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The Busy Mom’s Cookbook Review

Is dinner time stressful at your house? Mine can sometimes be with planning a meal and preparation amidst the hustle and bustle of the husband coming home and kiddos hungry after a day at school. We eat out rarely, so cooking is my duty. We have our favorite recipes, but sometimes, I need to shake it up a bit and try a new recipe!

As we are in back-to-school mode, I’ve been reading through The Busy Mom’s Cookbook: 100 Delicious, Quick and Easy Recipes by culinary TV star and mother Antonia Lofaso. It’s a great book loaded with more than 100 quick and delicious home-cooked meals.

More than a cookbook, The Busy Mom’s Cookbook weaves anecdotes and lessons learned from Lofaso’s experience as single mother, TV personality and chef. It’s a light-hearted approach that encourages cooking and dining as a means to foster relationships. It’s a practice I believe in completely–food is what brings us together, shows our love and nourishes the soul. I so love how Lofaso encourages families to build stronger bonds. Recipes are organized into family-friendly categories from breakfast to brown-bag lunches. I’m eager to try the Almond Popcorn and who can resist the Crunch Cashew Brittle?! Perfect for the Fall season!

the busy mom cookbook

Lofaso’s cookbook is the only one that speaks directly to women constantly battling the hectic and wanting to deliver healthy, delicious meals to their families, all while keeping the kiddos entertained.

I love the ideas for transforming leftovers into new meals. We typically have “De Ja Vu Dinner,” where left overs make a reappearance, but Lofaso is going to help me be a genius in serving them again.

There are so many  quick and easy-to-make recipes like:

 
·      Baked Penne with Three Cheeses
·      Fish Tacos with Cilantro Cabbage
·      Beef Stroganoff with Creamy Pappardelle
·      Spicy Chicken Gumbo
·      Deep-Fried Fluffer Nutter Sandwich
·      Spiced Chocolate Pudding with Salted Whipped Cream
 
As Antonia says, “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if your experience of family is a mom and her preschooler coloring pictures and telling knock-knock jokes while they eat, or a rowdy gathering of parents and kids, aunties and uncles, grandparents and best friends fiercely debating which team will win the next big game. It’s all family, and it’s time to gather our families around the table again.
 
The Busy Mom’s Cookbook takes a load off mom’s schedule and allows a reconnection with family and friends through cooking and dining.
 
My only disappointment with The Busy Mom’s Cookbook is that there aren’t enough pictures. While there are a few pictures, and they are lovely, they are grouped together rather than across the page from the recipe. It makes it more challenging to find a recipe and then seek a picture.
 
Aside from the pictures, this book will surely become one of my favorites. I love the variety of the recipes, and the categories are ones that fit into our family’s routine.
 
The Busy Mom’s Cookbook is available through Amazon.com (currently $17.52). It would make a great book for your cookbook collection, a teacher, a bride-to-be, or anyone who enjoys food.
 
About the Author:
A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, Antonia Lofaso was most influenced by her time cooking at Spago before becoming Executive Chef at Foxtail and now Black Market Liquor Bar in Los Angeles, where she lives with her eleven-year-old daughter. She appeared on the fourth season of Bravo’s Top Chef and returned as a fan favorite and finalist on Top Chef All-Stars.
About Julee: Julee Morrison is an experienced author with 35 years of expertise in parenting and recipes. She is the author of four cookbooks: The Instant Pot College Cookbook, The How-To Cookbook for Teens, The Complete Cookbook for Teens, and The Complete College Cookbook. Julee is passionate about baking, crystals, reading, and family. Her writing has appeared in The LA Times (Bon Jovi Obsession Goes Global), Disney's Family Fun Magazine (August 2010, July 2009, September 2008), and My Family Gave Up Television (page 92, Disney Family Fun August 2010). Her great ideas have been featured in Disney's Family Fun (Page 80, September 2008) and the Write for Charity book From the Heart (May 2010). Julee's work has also been published in Weight Watchers Magazine, All You Magazine (Jan. 2011, February 2011, June 2013), Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine (Oct. 2011), Red River Family Magazine (Jan. 2011), BonAppetit.com, and more. Notably, her article "My Toddler Stood on Elvis' Grave and Scaled Over Boulders to Get to a Dinosaur" made AP News, and "The Sly Way I Cured My Child's Lying Habit" was featured on PopSugar. When she's not writing, Julee enjoys spending time with her family and exploring new baking recipes.
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