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Category Archives: Gift Books
Not-So-Humble Pies by Jaggers
Some people follow directions when they cook and some people like to change things up. Kelly Jaggers is firmly in the second category and this book is full of unexpected, but surprisingly tasty recipes.
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Not-So-Humble Pies
by Kelly Jaggers
Adams Media
June 2012
I admit that some of the recipes won’t appeal to everyone – lemon pistachio tart and green tea passion fruit mousse are just a couple examples of pies that I am not so interested in trying – but there are so many options and ideas here that it would be hard to understand how anyone could check it out and not find something they would love to try. In fact, I had several of those “why haven’t I ever thought of this; it’s so perfect!” moments. Some of my favorites are the apple pie with spicy cheddar crust and most of the dinner pies (like apple, brie and bacon tart or apple brie tart and bacon tart). Admittedly, some of the dinner pies are closer to fancy pot pies than actual dessert pies, but they fit in great in this book.
One of the things I felt was not explained well enough were the directions themselves. It seems like this book is really for people who are pretty good cooks already as the directions assume a certain level of skill as they leave out some of the details on how to do what they are asking for. Compared to a Betty Crocker Cookbook (well worn on my kitchen shelf,) this is advanced. Not to the point where a novice couldn’t figure it out, but it is challenging.
A note about the book itself: it’s hardback with a sleeve, giving it a high quality, rich feel, which I think it is perfect for the subject. It is also full color all the way through with colored fonts and full color photos. It simply looks great. It will make a great gift book for the wannabe chef in your life.
Overall this is a great gift book for the chefs in your life or a great addition to your own cookbook library if you are someone who likes to try new twists on tried and true recipes.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he turns real life into stupid cartoons, writes on Christianity, Zombies, and whatever else he wants and posts Bible studies from his classes at church.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Beer – A Cookbook
Normally, I don’t review books like this but this is such a cool book!
Beer – A Cookbook
Good Food Made Better with Beer
Adams Media
May 2012
It is in the shape of a beer can (only much larger) and is made like a board book, like for kids, meaning that it is not only a cool cookbook that gives many fun recipes but it also looks cool and will be cool to open. Unlike many cookbooks, this one is tailor made to be a gift. And if you have a beer lover in the family this book is for you.
As for the recipes: there are some that you will no doubt recognize if you’ve been to some of the more creative bar & grills, but some are tantalizingly new. Take for instance the Chocolate Stout Lava Cake or the Best Corn Ever which utilize beer to bring something extra to already tasty dishes. Something that I found helpful was that the recipe may call for a type of beer, but the details may give an example of that beer helping those of us not in the know on the many, many types of beer available. I also liked that the recommendations are clearly not favoring one brand over the others so this doesn’t seem like a marketing ploy.
Overall, a fun book for those who want to cook with beer themselves or who are looking for a great gift for your beer loving friends.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he turns real life into stupid cartoons, writes on Christianity, Zombies, and whatever else he wants and posts Bible studies from his classes at church.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
The Art of the Mass Effect Universe by Hudson and Watts
Fans of Mass Effect rejoice: a comprehensive, authoritative behind the scenes look at the art of this massive amazing series is finally available!
The Art of the Mass Effect Universe
By Casey Hudson, Derek Watts
Dark Horse Comics
Feburary 2012
This collection of concept art showing the steps from development to completion of all the major characters, ships, and locations is 184 pages of full color high resolution bliss. 
Each page includes commentary about why designs were chose, discarded or changed and how the decisions would shape the form of the game series through its conclusion in Mass Effect 3.
Aspiring artists, fans of the series and those who are interested in what goes on behind the scenes at major production companies will be enthralled by the beautiful artwork and compelling storytelling.
As I am a fan of the series, and BioWare in particular, and an artist I found this book enlightening and educational. I went page to page and before I knew it I was through and starting over. I highly recommend it.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he cartoons and writes on Christianity, Zombies, and anything else he wants to.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Creative Slow-Cooker Meals by Moeller
From the celebrated coauthor of The Marriage Miracle comes a new kind of cookbook and a new attitude toward planning meals. With an eye toward the whole menu, not just part of it, columnist Cheryl Moeller teaches cooks to use two crockpots to easily create healthy, homemade dinners.
Creative Slow-Cooker Meals
by Charyl Moeller
Harvest House Publishers
February 2012
Don’t worry about your dinner being reduced to a mushy stew. Each of the more than 200 recipes has been taste-tested at Cheryl’s table. Join the Moeller family as you dig into:
Harvest-time Halibut Chowder
Salmon and Gingered Carrots
Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
Indian Chicken Curry
Apricot-Pistachio Bread
Shrimp Creole
Rhubarb Crisp
… and many more! Perfect for the frazzled mom who never has enough time in the day, Creative Slow-Cooker Meals gives readers more time around the table with delicious, healthy, frugal, and easy meals!
Who doesn’t love a crock pot! Especially, when your a busy mom on the go all the time. I was excited to get an opportunity to review this cookbook.
