Book Review: Grandma's Best Recipes

**sorry no image for this book**

This cookbook was given to me last Christmas. The thought behind it was wonderful...I grew up with my grandparents and I always loved the homemade meals...some taking 12 hours or more to prepare. Some I still make on occasion.

Some of these recipes are time consuming and I wouldn't recommend this cookbook for those that don't truly enjoy cooking and have a good knowledge and handle on it. Some recipes could be considered advanced.

This cookbook has a lovely introduction. You'll want to be sure to take a few minutes to read it.

This book is broken up into several main categories:

Grandma's Comfort Food

Grandma's Travels

Grandma's Festive Fare

Grandma's Just Deserts

Grandma's Baking Day

Then, of course, there's an index.

I haven't tried everything in this cookbook...but I will tell you some of the things I tried...

Tomato Soup: This was a nice treat. It definitely didn't taste like Campbells. To save time, I used their suggestion of canned tomatoes. It also doesn't take an overly long time to prepare. A good 30 minute recipe.

Chicken Soup: This was absolutely wonderful. I love soups. This definitely reminded me of grandma's soups. It does take awhile to prepare due to chopping and cooking chicken. So be prepared for that. It's one of the recipes in this book that you just have to try.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Now, while not like what Grandma made--this was delicious. It includes grated cheese, ham and a white sauce. This does take a bit of time to prepare. So, when deciding to try it, keep that in mind.

Pot Roast: I opted to make this in my crock pot {slow cooker}. It cooked about 8 hours total and came out wonderfully. There is some chopping to keep ion mind, but for a dinner, the prep time isn't too bad.

Macaroni & Cheese: Again, this is not what my Grandma made...but it is excellent. There are several types of cheese and seasonings. There is some prep time needed for this, a lot more than your boxed Kraft, but this is worth the extra effort. You'll be glad you left the box at the store.

Stuffed Baked Potato: Another really excellent finding. I love anything potato....fried, baked, boiled--you name it. The prep time isn't too bad. One to try for sure.

Some other items in the book that I tried:

Grandma's Travels:

Fettuccine Alfredo: Not Olive Garden's, but it was good

Beef Bourguignon: One of the recipes that I tried that we didn't much care for.

Grandma's Festive Fair:

Roast Turkey With Stuffing: I have to say I prefer my method of cooking the turkey and my method of stuffing more than this one.

Roasted Potatoes: While I opted to use olive oil rather than goose fat or duck ft, I thought they still tasted great.

Pecan Pie: All I can say is this was EXCELLENT

Grandma's Just Deserts:

Excellent tries were: Peach Cobbler, Apple Pie, Chocolate Mouse, Traditional Tiramisu

Lemon Meringue Pie: I have to say, I had lost my grandma's recipe for this. I was heartbroken. I've tried about 10 other ways and none even come close. This recipe was absolutely EXCELLENT.

Grandma's Baking Day:

A few that I tried that I really enjoyed: Classic Carrot Cake, Banana Loaf, Blueberry Muffins & White Bread

Overall Thoughts: While I know this cookbook isn't for everyone...a lot of the recipes require some well developed cooking skills, I found that I truly enjoyed most of what I've made so far. I do have quite a lot more to go. This cookbook was an excellent gift for me..I was able to come close to some old family recipes that I haven't had in almost 26 years.

This book is 224 pages & is Love Food..which is an imprint of Parragon Books Ltd