Review: River Cottage Family Cookbook

In Review: River Cottage Family Cookbook by Fizz Carr and Simon Wheeler

The River Cottage Family Cookbook by Fizz Carr and Simon Wheeler was a book I had long ago read about on others' blogs, and I had always wanted to check it out. I do most of my 'checking out' at the library or Barnes and Noble until I decide if it's worth the money to buy over amazon. I couldn't get this book at our local libraries, and I kept forgetting to check to see if B&N had it every Wednesday for my knitting group, so I just decided to put it on InterLibraryLoan and request it from another library in the midwest.

This cookbook is a very beautiful cookbook filled with pictures of all types of things--kids doing happy dances when their cooking turns out right, gardens and their yields; even a few pictures of a 'step' in a recipe. The paper is matte, which I love, and the colors are magnificent. The book also has interesting 'essays' (more like little summaries) of the histories of certain types of food and where they were originally found. Add a few simple things like a recipe on how to make your own butter, and one would think they have it all!

The two authors are British, and so there are even recipes for things like Jellies. This isn't what comes in a small jar in the peanut butter isle, but something that resembles a 50's green, wobbly, "let's take this over to the new neighbors" jello mold jellies. Weird. I don't think I've seen one of those in my life. Ever! Surprising, but true.

I didn't keep this cookbook very long in my possession, though, because to tell you the truth, I didn't like it all that much. There were a lot of things I already knew how to do, or were in other cookbooks *minus the jellies, of course*, and I found the format frustrating for a cookbook.

As a photography book, I loved it, but as a cookbook? Well, it just didn't speak to me. Maybe I am set in my "HERE are the recipes: clear, concise, and in a row" type of way, or maybe the jellies turned me off. All I know is that it wasn't for me. I'm glad I checked it out on Interlibrary Loan and got to see some beautiful eye candy (and what an actual jelly looks likes...ok. OK! Enough with the jellies! I know!) but it will never be a go-to book that I would keep in my cupboard.

Comments

Home School Activities: Board Games We Love

My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov

July Reads

Birch Bay Sunset, rainbow hues July has been hot out here. When you live in the top story of an apartment building, and there's no air conditioning, it can feel just over the needle of uncomfortably warm when the day is above 76 degrees. We've kept blinds shut, windows open, and a fan continually blowing as it's perched in our living room window well. Just about the only thing I feel like doing after a long day is laying on the couch straight in the fan's air circulation path, and read a good book. I had some unique picks this month. * #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso This book was just plain fun to read. Amoruso developed the iconic ebay store NastyGal way back when vintage selling on ebay was a thing. Now she's a millionaire with a kicking website that she started from scratch and didn't owe a dime to anyone else for. It's a great 200 pager with stories on dumpster diving for daily food, entrepreneurship tips, and being the backwards kid that no one t

Top 10 Books of 2017

early sunset in Ft Langley I love reading all these "Top 10" lists of favorite books read throughout the year, so I'm adding my two cents. I'm involved in a Book Club that I love with women from our church, a small group that meets every week and goes through a book every few months, my own list, books I'm reading aloud to the kids and books I'm reading for educational purposes (think professional development). I took a look at all of those combined and this is what I got, in no particular order: * The Problem of God by Mark Clark - I loved going through this academic apologetic book with my friends from church. It led us to great discussion, and good food for thought. I listen to Clark's sermons every week and so knew I'd probably love his writing style, too. If you have objections to Christianity, or are feeling confused about what to believe, this is a great primer. * You're Smarter Than You Think by Dr. Thomas Armstron

Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Search This Blog