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You are here: Home / Archives for cookbook recipes

cookbook recipes

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

January 1, 2019 By Joi Sigers

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.

Filed Under: Best Cookbook Recipes, Cookbook Reviews, Food Blog Tagged With: cookbook recipes, cookbook review, Cookbooks, muffin tins

Delicious Roasted Winter Vegetables (Any Season’s Veggies will Do!)

June 25, 2013 By Joi Sigers

Roasted Potatoes, garlic, and Carrots

I’ve always been a huge fan of Special K Products, so when I saw The Special K Challenge and Beyond: Your Complete Guide to Weight Management, Healthy Living & Delicious Cooking in my grocery store about a month ago, I snatched it up as fast as I grab my drinks at Starbucks as soon as my name’s called.

I have a system in place when it comes to buying cookbooks. I have to keep myself in check because, frankly, I’d spend all my money on adding to my cookbook collection if I were to be left unsupervised. What I’ve started doing is thumbing through the book and seeing if I can find 4 different recipes I really just cannot live without.

The first 4 recipes I saw were:

  • Asian-Style Braised Baby Bok Choy
  • Roasted Winter Vegetables
  • Greek Style Spaghetti Squash
  • Crispy Baked Crab Cakes with Spicy Re’moulade

They had me at Asian-Style Braised Baby Bok Choy, actually, but I went through the motions of being a tough sell. I sat the book directly into the cart (ironically right on top of a box of Special K Cereal – the kind with bits of chocolate… so, so, so, so very good!).

My grocery store didn’t have any Bok Choy that day – baby or otherwise – so I rounded up some favorite vegetables for the Roasted Winter Vegetables recipe (the recipe is at the bottom of this post).

If you see this book in a store, snatch it up – it’s fantastic.  You can also order it from Amazon by clicking one of the links in the post or the picture of the book below.

Other recipes include:

  • Artichokes with Carrot-Cornbread Stuffing (I’m definitely making these for Thanksgiving)
  • Black Bean and Corn Dip with Oven-Baked Chips
  • Banana-Stuffed Multigrain French Toast
  • Spinach-Feta Frittata
  • Lemon-Chive Ricotta Dip
  • Enlightened Guacamole
  • Lemon-Pepper Salmon
  • Spanish-Style Cod with White Beans
  • Sauteed Shrimp Tacos
  • Chicken and Red Chile Enchiladas
  • Thai-Style Chicken in Lettuce Wraps
  • Oven-Fried Chicken Cutlets
  • Easy Chicken Potpies
  • Turkey Meatloaf with Barbecue Sauce
  • Braised Turkey Thighs with Winter Root Vegetables
  • Italian-Style Chicken Parmesan
  • Polenta Gratin
  • Rice Pudding with Dried Fruit
  • Dark Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Sauce (you should see the picture!)
  • Frozen Yogurt with Berries Sundaes
  • Red Velvet Cupcakes
  • And A LOT MORE!

 Roasted Corn and Cauliflower

In addition to tons of healthy recipes (with suggestions, information, and nutritional facts), The Special K Challenge and Beyond: Your Complete Guide to Weight Management, Healthy Living & Delicious Cooking serves as a handbook for weight-management and weight-loss goals. You’ll learn about the Special K Challenge and how you can use it EASILY in your day to day life and make it fit your own personal needs.  Allow me to point out, though, that whether you read one word about the Special K Challenge or not, this book is more than worth it for the recipes and nutritional information alone!

I’ve made the Roasted Winter Vegetables recipe below quite a few times, and have used different vegetables each time. I’ve used sweet potatoes, corn on the cob (with the ears halved… looks better), red potatoes, carrots,  garlic. and cauliflower.  I’ve also used the same method on roasted tomatoes, but with a shorter baking time. The balsamic vinegar and rosemary are a perfect match for every vegetable you can imagine!

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Cooking Spray
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges
2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces
2 large shallots, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mellow balsamic vinegar blends beautifully with fresh rosemary to flavor this colorful combination of roasted sweet potatoes, fennel, red potatoes, and shallots.

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Meanwhile, on 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan lined with foil and coated with cooking spray, toss together sweet potato, fennel, red potatoes, shallots, oil, vinegar, salt, rosemary, and garlic.
  3. Bake in preheated oven about 40 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown, stirring every 10 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.

