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Gifts from the Kitchen: 100 Irresistible Homemade Presents for Every Occasion

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Gifts from the Kitchen: 100 Irresistible Homemade Presents for Every Occasion
Inevitably, after months of shopping and planning, my best-received gifts are the cookies and candies I’ve made for my loved ones. That’s why, in the days leading up to Christmas, you can only find me if you look in my kitchen. I’m the one covered in powdered sugar, chocolate, and corn syrup – dancing around to Christmas music.

Man, I love this time of year!

If you love giving gifts you’ve made in your own kitchen, too, here’s a cookbook you’ll want to add to your library right away.  Gifts from the Kitchen: 100 Irresistible Homemade Presents for Every Occasion, by Annie Rigg (Amazon link) is an uncommonly beautiful book. As a cookbook collector, one of the first things I notice about a cookbook is how good it feels about itself –  the cover, artwork, and photographs let you know, right off the bat, if the cookbook feels really good about itself or if its heart is only half in it.

Gifts from the Kitchen (Amazon link) feels amazingly good about itself – we’re talking “supermodel” confidence, here.

Naturally, for a book to be a great book – there has to be more than just great looks going for it. Thankfully, Gifts from the Kitchen comes through in the personality department, too  – it’s not just a pretty face.

{Continued Below…}

Gifts from the Kitchen: 100 Irresistible Homemade Presents for Every Occasion
The book covers all celebrations and all seasons. Not only can you use the beautiful delicacies for gift-giving, you can also use them to celebrate special occasions.

Special Occasion Recipes Include

  • Fortune Cookies (Chinese New Year)
  • Chocolate Valentine’s Cakes (Valentine’s Day or Anniversaries)
  • Love Heart Sugar Cubes (Valentine’s Day)
  • Double Dark Chocolate, Pecan and Ginger Cookies (Father’s Day)
  • Easter Nest Cupcakes (Easter)
  • Rugelach (Jewish Celebrations)
  • Baby Shower Cakes
  • Wedding Cake
  • Stained Glass Snowflake Cookies (Christmas)
  • And More…

Recipes for Gifts That Fit Any Occasion Include

  • Chocolate Truffles
  • Peanut or Macadamia Brittle
  • Creamy Vanilla Fudge with Chocolate and Nuts
  • Pickled Beets
  • Pickled Shallots
  • Spiced Cranberry Jelly
  • Florentines
  • Chocolate-Coated Candied Almonds
  • Mango Chutney with Chili Pepper and Ginger
  • English Muffins
  • Cherry Jam
  • Strawberry and Vanilla Preserves
  • Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread
  • Honeycomb (look especially perfect for Halloween)
  • Pesto
  • And Many more….

In addition to the clear and simple recipes, Gifts from the Kitchen (Amazon link) provides beautiful examples of ways to present many of these food gifts to your lucky foodie.

This is not a “gluten free” cookbook, but many of the candies and other recipes are, in and of themselves, gluten free. I have not tested any of the other recipes with gluten free flours, so I can’t say how well they’d take to substitutions. It is, however, in my opinion, more than worth having in your collection. The candies, spreads, jellies, etc. outnumber the cakes and cupcakes… and even they provide inspiration and ideas for the gluten free cook.

I’m especially excited about a recipe for “Wholegrain Honey Mustard.” Wholegrain mustard is an obsession of mine – I add it to more recipes than you can imagine (potato salad, BBQ sauce, deviled eggs, egg salad sandwiches, salad dressings…). I can only imagine how amazing this homemade Wholegrain Honey Mustard will be!

See Gifts from the Kitchen (Amazon link) for more information.

While you’re on Amazon, check out the other beautiful cookbooks by Annie Rigg!

Gifts from the Kitchen: 100 Irresistible Homemade Presents for Every Occasion

Review: Quesadillas by Donna Kelly (I LOVE this Cookbook to Distraction!)

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Chicken Bacon and Ranch Quesadillas

Four-Layer Folded Ranch

I was recently sent a copy of a wonderful Quesadilla cookbook in exchange for telling you all about it and I KNOW you’ll love it as much as I do.  Quesadillas by Donna Kelly (Amazon link) is a dream come true for me for more reasons than one.

  1. When you have to eat gluten-free, you turn to gluten-free tortillas, like the AMAZING ones from Mission (Amazon link) often. Roll-ups, wraps, quesadillas, burritos, etc. Things you can’t put in pliable bread, you can most absolutely put in pliable gluten-free tortillas!
  2. I am obsessed… obsessed I tell you… with everything even remotely connected to Mexican or even Tex-Mex.
  3. Quesadillas are a meal that comes together really fast. Meal prep can all be done ahead of time, leaving you with only one task – put it all together and make the magic happen.
  4. This is a cookbook with easy to find (I’ve found that I usually have the ingredients on hand) recipes – ones you’ll use again and again and again.
  5. It’s a physical cookbook. Let me tell you why I find this to be a HUGE plus… I detest searching through my phone, files, and drawers for a recipe! Detest it like a shy 12 year old kid hates giving an oral book report in front of a roomful of other kids with every single eye staring a hole right through me… I mean her. Physical books mean the recipe is always right where you left it. Each and every time.

Book Description from Amazon:

Simply put, the quesadilla is a delightful package of melted cheesy goodness―all sandwiched inside crispy tortillas. But now these little gooey snacks we all used to make as kids have evolved into savory meals and scrumptious desserts that are bursting with flavor. Featuring all new photography, Quesadillas contains some of these delicious favorites, including Roasted Veggie and Goat Cheese, Thai Peanut, Parmesan-Crusted Italian, Chicken Caesar, Philly Cheesesteak, Peanut Butter Apple, Triple Chocolate Decadence, and Pecan-Crusted Pear.

The first recipe I made was the one titled Four-Layer Folded Ranch. It involves bacon, cream cheese, Ranch dressing mix, chicken, tortillas, pepper jack cheese… see why I chose it first?? It’s pictured at the top and was even more delicious than it looks.

Remember how I spoke of meal prep above? I am a firm believer and ardent follower of the meal plan attack for suppers. I have the JOY (one of the greatest blessing of my life if we’re keeping score) of watching my grandbabies (from around 8:00am to 4:00-5:00 pm) while their parents are at work. I have two (ages 4 and 2, both boys) every weekday and some days also have their cousin (18 months, also a boy!). My days are FULL of fun, dinosaurs, Hot Wheels, laughs, and immeasurable love.

They’re also deliciously busy – and, if you’re familiar with little people, you know that between 3-5 is the crazy zone. I mean, they kick it up a notch or 50 around then, don’t they?! That’s why I love meal prep and that’s why I turn to things like quesadillas so often.

