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mandikaye's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the recipes look absolutely delish! The only downside to using a cookbook to write a love story is that the story ends up much shorter than you want it to be.
But it still had that "Susan Mallery" feel to it.
But it still had that "Susan Mallery" feel to it.
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes by Susan Mallery
When I first got this book it was for many reasons: the love story and the recipes. I had seen the trailer for a shrimp/mango dish and know I will love that one for sure. Cookbooks don't normally excite me, this one did after watching the trailer.
I glanced through quickly and found so many I will be making.
Then back to read the full love story of Ana Raquel Hopkins who had once lived in Fool's Gold but was split from her sisters and sent to a foster home not in the area.
They all back together now and she has a career she went to college for: chef. She runs her business out of her food trailer and has an idea of making a FG cookbook. She takes her idea to Mayor Marsha and she also loves the idea but..
Greg is the owner of his own restaurant at the vineyard in town and he has an idea to make a FG cookbook and the Mayor throws them back together again for this endeavor. They don't quite hit it off as they have a lot of background that didn't go just right. Love
descriptions of not only the food but the kitchens. Love how they do finally work together for one good cause...there are troubles along the way...
The cookbook part of this book: WOW! Not only are different seasons color partitioned but there are also other categories: drinks, breakfast, desserts, etc.
Love how the recipes I was interested in are made from scratch as that is how I cook also. Fresh ingredients to make the food taste the best it can. Also love the tips along the way and was happy to learn new things in preparing some of the foods.
For my party I will be making the sweet potato biscuits or the carrot muffins. Love how the index not only has the names of the recipes in alpha order but major ingredients are also indexed.
I found all of these 150 recipes to look too good to be eaten but the desserts won out for me. I love chocolate but the pumpkin and the carrot muffins would also be a favorite of mine.
Not sure which I like the best the cookbook or the love story, Glad they are both in here.
Love the synopsis of each of the books in the series and I know I still have a few left to read.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
When I first got this book it was for many reasons: the love story and the recipes. I had seen the trailer for a shrimp/mango dish and know I will love that one for sure. Cookbooks don't normally excite me, this one did after watching the trailer.
I glanced through quickly and found so many I will be making.
Then back to read the full love story of Ana Raquel Hopkins who had once lived in Fool's Gold but was split from her sisters and sent to a foster home not in the area.
They all back together now and she has a career she went to college for: chef. She runs her business out of her food trailer and has an idea of making a FG cookbook. She takes her idea to Mayor Marsha and she also loves the idea but..
Greg is the owner of his own restaurant at the vineyard in town and he has an idea to make a FG cookbook and the Mayor throws them back together again for this endeavor. They don't quite hit it off as they have a lot of background that didn't go just right. Love
descriptions of not only the food but the kitchens. Love how they do finally work together for one good cause...there are troubles along the way...
The cookbook part of this book: WOW! Not only are different seasons color partitioned but there are also other categories: drinks, breakfast, desserts, etc.
Love how the recipes I was interested in are made from scratch as that is how I cook also. Fresh ingredients to make the food taste the best it can. Also love the tips along the way and was happy to learn new things in preparing some of the foods.
For my party I will be making the sweet potato biscuits or the carrot muffins. Love how the index not only has the names of the recipes in alpha order but major ingredients are also indexed.
I found all of these 150 recipes to look too good to be eaten but the desserts won out for me. I love chocolate but the pumpkin and the carrot muffins would also be a favorite of mine.
Not sure which I like the best the cookbook or the love story, Glad they are both in here.
Love the synopsis of each of the books in the series and I know I still have a few left to read.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
jazzrizz's review against another edition
3.0
Just read the story for now. I'm going to try to get to the recipes before it's due back at the library.
It was a sweet short story. Ana Raquel and Greg are a cute couple, and I hope to see more of them in future books.
It was a sweet short story. Ana Raquel and Greg are a cute couple, and I hope to see more of them in future books.
thisismenow's review against another edition
5.0
Ana Raquel and Greg had such a cute story, and I loved it in addition to the all of the recipes. I can't wait to try so many of the recipes in the book. I have a feeling this is going to be a go-to resource when I'm trying to find something new to make.
sandylovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. I loved the recipes but the best part was the romance story mixed in with the recipes. The author did such a great job mixing the two. And she even made the main characters writing a cookbook that I imagine is the same as the one I was holding in my hands. Great book.
awestruck's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the romance bits, but as I skimmed the recipes… I can't say much about them beyond that I bookmarked some of them to try later.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
The love story is thin, but the recipes are fabulous!
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Not the best short story but not the worst. At least we see how the food truck operator and her restaurateur husband came together.
kaleys23's review against another edition
3.0
Originally reviewed at Books Etc.
Let's get something out of the way right up front: I don't cook. I can (obviously since I'm still living) but I kind of hate it. There are a few recipes that are my specialities but for the most part my boyfriend is the one keeping me fed. So, it may seem strange that I'm reviewing a cookbook but I was intrigued by Fool's Gold Cookbook. The recipes were divided into seasons plus there was a short story included throughout as well. Then, when I got the book, I realized that Susan Mallery chose the recipes because of their simplicity. Simple? Sounds perfect for me!
Not only were the recipes divided by season but each season was subdivided by occasion: light meals, celebrations, breakfast and brunch, comfort food, and holidays are examples of what was included. You could find a recipe for almost any event and I loved that.
