The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook by Pearl Barrett is the highly anticipated followup book to their Trim Healthy Mama diet guide. I was really looking forward to this book, but when I opened it my expectations fell flat. The book itself is substantial and heavy for a paperback. Inside, I was expecting far more in terms of photography. The pictures were few and far between. I like to see what I'm cooking before I cook it and the pictures also looked as if there were taken by the author herself which made most things look unappetizing. The recipes included many ingredients that you probably don't have on hand at home like Stevia and Xylitol and a Sweet Blend of sugar which you need to buy directly from the authors in order to make most of the items in this book. There is also a flour (Baking Blend) that they use for most of the recipes that you must buy separately as well. The flour comes in a 2 cup bag and is extremely expensive. This wasn't exactly what I had hoped for. Overall I was disappointed by this cookbook and feel that there are better alternatives out there. I received a copy of this cookbook from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
Treat is a charming little cookbook filled with colorful photography of every recipe. The pages are sturdy and glossy and the recipes all used Rice Krispy cereal as a base. Who knew there were so many variations! There are 50 recipes in all. Some of my favorites are the After School Power Bar Treats, Chocolate Hazelnut Treats and the Chocolate Caramel Malted Treats. I can't wait to try every single one. I also love that there is a section on how to make your own marshmallows including recipes for Strawberry, Vanilla and chocolate marshmallows. If you want to kick up your rice krispy bars a notch, I highly recommend this book. It is nothing but fun sweets that you can make and take just about anywhere. I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. To get your copy, go here: Treat by Stephanie Banyas
The New Sugar & Spice cookbook by Samantha Seneviratne is one of the most unique cookbooks I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The photography was beautiful and the recipes were purely unlike any I had ever seen before. Spicy and Sweet are mixed together to form new twists on some old favorites. Te Maple Sticky Buns use lots of fresh ground cinnamon to make them stand out and the Raspberry Shortcakes with Zingy Double Ginger Biscuits have a special zip that is spicy and sweet all at the same time. Originally, I wasn't so sure I would like this book and it deviated from the standard recipes that I am used to, but this cookbook surpassed all of my expectations and there are tons of recipes that I would like to make and try. It's a different cookbook that's not too different. It combines some familiar flavors with some new twists. I highly recommend giving it a try. I received a free copy of this cookbook in exchange for my honest review from Blogging for Books.
