Welcome to Bite This Book! Each month, I feature a cookbook of my choosing, host a Q & A with the author, and then give you a chance to win a copy or two. It’s Bite This Book, good reads on Simple Bites.

When it comes to ethnic foods I am happy to step back and take a few leads from the experts. Jaden Hair is one such individual, and she’s on a mission to make Asian cooking possible for real home cooks.

Her latest cookbook, Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites: 100 Recipes That Are Fast, Fresh, and Simple Enough for Tonight’s Supper, is one I know you will appreciate for its simple techniques and family focused dishes.

Jaden won my family over with her recipe for Healing Chicken Ginger Soup last month when we were on the mend from colds. Then my kids tucked into heaping plates of her Dan Dan Mien – egg noodles with ground turkey, napa cabbage and a killer sauce  – and never looked up until it was finished.

This cookbook in guaranteed to be sticky with fish sauce in no time, and we’ll be all the more versed in our Asian-style dinners. Next up is kimchi!

Read on for an interview with Jaden and a chance to win a copy of Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites.

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Welcome to Bite This Book! Each month, I feature a cookbook of my choosing, host a Q & A with the author, and then give you a chance to win a copy or two. It’s Bite This Book, good reads on Simple Bites.

She’s one of my favorite food writers, the editor of the beautifully scripted Good. Food. Stories, and now Casey Barber has delivered a brand-new cookbook, Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats that is making DIY enthusiasts jump for joy. Myself included.

With mouth-watering categories like ‘Cheesy Snacks’ and ‘Frozen Treats’, Casey’s cookbook draws you in with the promise of recreating some nostalgia in your own home. Her rock-solid writing keeps you from glancing up, and the enticing photos of snacks like her perfectly frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts will have you reaching for a pen for your ingredient list.

Every mother wants to please her children, but in the area of snacks, I just can’t hand over junk food with a clear conscience. So I’m excited to jump into Casey’s cookbook and make some homemade versions of those forbidden brand-name treats. I’m willing to bet they are going to be a hit with the kids – and pretty much everyone in the whole family.

Bookmarked already are recipes for Creamsicles, Caramel Corn, Goldfish Crackers, Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips (my favorite flavor!), Pretzel Rods, and Klondike Bars. We’ve already made and loved the Graham Crackers, which we turned into animal snacks (pictured above) for Clara’s upcoming birthday.

Oh, and watch out. Classic Snacks just might be the most hunger-inducing cookbook I have ever read. Be prepared for a serious attack of the munchies after flipping through it and reading a few recipe head notes.

Hopefully it won’t be long before you have something delicious made from scratch to satiate those cravings.

Read on for an interview with Casey and a chance to win a copy of Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats.

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Welcome to Bite This Book! Each month, I feature a cookbook of my choosing, host a Q & A with the author, and then give you a chance to win a copy or two. It’s Bite This Book, good reads on Simple Bites.

She’s a mother of two with a passion for homemade eat and treats, and Alana Chernila’s cookbook, The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making, is currently getting splattered and flour-dusted on my kitchen counter. I kind of want to cook my way right through it, from the first chapter on dairy to the sweet candy ending.

This is Alana’s first cookbook, and in it she shares 101 homemade versions of everyday supermarket essentials from yogurt and sandwich bread to salad dressing and crackers. Recipes are paired with charming stories that capture Alana’s home life and leave the reader inspired to follow suite.

We’re certainly no stranger to homemade substitutes for pantry staples here on Simple Bites, which is why I know you will enjoy this book. Its recipes are appealing to both the novice DIY experimenter, as well as the expert in all things homemade. We’re currently hooked on the pancake and waffle ready mix, which I hope to share here soon.

As someone who has been cooking from scratch all my life, I can definitely recommend The Homemade Pantry as a solid resource for anyone who wishes to move away from processed, packaged goods.

Read on for an interview with Alana and a chance to win a copy of The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making.

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