For the quesadillas pictured at the top, I cooked the chicken and the bacon earlier and placed them in meal prep containers. Then I sliced the cheese and combined the other ingredients I’d need. When 5:00 came, all I had to do was heat up the gridle and throw everything in place.

Whether it’s adorable miniature humans or a not so adorable 9-5 job, meal prep may be your new best friend.

Other Recipes Include:

  • Crowd-Pleaser Sheet Pan (Giant Quesadilla!)
  • Old World Mexico (potatoes and chorizo)
  • S’Mores (a scrumptious looking dessert)
  • Peaches and Cream
  • Greek Isles (Feta, spinach, black olives…)
  • Black and Blue (spicy beans and several cheeses)
  • Four-Layer Folded Caprese (cream cheese, diced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil..)

There are International, Vegetarian, Meat-y, and dessert recipes as well as a section for salsas and sauces… they are amazing.

I can’t recommend this wonderful cookbook enough. I know you’ll love and use it as much as I do!

For more information, please see  Quesadillas by Donna Kelly (Amazon link).

Quesadillas by Donna Kelly

Quesadillas by Donna Kelly


The Many Benefits of Eating Local

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Local

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local

Every now and then, on each of my blogs, I will take an old post (or review) and give it new life – bringing it into the present day, when relevant. Since eating healthy and supporting our local communities could not POSSIBLY be more relevant to our present day, I’m revamping a review of a book I was sent a few years ago (It is, of course, still available on Amazon… in fact, the last time I checked the paperback book was under $5!)

Rather than a cookbook, which I typically review on the food blog, this book is more of a live longer, be healthier, help your community, and protect the environment type of book. If that’s your cup of tea (and how could it not be?!), this ambitious and fascinating book is for you.

After reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local (Amazon link) my first thought was, “I wish this were required reading for everybody. Everywhere.”  Of course, I  have on idea how one would go about enforcing the reading assignment, but I think someone should give it a try.

Seriously, when is supporting local farmers NOT a wonderful idea?  When is eating healthier foods NOT a wonderful idea?

As I said, I am revisiting some books, recipes, and articles and placing them in the spotlight thanks to the Pandemic. I get as tired as anyone when people try to imply that only unfit people with pre-existing conditions can get COVID or its variants. Poppycock!

Do people who are out of shape, overweight, or have pre-existing conditions have a harder time with the virus than others. Well, obviously. Sorry to be so blunt, but sometimes common sense comes into play. Yes, even fit and otherwise healthy people can be knocked off their feet with this (or any) virus. However, study after study has proven that those who are overweight or have pre-existing conditions tend to be hit harder.

This isn’t just true of the Coronavirus. It’s true for any disease from influenza to cancer. When we stay as healthy and near our ideal weight as possible, we don’t just make ourselves healthier today, we give ourselves more of a fighting chance when something ugly knocks on our door.

If your imagination is as crazy as mine, think of it in terms of a zombie attack. Picture 240 zombies strolling through town with nothing but eating brains on their mind. As if right out of a movie, cars, buses, planes, helicopters. all forms of transpiration no longer work. Heck even all the bicycles have disappeared.

Who are the people who will stand the best chance of getting away and finding someplace to seek refuge?

The healthiest and most fit. Common sense, whether we’re talking about zombies, viruses, or just about any ugliness you can think of.

If the pandemic has taught us anything… and I like to think it has… it’s this:

  • We have got to be prepared for anything that comes our way. This means mentally, physically, and (although I fail particularly miserably with this one) financially. Please don’t ask me to start saving money, I’d stand a better chance in a room with the 240 zombies.
  • We need to look out for one another.
  • We should always do our part to keep our community strong.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local (Amazon link) is here to help us check each box.

Product Description

Supporting local farmers has really grown on people-and here’s the guide to doing it right.

There are so many great reasons to shop for and eat locally grown or raised foods, including freshness, taste, energy conservation, and supporting small business owners. That is why tens of thousands have made the switch to local foods. Now families and communities are enthusiastically supporting farmer’s markets, artisan dairy farmers, cheese makers, family farms, local vineyards, and local livestock. Food expert and nutritionist Diane A. Welland explains what local eating is and isn’t and how anyone can move toward a more sustainable way of eating. It covers: Types of foods considered local; what is in season when; Storing foods; Money saving tips.

• A practical approach for a challenging endeavor.

• Includes a complete overview of local eating across all 50 states.

Front to back, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local (Amazon link) is an education in wholesome eating. You’ll learn things you never knew you didn’t even know! (Say that three times fast…. but not in front of you cat. They can be so condescending.)  You’ll find ways to feed your family healthier meals, and yes, to do so on a budget.

From the Back Cover:

You want to eat healthy, fresh foods, and at the same time, be good to the environment.  But it’s a challenge to know what is available, when itis available, and where you can get it locally.

You can find your favorite foods – and discover new favorites – without headaches and a tank of gas.  The next best thing to a personal tour through your local farmers’ market, this helpful guide gives you:

  • A primer on why eating close to the land not only rewards you with incredible food, but also supports your community and your planet.
  • A look at heirloom vegetables, seasonal fruits, fresh meats, and dairy products, and other local food near you.
  • Tips for shopping local at food festivals, CSAs, U-picks, and even supermarkets, plus advice on food foraging.
  • Suggestions for making the most of your harvest, including 25 regional recipes highlighting local specialties.

Favorite Regional Recipes include Wild Blueberry Muffins, Pennsylvania Dutch Chow-Chow, New York State Apple Pie, Maryland Crab Cakes, Southwestern Stuffed Jalapenos, California Avocado-Almond Salad, Texas Chili, and many more.

I’ll leave you with an excerpt from this outstanding book. It’s from a section titled, Fresh Food Tastes Better… which is a delicious fact:

Local foods, because they’re ripened on the plant rather than in storage, develop high levels of aromatic compounds that help give the food its characteristic taste and heightened flavor.  This is most noticeable in fruits, where the intoxicating scent of fresh-picked strawberries or peaches can signal the start of the season even before you pop one into your mouth.

Another reason why local food tastes better has to do with the timing.  The longer a food travels, the more flavor and aroma compounds it loses during transit. Because produce is often brought to market within 24 hours of being picked and is at the peak of freshness and ripeness, this isn’t an issue for local farmers.  It may, however, be a big concern for food traveling from California to New York.

