Im thankful for the review copy of a book that introduced me to a passionate chef and yummy food recipes. I havent seen Kelsey Nixon on but this book has made me want to check her show out. My husband and I have switched off cooking and cleaning up the kitchen for years now. I havent cooked in a while. I thought this book would help me get back into the cooking groove! I was right. This author has tips for beginners and experienced cooks that are helpful to both camps.

I liked the introduction of this book where the author shares a little bit about her cooking journey and how her moms love of cooking stirred her passion for food and helping others to create great meals like her mom. Her mom loved to cook and relished the unbeatable feeling of making something at home to nourish the people she loved.

Kelsey states, My love for food followed me to college, but unfortunately my mom didnt so no more home-cooked meals every night. It didnt take long for that void to send me straight to my own bite-size dorm kitchen to begin cooking for myself, my roomates, and any prospective boyfriends

I was a broadcast journalism student who loved food and television, but wasnt all that interested in a news career. So, I committed myself to an unorthodox idea of hosting my own cooking show

I liked learning how Kelsey developed her cooking style and how she had a passion to teach others to create healthy and yummy meals that everyone could make and love.

She walks readers thru the getting started stage and for those who have been at it for a while some great pointers about Essential Pantry supplies. She says, Having a well-equipped Pantry is like having an insurance policy for dinner.

Tips on organizing (and re-organizing) your kitchen Essential Equipment When it comes to equipment I believe in quality over quantity. Kelsey states. Then there are the Essential Techniques Techniques youll use over and over again. I felt they were very helpful.

Cooking from the hip section tells readers how to get your creative juices flowing. Each recipe has at least a few variations on the basic theme of the dish. She encourages you to come up with a few variations to make it your own.

The recipes are easy to read, ingredients are readily available, and the most she has in each recipe is four or five steps with instructions to follow. They are not complicated to understand.

The book is broken into the following sections. Breakfast and Morning Treats, Starters, Salads, Sandwiches and Soups, Main Courses, Sides, Desserts and Sweets.

This cook book is filled with beautiful color pictures of most of the food recipes, some of the authors and others of cooking techniques. I loved to look at them.

The recipes I tried were the Blueberry Muffins, Chicken Piccata, and the Oven-Fried Chicken. These dishes were fun to create and my family loved them. I loved watching them empty their plates and ask for more!

Some of the recipes Id like to make are Stove-Top Mac NCheese (she has 4 variations to the master recipe for you to try) Scalloped Sweet Potatoes, Banana Split Ice Cream Cake, Baked Eggs with Smoked Bacon, Spinach and Goat Cheese, Almond Scones, Buffalo Chicken Wings and many more.

I really liked the fact that once the reader got a handle on creating the basic recipe they could change it up and make something new. Ill be referring back to this book often. This will be my go to book for bringing fun back to family dinners. I look forward to learning more about the Hows and Whys of cooking techniques that make the dishes in the book work and taste great. This is a win, win for cooks, and our families. This would make a great gift too!

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the blogging for books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins
The Book Club Network blog
Book Fun Magazine