An Ideal Cookbook for the Busy Person ~ The Make-ahead Kitchen by Annalise Thomas

Skip the hassle of last-minute meals and leftovers and replace them with simple, healthy, delicious, and easy-to-prepare make-ahead dishes! Your family will love these comfortable meals, new favorites, cozy drinks, and tantalizing desserts--all of them prepared ahead of time so you don't have to worry! Enjoy simple, soul-filling foods without the chaos of preparing them at the last minute.



My thoughts: I haven't had the opportunity to try out many of the recipes in this cookbook.  I have picked out a few that I absolutely need to try.

I have made two of the recipes.  The first that I tried was a soup, Slow Cooker Cabbage Patch Soup.  This was my first try at a cabbage soup.  I loved it!  It was simple to make.  A few of the ingredients I did not have on hand (V8 tomato juice and cabbage).  They were common ingredients that were simple to find and pick up at the store.  My hesitant children tried it and enjoyed it.  As a mom, that is a huge win on trying new recipes.

I also tried a breakfast recipe, even though I served it for dinner.  The recipe is Roasted Veggie & Ham Overnight Bake.  It was a baked omelet.  YUM!!  The ingredients were also common.  This can be made the day before, and then thrown in the oven.

I live in a busy home.  It seems that we are always running from one place to another.  Between my son's sports, scouts, meetings that either my husband or I have, we have a hard time eating healthy meals.  Hot Dogs are OK occasionally, but in the long run, not a good choice.  I like the options that I found in this book, particularly the slow cooker recipes.  The recipes also gave me left-overs, that I promptly froze an will be convenient for another day when we don't have a lot of time for dinner.

The recipes that I plan on trying soon are: Roasted Califlower & Chicken Curry  Pasta Bake, Slow Cooker Pineapple Coconut Chicken Curry, Make-Ahead Pepperoni Pizza Rolls, Cashew Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole, Rosemary Chicken Pot Pie, Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder, Maple Nut Granola, Big Batch Maple-Glazed Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls, and the Best Fudgy from-scratch Brownies.  This is a sampling of the recipes offered.  I need to spend more time perusing and trying recipes.

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About the Author: (Taken from Amazon)  With 4 kids, a large extended family, and a passion for feeding others, Annalise is no stranger to finding ways to simplify life in the kitchen. There is nothing that makes her happier than hearing from someone who was once intimidated in the kitchen "I made this! It was great, and now I'm feeling more confident in trying more homemade recipes!"

Annalise spends her time in the kitchen and exploring the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington, where she lives, with her family. If you want to find her, look in her kitchen, or at one of the many beautiful beaches nearby watching her children play and combing for beach glass!

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June 15: What’s Cooking with Kids | That Artsy Reader Girl | Batch of Books
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June 20: Pink Cake Plate | For What It’s Worth | My Little SunshinesBookworm Lisa
June 21: Kindle and Me | Vintage Mixer | Preparedness MamaFood Above Gold
June 22: The Unlikely Baker | Chocolate with Grace
June 23: Karen’s Kitchen Stories | Jodi Woody
June 24: Cookistry | Every Free Chance
June 25: Eccentric Eclectic Woman | Kaisy Daisy’s Corner
June 26: The Gingered Whisk
June 27: Bab’s Book Bistro | Rockin’ Book Reviews | My Book a Day
June 28: Wishful Endings | Brooklyn Berry | My Blessed Life
Literary Time Out
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