I have had so much fun receiving books to review, and this is my third cookbook I have been able to review in the past couple of months. The wonderful thing is that all of the sponsors have also allowed me to offer a book for giveaway.
Today’s review is for the book,Valerie’s Home Cooking.
Many of us know Valerie Bertinelli from seeing her on shows such as One Day at a Time and for her current show on Food Network, Valerie’s Home Cooking. Valerie has written this cookbook that has more than 100 of Valerie’s favorite recipes. It also shares how Valerie developed a love for cooking and stories of her life. It is a beautiful hard back book made of quality paper and large pictures.
Some of the recipes admittedly would not be ones my family would love, especially as there is a chapter just for alcoholic mixed drinks; but there were many recipes I am interested in trying. I loved the kid-friendly recipes such as Tuna Noodle Casserole with Potato Chip Topping and Hamburger Helpa. I also am hoping to try her recipe for Homemade Cannoli.
Each recipe shares Valerie’s inspiration for that dish. Here is what she wrote for Hamburger Helpa:
Don’t laugh. This dish might give you more insight into my culinary history than almost anything else. It’s a throwback to my childhood and it speaks directly to my more-than-occasional desire for quickness and efficiency, in that I love a good casserole or one-skillet dish. No fuss, no muss, easy cleanup, and get-right-to-it dinner. I made this for Wolfie and his friends when they came home after soccer or Little League practice. I can still picture everyone at the kitchen table, doing homework, while I simmered the beef in the mélange of spices and added macaroni, cheese, and breadcrumbs, and then announced to a sea of smiling faces, “Dinner’s ready.” Years later, I whipped out this dish when Tom’s kids entered the picture and everyone came home from college during breaks. We all know the store-bought mix; this homemade version is even better than the classic, I promise.
When I made this recipe, I doubled everything except the beef as my family is large and my kids don’t love meat. I also did not put in paprika as I had run out of it or chives or scallions as I didn’t have any in the house. My kids did enjoy the meal, and I was glad that it wasn’t out of a box. My third daughter and I both thought that it tasted better the second day as leftovers! Try it out!
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound ground 90% lean beef
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1¼ cups warm water
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ?8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 11/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped American cheese
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
- 1/4 cup panko Japanese-style breadcrumbs
- 1 scallion green part sliced
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Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the beef, black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; cook, stirring to crumble, until browned, about 5 minutes.
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Preheat the broiler with the oven rack 3 to 4 inches from the heat.
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Reduce the stovetop heat to medium, and stir in the macaroni. Add the milk, warm water, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. 3. Bring to a low simmer; cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender, about 12 minutes. Add the cheeses, and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheeses melt. Stir in the chives. Sprinkle the panko over the macaroni mixture. Broil until the panko is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with the scallion, and serve immediately.
Variation: Add some slices of jalapeño for extra kick.
Excerpted from Valerie’s Home Cooking by Valerie Bertinelli. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House.
Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
You can enter the following giveaway to win a copy of Valerie’s Home Cooking. You can also buy this book on Amazon and at other participating retailers. Winner must reside in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize.
We still need one new host for January! Here are the requirements to hosting a Tasty Tuesday’s party:
You are committing to posting every Tuesday at 8 am EST a recipe post (either a recipe, a round-up of recipes, or features from the previous party) and pinning 25 recipes that are linked up to this party to our Tasty Tuesday’s board. You would be part of our Facebook group where you would receive the scripts and be assigned the numbers you would pin. Tammy’s email is [email protected] Thank you!
PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!
- PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.
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**Merry from Merry About Town (Blog)**
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**Amanda from The Mommy Mix (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Google+
**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
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**Ashley from Forgetful Momma (Blog)**
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- Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before. Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
- Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.
- As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
- Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
- By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
- If you include your e-mail in the linky form below you will be added to a weekly reminder e-mail when the link party goes live. Your e-mail will not to added to any other lists or given out.
Thanks for hosting each week!
My favorite recipe is a roasted sweet potato, apple, cranberry mix
My favorite recipe is Shrimp Scampi Pizza. Have a wonderful week!!
Thanks for hosting! I love making Stephen Gurley gravy for my nieces which I need to link up!
It certainly is a tasty Tuesday! Look at all those amazing dished! Thanks for hosting
My favorite dish is beef and broccoli in the crockpot. Its wonderful.
I love making homemade shephards’ pie. My family loves it and it always disappears.
My fav and hubby’s fav is Spaghetti Casserole. So easy to make. I watch her show every week. Love her
favorite recipe to make is macaroni and cheese and also rice pudding.
My favorite recipe to make is my Buffalo Chicken Dip!