| This is a really beautiful cookbook, and a must have addition to your collection if you love to cook and are a fan of Martina McBride. The BEST thing about the book is all the personal stories she includes, closely followed by all the terrific pictures, many of Martina. There are pictures with every recipe, which I love–I really like to see how things are SUPPOSED to turn out, plus it’s inspiration when trying to decide WHAT to cook. I also really like that Martina pulls music metaphors into the book, comparing trying new ingredients or spices or even recipes to trying a new instrument…or playing with a particular recipe and making changes to it on the fly as a “riff”. I really enjoyed that. It really helped make the book feel personal and written by a music artist. Another little “musical” element: Each section of the book has a cover page photo that features a vinyl album with the appropriate label for the section. Sections include: Breakfast and Brunch, Cocktails and Appetizers, Salads, Soups and Sandwiches, Main Courses, Side Dishes, Desserts, Martina’s Menu Mix/Favorites. There’s also an Introduction from Martina, a section on Metric equivalents and an index. The photographs throughout the book are beautiful and I love that intermixed with the food pictures, we get pictures of Martina, her kitchen (presumably), etc. It’s very warm and inviting, and almost feels conversational. The recipes are clearly and simply written; most include personal comments about Martina’s feelings about the recipe, or favorite ways to serve it. Many also include what’s she’s calling an “Ad Lib” suggestions for how to modify the recipe or ways to change it up. Each section also includes a “Don’t Knock it Til you try it recipe”, which is a favorite recipe from Martina’s family that’s been passed down that maybe isn’t the most logical sounding recipe or super healthy, but it tastes really good, and her family loves it. She talks about where it comes from and why they love it, and suggests the reader give it a try. There are a pretty wide variety of recipes here–Martina appears to enjoy a lot of different types of foods, I really liked that the recipes didn’t stick to one genre of cooking. There are taco recipes, Italian recipes, seafood recipes, southern recipes, traditional recipes…a lot of different things to try. Overall, I thought this was an excellent cookbook and I really enjoyed seeing this side of Martina McBride. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. Rating: 5 Stars View this book on Amazon (US). |
Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life