As I mentioned, the recipes in this book had been selected because they're quick and easy. However, when my boyfriend was making the Baked Potato Leek Soup (page 157) he found himself asking questions like: "Should the potatoes be peeled?" "Does the pot need to be uncovered or not?" He had to ask because the recipe was not clear enough And then he realized that there were no directions for the bacon. I had noticed a few recipes seemed overly simplistic in their directions so I worry this problem may come up again. These things aren't a huge dealbreaker but it's a problem for someone who doesn't cook ever (like me). Oh, and the soup? Freaking delicious.
I may not like cooking but I do enjoy baking. I discovered after finishing the book that most of the recipes I marked are those for something sweet. What can I say? I like my desserts. I picked one that I was most excited to try: s'mores bars. I adore s'mores so was looking forward to seeing how this recipe turned out. This was a crazy easy recipe to make, which was great. While the final product was pretty delicious, it fell apart a little bit. The graham cracker crumb crust probably needed a bit more butter and when my boyfriend was cutting his piece the chocolate layer came right off the crust. I think I'd also use a different type of chocolate chip instead of semisweet. Overall though, this is an easy recipe and a tasty one. I think it'd also be a fun recipe to make with kids. They wouldn't be able to mix the sweetened condensed milk and the chocolate chips over the stove or pour it on the crust but they could help press down the crumb crust and stick the marshmallows and crackers into the chocolate.
As for the story aspect of the book, I enjoyed it. I've never read any of the Fool's Gold stories before but I've wanted to. I love small town romances and when past characters pop up in a new story. Because this was just a short story, I wasn't too worried about being lost with the setting or characters. I especially liked that Ana Raquel and Greg had known each other as children. They were sort of rivals but it seemed like Ana Raquel disliked Greg more than he disliked her. In fact, he didn't seem to dislike her at all! The story was cute but there really wasn't much substance to it. I'm going to assume that had to do with the fact that it was so short and in a cookbook and not as a testament to the Fool's Gold series as a whole.
I'm looking forward to trying a few more recipes from Fool's Gold Cookbook and also checking out the whole series by Susan Mallery. I would have liked a few more pictures, more substance to the story, and more detailed directions, but, overall, this is a pretty good book. Who knows, maybe this cookbook will help turn me into a halfway decent cook! ;)
Happy reading...and cooking!
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Let's get something out of the way right up front: I don't cook. I can (obviously since I'm still living) but I kind of hate it. There are a few recipes that are my specialities but for the most part my boyfriend is the one keeping me fed. So, it may seem strange that I'm reviewing a cookbook but I was intrigued by Fool's Gold Cookbook. The recipes were divided into seasons plus there was a short story included throughout as well. Then, when I got the book, I realized that Susan Mallery chose the recipes because of their simplicity. Simple? Sounds perfect for me!
Not only were the recipes divided by season but each season was subdivided by occasion: light meals, celebrations, breakfast and brunch, comfort food, and holidays are examples of what was included. You could find a recipe for almost any event and I loved that.
As I mentioned, the recipes in this book had been selected because they're quick and easy. However, when my boyfriend was making the Baked Potato Leek Soup (page 157) he found himself asking questions like: "Should the potatoes be peeled?" "Does the pot need to be uncovered or not?" He had to ask because the recipe was not clear enough And then he realized that there were no directions for the bacon. I had noticed a few recipes seemed overly simplistic in their directions so I worry this problem may come up again. These things aren't a huge dealbreaker but it's a problem for someone who doesn't cook ever (like me). Oh, and the soup? Freaking delicious.
I may not like cooking but I do enjoy baking. I discovered after finishing the book that most of the recipes I marked are those for something sweet. What can I say? I like my desserts. I picked one that I was most excited to try: s'mores bars. I adore s'mores so was looking forward to seeing how this recipe turned out. This was a crazy easy recipe to make, which was great. While the final product was pretty delicious, it fell apart a little bit. The graham cracker crumb crust probably needed a bit more butter and when my boyfriend was cutting his piece the chocolate layer came right off the crust. I think I'd also use a different type of chocolate chip instead of semisweet. Overall though, this is an easy recipe and a tasty one. I think it'd also be a fun recipe to make with kids. They wouldn't be able to mix the sweetened condensed milk and the chocolate chips over the stove or pour it on the crust but they could help press down the crumb crust and stick the marshmallows and crackers into the chocolate.
As for the story aspect of the book, I enjoyed it. I've never read any of the Fool's Gold stories before but I've wanted to. I love small town romances and when past characters pop up in a new story. Because this was just a short story, I wasn't too worried about being lost with the setting or characters. I especially liked that Ana Raquel and Greg had known each other as children. They were sort of rivals but it seemed like Ana Raquel disliked Greg more than he disliked her. In fact, he didn't seem to dislike her at all! The story was cute but there really wasn't much substance to it. I'm going to assume that had to do with the fact that it was so short and in a cookbook and not as a testament to the Fool's Gold series as a whole.
I'm looking forward to trying a few more recipes from Fool's Gold Cookbook and also checking out the whole series by Susan Mallery. I would have liked a few more pictures, more substance to the story, and more detailed directions, but, overall, this is a pretty good book. Who knows, maybe this cookbook will help turn me into a halfway decent cook! ;)
Happy reading...and cooking!
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*