Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family by Kathleen Flinn

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family by Kathleen Flinn

Pages: 288

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Kathleen Flinn started to write a memoir of her childhood and realized she needed to go back to her grandparents to get a true picture of her family. She interweaves the family history with favorite family recipes. Everything from farm jam to the pizza her parents sold in San Francisco. 

She realizes that her love of food and cooking comes from multiple generations of her family and she is thankful for all that they have taught her. Most of her life her family lived in the Midwest and her stories of farm life are a mixture of stories my mom and dad told me and my own experiences growing up. 

For me this memoir was like a familiar friend, sharing their life story, ups and downs, burnt toast and all. 

Learn Something New

The Year of Cozy by Adrianna Adarme

This is a very cute book, and the images are beautiful. My biggest issue with it is some of the recipes and crafts use obscure ingredients and materials you would probably need to order online. The contents also seem to be thrown together helter-skelter. It was fun to read through though. 

259 pages

From Freezer to Table by Polly Conner & Rachel Tiemeyer

Although I thought their second book was better than their first, this one still has some great ideas on how to prep meals in advance for easy healthy weekday cooking. I love the idea of setting up a freezer club, where each person contributes a few meals and they all swap. Probably not a good idea for right now, but it's still something to keep in mind for the future!

233 pages 

Body Reading by Sasha Fenton

This short and sweet guide reviews how humans have traditionally attributed meaning to different parts of the body. The author goes through the reading of heads, hands, eyes, feet, even moles and itches.The chapter on phrenology was especially interesting. Does any of this actually reflect someone's personality and fate? No, but it sure is fascinating to read about what people thought and believed in the past. 

144 pages

The Witch's Book of Self-Care by Ann Murphy-Hiscock

This is a great collection of self-care techniques, meditations, recipes, and activities. I love how simple and clear the instructions are. They are all very doable with little need for materials. Self-Care is a huge focus for me right now, and this book is just what I needed. I may end up buying my own copy. 

224 pages

From Freezer to Cooker by Polly Conner and Rachel Tiemeyer

I've been trying out so many recipes since getting my Instant Pot, but most of the cookbooks I've found so far have been pretty meh. This one is perfect! Each recipe includes instructions for slow cooker, instant pot, and freeze-ahead meals! Plenty of pictures, easy step by step instructions, and shortcut tips for when you're in a hurry. Plus, the authors live here in Columbia! I will probably purchase my own copy of this one.

This is how a cookbook should be! I'm excited to try some of these recipes.

256 pages

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was delicious, well-written, and heartfelt. I'm loving all the amazing and diverse YA stories the publishing industry has to offer these days. What a great time to be a reader. It's also nice to see a female MC with a passion for food and cooking.

Pages: 400

Dune Drive by Mariah Stewart

Dune Drive by Mariah Stewart
This story reaches its crescendo like a storm coming onto the sea, a slow build and a dramatic climax followed by immediate calm. Ship-salvaging and cooking provide an interesting backdrop to this pleasant read.

337 pages

Doctor Who: The Official Cookbook: 40 Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Recipes by Joanna Farrow

The perfect addition to every Doctor Who fan’s shelf, Doctor Who: The Official Cookbook features a cornucopia of delicious, easy-to-make recipes—from the simple, to the showstoppers—with an exciting Whovian twist. Enjoy the Doctor’s own favorite, fish fingers and custard, share some Cyberman Pie with friends, treat the family to Cassandra Pizza, or indulge your sweet tooth with a Supreme Dalek Cake.

Throwing a viewing party of your favorite episodes? Serve up some Ood Rolls, Salt and Pepper Sontarans, and Weeping Angel Food Cake. And don’t forget the centerpiece for every Whovian get-together, a Gingerbread TARDIS and, of course, 12 Cookie Doctors.

Illustrated with stills from the television show and seasoned with fun food ephemera and quotes from the Doctor’s universe, Doctor Who: The Official Cookbook has something weird, wacky, and tasty for every fan.

Yes, I am that kind of fan.  I love ALL things Doctor Who.  I read the comics and novels, watch every behind-the-scenes or featurette, and color in the coloring books.  So of course I own and love the cookbook.  This is seriously cute.  Will I ever cook anything out of it?  Probably not.  But man do I love the sheer adorableness of it all.  :)  Here are some pictures of the things you can make:

 

5/5

160 pages

The Gluten-Free Slow Cooker: Set It and Go with Quick and Easy Wheat-Free Meals Your Whole Family Will Love by Hope Comerford

The Gluten-Free Slow Cooker: Set It and Go with Quick and Easy Wheat-Free Meals Your Whole Family Will Love by Hope Comerford

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

This cookbook can help you enjoy your gluten-free meals, whether your family has to follow a gluten free diet for celiac's or other health issues or you are trying to eat healthier in general. Trying to find delicious, easy recipes that the whole family will enjoy is difficult. This recipe book provides you with meals that can be ready in your slow cooker when you get home from work. There are recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert.