Finally, local produce tastes better because it is better, inherently. Over the years, supermarket produce varieties have been chosen for their ability to be shipped long distances and withstand harvesting equipment, bulk handling, and processing.  They’re bred for sturdiness, stability, and looks, not taste.  As a result, we’ve gained the ability to have peaches in the dead of winter and apples in April, but at what cost?  Bite into any of these off-season fruits, and you’re likely to find a dry, mealy texture with only a hit of its natural flavor.

On the other hand, local foods are just the opposite.  Small farmers care most about taste, quality, and diversity of crops.  Raised according to the natural seasons, local produce is picked at the peak of flavor and ripeness and quickly transported for a quick sale.  -The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local, page 20

The author explains the local food movement, how near or far is considered local, what is and is not organic, how eating local is best for your health, how eating local builds a stronger community, how eating local helps our planet. You’ll get a complete education on produce as well as meats, dairy foods, and eggs.  There’s also a lot of great advice about freezing and preserving fresh local delicacies so you won’t have to even look at the produce in the stores during the winter months.

This is a wonderful and timely book and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Read more about The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local (Amazon link) and grab your own copy while it’s so uncommonly cheap! (See… I can make good financial decisions. Sometimes. Okay, once a year. Maybe.)

Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers with Green Onion Mayo

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Rachael Ray Guy Food Cookbook I have quite a few Rachael Ray Cookbooks in my cookbook collection. Okay, let’s be honest and have full disclosure here…. I have every single one except for the newest one, and that’s just a matter of time. She’s a favorite TV Personality and cookbook author, so if her name’s on it, I’m not just “in,” I’m “all in.”

The cookbook pictured here is just one of my favorites.

Guy Food: Rachael Ray’s Top 30 30-Minute Meals is filled with recipes you’ll use again and again – the Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers (with HEAVENLY Green Onion Mayo) is a classic example of why you need this cookbook.

Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers with Green Onion Mayo – by Rachael Ray

5 slices bacon, chopped
4 scallions, cleaned and trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 1/3 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 pound extra sharp white cheddar cheese, crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
4 crusty Kaiser rolls, split (or wrap in the romaine if you have to eat gluten-free like me)
4 leaves crisp romaine lettuce

Preheat grill pan over high heat.

In a medium pan brown bacon over medium high heat and drain on paper towel lined plate.

Brush scallions with a little oil and grill on hot grill pan 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat to cool.

Combine ground beef with Worcestershire and steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Divide meat into 4 equal parts. Combine cheese crumbles and cooked bacon. Take 1/4 of the meat in your hand and make a well in the center of it. Pile in cheese and bacon, then carefully form the burger around the cheese and bacon filling. Make sure the fillings are completely covered with meat. When all 4 patties are formed, drizzle burgers with oil and place on hot grill pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side over high heat, reduce heat to medium low and cook burgers 7 or 8 minutes longer, turning occasionally. Do not press down on burgers as they cook. Transfer burgers to a plate and let them rest 5 minutes before serving.

Green Onion Mayo: Chop cooled, grilled scallions and add to a food processor. Add mayonnaise and cumin to the food processor and pulse the onions and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Pile burgers on crusty buns and top with crisp lettuce leaves and a slather of green onion mayonnaise. As you bite into the burgers, you will find a smoky, cheesy surprise at the center.

Below are just a few of the other recipes in this great little cookbook:

  • There’s a very manly chili recipe with some surprising ingredients that will be tried in this very kitchen this week!
  • Blackened Chicken Pizza
  • A recipe for Mahi-Mahi Fillets, grilled
  • Tenderloin Steaks with Gorgonzola and Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
  • If you or your guy (or kids! – they always love them) have a thing for chicken tenders, there’s a recipe for pecan-crusted chicken tenders you’ll flip for
  • Cheddar and Chive Bread
  • Corn on the Cob with Chili and Lime
  • Grilled Halibut Tacos with Guacamole Sauce
  • A lot more!

If you love great food, and especially if you have a guy you love to cook for, you’ll want to grab a copy of Guy Food: Rachael Ray’s Top 30 30-Minute Meals right away. It’s just a little over $10 and these are recipes you’ll use all year long…. year after year.

Coconut Recipes: The Complete Coconut Cookbook

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The Complete Coconut Cookbook (Coconut Recipes)

Outstanding Coconut Recipe Collection

The Complete Coconut Cookbook (Amazon link) may as well have been written with me in mine – I love coconut that much. My undying devotion to coconut extends outside of the kitchen with coconut-scented lotions, bath gel, conditioner, candles, etc… but it’s in the kitchen where the real magic happens.

When I was contacted about reviewing a cookbook devoted entirely to coconut recipes, you can imagine how quickly I jumped on the idea. There’s just something about the wonderful, unmistakable flavor of coconut – ESPECIALLY during the summer. Obviously, I eat and cook with coconut, coconut oil, coconut sugar, and coconut milk all year, but in the summer I think I love it even more.

After all, it tastes like summer and smells like summer.

The Complete Coconut Cookbook (Amazon link) is a beautiful paperback cookbook with 200 excellent, easy recipes and packed with gorgeous photos. I am honestly tempted to buy a copy for the photos alone. They’d be so beautiful framed and grouped on a wall.

I love that the recipes are gluten-free and grain-free and anyone with nut allergies will appreciate that they’re nut-free as well.

Book Description:

Coconut is a “hot” ingredient among foodies, primarily for its rediscovered healthy impact.

Always a delicious ingredient and often a decadent treat, coconut is now embraced with a new enthusiasm that borders on obsession. Its rich, smooth and creamy textures add to the compelling and considerable health and nutrition benefits of pure coconut products.

Despite the mounting evidence supporting the health benefits of coconut and the ever-increasing number of coconut products in supermarkets, comprehensive guidance on how to use such products lags behind. The Complete Coconut Cookbook offers home cooks the delicious, convenient coconut using its entire range of special ingredients.

Everyone, from hardcore health-foodies to recreational cooks and everyone in between, will enjoy these all-natural, high-energy, top-notch coconut recipes which can all be made with ease and flair. The 200 innovative recipes cover a broad spectrum of fresh flavors and textures and provide delicious and dependable results. Perhaps most importantly, there is a complete nutritional analysis for every recipe.

Camilla Saulsbury includes coconut recipes for virtually every occasion and every time of the day: Breakfast, Breads and Muffins, Beverages, Salads, Vegetable Sides, Soups and Stews, Main Dishes, Cookies and Cakes and Desserts.

For example a nutritious start is Coconut Waffles, a late afternoon snack is Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread, and a sit-down hearty dinner is Southwestern Sweet Potato and Poblano Soup.

