Need Yet Another Cookbook?

My smart, beautiful and talented friend, Nicole taught me how to make chocolate-covered saltines.  Salty and sweet!  Yum!  This fast, easy recipe can be tweaked to add shredded coconut or sprinkles, (as one of her other friends did) or to make it allergy/vegan friendly (as I did).

The closest written recipe that I could find for this treat came from Trisha Yearwood, (As if we needed another reason to love her!)  And, as if I needed yet another cookbook on my kitchen shelf, I think I might order one of hers!

Happy reading and eating,

Christine

A Dash of Magic

Enchante`!  That is how I felt after reading A Dash of Magic, by Kathryn Littlewood.  Set in France, with allusions to the Mona Lisa, the Louvre, Versailles, Marie Antoinette and the Eiffel Tower, this confection of a cooking-contest story contains all the ingredients of a good read!  I can't wait to start the next book in the series.

Happy reading,
Christine

The Secret Ingredient

I just finished reading The Secret Ingredient, by Laura Schaefer.  I loved all of the recipes and food references in this sequel to The Teashop Girls, but I feel adults will love this book more than the middle graders and young adults for whom it was intended.  While I personally love visiting farmers' markets, I'm not sure how many young adults truly appreciate the importance of using the freshest, locally-grown ingredients in their cooking.  Also, sometimes the protagonist's voice felt a little too grown up for me.  I've worked with middle-graders for years, and I've never once heard any of them discuss someone's "pleasant demeanor," as does the eighth-grade protagonist of this book.  Still, if you love cooking, tea and organic foods, and are looking for a quick read without any violence or inappropriate language, this may be the book for you.  There are even a few references to fashion models and actresses being too thin and unhealthy looking, a point that can't be stressed enough with youth who are bombarded with images of superficial beauty ideals. 

Happy reading,
Christine

Happy New Year!

Publish your own cookbook in 2014!  Click here to enter Rachael Ray's cookbook competition, and you could be a published cookbook author!

Happy New Year,
Christine