there is a whole chapter on each canner that explains the process in a step-by-step way. 

 

There is even a chapter on "What went wrong" to answer any questions you have about whether your can is safe to eat or not.  It also explains what could have went wrong with your canning process based on how your can looks.

 

This is a cookbook that will be used over and over and will also be given as a wedding gift to many ladies!  I want to get her other cookbook "The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook."  I know I'll use it a lot.  The Amish eat clean and from the gardens, which I like.

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I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.