An unusual feature is a comprehensive section on the science of coconut nutrition along with a survey of user-friendly nutrition information about each coconut ingredient and “how-to” data for each coconut product. ~ From Amazon (link to the cookbook on Amazon)

Some of the wonderful recipes in The Complete Coconut Cookbook Include:

    • Sunflower, Pepita and Chia Granola
    • Coconut Chia Breakfast Bowl
    • Cranberry Orange Muffins
    • Hot and Sour Coconut Soup
    • Green Chile Chili
    • Stuffed Portobellos
    • Japanese Ginger “Noodle” Bowls
    • Cauliflower “Rice”
    • Coconut “Bacon”
    • Crispy Coconut French Fries
    • Steamed Broccoli with Tahini Coconut Sauce
    • Sautéed Spinach
    • Coconut Shortbread
    • Mashed Sweet Potatoes
    • Coconut Butter
    • No-Bake Lemon Coconut Bars
    • Plus many, many more recipes (and did I mention the many gorgeous photos??!)

In addition to the wonderful recipes (they are certainly the main stars) and full-page gorgeous photos, I also love the wonderful section at the front of the book praising the health benefits of coconut and detailing the perfect “coconut pantry.” Great stuff.

Finally, I also love the extra health and nutritional information included about some of coconut’s co-stars:

  • Cranberries are loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants and are a good source of vitamin C as well.
  • Active compounds in ginger have anticancer properties and have actually been shown to DESTROY color, ovarian, and rectal cancer cells.
  • The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, an antioxidant that has been shown to fend off cancer growth.
  • Turmeric is also good for your heart’s health.
  • The book is filled with similar information… priceless information.

I whole-heartedly recommend adding  The Complete Coconut Cookbook (Amazon link) to your cookbook library. You’ll be so glad you did… and you’ll know what to do with all that coconut flour, coconut milk, and coconut oil you’ve stocked up on! (oh wait, that’s me)


The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook: A Cookbook Deserving of the Name!

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The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook

The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook

My undying, unwavering passion for the following foods and drinks is legendary:

  • strawberry sundaes (okay, strawberry anything)
  • fried catfish
  • chocolate
  • coffee
  • tea
  • cauliflower
  • shrimp tacos
  • coconut… on anything, in anything
  • big, take-up-the-entire-plate salads

But there’s only one condiment I’m associated with – Duke’s Mayonnaise (Amazon). Why? Easy – I’m as loyal as loyal gets when it comes to my mayonnaise. If I had little packets of it, I’d keep them in my purse to use at restaurants.

Yes, it IS that much better than any other mayonnaise or (yikes!) salad dressing in the world.

When I was contacted about reviewing the new cookbook, The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook (amazon link), I thought, “Little do they realize they just contacted an absolute fanatic.”  I kept my composure… played it cool. Instead of all-cap yelling, “YES! I’LL REVIEW IT! HOW SOON WILL IT GET HERE?? DO YOU NEED ME TO COME GET IT?!” – I simply said I would be delighted to review the cookbook.

Screaming banshee inside, calm adult on the outside. I’ve mastered the performance.

Amazon’s Description:

Celebrate the South’s favorite mayonnaise and learn how to cook with it in new delicious ways with this cookbook from food writer and Duke’s lover Ashley Freeman.
Mayonnaise is one of those polarizing culinary debates akin to putting pineapple on pizza. Those who do love mayonnaise know that no mayonnaise is more beloved than Duke’s, a Southern staple with a cult following that is expanding its reach north.
The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook will show you how to make the most delicious chicken salad or deviled eggs — and introduce new approaches to everyday recipes. Think of what mayonnaise actually is: a beautiful emulsification of eggs, oil, and a touch of lemon for acidity, which are all elements vital to cooking and baking. Adding mayonnaise can help you make the flakiest pie crust, the fluffiest scrambled eggs, and the most delicious chocolate cake.
The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook is a compilation of recipes inspired by author Ashley Freeman’s travels across the country. From classic favorites like Tomato Pie to unexpected dishes like Miso-Glazed Salmon or Sticky Toffee Puddings, you’ll discover how versatile the South’s favorite mayonnaise really is. And with stories and testimonials from beloved well-known chefs and food writers, The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook is a must-have book for loyal fans and newcomers alike.
While Duke’s Mayonnaise is absolutely the only mayonnaise I use on wraps and sandwiches, it’s been my experience that it’s just as important when using it in recipes. Early in the global pandemic, my grocery store did an abysmal job of keeping it in stock. While it made me ecstatic that so many people in my community had such excellent taste in condiments, when I had to use another brand in my chicken salad, tuna fish salad, potato salad, pimento cheese, and deviled eggs, I realized what I knew all along – Duke’s isn’t just better… it’s unimaginably better. I have zero idea how and I have zero idea why….. it tasted better and it makes everything you use it in better as well.
When I finally found a store that had a healthy stock of Duke’s Mayonnaise, I stocked up. In fact, each time I’ve made my “pick up” order since, I throw in another jar just to make sure I don’t run out again. The workers are going to think I bathe in the stuff.
Hmmm….

While the thing I love most about this cookbook is the fact it is packed with easy, creative, recipes I will use over and over again, I also love all of the big, beautiful photos. I get a lot of cookbooks to review (I love my not-a-real-job job!) and many don’t have full-page gorgeous photos lately. I want pictures! Maybe it’s because I’m a visual person… or maybe it’s because I want to see the presentations… or maybe I simply love pretty things.. but whatever the reasons…

I. Want. Pictures!!!

This beauty is filled with gorgeous photos accompanying the recipes and I am here for it.

The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook Review

A Few of the Wonderful Recipes in The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook:
  • Secret Ingredient Scrambled Eggs
  • Chicken Salad Sandwiches
  • Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Soup
  • Overnight Churro Waffles
  • Coconut-Crusted Chicken Tenders
  • Lemon Shallot Tartar Sauce (excellent!)
  • Corn and Basil Hush Puppies with Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce
  • Maple Cupcakes with Candied Bacon (!!!)
  • Shrimp Tacos with  Firecracker Sauce and Cilantro-Lime Slaw
  • Twice-Baked Potatoes
  • And many, many more just as creative and delicious recipes…

While The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook (Amazon link) is not a gluten-free cookbook, all of the recipes can certainly be used simply by replacing ingredients with gluten with ingredients without gluten – easy peasy. You really only run into this with a couple of the recipes – and those of us who have to eat gluten-free are pretty well experts at substituting. This is absolutely a cookbook you will love and use whether you have to eat gluten-free or not.

