I thought I would give a quick update on my Books To Read post that I did a few weeks ago.

So far I am off to a good start. Setting the timer for 20 minutes a day has worked well and I have completed two books so far, both of which are food type books. There have been a few days that I did not read, or did not get the whole time done, but overall it has gone well.

The two books that I finished were Food Heroes and Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time and I really enjoyed both of them.

Food Heroes was a fun and educational look into 16 Culinary Artisans. These 16 people are devoted to food and what they do. They love making and producing food the real way, the old way. They stay true to the food and what it is. They want to produce a product in its best form.

From potatoes and tomatoes to salami and honey, these artisans love what they do and strive to do it the best they can. They have overcome many challenges to produce the products they do, but they continue to do it because they love it and are dedicated to preserving it.

Food Heroes reminded me a bit of my childhood. We always had a garden. I grew up picking berries and mushrooms for money. My mom canned and preserved 600-800 quarts of food each year. For many years my dad raised honey bees and for awhile we bought goat’s milk from the lady down the road.

Now my parents were not artisans trying to sell a product, but there are many similarities. Growing and producing your own food is a lot of work, but the end result is so worth it. When you really care about the product you are growing or making, it shows and the results are well worth the work. There is nothing quite like growing and eating your own food. And this book reminded me of why growing your own food and buying local can be so important.

I also just finished Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time. I really enjoyed this book. My dad hunted when I was a kid. Many of our friends hunted and still do. My husband, son, and daughter hunt. In fact, my fourteen year old daughter got her first deer last fall and we are currently enjoying the meat from it.

So, hunting is not new to me and I am so glad that this book is helping to change the stereotype that hunting often has.

This book is not a how to hunt book though. Girl Hunter is more stories about hunting. It helps you realize the connection that hunting and preparing food has with everyday life.

I really enjoyed the way the author was not afraid of the whole process of hunting. She not only hunted, she also cleaned and cooked what she hunted. She really connected to the food and the whole process. She not only hunted it, she did the whole process of taking it from the woods to the table. And she shares a few recipes along the way.

I will say that I bought this book with my daughter in mind since she loves to hunt, but after reading it myself, I am going to wait a bit longer to have her read it. There is nothing wrong with the book, but there are a few stories that involve some drinking and story telling by hunters that I think are a bit rough and tough for her right now. However, if she continues to love hunting this is a book I am sure she will read in the future.

And I wish this book would have emphasized more the fact that many people need to hunt. There are people who hunt simply to put food on the table and to help feed their family. This was covered some in the book, but I think it could have been dealt with a little deeper.

But again, overall I loved the book. And if you enjoy hunting, grew up with hunters, or have always wanted to hunt this is a book you will probably enjoy.

What good books have you read lately?

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

Food Heroes and Girl Hunter is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

You all seemed to enjoy talking about ebooks and Kindles last week, so I thought I would let you know about a few ebooks that I found this week that are FREE. Yes, free, but Amazon prices can change so I don’t know how long they will be available for free, so get them while you can.

For those that love Gooseberry Patch their Circle of Friends Cookbook – 25 Savory Pie Recipes is currently free. I loaded this one to my Kindle and am really looking forward to looking at it.

The ebook Organized Simplicity is also free right now. I bought this in book form last year and never finished it. I am hoping that putting it on my Kindle will help me finish it soon. If you need some motivation to get organized this book is a great place to start.

Delicious and Nutritious Gluten-Free Lunch Recipes is also available free right now. I am not sure how good this one will be, but for free, I thought it was worth getting to take a look at.

If you do not have a Kindle, no problem, Amazon has other apps available for free just for you.

What good ebooks have you found recently?

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting this site.

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

Free Gooseberry Patch Savory Pies eBook and More is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

I mentioned last week about my struggles with finding time to read, but one thing I forgot to mention in that post was how much I love my Kindle. I would not have read even the books I managed to last year if it had not been for my Kindle

It is so nice to be able to keep it in my purse or bag to take out when I am sitting at appointments, piano lessons, in the car, and when traveling. I started out with just a few books on my kindle, but I am slowing adding more and more as I find them for a good price.

One of the things that I have been amazed with is the amount of free books, and even books for under $1, that are available for the Kindle. And I have even found some cookbooks for free or very inexpensive.

I recently discovered that Gooseberry Patch has quite a few cookbooks on the Kindle and many of them are under $1. Right now you can get the Dinners on a Dime Cookbook: More than 200 recipes for delicious, budget-friendly family meals for only 99 cents on the kindle. That is a great deal for 200 recipes and I know many of you love Gooseberry Patch and their cookbooks.

And if you don’t have a Kindle, don’t worry, Amazon has you covered with lots of other options and apps available for reading ebooks.

