Review: The Robin Takes 5 Cookbook for Busy Families Over 200 Recipes with 5 Ingredients or Less for Breakfasts, School Lunches, After-School Snacks, Family Dinners, and Desserts by Robin Miller

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Imagine your day like this: a nourishing breakfast; a gourmet lunch; creative afternoon snacks; a scrumptious family dinner; a decadent dessert. Dream no more: This can be your typical day because The Robin Takes 5 Cookbook for Busy Families boasts 200 recipes that are ready in a flash with 5 ingredients or less.
“Robin brings her real-life experiences to the page. Her book is not only full of her best busy-family recipes, but also tips and stories to remind us that we are not alone in trying to get a nutritious and delicious dinner on the table for a busy (and hungry!) family.”
—Melissa d’Arabian, host of Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners and author of Ten Dollar Dinners
“This book is loaded with fun, easy, kid-friendly recipes that can take the stress out of feeding your family well, and make it completely doable even when life is at its most hectic. Kudos to Robin for covering all the busy-family bases!”
—Ellie Krieger, RD, host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite and author of Comfort Food Fix
You can’t create a truly useful cookbook for busy families unless you’re actually living the life. And Robin Miller lives the life! Her boys and husband keep her busy, plus Robin’s a chef, nutritionist, cookbook author, and TV personality. Like you, she faces mealtime dilemmas every day, from morning until night. Thankfully, Robin shares her secrets for creating delectable food in minimal time with few ingredients. How does this sound? Jump-start your day with Flapjacks with Cheddar and Bacon or Huevos Rancheros on English Muffins. Let the kids enjoy the Almond Coffee Cake while you pack Chicken Caesar Pita Pockets in their lunch boxes and spoon Lemony Sweet Pea Risotto or Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Corn and Cilantro into a container for you. Afternoon snacks are a breeze with Roasted Corn Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips or Warm Spinach Dip with Sundried Tomatoes and Pepper Jack. For dinner, wow the crowd with Toasted Tortellini with Bread Crumbs and Tomato Sauce, Turkey Meatball Sliders, or Cheddar Fondue with Shrimp and Apples. Think you don’t have time for dessert? There’s always time for White Chocolate Truffles with Raspberry Sauce and Crispy Sugared Wonton Ice Cream Sandwiches. The biggest secret of all? Each recipe has just 5 ingredients or less.
From morning until night, Robin’s got you covered with an assortment of family-friendly main dishes, snacks, side dishes, and desserts. You’ll soon discover that The Robin Takes 5 Cookbook for Busy Families is a book that will forever live on your kitchen counter.

MY TAKE:
The biggest reason why I don't cook as much is because I don't have a lot of time to cook and I find recipes with a lot of ingredients to be very complicated.

The Robin Takes 5 Cookbook for Busy Families features a lot of easy, simple recipes. Recipes are classified into: breakfast, lunch, after-school snacks, dinner, slow cooker meals, vegetable side dishes, and desserts.

I liked how the book was well-organized and easy-on-the-eyes. Recipes that are gluten-free are also easy to find thanks to a little symbol found on the recipe page. However, I think the feature that most moms would appreciate is the breakdown of the nutrients per serving of the recipe. There are only a few cookbooks that do this, and I'm sure moms would appreciate knowing how many milligrams or grams of sodium, fat, etc. are found in each serving.

I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but I've already seen a number of recipes that I would like to try. For example, One-Egg Western Omelet, and Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Robin Takes 5 Cookbook for Busy Families is on August 20, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. There's nutrition information for each recipe.
2. The layout and design is simple but nice.
3. There are a lot of recipes to choose from.

THE BAD:

1. The list of recipes for each category only appears at the start of each chapter and not at the table of contents at the start.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Huevos rancheros is a classic Mexican dish that features fried eggs served on top of a tomato-chile sauce and lightly fried corn tortillas.

READ IT IF:

1. You like recipes that have few ingredients.
2. You are on the lookout for more gluten-free recipes.
3. You like easy recipes.

RATING:


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Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

To develop a deeper flavor for this chowder, I added red bell pepper, bay leaves, and onion.

Review: Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco by Eileen Wacker

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Today most of the pandas are preparing for the New Year’s celebration. They are sweeping and cleaning, planting flowers and writing wishes on ribbons. But Rainbow Panda really wants to be a hero and has an explosive plan. Can Rainbow Panda convince others to join him? Will he become a hero or just get everyone in a lot of trouble? Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco is the 6th book in the award-winning cross-cultural series Fujimini Adventure Series that invite readers to explore Fujimini Island with a cast of memorable characters who embark on unexpected and hilarious adventures.

MY TAKE:
Though this is the sixth book in the series, this is actually the first book I've read from the series.

In Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco, Rainbow Panda wants to be a hero and beloved by the other inhabitants of Fujimini Island. He plans on doing this by using firecrackers to keep a Dynasty Dragon awake and showering the island with rain and ensuring luck throughout the year.

The story mostly revolves around firecracker safety. I don't know how many kids actually play with fireworks in the U.S., but here in the Philippines, there are usually a number of kids who get injured during the New Year's celebrations. Because of that, I feel like this book does teach an important and relevant lesson for kids, who tend to let their curiosity get the best of them.

As for the layout, the illustrations take up the top half of the page while the text stays in the lower half. I think it would be better if there was more variety to the layout to make it more interesting. The illustrations, on the other hand, were just okay for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookmasters, Inc. for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It teaches kids about firecracker safety.
2. There's a glossary at the back that teaches kids about Asian culture.
3. The Fujimini Island is filled with interesting characters.

THE BAD:

1. The layout can be a little boring for some.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Dim sum comes in many forms like dumplings, buns, steamed rice, spring rolls, and sweets.