The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook Review
Another thing I love about The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook is something I always look for in a cookbook but can be pretty rare, if we’re being honest…. it has personality. I love the illustrations, the creative chapter openings, and the “Tasty Tips” throughout the book. These always feel kind of like the author, Ashley Strickland Freeman,  pops into your kitchen and shares her personal experiences.

I love this cookbook and hope you’ll grab a copy for yourself.

Find The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook on Amazon. I highly, highly recommend this one. You will use these recipes again and again.


A Wonderful Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Cookbook: Whole Bowls by Allison Day

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Whole Bowls Cookbook by Allison Day

Whole Bowls Cookbook by Allison Day

When I had to quit eating wheat and gluten (as well as cooking, baking, smelling, and dreaming about them), I had to adopt and adapt. Adopt a new way of eating, cooking, and serving meals and adapt to every single change or be a miserable cuss.

I have no intention of being a miserable cuss… so adapt, I did!

One of my favorite sanity savers and means of serving meals became (and remains) “Bowls.”  Some call them Buddha Bowls and others call them even fancier names. Me.. well I’m a simple gal from Kentucky, so Bowls suits me just fine.

My middle daughter, Brittany (who happens to be a beautiful vegetarian – more about her here!), knew how much Bowls mean to me and gifted me with the gorgeous cookbook you see here, “Whole Bowls: Complete Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Meals to Power Your Day.” This cookbook could not be more up my alley! Not only are there MANY (countless, really) great gluten-free recipes but they’re ALSO vegetarian, meaning I can make them for Brittany to enjoy as well.

Only fair, right? After all, she bought the book!

Above, I referred to the recipes in this cookbook as “countless.” Obviously, the actual recipes can be counted – I’ll tell you why I insist on calling them countless! Each and every recipe in Whole Bowls can be tweaked and switched up to your individual tastes. For example, “Loaded Baked Potatoes with Baked Beans and the Works” (page 157), calls for russet potatoes, you can easily use sweet potatoes. If a recipe calls for quinoa, you can use brown rice.. if a recipe calls for white rice, you could use cauliflower rice… and on and on. I would recommend making each recipe exactly as given – but, after that, get creative. It’s your Bowl, after all!

There are also recipes for out of this world sauces that can be incorporated into the bowls they’re recommended for as well as other bowl recipes (whether in or out of this particular cookbook). A few of the sauces are Pumpkin Seed Sauce, Homemade Mayonnaise, Balsamic Glaze, and a Chive Oil (page 109) that is extraordinary on just about anything and everything. In fact, I have a special glass bottle in my Amazon cart I’m buying solely for keeping some of this oil made up and handy.

I love that author Allison Day has made Whole Foods such a gorgeous cookbook (they’re somehow more enjoyable to use, aren’t they?) and that the recipes are completely gluten-free. I also love that they’re basic – deliciously creative, but yet “doable.”

{Continued Below…}

Other AMAZING Recipes Include:

  • Mac and Cheese with Smoked Tofu and Baked Tomatoes
  • Mediterranean Pasta with Arugula, Peas, Yellow Tomatoes, and Feta
  • Roasted Pears with Whipped Goat Cheese and Maple Pine Nut Brittle
  • Hummus
  • Coconut Dreamy Whip
  • Homemade Nut Butter
  • Spring Rice Bowls with Chive Oil
  • Holiday Bowls with Stuffing, Sweet Potato Latkes, Brussels Sprouts, and Balsamic Glaze
  • Greek Mushrooms Stifado with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
  • Miso Meal in a Bowl
  • Black Beans with Butternut Squash, Black Rice, and Chimichurri
  • Three Bean Garden Salad with Asparagus and Coconut Dressing
  • Curried Falafel with Kale Salad
  • Winter Chopped Salad
  • South of the Border Bowls with Walnut Meat and Grilled Avocado
  • And many, many, many more creative, delicious, and nutritious recipes.

About the Author


Whether you choose to eat gluten-free or the choice has been made for you, you will absolutely love Whole Bowls. For that matter, you’ll love it if you eat gluten with wild abandon! This is just a fun, exciting, and delicious cookbook. I highly recommend it to everyone.

{A few more words about Bowls below the picture…}

Bowl

A few tips I’ve picked up along the path of my relationship with Bowls:

  • If you’ve given up wheat/gluten for health reasons, to cut calories, or because you’re on a particular “diet,” you don’t have to give up flavors because of it. Get creative! Sloppy Joes, for example don’t have to have buns – they can just as easily be served over potatoes (baked, mashed, roasted..) in a bowl with pickles and onions on the side. Same with Pulled Pork or any other “sandwich” you need to deconstruct. Even Egg Rolls can be deconstructed and presented, beautifully, in bowls.
  • We all know how nutritious vegetables are or us. I won’t insult your intelligence or bore you unmercifully by going into their virtues. One of the wonderful things about Bowls is that you can “sneak” beautiful, colorful, and healthy vegetables in to the mix without compromising the taste. I love to keep avocados on hand because they add SO MUCH to bowls. They look great, taste great, and are healthy to boot.
  • Spiralized vegetables aren’t just beautiful in Bowls, they’re also filling and fun to eat. Kids, especially, love different sizes, shapes, and textures.
  • Roasted vegetables are also fun to throw into Bowls – they give a delicious contrast in flavors alongside cooked or raw vegetables and grains.
  • Bowls are IDEAL for those of us who keep and insist on using leftovers. Leftover corn is one of my favorite things to pop into bowls.
  • A “mock” KFC Chicken Bowl technique I love – Put Mashed Potatoes into the bowl(s), top with cooked yellow corn, chicken (omit if you choose), and brown gravy. I love to make and add a little vinegar coleslaw to the side, too. It’s outrageously good.
  • When buying bowls for… well… Bowls… look for wide-open bowls, usually called pasta or salad bowls.  Bowls can make a gorgeous presentation – I like to use white bowls, often, but have also fallen in love with colorful ones.
  • Bowls are ideal for breakfast, lunch, and supper. Breakfast bowls are another favorite. Potatoes, bacon or sausage, eggs, broccoli, and cauliflower bowls make a breakfast that’s worth getting out of bed early for even on a Saturday.
  • Once you go down the Bowls rabbit hole, you’ll wonder what took you so long! Again, Whole Bowls is a wonderful source for inspiration and countless ideas.


The Muffin Tin Cookbook: Fun and Easy Meals Your Family Will Love (Plus a Fish Tacos Recipe)

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The Muffin Tin Cookbook

A while back, I was sent a wonderful cookbook to review, The Muffin Tin Cookbook: 200 Fast, Delicious Mini-Pies, Pasta Cups, Gourmet Pockets, Veggie Cakes, and More!

