Some cookbooks are reference books, some are glorified picture books, and others are a snapshot of a time and place. Rachel Hollis’s brand new book, Real Life Dinners: Fun, Fresh, Fast Dinners from the Creator of The Chic Site, is an autobiographical collection of dinner recipes. If you’re a fan of her blog or follow her on social media, or if you just want some new dinner recipes for your family, this book is for you.
* Complimentary Book Received for Review.
The four opening chapters begin with a lengthy Introduction full of stories from the author’s life, starting with the impending birth of her daughter then moving through memorable dinners from her past and why family dinner is important to her. The next chapter, Table Manners, gives etiquette guidelines including the traditional (keep your elbows off the table), the modern (no technology at the table), and others that are more subjective (the cook doesn’t have to clean up). The Kitchen Essentials chapter lists necessary items for the pantry and refrigerator, which vary from standards like pasta, olive oil, and canned tomatoes to idiosyncratic choices such as ghee, jarred peppers, and hard-boiled eggs. The final introductory chapter is Rach’s Spices, four of the author’s signature spice blends that appear in many of the recipes in the book.
The first of the dinner recipe chapters is all about breakfast food, which might seem contrary to the mission of a book about dinner, but in this case, it’s breakfast for dinner, or “brinner.” Subsequent chapters cover the dinner categories of Kid-Friendly, Make-Ahead, Grill, Soup, Salad, and Sides, with a final chapter devoted to the author’s favorite dinners. Each recipe begins with a description of why Hollis chose to include it, perhaps with a story from her childhood or about her family. At least one photo accompanies each recipe, and many recipes have sets of photos illustrating the process, numbered to indicate the steps they correspond to.
The recipes cover a variety of styles, including Tex-Mex, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Italian, with some American fare, too. Check out this sampling:
• Freeze-Ahead Breakfast Burritos
• Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry
• Daddy’s Spaghetti Sauce
• Foil-Wrap Fish Bake
• Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs
• Spicy Beef Enchilada Soup
• Fattoush Salad
• Avocado Tuna Melt
If you’re like me, that list of recipes includes some your family would enjoy, and that’s just a teaser of what you’ll find in Real Life Dinners.
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Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win their own copy of Real Life Dinners, thanks to St. Martin’s Press.
Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on June 27th, 2018 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog.
The Sun Does Shine
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The children’s book “Be Kind” 🙂
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