The Best of Amish Friends Cookbook Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter

When I was in my teens, my family went on an extended East Coast tour/vacation that included a few visits to some Amish communities. I LOVED seeing and learning a little about their way of life.  And ever since then, I've enjoyed reading the occasional Amish themed book, and cooked any of the included recipes.

I had a lot of fun cooking White Christmas Pie, included in one of Wanda E. Brunstetter's fiction books for a Christmas themed book club a few years ago.

When I got a chance to read through The Best of Amish Friends Cookbook Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter, I found some new favorite go-to recipes.  I call them go-to because they utilize a lot of the ingredients I already have on hand.

Throughout the book are little bits on Amish life that I found fascinating.  Wanda talks about the Amish Faith, Amish Across America, Lancaster County Pennsylvania, Amish Church, Mifflin County Pennsylvania, Amish Schools, Holmes County Ohio, Amish Weddings, Elkhart and LaGrange Counties Indiana, Amish and Mennonite Quilts, Webster County Missouri, Amish Homes, Christian County Kentucky, Amish and Mennonite Transportation, Lincoln County Montana, Amish Communication, Sarasota County Florida, Amish Occupations, Lawrence County Tennessee, and Amish and Mennonite Clothes.

This recipe collection is broken down into: Breakfast Foods, Snacks, Breads and Rolls, Jams and Jellies, Pickles and Relish, Sides and Salads, Main Dishes, Desserts, Beverages, and Miscellaneous.

Who knew you could make Grape Nuts from scratch, and that it was easy?  There is a great recipe in here for them (ever tried adding them to yogurt - its GREAT).  Anyone want to try making your own Soda Crackers? Sure sounds easy and fun.  Some other great recipes include homemade Pretzels, Maple Twist Rolls, Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread, Baked Apple Butter, Yogurt Ranch Dressing, Hearty Chicken 'n Rice Soup, Split Pea Soup (This is now my favorite recipe - it is similar to the one I've always used, but I liked it slightly better), Chicken Pie, Chicken Patties (think crab patties, only made with chicken and matching flavors), Moist and Tender Chocolate Cake, Coconut Pecan Frosting, Maple Nut Angel Food Cake, Peppermint Patties, Quick Root Beer, Red Ribbon Punch, Laundry Soap (for the house LOL), Stainless Steel Cleaner, Homemade Play Dough, and SO MUCH MORE!  In all around 209 recipes.

A fun note: all the recipes have the Amish contributor's name and where they are from.  I do wish there was a blurb on who they are and what they do, but that may not be allowed within their community/faith.  There are a lot of full-color photos throughout the book, but not every recipe has a picture of its own.

The Best of Amish Friends Cookbook Collection 
by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (July 1, 2013)  ~ 224 pages Non-Fiction / Cooking

Edition Reviewed: eBook - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me an eBook copy to review!

About the Book: from the publisher

From Barbour’s bestselling author of fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter, comes The Best of Amish Friends Cookbook Collection. This brand-new title is a treasure trove of recipes and interesting facts from the heart of Amish country and includes recipes divided into sections such as breads and rolls, desserts, main dishes, sides, jams and jellies—and more! You’ll find only the best of home cooking between the pages of this delightful book, and as an added bonus, you’ll find featured facts about Amish life. Topped off by one beautifully designed package, cooks of all ages will have a hard time passing this one up!

About the Author: (from the publisher's site)

New York Times bestselling author, Wanda E. Brunstetter became fascinated with the Amish way of life when she first visited her husband's Mennonite relatives living in Pennsylvania. Wanda and her husband, Richard, live in Washington State but take every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the States, where they have many Amish friends.

*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)

The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook: Full Color and Everything You Need To Bring Your Cooking to the Next Level!

For years, my husband and I have had a really old set of cookbooks that had great how-to instructions and photos that we have loved and relied on, but that all changed with the Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook, which has beautiful step-by-step instructions (most of which have full color photographs) and scrumptious recipes just begging to be mastered and shared.

