Food with Friends Book Review

Since I love to entertain my friends I was very excited to read this book.  Leela Cyd’s book was a very easy read and has very colorful illustrations.  I liked the secret ingredient chapter.  It was nice to have some of the food items explained what they were.

I also  enjoyed the chapter Style File which was full of great ideas for place settings and decorating.

This is a great recipe book for those who can afford to be a gourmet cook.   I was a bit disappointing that most recipes involved expensive ingredients that most people don’t keep in their cupboards.   Some I have never heard of.

I did love the colorful illustrated pages and how the plates were set up.  All and all this is a nice book for those who love to cook gourmet.

ABOUT FOOD WITH FRIENDS

Small bites and treats to share

The best gatherings are simple, yet somehow special. They might begin with an impromptu picnic after shopping at the farmer’s market or a late lunch with neighbors that stretches into cocktails under the stars. Whatever the occasion, this picture-perfect cookbook shows how to turn any meal into a delectable affair. These effortless recipes for brunch, teatime, happy hours, picnics, potlucks, and dessert all include a whimsical twist: a few slices of French toast doused in lavender syrup, rainbow chard empanadas served with pistachio crema, or a vibrant purple cauliflower hummus. With tips on creating an inviting table, stocking a pantry to make last-minute nibbles, and packing delicious parting gifts for guests, Food with Friends will inspire any get-together, however large or small.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photographer is a long-time contributor to TheKitchn.com and shoots for Food & Wine,Sweet Paul, The New York Times, Kinfolk, and more. Leela lives with her husband in Santa Barbara, California, and chronicles her travels and adventures in food on her website, LeelaCyd.com.

“I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.”

Ice Cream & Friends Food Recipe Book Review

What a fun book!  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw the description.  A lot of times these type of cookbooks have ingredients that I have never heard of or are very expensive.  This book presently surprised me!

The first thing I noticed, was the wonderfully illustrated pages.  Pages of beautiful color layouts of the different recipes.  Another thing while reading through the recipes, was most recipes called for items that you might have in the house.  A lot of common items that makes it so much easier to make.. you don’t have to search from store to store to find things!

The book has 60 mouth-watering recipes, everything from chocolate, nutty, and fruity to herbs, spices and savory.  There are even some drink riffs.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves making homemade ice cream and not have to churn it!

“I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review”

Brain Freeze Journal Review

I am always looking for cute fun journals to write in, and when I saw Brain Freeze by Potter I had to check it out!

This ice cream sandwich looking journal has a nice vinyl looking cover that has an ice cream sandwich cookie look.  On the binding and front side there is a Neapolitan ice cream look and the top and bottom are pink.

The pages are bound in instead of just glued in.  Each page has a wide space in the center which is nice if you like to draw or put pictures or articles in your journal.

There really isn’t anything too exciting about the book.  It is pretty much plain and simple.  But for daily journaling, it meets the requirements.

I haven’t decided if it was worth $12.99, but it does look like an ice cream sandwich!

ABOUT BRAIN FREEZE JOURNAL

This blank journal features a soft cover that mimics the chocolate cookie of an ice cream sandwich as well as dyed page edges and an exposed spine to complete the look of the chocolate, vanilla, strawberry goodness of an ice cream sandwich. The interiors feature strawberry- and chocolate-colored lined pages. To complete the package, the words BRAIN FREEZE are stamped in gold foil on the cover.

ABOUT POTTER

POTTER, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, is a lifestyle gift imprint, specializing in design, health, humor, stationery, and other gift books and paper products.

“I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.”