Make it your own:  Comb farmer’s markets in the cooler months of the year for a variety of root vegetables to try. Here are suggestions for other varieties to roast using the method above:

  • Carrots – Peel and trim whole baby carrots, or cut larger peeled and trimmed carrots into 1-inch chunks.
  • Garlic – Separate a garlic head into cloves and leave peels on. Squeeze garlic from peels after roasting.
  • Onions – Cut peeled and trimmed medium yellow onions into 1-inch pieces.
  • Parsnips – Peel and trim parsnips and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Turnips – Peel and trim whole baby turnips, or cut larger peeled and trimmed turnips into 1-inch wedges.

Filed Under: Best Cookbook Recipes, Cookbook Reviews, Fall Favorites, Food Blog, Heart Healthy Foods and Recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Dishes, Winter Favorites Tagged With: cookbook recipes, cookbook review, healthy recipes, heart healthy recipes, roasted vegetables recipe

THE Perfect Cookbook for College Students and New Cooks: Kitchenability 101

October 13, 2012 By Joi Sigers

One of the questions I’m asked the most is, “Can you recommend a great cookbook for someone just learning to cook.” There are variants of the question, of course, such as, “What cookbook do your recommend for…”

  • new brides
  • college kids
  • bachelors
  • teenagers
  • etc

I have a few reliable favorites that I always list.  I was recently sent a wonderful cookbook to review and it hasn’t just joined the list, it has redefined the list. Kitchenability 101 (Amazon link), by Nisa Burns, is packed with fun, easy, creative, and delicious recipes. Ideal for new cooks (such as college students, new brides and grooms, etc.), the entire first chapter is an introduction to cooking, cooking terms, techniques, herbs and spices, kitchen tools and appliances and more.

Kitchenability 101 (Amazon link) includes recipes that new (and even not so new) cooks will use again and again. A few of these recipes are listed below!

  • Banana Cinnamon Waffles
  • Avocado Lettuce Wraps
  • Nutella Peanut Butter Brownies
  • Chunky Chicken Chili
  • Mint Iced Tea
  • Twisted Sugar Sticks
  • Chicken Soup
  • Miss You, Mom, Oatmeal
  • Scrambled Eggs and Turkey Bacon
  • Mediterranean Pasta
  • Chili Burritos
  • Pigs in a Snuggle
  • Roma Tomatoes with Feta and Basil
  • Fish Tacos
  • Jalapeno Sliders
  • Cranberry Relish
  • Many, many more.

These recipes will allow the new cook to impress (and feed!) his/her family and friends.  Their confidence will soar with each successful creation, and as we seasoned cooks know, confidence is one of the most important elements of being a good cook.

My daughters never went “away” to college (thank goodness… I’m not sure this mother hen would have survived), but if they HAD, a couple of things I would have worried about were that they were eating good, healthy food (as opposed to existing on greasy fast food) AND that they were making good friends.  This type of cookbook would have addressed each one of those concerns.  I’d have known they were fixing great meals for themselves and could have rested assured that many, many kids would have flocked to their table!

Book Description

College students may miss home-cooked meals, fear the Freshman 15, or feel sluggish from eating too many instant or fast food meals. Or they may want to cook for themselves, but dont know how. In this book, Nisa provides the confidence and motivation for college students to expand their abilities, so they can cook for themselves and their friends. It offers shopping plans, supply lists, budgeting, skills and recipes for cooking in college spaces including dorm rooms, apartments and houses.Includes 10 QR codes linked to instructional videos.

While Kitchenability 101 (Amazon link)is geared toward (and ideal for) college students and even new cooks, I have to tell you this: I love this cookbook AND I use it frequently – so don’t think you have to be a newbie to love this cookbook.

Below is one of my favorite recipes from Kitchenability 101. It’s called Nana’s Peanut Butter Pie and it has become my favorite Peanut Butter Pie recipe of all time. It’s a total can’t miss winner.  The recipe calls for a 9 oz. container of whipped topping, but the small containers of whipped topping in my area are all 8 oz.  I used that and the results were beyond perfect.

Peanut Butter Pie

Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Pie and the best I’ve ever had!

 

3.1.09

Nana’s Peanut Butter Pie

8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 9-oz container whipped topping
1 graham cracker piecrust (buy gluten-free if necessary)
Chocolate syrup or shavings, optional

Directions:

  1. Combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer until creamy.
  2. Fold in the container of whipped topping.
  3. Spoon the mixture into the piecrust.
  4. Cover with parchment paper and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill.
  5. Drizzle chocolate syrup or sprinkle shavings on top if desired.

See Kitchenability 101 (Amazon link) for more information. This cookbook is filled with quick, easy, fun, and inexpensive recipes – who could ask for more?!