There are 10 chapters in this cookbook. Take the Fast out of Breakfast, Passport of the Nations, Simple Meals Vegetarian, Gluten-Free Cuisine, and Parties/Barbecues/Gatherings just to name a few.
There are over 250 recipes in this spiral-bound cookbook. The pages are extra thick and look like they can handle a few wipes of spills on the pages. Lots of how to tricks when using a crock pot. Each chapter begins with a scripture verse.
The author recommends that you use two crock pots to make a complete meal. Each page has side by side recipes that go together for a complete meal. I don’t own two crock pots and don’t plan on getting two either. But a very good idea using two crock pots.
I tried a few recipes. One was Pineapple Carrots. Very good, simple, and easy to make. I used baby carrots and canned pineapple and it still came out good with lots of flavor.
Another recipe was African Sweet Potatoes. Which wasn’t bad but did lack flavoring in my opinion. I added a few ingredients at the end and it suited my palette better. The recipe was easy to make and easy to adjust to my liking if needed. Most of the other recipes came out pretty good.
I like cookbooks with pictures. I am a visual person and would of love to have a few pictures added to the pages to tempt me to cook it! Overall, this is a great recipe book that is easily prepare home-cooked dinners and meals. The recipes are practical, not gourmet, and use easily-available ingredients.
ReneeK is a sweet tea addicted mamma who loves to cuddle up to a good book. She blogs at Little Homeschool on the Praire and writes about family, homeschooling, having a special needs child, and about whatever else tickles her fancy.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
The Big Book of American Trivia by J. Stephen Lang
What make of car was named for a chief of the Ottawa tribe? What popular toy, launched in 1960, was a plastic box filled with aluminum powder? What historic masked parade takes place in Philadelphia on New Year’s Day? And, what Northern “rust belt” state, leads the nation in the growing of Christmas trees?
The Big Book of American Trivia
J.Stephen Lang
Tyndale House Publishers
December 2012
The answer to these questions and three thousand more can all be found, dancing across the pages of this entertaining and factual book. World records, Hollywood cinema, Presidents, facts about your home state and a plethora of other interesting subjects will arrest your attention as you learn share and enjoy these fascinating facts in America’s history!
Have fun teaching your children, stumping your friends and expanding your own knowledge. Fun for road trips, fireside,educational settings and more, this book will keep you entertained for hours. Who knew learning could be so fun?! And just in case you still don’t believe this informational book can be amusing, ask yourself this, What men-only contest started by Carnival cruise line is now a feature of every cruise ship? A. The Mr. Hairy Chest contest, of course!
This book is put together really well. All of the trivia questions are sorted by category, and the answers are easily found on the next page. This book is fun and educational. I even found the size and feel of the pages to be optimal. A much recommended book to anyone who enjoys learning… You never know when random tid-bits of knowledge will come in handy!
GoD and DoG by Wendy Fransisco
You can find the oddest things on YouTube. Most of it junk or salacious in nature. But sometimes you find a true gem. GoD and DoG is one of those gems.
GoD and DoG
by Wendy Francisco
Center Street
September 2010
Francisco’s homemade two minute song and animated video has been viewed by millions of people on YouTube to near unanimous acclaim. The simple but profound lyrics and melody that sticks with you all day make it one of the best ways to spend a few minutes. (If you have a couple, click here.)
This gift book is a frame by frame adaption from film to paper, using the original artwork. The only thing it lacks is the cool Hallmark music card ability to sing the song when the cover is opened! This is a great story and a great truth that deserves our attention, and our decision to stop walking away.
An excellent gift.
Scott Asher is the founder and administrator of BookGateway.com. Along with his contributions to BookGateway, he reviews for the commercial site BuddyHollywood.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he cartoons and writes on anything he finds funny and Christianity, which sometimes overlap.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
99 Ways to Build Job Security by Gary Nowinski
Looking at the book, no doubt you wouldn’t think much of it. Plain cover, undersized and clearly for the budget conscious, this book does not look significant. But on the inside there are a multitude of significant nuggets of wisdom! Like most “value gifts” the “99 Ways…” series is far more about what’s on the inside than the outside.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher, WaterBrook Press, as a part of a blog tour for value gifts, along with Fool-Proofing Your Life, which I will review in the coming days. I admit that I was hoping to receive 99 Ways to Stretch Your Home Budget or 99 Ways to Entertain Your Family for Free. But when I started reading the bite sized wisdom I realized that this book was exactly what I needed.
In an economy like this, with job security on so many people’s minds I found an easy outlet for the 99 Ways… – at my job! I started quoting Ways to my direct reports that I believed would benefit them, like #6 Self-Confidence and #89 Self-Defeating Thoughts. They were a hit!
Value gift books can sometimes be overlooked because of their presentation but at least in the case of the 99 Ways… series I believe that you should give them a second look.
Scott Asher is the founder and administrator of BookGateway.com. Along with his contributions to BookGateway, he reviews for the commercial site BuddyHollywood.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he cartoons and writes on anything he finds funny and Christianity, which sometimes overlap.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