Now I am curious, who else loves their Kindle or other ebook reader? Do you find you read more with all the options for ebooks?

Note: Prices on Amazon change so these prices may not last long.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting this site.

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

Dinners On A Dime Cookbook and My Kindle is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

This post is a little unusual for me. It is all about books and reading.

But I figured that if I shared my plan with you all, and keep you updated on my progress, it might keep me accountable. I mean, if I am checking in a few times throughout the year, maybe, just maybe, it will help me stay on track.

You see I love to read. I mean really love to read. I can easily get lost in a book and lose all track of time. I have loved to read for years and used to read several books a week, sometimes more.

And I am not talking just fun and easy reading books, I love to read books about history, biographies, Christian books, books on health, food, cooking, really all kinds of books.

The problem is that over the last year or so, I have stopped taking the time to read. The other day I sat down to look at the books I had read in 2011 and it was very disappointing to discover that besides my Bible reading, I only finished ten books, and most of those were read sitting in Dr. offices or on an airplane when I was traveling.

Now, for some ten may seem like a lot or even a good number, but for me it was a disappointment. I love to read and find it relaxing and enjoyable and ten books is not enough. I miss it.

It made me realize that busy schedules, blogging, cooking, kids, etc. have taken over the time that I used to set aside for reading. Now these things are all good things, but so is reading. So, this year I am determined to read at least two books a month. That is twenty-four books for the year and that seems like a very doable number.

My plan is to set aside twenty minutes each day for reading. For the last few days I have set the timer for twenty minutes and read for the full time. It has made such a difference for me and I really hope to continue this throughout the year.

So today I thought I would share a few of the books I plan to read. Now, I have quite a few books in my to read pile for the year including a few biographies and some home school parenting type books, but I decided today to share just the food and business themed books that I plan to read.

Food Related Books

Last year on a trip I started reading the book Food Heroes: 16 Culinary Artisans Preserving Tradition by Georgia Pellegrini and loved the few chapters I read, but then life got busy and I never finished the book. It is now in my must finish in 2012 pile.

And then ever the holidays I started reading the book Girl Hunter, also by Georgia Pellegrini, and loved it. I cannot wait to finish it. I am guessing that this is the book I will finish first in 2012, because I am really enjoying it.

I grew up with a dad that hunted. Most of my dad’s friend hunted. I married someone that loves to hunt and my son and fourteen year old daughter both got a deer last year. Hunting has been part of my life for years and I can’t wait to finish this book.

What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained and What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science have been in my to read pile for several years now and I really want to finish at least one of them this year. I love kitchen science and have picked up these books a few times to read and this is the year I am determined to finish one of them.

Business Books

Knockout Entrepreneur is a book I picked up used a few months ago and it looks like a book I will enjoy. Over the last few years I have read quite a few business type books like this and loved them.

I have read both Pour Your Heart Into It and Onward which are about about Starbucks and how it became what it is. I read My Life in France about Julia Child and Rubies in the Orchard about POM Wonderful. And also Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive. All these are books I loved and learned a lot from.

I think you can learn so much about business and life by reading books like these. Successful people do not become successful overnight. It takes hard work, long hours, trial and error, and failures along with successes. I often don’t agree with everything in these types of books, but I find the stories about how they got to where they are fascinating. You can learn so much about leadership, running a business, and just over all life skills in these types of books. This year I am thinking about tackling the Steve Jobs book, but at over 600 pages, I am not sure if I will get it done or not. I also hope to read It’s Not About the Coffee, which is another book about Starbucks.

If you have read any books like this I would love to have some recommendations. I need a few more good business type books like this to read this year, so please leave a recommendation in the comments if you have one.

Misc. Books

Also on my list are How to Eat a Small Country( I picked this one up used and it looks interesting) and Six Pixels of Separation (This one was recommended to me by Erin of $5 Dinners almost two years ago and I am hoping to finally read it this year and am hoping that the information in this one is still relevant. I really should have read this a while ago….  )

Books By Bloggers

I also have a few books by bloggers on my list. I hope to read Saving Savvy, All In Good Time, and The Money Saving Mom’s Budget which all look very good.

So, now I would love to hear what you are reading. What books do you have in your must read pile and what do you recommend? And am I the only one that struggles to find the time to read?

Joining me on this journey of setting goals and a New Year, New You is:

• Amy from Mom’s Toolbox
• Rachel from Surviving the Stores
• Stephanie from Couponing 101
• Sarah from Give Me Neither
• Erin from $5 Dollar Dinners

So be sure to follow all of us over the next few weeks as we share ideas and challenges for starting the New Year!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting this site.