Love it, love it, love it.

Cooking is more than just one of my favorite hobbies and pastimes – it’s a passion that I love greatly.  Even now, I’m sitting at my desk in my home office – working in a frenzy of  keyboard tapping and brainstorming, breaking only for much needed sips of coffee.  Yet all I can think about is what I’m going to cook for supper, what my next dessert will be, and wondering when I can try out a new stuffed chicken recipe I saw yesterday.

Cooking, baking, cooking, baking, cooking, baking… a peek inside my brain.

Given the fact that it’s something I love so much, I want others to get the same kind joy from cooking as I do. I think that’s one of the reasons I get so excited about fresh, fun, and creative new cookbooks like The Muffin Tin Cookbook.  Not only are new cookbooks a complete joy ride for me in my amusement park of a kitchen, I know that other foodies will get a huge kick out of them as well.

I also like to see cookbooks filled with recipes that people will actually make! Recipes that don’t call for you to visit a foreign country and bring back an extract you can only find there – then stir it into a broth using the feather of a virgin peahen… Please. Every single recipe in  The Muffin Tin Cookbook is one you’ll make and make again.

Another thing I like to see in a cookbook is plenty of recipes that are quick and easy.  A lot of people have to work outside of the home AND come home and cook supper. People who have a limited amount of time to work with don’t need fussy recipes. They need recipes that can be thrown together quickly, cooked in a flash, and don’t require a lot of cleaning up afterward. The Muffin Tin Cookbook is a dream come true for someone looking for such recipes.

Since the recipes on Get Cooking are gluten-free (as are all of the recipes I personally make and eat – health reasons), I will point out that this is NOT a “gluten-free cookbook.”  Many of the recipes call for flour and a host of other foods off limits to those of us why have to eat gluten-free. HOWEVER, as with most cookbooks in my collection and recipes I find in the wild, I simply make the necessary substitutions.

Book Description

Muffin Tins—They’re Not Just for Muffins Anymore

There’s nothing you can’t make in a muffin tin—and we’re not talking merely muffins. All you need is a muffin tin, paper liners, and this ingenious, one-of-a-kind cookbook, and you can whip up delicious dishes that are as easy to prepare and serve as they are good to eat.

From quick-serve appetizers and sides to gourmet entrees and desserts, you’ll find an amazing variety of mouthwatering options for your dining pleasure, including:

  • Shrimp Cakes with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce
  • Egg Crescent Pockets
  • Deep-Dish Pizza Cups
  • Cornmeal-Crusted Mustard Chicken with Sweet Potato Coins
  • Duchess Potatoes
  • Zucchini, Corn, and Tomato Cups
  • Mini Ice-Cream Cakes

The best part (besides the tasty goodness): It’s fast, easy, mess-free, and provides built-in portion control. Kids will love to help you make them—like cupcakes, only better for your family!—and leftovers are as easy as popping the muffin-meal into the microwave.It just doesn’t get any better than The Muffin Tin Cookbook . . . your next memorable meal is just a muffin tin away! – From Amazon

Fish Tacos Recipe

3 pieces tilapia, about 3-4 ounces each, cut in half
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and Pepper
6 taco-size flour tortillas
Light sour cream, chopped green onion, chopped tomato, lettuce, and salsa for serving

  1. Place the tilapia, chili powder, cilantro, oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl and allow to marinate 1/2 an hour, in the refrigerator.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and prepare 6 jumbo muffin cups by spraying with cooking spray.
  3. Push one taco tortilla down into each cup and press any sections that bubble out against the sides.
  4. Place 1 piece of marinated tilapia in each cup and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness of fish, until cooked through.
  5. Serve with toppings.

Taco tortillas are smaller tortillas and are just the right size to line jumbo muffin cups. Lemon juice can be substituted for the lime juice.

Muffin Tin Recipes

There’s an entire chapter in The Muffin Tin Cookbook devoted to Breakfast – a time of the day when few of us have unlimited time. Recipes in the Breakfast chapter include:

  • Egg Crescent Pockets
  • French Bread French Toast
  • Grits Casserole
  • Cheese Danish Cups
  • Bagel Sausage Sandwiches
  • And More!

Other chapters include:

  • Appetizers and Snacks (Asian Dumplings with Dipping Sauce, Spiced Pecan Cups, Hot Pretzel Bites…)
  • Beef and Pork (Mexican Meatloaf, Sloppy Joe Cupcakes, Taco Mini Pies…)
  • Chicken and Turkey (Teriyaki Turkey Cups, Chicken Tortilla Pies, Italian Chicken…)
  • Seafood (Salmon Cakes, Deviled Crab Tarts, Shrimp with Polenta…)
  • Potatoes, Rice, Pizza, and Pasta (Candied Yams, White Pizzas, Stuffed Gnocchi…)
  • Vegetables ( French Onion Pie, Edamame in Rice Paper Cups, Cherry Tomato Cups…)
  • Muffins and Breads (Corn Muffins, Monkey Bread, Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins…)
  • Desserts  (Hot Chocolate Muffins, Lemon Pound Cake, Apple Cupcakes..)

Each recipe indicates the size of muffin tin needed.  As the author says on page 8, “Keep in mind that you can make your dishes any size you like, but you will need to adjust cooking time up or down accordingly (if you make a bigger cup than the recipe suggests, baking time will be longer; if you make a smaller cup baking time will be shortened).”

Please see The Muffin Tin Cookbook  for more information.  When giving cookbook reviews, I like to suggest the sort of cook that the cookbook in question is “ideal” for.   Although this cookbook is PERFECT for busy cooks, it’s just as fun and enjoyable for those of us who are simply busy cooking!  It would make an excellent gift idea for someone who’s new to the world of cooking – maybe even in a bag with a brand-spanking new muffin tin.

Change Bites: Change Your Plate, Change Your Life (Review)

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I was recently sent a review copy of Change Bites: Change Your Plate Change Your Life in exchange for telling you about this exciting new book. Before I get to the actual book review, itself, I wanted to give a few quick thoughts as well as a brief personal story.