176 pages

The Complete Allergy-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook

 The Complete Allergy-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook: Every Recipe Is Free of Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Nuts, and Eggs

by Elizabeth Gordon

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Pages: 189

Since my niece was diagnosed with Celiac's I have been looking for recipes for foods to make for her. Real comfort food made with safe ingredients for people who have all kinds of food allergies. Included in this book is some favorites she has been missing such as Twinkies. They even look like regular Twinkies. I will have to make several of these recipes for her soon!

"Crossroads" by Riley Hart

Here's the gist of the story:  two straight men in their 30s fall in love with each other and have to deal with the fallout from family and friends.  As with this author's other books, it was an interesting tale with two likable lead characters but could have used tighter editing, especially with the placement of commas.  335 pages

Lunch in Paris: a love story with recipes by Elizabeth Bard

I picked up this book in the New Books section of my local library-(shout out to Scenic Regional Hermann Branch). I had a little trouble getting in to it at first.  Elizabeth Bard is a self-described "free spirit with a five-year plan" who attended a boarding high school, I'm guessing an Ivy League college, and who met her French boyfriend while in graduate school in London.  But she drew me into her story first with the recipes and then with her increasingly complex relationship with France.  She writes very candidly about encouraging her husband to leave behind the boring but safe job at a state run digital archive to start a consulting business helping French cinemas go digital. In one chapter, she describes observing her mother-in-law for clues for staying slim: no eating between meals, drinking lots of water, small portions, and regular walking, swimming, dancing, etc.-not for exercise but for fun!  On their two week family beach vacation, Elizabeth observed that all the women wore bikinis, no matter their age-a good incentive for following her mother-in-law's regime! Anyone who ever dreams of living the expat life in France will find this a worthwhile read.    324 pages.

"The Cookie-Store Cat" by Cynthia Rylant

This lovely book with simple drawings tells the story of a cat who is adopted by a baker and lives in his cookie store.  The reader follows the cat as he goes through his days greeting the various customers and other store owners in the neighborhood.  He is loved by all, especially the old baker who found and took him in as a malnourished kitten.  Recipes for the cookies mentioned in the story are at the end of the book.  40 pages.

Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr

Posted for Diann Stark

Audio Reading time:  8 hours, 59 minutes.  368 pages.

Kelly Matlock a rising sous-chef suddenly realizes that the life she thought she had is gone. She was in love with her married boss, who had her convinced that he was divorcing his wife, which was a lie. She has put her heart and soul into the restaurant and it broke her spirit that she could no longer work there. Her life as she had known it was gone; she goes to her sister Jillian's house in Virgin River to rest and figure out what she will do next.

As Kelly helps in Jill's garden and cooks up delicious meals with the heirloom vegetables Jillian grows, it’s a far cry from the type of cooking and lifestyle she is used to. Then she meets handsome Lief Holbrook, a widower who is a screenwriter. But less appealing is Lief's rebellious stepdaughter, Courtney. She's the reason they moved from L.A., but Courtney's finding plenty of trouble even in Virgin River. Over time Lief, Kelly and Courtney realize how much they love each other and become a family.

Behind the Kitchen Door By Saru Jayaraman

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

She talked with the staff that had worked in the World Trade Center. Their trouble finding jobs and getting paid a living wage.  The problem of many skilled workers not getting upgrades to better jobs they could easily do. They worked from inside to improve the whole system.  175 pages.

Five Quarters of the orange: a novel by Joanne Harris

I picked up this book because it was about France, cooking, and World War II.  Framboise (french for raspberry!) has returned to the village her family fled during the war. Believing no-one recognizes her, she opens a successful cafe using the recipes left to her by her mother. But she finds cryptic messages from her mother hidden among the recipes. The messages awake repressed memories of the German execution of 10 villagers. A story of loss, survival, and making it to mellow old age.  320 pages.

Cinnamon Roll Murder by JoAnne Fluke

(Posted for Paul Mathews)  

Their bakery is called the Cookie Jar, they live in Minnesota and cook and solve local murders. This book comes with recipes and lots of family drama.  330 pages.