Thursday, October 22, 2015

Just Jennifer

Happy Cooking by Giada De Laurentiis

Make Every Meal Count…Without Stressing Out
In her eighth cookbook, Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis strays a bit from her Italian roots and focuses on eating things that make you feel good, taste good and that you enjoy cooking.  Giada acknowledges that many people have dietary restrictions, self-imposed or for medical reasons and includes many vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.  There are a lot of savory breakfast options, including recipes that can be made on the weekends and heated up or altered slightly on a busy morning.  As a single mother, Giada addresses the need to have simple, healthful but tasty foods to grab quickly, especially on the go.  Many of the recipes have short headers giving serving ideas or ideas for changing up some of the ingredients (in the Focaccia with Tangerine and Fennel she advises using any citrus or cherries if you don’t have or like tangerines).  Each chapter has several sidebars that discuss things such as packing a salad in a jar so it doesn’t get soggy before lunch or Giada’s favorite mini-cleanses.  Some more complicated recipes such as a Spring Pasta Timbale turn out to be not all that complicated and are real show stoppers.  Fans who followed Giada’s rise to stardom will enjoy catching up with her and seeing how her recipes, cooking and philosophies have evolved over time. 
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.


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