November 28, 2017

100 Classic Gluten-Free Comfort Food Recipes by Donna Washburn & Heather Butt (review)

November 28, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

I've always been one to express my love to friends and family with food (among other things). Homemade cookies regularly in the cookie jar. Special treats for special folks on special days. Enjoying food crafts and activities with kids. Festive family occasions focus primarily on food.

Enter a grandchild with food allergies. Gluten issues, in particular. James, my bonus grandson courtesy his dad Patrick marrying my daughter Brianna, can't eat the majority of my long-time specialty goodies and holiday favorites. Figuring out how to express food-love to that kiddo has been a challenge. For the most part, food isn't what James and I share.

That's all about to change, courtesy 100 Classic Gluten-Free Comfort Food Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt, which I recently received from publisher Robert Rose free for review. The 224-page cookbook takes the mystery out of making savory and sweet dishes without gluten! A lifesaver for this grandma and her gluten-free grandson.

October 17, 2017

Cookbook review: 175 Best Multifunction Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes by Marilyn Haugen

October 17, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

I have a lot of cookbooks. At last count — which was just before sitting down to write this review — there are 54 cookbooks on my kitchen bookshelf. And that doesn't even include the literally hundreds of cooking magazines I've collected throughout the years.

In addition to learning techniques and tasty treats from all those cookbooks, I've also learned that it's rare to find a cookbook in which every recipe turns out fabulous. 175 Best Multifunction Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes by Marilyn Haugen free for review just might be one of the rare ones.

August 26, 2016

Cookbook review: 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla V. Saulsbury

August 26, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

Do you have an air fryer? I reviewed one last year, and it quickly became one of my favorite appliances. I was quite pleased with the way french fries, chicken tenders, BBQ drumsticks and much, much more cooked up fast and oil free. And delicious.

Thing is, I had trouble finding recipes that went beyond the basics, beyond those things mentioned above. So I don't use my air fryer as often as I would like, as often as I could and should.

Enter 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla V. Saulsbury, freelance food writer and author of more than 20 cookbooks (including this one I previously reviewed). I received a copy of the glossy cover paperback for review and instantly fell in love with it.

175 best air fryer recipes

Inside the glossy cover of 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes the pages are primarily...

June 17, 2014

Sensational Buttercream Decorating by Carey Madden (cookbook review)

June 17, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

My mom made my wedding cake — a lovely off-white, multi-tier affair with delicate, pale yellow flowers and piping. My mom also made the cake for my oldest daughter's first birthday celebration. It featured a fabulous and festive clown that still stands out in my mind more than 30 years later.

Sensational Buttercream Decorating