Now, I’ve been a HUGE Skinnytaste.com fan for awhile now. Last Thanksgiving I made several of her recipes, I’ve been applauding her latest ventures, I get her email newsletters, I really like this blog and am astounded by her avid followers. I’ve been eyeing this cookbook for several months and now have the opportunity to REVIEW IT!  HUZZAH!!

POSITIVES:

The photographs are lovely.

The layout is logical and I like the way she lays out her ingredients – they’re divided up by section of the meal. Take, for example, in her Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches with Pesto Mayonnaise, there is a list of ingredients for the Pesto and another for the Sandwich, so should you want to make the pesto mayo you can simply scan the recipe ingredients for just that. Very nice.

Each recipe is categorized into Vegan, Gluten-Free, Quick, Freezer Friendly and/or Slow Cooker – UNFORTUNATELY, the Key is poorly located in the introduction.

The recipes are totally approachable for all kinds of skill levels, and often suggest the reader try new ingredients – like rice flour, quinoa, etc.

Ms. Homolka often suggests locations to purchase ingredients, Trader Joe’s, bakeries, etc.

NEGATIVES:

I was really quite…upset isn’t the right word, annoyed? irritated? forlorn? frustrated? by the fact that NO RECIPE has the WW Points listed with it. None. Sure, the nutritional information is broken down for you in a sweet little box, so you can figure it out yourself, but why weren’t the Weight Watchers Points also included?!?!  __FRUSTRATING__

Now I understand about brand loyalty, and I understand cooks liking one kind of tomato over another, but to list a specific brand IN a recipe is a big no-no for me. I find it a tad…big-brother/large company-gave-me-money-or-freebies-to-endorse-this. Put it on the side, as a suggestion. Add an asterisk to make it your idea – but putting it in? Not a fan.

I wish Ms. Homolka had created a section (perhaps in the introduction) that included all of her Go-To recipes, the ones that form the backbone for a BUNCH of her meals – like the Convenient Slow-Cooker Shredded Chicken.

By the way, I was AGHAST that in the aforementioned Shredded Chicken recipe, one of the final lines was to discard the broth – THAT’S CHICKEN SOUP! In our house you pull out the boiled chicken for use in sandwiches, soup, whatever – but the BROTH is the prize! If you’re not planning on making soup for a sick family member today, use it instead of plain water when you make rice, cook your pasta, brush your teeth! *grin*

So far I’ve made a half a dozen recipes from this book. Winners: Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Sriracha-Glazed Salmon, Seasoned Sweet Potato Wedges, and the Convenient Slow-Cooker Shredded Chicken. The salmon (I toned the spice level waaaaay down) was DELICIOUS. I served it to my parents – and they asked for seconds! Actually, only one recipe wasn’t a winner – the Sweet Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash. I think if I’d used a touch more maple syrup the twins might’ve liked it more….

I’m planning on making the Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls for the night-before-Thanksgiving-meal! WOO HOO!

END RESULT:

There are so many corners turned down in this book!

The Skinnytaste Cookbook is a good cookbook for a home cook to sink their teeth into. I can’t wait to keep cooking through this book.

THANK YOU Blogging For Books for giving me the opportunity to review this cookbook!

(I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review).