READ IT IF:

1. Your kid likes fireworks.
2. Your kid likes books featuring animal characters.
3. You want to teach your child about firework safety. 

RATING:


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In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco by Eileen Wacker

Review: The Pajamas of My Dreams by Laurie Collins

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Inspired by the Pajama Drive of children’s service agency Cradles to Crayons, librarian Laurie Collins and fine artist Margie Florini have created a soulful story illustrated in beautiful cut-paper collage that depicts children all tucked in their beds, wondering, “What will I be when I grow up?”
As the children drift off to sleep they ponder what their futures hold; they dream of becoming artists, professional hockey players, doctors or master chefs. Tomorrow’s bakers see cupcakes and confections sprinkled on the pajamas of their dreams, while budding entomologists envision ants and butterflies on theirs. This classic picture book also considers those who don’t have the luxury of such dreams—children’s whose wishes are simpler and more immediate.
At the heart of The Pajamas of My Dreams is the simple and endearing message that all children deserve to be safe and warm in their beds, and have the chance to reach their full potential.

MY TAKE:
What's a better bedtime children's book than one about kid's dreaming about their future professions?

In The Pajamas of My Dreams, we see the hopes and dreams of children as they drift to sleep. Each illustration/collage matches a verse on the previous page which details the child's ambitions.

The ambitions mentioned range from the usual, like doctor and writer, to the more unusual like entomologist and mathematician. This is a great idea since it opens up kids to the idea of careers that don't get a lot of attention. And if the kids' dream career is mentioned in the book, so much the better, as it will make the book relateable to them.

The cutout illustrations are charming. They're almost like decoupages, and I don't think I've ever seen a children's book that makes use of this style as well as this book did.

Some of the words used are a little complex for younger kids, so adults may need to explain them.
Thanks to NetGalley and Three Bean Press for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. The illustration/collages are interesting.
2. The careers range from the common to the uncommon.
3. The descriptions for each career are pretty vivid.

THE BAD:

1. Some of the words may be too hard for younger kids.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

I am chopping a garden of vegetables - onions, peppers and tomatoes - to arrange and bake on my pizza pie.

READ IT IF:

1. Your kid is starting to develop a fascination for a future career course.
2. Your child wants to be a lot of things when he grows up.
3. You like children's books with unusual illustration styles.

RATING:


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Review: Opera A to Z A Beginner's Guide to Opera by Liddy Lindsay

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Look no further than this book for a succinct yet thorough primer on the world's most famous operas! From Aida to Zauberflöte, this ABC of operas will inform music lovers of the storylines and characters in these beloved masterpieces. A book intended for young readers (ages 8-12), but sure to delight music lovers of all ages.

MY TAKE:
Most kids probably won't find the opera interesting, but kids and adults who like opera or are just starting to learn about the opera might find this book worth a read.

Opera A to Z contains the plot summaries and other details of select popular operas, such as Figaro and Carmen.

Of the operas mentioned in the book, I had heard about most of them but I wasn't too familiar with the plot. In that sense, the book was really useful for me because I was able to read the plot and ending of the different operas. From that, I can decide which opera to watch when I have the time.

There are also illustrations for each opera summary. The style is more abstract than what you would normally expect from a children's book, but the coloring made it work.

I found the book a little wordy for youngsters, though. The length of each entry and the language used was what you would expect from an encyclopedia or other reference book, so those who have short attention spans or aren't super interested in the opera might lose interest quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pinwheel Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Opera A to Z A Beginner's Guide to Opera is on June 30, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. It covers the most popular operas.
2. You get to read the whole story of each opera.
3. The illustrations are pretty.

THE BAD:

1. Those who are only mildly interested in opera or have short attention spans may lose interest quickly.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

When many people think of opera, the habanera that Carmen dances is what comes to mind.

READ IT IF:

1. You're a fan of opera.
2. You want to introduce your child to opera.
3. Your child is interested in learning more about the opera.

RATING:


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Review: Demigods and Monsters Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series Edited by Rick Riordan

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Released just before the March 2013 feature film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, this new edition is updated through The Last Olympian, and includes several brand new essays!
The #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson series—The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian—features a dyslexic boy who discovers he is the son of a Greek god, the target of mythical Greek monsters, and the center of a prophecy that could change the balance of power in the world forever. In Demigods and Monsters, YA authors take on the series' Greek gods, demigods, monsters, and prophecy, to add insight and even more fun to Riordan’s page-turner series.
The book also includes an introduction by Percy Jackson series author Rick Riordan that gives further insight into the series and its creation, and a glossary of ancient Greek myth, with plenty of information on the places, monsters, gods, and heroes that appear in the series.

MY TAKE:
I'm a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books, so I really wanted to read this book.

In Demigods and Monsters, we are presented with several essays about the gods mentioned in the series.

Some of the essays were written as though they were meant for demigods, but most of the books were meant for the common reader. As the book is a collection of essays, not all of the writing styles will work for everyone. However, for the most part, the essays are written humorously or contain enough information and references to the book to not be boring.

As a fan, it was a great way for me to delve deeper into Percy's world and see relationships and history that I might not have noticed or given much thought to otherwise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Smart Pop Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Demigods and Monsters is on July 2, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. You get to learn more about Percy Jackson's world.
2. You learn more about the Greek gods.
3. The essays are interesting.

THE BAD:

1. Some essays may get boring for some.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The stores multiply like Hydra heads, but whether their success actually comes at the expense of their human customers - the modern equivalent of the stolen sheep or maiden - remains to be seen.

READ IT IF:

1. You are a fan of the Percy Jackson series.
2. You want to learn more about Greek gods.
3. You want to delve deeper into Percy Jackson's world.

RATING:


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