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

Food Books To Read In 2012 is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

I am not a Black Friday shopper. I love a good deal as much as everyone else, but fighting the crowds and everything else that Black Friday involves is not for me. I would much rather shop from my couch using my computer than face Black Friday. And there are many good deals online this time of year.

In fact, I found quite a few cookbooks on sale on Amazon today that I thought I would share with you. If you know someone that cooks, or loves cookbooks, these might be just what you are looking for.

This is the time of year everyone loves cookies and cookie exchanges. Right now amazon has The Gourmet Cookie Book for $11.86, which is a really good deal. You could make all kinds of Christmas cookies with this book.

If you know someone that loves cooking this Gourmet Today cookbook would be the perfect gift. I have this cookbook and love it. It has over 1,000 pages, which is a huge cookbook, and I am not sure I have ever seen it for this low of a price.

Another cookbook that I own and love is the The Bon Appetit Cookbook. This is another large cookbook and it is priced at only $13.98, which is a great deal.

A few weeks ago I posted about The Cook’s Country Cookbook and how much I love it. Well, it is still on sale for 13.98, which is a great deal. I paid way more for mine than that.

Now I am curious do you brave the stores on Black Friday or are you like me and prefer to do your shopping online or on a different day altogether.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. And as always Amazon’s prices are subject to change, so these deals may not last.

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

A Few Cookbook Finds is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

We all know someone that loves to cook and receive gifts for the kitchen.

Whether is it your mom, your sister, your best friend, or your son or daughter who is just learning how to cook, almost everyone can use a gift that help them in the kitchen.

So, over the next few weeks leading up to the holidays, I am going to share a few of my favorite things that would make perfect gifts for the cook.

Today I am sharing a few bargain priced cookbooks with you.

I own and LOVE The Cook’s Country Cookbook: Regional and Heirloom Favorites Tested for Today’s Home Cooks. This cookbook is almost 600 pages, and is currently price at $13.98 on amazon.

I bought this The Cook’s Country Cookbook a few years ago and I paid a lot more for it than $13.98. If you know someone that loves Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines, this would be a perfect gift. Really, this would be the perfect gift for just about anyone that loves to cook or wants to learn more about cooking. And you won’t find many 600 paged cookbooks for this price.

This Southern Living Cookbook is another great deal. I am sure many of you know and love Southern Living Magazine, their recipes, and their cookbooks. I have received their magazine for years and I own several of their cookbooks. Their recipes are classic recipes that everyone loves.

This Southern Living America’s Best Home Cooking Cookbook is actually one that I do not own, but it is a great deal right now on amazon. Like the book above, this Southern Living Cookbook is large cookbook containing 600 plus pages and is currently priced for $13.62. Yes, another 600 page cookbook for under $14.

I  have yet to find a Southern Living Cookbook that I did not enjoy and this one looks really good. This would be a great gift for anyone that loves Southern Living or Southern Cooking.

I would love to hear your thoughts on these cookbooks if you own either of them. What do you think of them?

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

Cook’s Country and Southern Living Cookbooks is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

It is no secret how much I love cookbooks. I have a few, okay so I have quite a few, cookbooks in my collection. As vast as the internet is with all the information and recipes available, I still prefer holding and reading a book or cookbook in my own hands. Yes, I know to many that is odd, but there is something that I love about sitting down with a good cookbook in my hands and learning tips and ideas from others.

Some of my all time favorite cookbooks come from Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen. They get cooking. They get the science behind food and I love their stuff. When I found out that they had a new cookbook out called, From Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens, I knew I wanted this cookbook. I love old fashioned type recipes. They are usually basic recipes using ingredients that we have on hand and this book does not disappoint.

This book is like looking at your grandma’s recipe box, yet with an updated modern twist. Yes, some of the recipes are a bit odd, but the majority of them sound like recipes my family would love. The first recipe I plan on trying from From Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens is the Potato Crust Quiche. It looks so simple and yet so good!

Did y’all know that Paula Deen had a new cookbook out?! I think that might just be the first time I said, “y’all” on this site, but when you talk Paula y’all  just fits.

Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible is classic Paula. If you love Paula, you will probably love this book. The recipes are classic Paula and her Southern style. Recipes that are every day food, with everyday ingredients. With that being said, it is also classic Paula and they are not the healthiest of recipes to make. But we all need a little butter once in a while, right?!

I have two small complaints about this book. First, it’s lack of pictures. I love pictures in my cookbooks. They draw you in and make you want to make the recipes. This cookbook as a few pictures, but not many, and I wish it had more.

My second complaint is that many of these recipes seem to be the same or similar to recipes in her other cookbooks. Most of them appear to be new and I have not compared them side by side, but I am pretty sure at least a few are the same. I am probably noticing this because I have several other Paula Deen Cookbook’s and I have watched a few too many Paula Cooking shows, so Paula’s recipes maybe running together for me.

