Book Review: Happy Cooking

I have been on a cookbook kick lately.  We will not even discuss the number of cookbooks I have acquired in the past few weeks.  While picking out new cookbooks recently, I have been drawn to ones that are outside what I might normally consider.  One of those is Happy Cooking:  Make Every Meal Count...Without Stressing Out by Giada De Laurentiis.  While Giada is a popular chef, she has never been one of my favorites.  Her new cookbook sounded interesting so in the spirit of expanding my horizons, I chose her new book.

I can happily admit that Giada and her new cookbook had more to offer than I expected.  Not all of the recipes went on my to try list, but I have yet to find any cookbook that had a 100% win rate.  I am sure the ones I am not a fan of are at the top of another reader's best list.

Frank's Bolognese is a simple recipe, and I already have all of the ingredients on hand.  I could easily make a meal of the Make It at Home Fried Rice.  The Warm and Spicy Popcorn would be a healthy snack.    I am not a fan of the fact that pictures of Ms. De Laurentiis are featured almost as prominently as the food.  I understand this is part of her celebrity appeal, but I got the book for the recipes and the food.  This is a nice book but would be one that I would prefer to borrow from the library rather than purchase.  

I can say that I am more interested in Giada De Laurentiis' cooking and will no longer simply pass by her cookbooks and recipes.  For that alone I think the cookbook did its job.  My horizons have expanded a bit more!

disclosure:  I received this book from Blogging for books but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!