Modern Potluck! (Kristin Donnelly) Review

Wow! A Modern Potluck cookbook! Well yeah, bring it on!

This book caught my eye and really inspired me to maybe break that habit and think about making future gatherings as a co-created event….with an inspirational recipe from this cookbook, allowing me to still be the highlight (hehe).

At my first reading through this book, I found it right off the bat to be elegant, artsy, and creative. The author’s intention feels approachable and definitely fits the place for those of us who want to “up” our usual tried and true (and sometimes less healthy) potluck dishes for something more memorable and unique that truly has the potential to stand out in a crowd.

The “modern” in this book focuses greatly in the time we are in now-more veggies, healthier locations for meats, dairy and eggs, with more adventurous ingredients and spices here and there. The author is also including being conscious of diet restrictions that may be among your guests.

I also found this book giving a lot of great tips and suggestions, like adding salt throughout a recipe, rather than all at once-it actually matters! Garnishing and finishing dishes and lots of “potluck” rules are also highlights for me in this cookbook.

Every recipe includes a “potluck tip”-a tip for the pre and post serving of each dish. The author is also very detailed with her recipes and guides which are better served with it’s appropriate season. That’s pretty cool!

My particular favorite chapters are the Baked & Savory, Seasonal Deviled Eggs, New Crudites, Potato Salads for Four Seasons and Roasting Vegetables.

I will most likely be using this book for exactly what it’s intended for-a modern potluck, but it really is also a great read for tips and suggestions that is for any time!

Now available at Amazon.com
About the Author: kristindonnelly.com

***I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.***

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Blab no Blab

It’s been a pure joy for Angela Estes and I to meet up, hang out and bring guests in to the mix, all for the master plan of building a musical and wellness community for us all!

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Our new FABULOUS PLAYGROUND channels are-

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Till next time,

Stay FABULOUS…cuz’ you naturally already are! 😉

The Naked Cookbook (Tess Ward) – Review

I feel that themed cookbooks really have a knack for taking the reader away, regardless if they bother trying to create one or more recipes from it.

Low in carbs, free from processed anything, and no refined sugars. It’s not vegetarian, it’s not gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan. It’s about stripped down and naked ingredients.

This book as a whole didn’t really inspire me to want to re-create anything from it. For my lifestyle I’m looking for something I’m more aligned with that doesn’t involve tea soaked raisins (although it sounds great), and I suppose it’s slightly more challenging level makes sense because in the back of the book it’s noted that this author is a blogger herself and a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef who has spent time in kitchens of River Cottage and The Ritz.

To me, these recipes seem better fit for special occasions like trying to impress my best girlfriends with, as opposed to every day cooking for me or my family. Also, it seemed like every recipe I considered making would be something I’d need to buy more than a few ingredients at a time for.

As a whole, and for the love and interest of cookbooks, I praise this book for it’s elegance, freshness, funky-feel of ingredients that bare all within pages of very beautiful photos. I also really like the “card-boardy” cover and simple design of this book-I think it would look great on a coffee table!

It’s my own opinion here, but if you love the art of slower cooking (not “slow cooking with a slow cooker”!) and eating clean, this could be a perfect book to add to your collection or to gift to a good friend.

Available now on Amazon/TheNakedCookbook

To see more of what Tess Ward writes and cooks about, here is her beautiful website:
http://www.tessward.net/

***I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.***