Over all  I think Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible is a great cookbook and would make a great gift for any Paula Deen fan.

One of my newest and favorite cookbooks is No-bake Cookies: More Than 150 Fun, Easy & Delicious Recipes for Cookies, Bars, And Other Cool Treats Made Without Baking. Several people have mentioned this book to me and I have also read about it several times recently. It is not a new release, in fact it came out in 2006, so I do not know why I had not discovered this book until recently.

I am loving all the quick and easy cookie ideas in this book. They are not all gluten and nut free, so I am having to adapt quite a few for my family, but I have been able to make many of the recipes work for us and feel like the book was well worth buying. If you are looking for quick and easy cookies, this might be the book for you.

Now for a few on my wish list. Although I do not need any more cookbooks, here are a few I would love to own.

I love Paula Deen and own several of her cookbooks, but I do not own any of her sons’ books. The Deen Brothers cookbooks look like they would be great cookbooks though and I would love to see what kind of recipes they have. I really need to see if my library has their books. Do any of you own them? I would love to hear your thoughts.

And Martha has a new book called Martha’s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations. I love Martha and I own most of her cookbooks. In fact, I might own all of them. I have heard her talking about, and advertising this book for awhile, and it sounds like a great book.

I really wanted it because I love Martha, but when I saw the price I could not believe it. I have to say that I am not sure this book will be added to my collection anytime soon.

Martha I love your books and recipes, but $42 is a bit much for a normal person to spend on a book on entertaining and recipes. This book is not being released until later this month, so I am really hoping that the price drops on it. I prefer my books and cookbooks to be in the under $20 range and closer to $10 is even better. Most of Martha’s books are in the under $20 range, so I was a bit shocked by the price of this one.

What do you think about the price on Martha’s new book? I would love to hear if you think it is worth it.

Have any of you seen the cookbooks I have mentioned? I would love to hear your thoughts?

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

A Few Cookbook Finds and A Few For My Wishlist is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

Update: It looks like this deal is gone, but I still do recommend the book and think it is a great gift idea.

In my allergy section I have been sharing my girl’s journey in cooking through The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. Today, I shared a Gluten Free Cinnamon Bun Cake that my 11 year old recently made from the book.

In general I prefer cakes and desserts made from scratch, but gluten free baking can be challenging and overwhelming and The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free has helped my girls over come their fear of gluten free baking. They love using this book and I love watching them enjoy gluten free baking.

As I was putting together my post today for the Cinnamon Bun Cake, I noticed that Amazon has dropped the price on the The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free to only $5.98! Yes, that is under $6 for a gluten free cookbook.

If you are gluten free, have kids that eat gluten free, or know of someone this is gluten free, this would be a great cookbook for them. And think ahead for the holidays, this would be a great gift for your friends and family that have to eat gluten free. It is only $5.98!

The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free would be a very thoughtful and inexpensive gift for someone that has to eat gluten free.

The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free would also be a great place to start for those new to the gluten free world. The world of gluten free eating can be overwhelming and a cookbook like this that uses mixes is a great place for a beginner to start.

Note: Amazon changes their prices often, so I doubt this price will last for long.

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

Inexpensive Gift Idea For Your Gluten Free Family and Friends is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

your most recent addition to your cookbook collection is called Glorious Grits.

Who would ever guess that a girl born and raised in Oregon could learn to love grits so much……..

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

You Might Live In The Southern Part Of The United States If…. is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.

It is no secret that I love Martha Stewart recipes. Her cookie and muffin cookbooks are some of my favorite.

A few months ago I mentioned that I had bought the cookbook Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts. Since then several of you have asked how I liked it, so I thought I would post a full review of the cookbook.

All I can say is that I love Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts cookbook. Well, okay I can and will say more, but you get the idea, I really love this cookbook. And if you love to make desserts, especially pies, I think you will also enjoy this book.

From classic pies like Lemon Meringue and Apple Pie, to free form fruit pies and layered pies, it has them all. It also includes fourteen savory pie recipes including a tomato, mozzarella, and zucchini pie.

There is a section for rustic pies and one for artful pies. There is also a section for holiday pies, dainty pies, and several others.

The Yogurt Berry Pie and the Mounds Bar Pie I posted recently were both adapted from recipes in the Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts book, and I have several more recipes marked to try this summer.

And like most Martha Cookbooks, the pictures in this book are beautiful and make you want to make each and every one of them.

Anyone want to make a pie today? Because after all that talking about pies, I think I might need a piece.

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Ebook From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This offer for subscribers only. Click Here

Why I Love the Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts Book is a post from: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures ©2011 LynnsKitchenAdventures - All rights reserved.