Filed Under: Cookbook Reviews, Cream Cheese Recipes, Food Blog, Pies and Pastries, Quick and Easy Recipes Tagged With: cookbook for new cooks, cookbook recipes, cookbook review, Peanut Butter Pie recipe

Sour Cream Sauce for Fruit Recipe

March 30, 2012 By Joi Sigers

As you well know, I collect cookbooks with a crazy passion often reserved for chocolate cheesecake.   I take a great deal of pride in my hundreds of cookbooks.  While a lot of time and money has gone into collecting them, the main thing I love about them is the fact that so many are family heirlooms. Some are probably worth money right now (not that I’d ever part with a cookbook my grandmother wrote “yummy!” in) –  and others are simple little cookbooks that were used to raise money for churches or schools.  It would appear that my mom bought any and every cookbook anyone tried to sell her!

One of the cookbooks I use most often, actually, came from my mom’s collection. It’s the Newman’s Own Cookbook. It’s not as old as a lot of the cookbooks in my collection, obviously – so it’s not an oldie, but it is a goldie.

A favorite recipe from this cookbook is Fresh Fruits with Sour Cream Sauce. This Heavenly creamy sauce will have your family fighting over fruit instead of potato chips and chocolate chip cookies for a change. You’re going to love it.

Fresh Fruits with Sour Cream Sauce

3-1/2 cups sliced fresh fruit
1/1/2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint plus mint sprigs for garnish (optional… I personally never bother with it)

Keep the fruit chilled until ready to use.

In a bowl, combine the sour cream, brown sugar, lemon juice and mint, and stir together until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the sauce into a serving bowl, cover, and chill until serving time.

Serve the fruit garnished with the mint sprigs and pass the sour cream sauce as a topping. Serve with crisp cookies.

My preferences:
The book recommends banana, mango, papaya, kiwi. I prefer berries, melons, apples, and grapes, however, so I throw together varying combinations of apples, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, and grapes. Naturally, you can just use whatever fruit your family prefers.

I’ve never used mint in this recipe, even though we always have mint in our herb garden. Go figure. I’m sure it’d look gorgeous, though! My main thing with mint is that, typically, if it’s present, it’s often the only thing my taste buds concentrate on. I take one bite and my brain says, “Mint!” I love the flavor, almost as much as the smell, I just don’t want it to steal the show all the time.

This fruit salad is fantastic served with almonds crushed on top – or even with nuts served nearby. I’m nuts for nuts, though, so I serve them with as many things as possible. They’re SO healthy!

A few other recipes from Newman’s Own Cookbook:

  • Potato Salad with Two Mustards Dressing
  • Roasted Herbed New Potatoes with Spinach
  • Whoopi Goldberg’s Big Bad Ass Beef Ribs
  • Julia Robert’s Fresh Peach Crisp
  • Gene Shalit’s Spaghetti Carbonora
  • Incredible Cobb Salad
  • Herbed Samon Fillets in Foil
  • Mediterranean Fish Fillets
  • Joanne Woodward’s Cioppino
  • Blaze’s Shrimp and Sausage Creole
  • Twice-Baked Potato over Spinach, Broccoli, and Peppers
  • Tom Cruise’s Linguine with Zesty Red Clam Sauce

Throughout the book are quotes from Paul Newman and pictures from his personal life and career.  Great, great cookbook.

Filed Under: Best Cookbook Recipes, Fruit Recipes, Summertime Favorites Tagged With: cookbook recipes, Fruit Recipes, sour cream sauce for fruit

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Welcome to the Get Cooking Food Blog

My name is Joi (“Joy”) and Get Cooking is where I celebrate some of my greatest passions: Recipes, kitchen gadgets, gluten free food reviews, gluten free recipes, pig collectibles, chocolate, cookbooks, and coffee.

Lots of coffee…

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What’s New on the Food Blog?

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

Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles

Easy Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil (No Boil!) Noodles

Tostadas with Refried Beans and Tomatoes

Fast & Easy Summer Meal: Meatless Tostadas

Gluten-Free White Chocolate and Pecan Cookies

Gluten Free Cranberry Pecan Cookies

Air Fryer and Rotisserie in One!

Instant Vortex Plus 10 Quart Air Fryer, Rotisserie and Convection Oven (Amazon link)

A Reminder for all Cooks…

Kitchen Accident Tracker

If my accident can prevent you, a pet, or a child from being hurt, it will have been worth it to me… read more here!

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T-fal… As Good as Good Gets

The T-Fal Cookware Set (Amazon link), above, is absolutely one of the best cooking sets you’ll ever find. It’s on Amazon and available in several gorgeous colors.

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Contact me through e-mail at joitsigers@gmail.com and/or connect with me through social media (see above). ~ Joi (“Joy”)

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