Five Marys Family Style: Recipes and Traditions from the Ranch

by Mary Heffernan and Jess Thomson

Arranged around 17 themed menus for favourite family events and activities, Five Marys Family Style takes the reader on a journey through the seasons and customs that drive life on the ranch.
Readers will discover the Heffernan family's Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions, menus for a cosy fireside dinner, a summer cookout, a pack-ahead picnic, or an end-of-week taco fiesta featuring more than 75 rustic, hearty recipes. Sprinkled throughout the book are simple, crafty DIY projects that Mary and her four daughters have fun making together, including indigo-dyed tea towels, flower-filled holiday table runners, and hand-rolled beeswax candles.
Along the way, Mary shares stories of life on the ranch as well as the faithful traditions and strong connections she maintains with her extended family. Lush photography captures the expansive beauty of the ranch, the animals, including dogs, cats, and horses, and of course, Mary and her beloved husband and ranching co-partner, Brian.

• ISBN10: 1632174022
• ISBN13: 9781632174024
• Publish Date: 27 September 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 1 March 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sasquatch Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781632174024

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Five Marys Family Style is a lovely and well photographed style/inspiration guide with recipes by Mary Heffernan. Released 27th Sept 2022 by Sasquatch Books, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a lovely book, lavishly illustrated and full of good food, well prepared and presented. There are lots of photos from the Heffernan family's celebrations along with their ranch and surroundings. The book is arranged around seasonal celebrations which are further divided into 13 menus with all the trimmings. There are traditional holiday celebrations and recipes (Christmas, Easter, etc) as well as more informal entertaining and fun gatherings (Fiesta Friday, and a rodeo picnic).

Ingredient measurements are supplied in imperial (American) measurements only. Descriptions are contained in the header for each recipe. The nutritional information is not included. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in headers with the recipe descriptions. The recipes themselves are beautifully finished with lots of nice unexpected juxtapositions of flavor and texture, for example sheet-pan pork tenderloin served with delicata squash, kale and Brussels sprouts (!?) - amazing and delicious. Many of the recipes are meat heavy, it's a ranch cookbook. There are a significant number of meat-free recipes however, and the overall quality of the writing and neat and hearty fusion style of the foods will allow vegetarians a surprising amount of use for the recipes in the book - notably all of the sauces, condiments, dressings, marinades, and other flavor enhancers (and there are a pile of them) can be adapted to meat-free uses.

The production values are top notch, and yes, the book features their "instagram perfect" family (which few of us can possibly achieve), however, it's honestly written with such warmth and candor that I found myself admiring them going for their dreams and raising their lovely family in a gorgeous rural setting. Serving suggestions for the dishes are beautifully presented and appropriate.

Five stars. Definitely an inspirational book full of useful unfussy full menus and good food to share with loved ones and friends.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.