A Few Quick Thoughts

  • I love that the book is relatively short, totally uncomplicated, and very easy and fast to read. Let’s face it, most of us simply don’t have the luxury of sitting and reading for hours each day – especially around Christmas and New Year’s. The fact that this book reads fast is a huge bonus.
  • I love that the book, while using the author’s experiences as examples, focuses on the reader. This is YOUR story about YOUR health and it has the power to help a lot of people.
  • I love that the book is interactive. There are numerous places for you to jot down your symptoms, your goals, your plan of attacks, etc. Books that serve as workbooks keep the reader engaged and the change they seek is infinitely more likely to happen because they are taking an active part.
  • When doing book reviews on my various blogs, I often like to include a “Who Needs this Book” section. I’m not doing it this time simply because everyone needs this book! Whether you’re trying to transition to a vegetarian diet, trying to add more healthy foods into your daily meals, or suspect you may have an intolerance to dairy, gluten, and/or wheat, this book will help you tremendously. What’s more, if you simply want to take a proactive approach to your health and give yourself a good “once over,” this book will prove invaluable. 
  • I have multiple blogs and joyfully do book reviews on each. This year (seems to be a boon on great books!), I allowed myself to become swamped in books. I honestly had to struggle to keep up. Around October, I stopped taking in new books (for the rest of the year). But when the e-mail about this particular book came through. I knew, from the introductory e-mail, alone, that this was a very special book – one that could give people their lives back.. a book that could, in fact, even save lives. As you can see, I made an exception.

It’s a lot easier to take a leap of faith if your current state of “pain” is worse than the pain of changing. – page 21, Change BITES

My Personal Journey

Years ago, I began experiencing a number of health problems that I chalked up to a number of things: allergies, aging (after all, when you get on this side of 40, a lot of interesting things happen), thyroid, etc. I had digestive issues that, honestly, became so commonplace that they didn’t even register with me. I was taking Benadryl daily – in fact, I averaged two or three a day and this, somehow seemed normal to me – as did the Tums I frequently needed and the number of mouth ulcers I was continually getting.

The tiredness, lethargy, and overall feeling that I had to fight to make myself exert energy? That was attributed to the Benadryl – which, I’m certain didn’t help matters.

The worst part was the mouth ulcers.  I LITERALLY kept at least one mouth sore or mouth ulcer for over a year. That’s right… for over a year, each and every day I had at least one mouth sore. The doctors would prescribe medicines, I’d swish with salt water.. it was a nightmare that I cringe over to this day. Those things are so painful and beyond annoying.

And yet… I somehow convinced myself this was all normal. After all, I was seeing doctors and they weren’t alarmed, why should I be?

Around this time, my oldest daughter, Emily, began to have a few health problems. She had to have her gallbladder removed and, just when we thought she was returning to normal, her health seemed to get worse. After reading everything I could get my hands on, I told her that I thought she should do an elimination diet with gluten/wheat because it sounded like she was either Celiac or extremely gluten-intolerant. 

I told her that I’d do it with her – to help her out and give her support. We researched food, restaurants, and armed ourselves with all the information we needed for the journey.  I’m an avid cook, so I knew that I’d be able to come up with gluten-free dishes for us to eat. What could have (and maybe should have) been frightening and depressing was actually kind of exciting and fun. Having someone with you on the journey, in my experience, helps a lot and I had every intention of being her partner in crime.

We decided we’d give it a month and see if her symptoms improved. Not only did they improve – they improved after just two weeks of totally eliminating gluten/wheat from her diet.

But there’s more. 

My mouth sores and mouth ulcers disappeared and, over the years, have only returned when I’ve accidentally eaten wheat/gluten. My energy returned, I slept better, my digestive issues improved, and I was able to stop buying two boxes of Benadryl each week.

We’ve, needless to say, avoided gluten entirely since doing so put us squarely back in the game of life.

Change Bites: Change Your Plate, Change Your Life

Change Bites was written by Marissa S. Costonis, H.C., who had her own personal journey with her health and the way her body was responding to food.

It makes sense, when you think about. So much so that I’m amazed it takes most of us so long to make the food and body connection.

Imagine if a new experimental drug came onto the market. If you’re like me, there’s no way on earth you’d take even one, let alone a daily dose, if you weren’t certain of the effects it’d have on your body. Yet, we put bite after bite after bite of food into our mouths each day without a second thought.

Some of this food may be doing as much harm to your body as the drug would be.

One of the interactive exercises in this book involves taking a close look at your health. You’re asked questions you probably had not considered before and are given an opportunity to uncover clues your body has been leaving for you – clues that something is wrong. If my daughter and I had had this book years ago, we would have saved ourselves a lot of pain and sickness. What’s more, we’d have been able to STOP eating something that was causing damage to our bodies.

About the Author: Marissa S. Costonis spent over a decade in change management consulting leading a variety of business transformation initiatives around the world. After developing neuropathy and a host of other health problems began to pile up, Marissa decided to break down the change process one bite at a time to transform her health with great success. She became a Certified Health Coach and launched her business, Change Bites, LLC.

Change Bites by Marissa S. Costonis

From the Back Cover:

Finally, a step by step process for how to change your eating habits and transform your health!

  • Are you inspired or even forced to try a new eating strategy, but not sure how to get started?
  • Do you have a good sense of what to eat, but not sure how to to make lasting changes to your eating habits?
  • Want to improve your health, but don’t want to give up all the foods you love today?
  • Have a growing list of health problems, but afraid to admit that food could be the culprit and the cure?

New Year, New You?

My husband and I frequently talk about the important role food plays in health. I love how, on the back of Change BITES, the author says food can be the culprit and the cure. Profound and so very true.  Whatever the condition my daughter and I have, I’ve often thought of people in our family and wondered if they, too, had this condition and suffered needlessly. Perhaps, because their problem wasn’t caught early enough, they did lasting damage to their bodies.

I hope you’ll read more about Change Bites: Change Your Plate Change Your Life – if you recognize yourself in any of the following, this could be your first step to making 2019 the year you begin feeling better than you have in years!

  • Do you feel more tired than usual? It is NOT always a sign of the aging process. Your body could be maxed out simply trying to digest food that it’s having difficulty digesting.
  • Are you, for health or other reasons, thinking about becoming a vegetarian or vegan? This book can help you overcome any initial setbacks and help strengthen your mind and resolve.
  • Do you suspect that you have a food intolerance? Does dairy seem to make you bloat or do you feel unusually gassy after something as simple as a sandwich? Food you eat each and every day could be doing more harm than good. This book can help you know for sure.
  • Do you want this to be the year you and your family eat healthier… and not just for the first two weeks of January?! The reason resolutions usually don’t stick is because we don’t have the “glue” to make them stick. This “glue” is how we react to change and the various challenges it presents. Again, this book could prove invaluable.
  • How about your moods? Food intolerances don’t just effect how we feel – they often effect how we behave. If you suspect you’ve been crankier or more emotional than you used to be (undoubtedly loved ones will let you know if this is the case), the cause may be in the kitchen and not the person in front of you. I read an article written by a man with a severe gluten-intolerance. He said that the first (and most profound) symptom he had when he had been accidentally glutened (when gluten or wheat passes your lips without you realizing it) was a severe shift in mood. In fact… and I found this kind of fascinating… his wife and children usually realized it before he did. They’d basically tell him to go to his man cave for a week or two until the symptoms passed! 

