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.

A Farmer's Daugther by Dawn Stoltzfus

I absolutely loved cooking out of this cookbook.  I tried several recipes out of this book and all of them were a hit with my family.  That's saying a lot since I have to please a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. 

Our favorite food that we made was the potato soup.  It was very easy and very quick.  It didn't require a lot of ingredients, but just your usual prep work of a few things.  I really liked that the recipe didn't call for any shortcuts with pre-packaged foods.  Most of them used normal ingredients that didn't come in a jar!  I love cooking homemade and found that this was recipe was a one that would be used again many times over the winter months.

I also did the pumpkin spice latte and it was really good, as well.  Of course, since I have had Starbucks mostly, I had expected the taste of their drink.  It took me a few sips, but once I got it in my head that it would never and was never expected to have that taste, I enjoyed it.  What I enjoyed most about that recipe was the story above it that spoke about her mom making it for her after a long trip.  While I drank it, I imagined what it must have been like.  I'm sentimental like that, so I enjoy the personal stories over recipes.

One that I'm looking forward to making over Thanksgiving is the Toasted Butter Pecan Cake and I really want to try the Granola balls, too. 

This cookbook is one that I know I will probably try every recipe because most of them are normal ones that a family tends to eat on a weekly basis.  They are not time-consuming recipes, but taste wonderful because they are homemade.  That's the kind of recipe book I look for!

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

Don't Panic: Quick, Easy, and Delicous Meals for your Family by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia

I love cooking, cookbooks, and new recipes.  I had never had a chance to review a cookbook before so I was really excited to test out some recipes on my family (which includes 2 very picky kids)! 

Before I get to the recipes, let's talk about the layout of the book.  It's very cook-friendly.  It has easy to find sections and includes the following sections:

• Small Bites and Appetizers
• Breakfast, Breads, and Brunch
• Soups, Salads, and Sides
• Pasta, Pasta
• Crockpot Collection
• Easy Baked Oven Dishes
• Grate Grills and Marinades
• Savory Skillets and Quick Sautes
• Desserts Divine

It also has a very helpful measurements, equivalents, weights, and servings section that helps take out all of the guesswork and in some cases, experimentations.  It also has the nutrition information, which I find extremely helpful.  It makes me want to cook out of it even more because there's no guessing has to what I'm eating and what a serving size is.

In this book, we tried the Chicken Fajitas Garcia with the Easy Spanish Rice.  We had a hard time choosing because this book had recipes for such a wide variety of foods.  It had Mexican, Asian, American and then whatever you want to call soups, dips, and desserts.  I'm sure I didn't use exact measurements in my testing because I never do, but it was great!  I'm definitely making it again and am looking forward to cooking out of this book many more times.  Now, here's the moment I know you've been waiting for.....A FREE RECIPE! 

Chicken Fajitas Garcia

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

MARINADE:

1 clove garlic, minced

1-1/2 tsp. season salt

1-1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons lime juice

FAJITAS:

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

FOR SERVING:

flour tortillas, warmed

salsa

cheese tomato

lettuce

avacado

This recipe yeilds 3 servings.  Prep time is 10 minutes.  Total time is 2 hours and 30 minutes.

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all marinade ingredients in medium bowl; add chicken and toss to coat.  Marinade chicken in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.  In medium skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil and saute onion and green pepper until lightly browned.  Remove from pan.  Add remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil and saute chicken and marinde in the same skillet until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Return vegetables to pan and mix until well combined.  Spoon fajita mixture into warm flour tortillas and top with favorite ingredients.

Calories: 239 per serving.  Total fat is 11.8g.  Protein is 17g.

It has contains instruction for freezing this meal, but you'll have to get the book for that! 

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"Available April 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group <http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”