Reviewed by annieb123 on

4 of 5 stars

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Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Live Life Deliciously with Tara Teaspoon is a cooking and lifestyle guide with recipes developed by Tara Teaspoon. Due out 6th Oct 2020 from Shadow Mountain Publishing, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

The layout is appealing and unfussy - easy to understand and accessible. The introduction includes a simple pantry list along with a good basic equipment list for stocking a working home kitchen. The recipes are arranged by category: bites dips & snacks, salads bowls & dressings, sides, weeknight meals, flavor inspired dinners, meals for gathering, mornings, and sweets. The dishes are varied in complexity and taste (I didn't feel any of them were unachievable in my very basic home kitchen).

Ingredient measurements are supplied in American measurements only. There wasn't a conversion chart for metric measures included in the eARC provided for review. Nutritional information not included. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in sidebars with the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made with easily sourced ingredients. Many are very simple, none of them are overly complex. The book does include an index.

The photography is clear and abundant; most of the recipes are illustrated, and the photographs which are included are crisp and well done. Serving suggestions are attractive and appropriate.

This is a large collection of recipes and even allowing for the fact that some of them are similar to others in the same category, this will keep cooking fans going for ages. These range from simple "everyday" recipes to fancier dishes for social gatherings. We tried several dishes and all of them were tasty and well written. (We didn't try any of the dessert recipes, but I found no glaring errors with a quick read-through).

We're definitely going to try more of these. Well written book, tasty food.

Four stars. This is a solid recipe book which will be used. It would make a superlative housewarming gift to a friend or family member - college student, new graduate, newlyweds, kids flying the nest, etc. Many of these recipes are destined to become family favorites and regulars.

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

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 29 August, 2020: Finished reading
  • 29 August, 2020: Reviewed