Basically, if you aren’t the same person you were a few years ago (or even a few months ago), it may be what you’re putting into your mouth. The self-assessment exercises and golden advice given in this book can help you get back to the person you remember. Again, I really, really, really hope you read more about Change Bites: Change Your Plate Change Your Life and consider grabbing a copy for you and/or anyone in your life who could benefit.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Cookbook

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Is anyone even half as ready for autumn and winter as I am? Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of things about summer – baseball, fresh produce, songbirds at my bird feeders that aren’t there in cold weather, grilling out, and so on. Summer’s awesome in every way… but, having said that, autumn and winter are super special.

As a foodie, the cooler months make me think of soup, stew, chili, casseroles, chai tea lattes, and (of course) Halloween goodies, Thanksgiving dishes, and Christmas baking… how could a foodie NOT love this time of year???

I may be one of the biggest soup fanatics in the world, which is one of the reasons I’m excited about a new cookbook I was sent to review: 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Naturally, grilled cheese sandwiches are perfect all year. We certainly eat them year-round in our house. In fact, we’ve been known to enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches at all times of the day and night.  Talk about a delicious comfort food.  Cheesy deliciousness that comes together pretty darn fast – sign me up.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches is a perfect guide to getting extra creative with this wonderful comfort food.  Although the modern version of the grilled cheese sandwich dates back to 1920 (when it became popular during the great depression, for obvious reasons), these delicious and inexpensive delicacies are currently a popular trend in cooking.  I think one of the reasons is the fact that they aren’t expensive to pull together.  I think the popularity of food trucks has also helped revive this wonderful sandwich.

Some people are even calling the grilled cheese sandwich the “new burger.”  The fact that so many people are eating less meat is another reason these sandwiches are so wildly popular.

From the Back Cover: A grilled cheese sandwich is classic comfort food and it’s enjoying an incredible resurgence in popularity. These fabulous recipes all begin with the grilled cheese we all know and love, and then from there, creative twists showcase just how incredibly versatile this sandwich can be.  The recipes reflect an almost endless and delicious variety of choices that include simple and timeless as well as gourmet and artisanal. From breakfast to dessert, there’s something for everyone in this book.

Another reason grilled cheese sandwiches are so popular is, let’s face it, they’re fast and easy to make.  You can have a warm, delicious, and comforting meal in a matter of minutes. This is one of the reasons they’re so popular with bachelors, college students, and beginner cooks.

Whether you enjoy your grilled cheese sandwiches with soup (one of my favorite meals), chips, or alone, nothing beats a great grilled cheese sandwich.

As I’ve probably mentioned on the food blog, when I had to totally give up wheat and gluten a number of years ago (health reasons), it threw my cooking persona into a tailspin. Imagine everything you are accustomed to cooking and baking for your family and yourself thrown out the door. Then finding yourself having to start over, pretty much, and discover a whole new way of both cooking and eating.

Stressful… and yet kind of mentally stimulating!

It’s a hideous predicament for anyone but for an avid cook and food blogger who was extra keen on homemade breads, cornbread, cakes from scratch, pies, etc.. it knocked me on my backside for a bit. However, I (honestly) found out that many aspects of gluten-free food are actually as good as their gluten-y counterparts and some are even better in many ways.

For example, for whatever reasons, gluten-free fried catfish is actually better.  Don’t ask me why (please), but the combo of rice flour and yellow cornmeal makes the best fried catfish in the world. Trust me, this is a personal favorite and something I’ve been cooking since I was allowed to touch the stove.

Grilled cheese sandwiches have been another pleasant surprise (along with French Toast, for that matter). Gluten-Free bread, in my opinion, makes them even better. I think it’s because they’re denser and, sometimes, thicker, than regular bread. Then again, Texas Toast is a great way to go with grilled cheese sandwiches.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches includes so many creative, fun, and delicious recipes you won’t stop until you’ve made them all.  The cheese combinations, along with the additions of complimentary ingredients will boggle your mind.  I cook every single day (and have for years) and consider myself to be really creative in the kitchen, but even I found myself saying, “Ooooh, I would’ve never thought of that...”  One of the combinations that was wildly new to me was the one given in the recipe below.  I wouldn’t have ever invited Muenster Cheese to a grilled cheese party, but this recipe has me slapping myself for the oversight.

The recipe below is from the cookbook and is outstanding. I love it alongside tomato soup or chili and have been known to have it simply with a large dill pickle and Funyons.

I know how to live, after all.

Classic Grilled Two Cheese

Author: Alison Lewis
Serves 4

8 slices white or whole-grain bread (1/2 inch/1 cm thick slices)
2 TBS butter or margarine, softened
4 oz Muenster cheese, thinly sliced
4 oz Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Brush one side of each bread slice with butter.
  2. Place on a work surface, buttered side down.
  3. Top 4 bread slices equally with Muenster and Cheddar cheeses.
  4. Cover with remaining bread slices, buttered side up, and press gently.
  5. Place sandwiches on preheated panini grill or in a large skillet over medium heat and cook, turning once if using a skillet, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
  6. Serve immediately.

When it comes to grilled cheese sandwiches, you have to really be careful with cheese combinations. Make the wrong move and the result will be thisclose to gross. You also have to be careful with what fillings you add and how you treat the bread. Again, the wrong move can leave your taste buds borderline depressed.  In this wonderful and fun cookbook, Alison Lewis has done all of the hard work for us and taken all of the guess work out of our hands.  We’re left with a ton of delicious recipes and combinations that’ll make us the Queen or King of Grilled Cheese.  Whether you use a Panini or Sandwich Press or a favorite skillet, you WILL use these recipes again and again and again.

Below are just some of the recipes included in 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:

  • Roast Beef with Asiago and Watercress
  • Grilled Steak and Blue Cheese
  • Italian Tomato-Basil Bread
  • Hot Bacon Swiss Crostini
  • Havarti and Cucumber Sandwich
  • Grilled Spinach, Pepper Jack, and Bacon
  • Warm Peanut Butter Power Wrap
  • Italian Salami Panini
  • Sweet Pepper Relish
  • Hummus
  • The Pilgrim
  • And many, many, many more.

See 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for more information and to order your copy today… just in time for soup season!