I aim to read approximately 50 books a year. 10 of them through the Healthy Readers Book Club, some for work, and some for pleasure. I don’t, however, count cookbooks and self-care books in the mix.  Usually because…well, I don’t really know why. I do love to read cookbooks. I especially enjoy when the author shares some personal notes about the recipes.

Because of the work I do I often get the following questions:

• What do you eat?
• What should I eat now that I can’t have [insert ingredient here]?
• Do you have a recommendation for recipes?

Because of these questions, and, let’s be honest, because I love food, I’m frequently spending time with cookbooks.  It eventually occurred to me how nice it would be to have a spot on the blog where I can send people to see the books I’m talking about.

Please note that not every recipe in every book is a good fit. I tend to read recipe books with a willingness to make modifications where needed.  For example, if a cookbook author calls for canola or vegetable oil I will substitute something else, usually olive or avocado. I do not even try to modify recipes where they’re calling for things like packaged Jell-O or other highly processed foods. 

I do, however, often find wonderful flavor combination ideas, cooking methods or strategies that I might now have thought of, and inspiration to play in the kitchen.

Although they’ll be a not-regularly-scheduled part of the blog, I hope you enjoy these reviews. And, who knows, maybe you’ll need to add to your cookbook collection based on what you’ve read here.

1. Sheet Pan Suppers: 120 Recipes for Simple, Surprising, Hands-Off Meals Straight from the Oven

Looking for ways to simplify meal times at least a couple of nights a week I was drawn to this book. I like the author’s take on the idea that a sheet pan is similar to a good one pot meal making It easy to pull a delicious and nourishing meal together.

The first recipe chapter starts with Appetizers and Small Bites. I confess this was a bit eye-opening for me as I had not thought of using my sheet pan that way. It would certainly make it much easier to have appetizers for a crowd ready in fairly short order. The baked feta and chunky mango chutney on page 10 looks wonderful.

The book continues through chapters on Chicken, Fish, and Meats. There’s also a chapter dedicated to vegetarian options a number of which look delicious and would be a good option for a satisfying meatless meal like the Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cannellinis & Baby Spinach on page 175. There’s even a section for side dishes, chapter 7, Serve-Withs.

Chapter 8 is a brunch chapter. I especially like the idea of the Shakshuka on page 198, this would be much less messy than doing it on the stove top where the sauce tends to spatter. There is also a chapter on desserts. 

Depending on how big your oven is or if you have a double oven, you could theoretically do an entire meal from appetizers to dessert. The author does recommend having more than one sheet pan in your kitchen, she confesses to having six. Reading through this cookbook it becomes clear that the multiple sheet pan approach can be an efficient way to utilize the energy in your oven by having multiple trays going at the same time.

One of the nice things about this book, aside from the beautiful photography and delicious looking recipes, is the footnote type insertions which various educational bits. These include Teach Me How, which explains how to do something, Wait What? giving a definition or explanation, and Make It Mine which offers substitution ideas. There’s also a DIY or Buy footnote to help you choose what works best for you. 

The book was enjoyable to read and learn from. Definitely a good choice for anyone wanting to get more use out of their sheet pans.

2. All-Time Favorite Sheet Cakes & Slab Pies: Easy to Make, Easy to Serve

Sheet pans have been getting a lot of positive press lately as a great way to make meals, but I confess I don’t normally think of them as a tool for desserts, aside from my sister-in-law‘s recipe for Texas sheet cake. Then I came across this book.  I was surprised to think there could be enough cake recipes for an entire cookbook and had never even onsidered doing pies in a sheet pan. 

This book was definitely an eye opener.  I will start by saying the author notes throughout the book are very informative, important for success, and I don’t recommend skipping them in order to jump straight to the recipes. Scattered throughout the book there’s also a series of tester notes which are definitely helpful.

The book is comprised of six chapters

• Classic Sheet Cakes, Mostly Chocolate
• Fruit and Nut Sheet Cakes
• Coffee Cakes and Cheesecakes
• Classic Slab Pies
• Chocolate Slab Pies & Other Favorites
• Sheet Strudel, Danish, Shortbread & More 

This cookbook was a delight t read. I love the authors unabashed love of butter and their insistence on buying the best ingredients you can afford. I truly savored this book, the variety of recipes, and the beautiful photography.

I admit I have never thought of making a cheesecake on a sheet pan. Here, however, the authors list nine different cheesecakes plus three options for crusts.

My personal favorite cake of all time is a carrot cake. I rarely make, or even buy it simply because those slices are so huge and extraordinarily rich. The recipe on page 47 offers a surprising twist with a butter cream, that incorporates both cream cheese and goat cheese. Plus baking a carrot cake in a sheet pan would certainly make it easier to have small bites. After all, let’s face it, no matter how thinly you slice it, a full size cake slice is still a lot. That, of course, presupposes you can stop with one small slice of the sheet pan variety. But I digress.

This was a delightful book to read through and definitely an eye-opening mind shift. I can see bringing a sheet pan dessert the next time I am invited to a social gathering, or making this instead of a traditional cake as a dessert for company.