Did I mention the full-color photographs? And how many there are?  That is what sets this book above a lot of others.  With the exception of the index, I do believe that every single page (there are 320) has at least one full-color photo.  I'm fairly picky with my cookbooks now, and I really do value those that take the time and resources to include what a dish is supposed to look like.  Sure, my version of the dish very rarely looks as nice, but a picture can help us know what things are supposed to look like when they are done, and they can occasionally help us figure out something that is stumping us.

Speaking of stumping, I don't think you can be stumped with this Cooking School Cookbook, because there are such great instructions for how to do things (which include pictures as well) step-by-step.  This includes some basics in the introduction, like how to measure different ingredients the correct way (shown below), and How-To's, Tips and Information shared throughout the book in the outer margins.

In addition to great instructions with full-color pictures, the book has a great variety of recipes that cover simple to extravagant in each main area: Appetizers, Drinks, Better Than Takeout, Soups, Beef & Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Vegetarian, Side Dishes, Breakfast, Baking, and Deserts.

Here is one recipe I can't wait to try out at one of our upcoming Football Sunday Family Get-Togethers:

This cookbook would be a great gift, or a great addition to anyone's kitchen.  (Shhh - I'm actually thinking about replacing that old set we've been using for years).

Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook  
by Catherine Cassidy and Taste of Home  
Readers Digest; Original edition (March 15, 2012) ~ 320 pages
Non-Fiction / Cooking

Edition Reviewed:Paperback - Review copy received courtesy of the FSB Associates, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

About the Book:

Learn to cook with confidence with The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook based on the popular Taste of Home Cooking Schools attended by millions.

The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook, "is just like having a Cooking School instructor in your very own kitchen," says Catherine Cassidy, Editor in Chief, Taste of Home. "This essential cookbook captures the highlights of our cooking school lessons and presents them in a way that allows people of all skill levels in the kitchen, to create memorable holiday meal moments in their own homes with family, friends and neighbors."

Learn fresh techniques, tips, secrets and entertaining ideas straight from the Taste of Home Cooking School team. Each chapter builds from simple, beloved classics to spectacular dishes handed down by families from generation to generation that are sure to impress family and friends. Better yet, all of these recipes can be created with affordable ingredients available at your local grocery store. As you move from one recipe to the next, you will enhance your cooking skills and discover new favorites.

Highlights Include:

- Low-effort "Cheat It" recipes with big rewards like the refreshing Lemonade Icebox Pie, the     10-minute Zesty Salsa and Chocolate Cooking Cupcakes
- More than 400 simple to spectacular recipes including mouthwatering Gnocchi in Sage Butter, snappy Sweet & Tangy Wings, and Fresh Cherry Pie
- 140 how-to's, secrets and tips shared by Taste of Home Cooking School experts from how to shape drop cookies to the best techniques for shredding meat for sandwiches and grilling salmon fillets
- Exciting twists on all-time favorites like burgers, pizza, Chinese takeout and more

About the Author: (from Amazon)

Catherine Cassidy, Taste of Home Editor-in-Chief.
Catherine M. Cassidy is Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Home, overseeing the development of four national cooking magazines, the entire book program, and more than three-dozen newsstand specials, "bookazines," and wall calendars.
She has toured the country doing events and national and local TV, radio, and newspaper interviews in support of the best-selling Taste of Home Cookbook, Taste of Home Baking Book, and Taste of Home magazine.
Most recently she has been named One of America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food, for the second year in a row, according to The Daily Meal.
Taste of Home’s unique staff of field editors is made up of more than 1,000 experienced home cooks located in each state and Canadian province, who regularly share recipes, well-liked menus and kitchen tips. Taste of Home is published six times a year and has five sister magazines, Simple & Delicious, Slow Cooker, Appetizers, Cooking for 2, and Healthy Cooking.

 *Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)