A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

Sibley Birds of Land, Sea, and Sky David Allen Sibley Clarkson Potter Today I'm reviewing something a little different- a set of bird-themed postcards illustrated by David Allen Sibley. The postcards come in a well-made, sturdy case and are divided into 5 sections: Waterfowl, Woodpeckers, Wading Birds, Songbirds, and Owls & Raptors. My favorites were the songbirds, but I also really liked some of the woodpeckers and owls. The postcards also look very well made (they are nice and thick) and the illustrations are very pretty, with good quality printing. Overall, this is such a lovely batch of postcards! I've been wanting to start doing more letter writing (I recently bought a wax seal to motivate me) and I think this will be a great addition to my newly started stationary collection. I received this product from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for my honest review.

Daisy Cakes Bakes Kim Nelson Clarkson Potter A beautiful baking cookbook of 100 recipes for the delicious cakes that made Daisy Cakes a huge success story of ABC's Shark Tank, plus cookies, pies, cobblers, and more--with 60 photographs evoking a sense of nostalgia for making your own family recipes. The scent of cake baking in the oven, the pretty sheen of frosting being whipped up nice and light, or the glorious mess of measuring and mixing ingredients for cookie dough are memories cherished by many a home baker. Kim Nelson grew up learning to make family recipes alongside her mother, grandmothers, and great aunt. This pastime blossomed into Kim's beloved company, Daisy Cakes, which ships delicious Southern layer cakes in keepsake tins all across the US. Daisy Cakes Bakes shares those family cake recipes, as well as recipes for cookies, bars, confections, pies, ice creams, and more. The flavors are rich but never cloying, the recipes are crowd-pleasing and sim...

French Country Cooking Mimi Thorisson Clarkson Potter A captivating journey to off-the-beaten-path French wine country with 100 simple yet exquisite recipes, 150 sumptuous photographs, and stories inspired by life in a small village Readers everywhere fell in love with Mimi Thorisson, her family, and their band of smooth fox terriers through her blog, Manger, and debut cookbook, A Kitchen in France. In French Country Cooking, the family moves to an abandoned old château in Médoc. While shopping for local ingredients, cooking, and renovating the house, Mimi meets the farmers and artisans who populate the village and learns about the former owner of the house, an accomplished local cook. Here are recipes inspired by this eccentric cast of characters, including White Asparagus Soufflé, Wine Harvest Pot au Feu, Endives with Ham, and Salted Butter Chocolate Cake. Featuring evocative photographs taken by Mimi’s husband, Oddur Thorisson, this cookbook is a charming jaunt to a...

Tasting Rome Katie Parla & Kristina Gill Clarkson Potter      A gorgeous hardcover cookbook, Tasting Rome had me within its first few pages. Filled with mouth-watering dishes, beautiful photographs, and write-ups about Rome both past and present, I fell in love with this book at first glance.(just the picture of a gelato stand was making my mouth water.)      A closer look at the recipes has me a little more mixed. I love Italian food, but I am an American, and some of the dishes are a little outside my comfort zone. Still, there are more than enough other recipes to make up for it. However, because several of the dishes are unfamiliar to me, I do wish that the book had a picture of every recipe so I knew a little more of what I was getting into.      Still, overall I think this book is a keeper, and it will probably end up being one of the more used cookbooks on my shelf. I received this book for free from the publish...

The Homemade Kitchen Alana Chernila Clarkson Potter      This is just a pretty cookbook. It makes everything look good. Not only are the recipes appealing--even the ones that, let's face it, sound weird-- but the whole book feels homey and comforting. This is the type of cookbook that makes people want to be natural and organic and downright domestic. It's lovely. I'm especially excited about the recipes for homemade goat cheese and feta cheese. Also, the popovers are calling my name. :)      It's written in a friendly, engaging style that's not intimidating for a beginner, and overall I love how many from-scratch recipes there are.      My only real complaint is that that order of the recipes can be a little confusing, since they're not ordered in sections that I'm used to (such as "soup," "desserts," "meat," etc.) which can make it difficult to find what you're looking for. Rating: 8 I received this bo...

The Sweetapolita Bakebook Rosie Alyea Clarkson Potter Paint, doodle, and sprinkle your way to stunning one-of-a-kind sweets.       The world of Sweetapolita is sparkly and sprinkly and charming as can be, with   75 recipes for everything from pretty homemade cookies to decadent layer cakes. But what really sets these treats apart are interactive designs that let everyone in on the fun of decorating: Painted Mini Cakes are served with edible "paint" for guests to personalize at the table, the fondant-covered tiered Chalk-a-Lot cake is paired with homemade edible "chalk," and Rainbow Doodle cookies are made for kids to go to town on with edible markers.       Rosie Alyea, the creator of the Sweetapolita blog, frolics in flour and frosting, and she loves to get her two young daughters involved, too. The pages of her debut book are full of playful ideas that will inspire creativity in bakers of all levels—including a recipe for mak...