Everyday Homemaking {Review}

This review was originally published August 2017 on our Gypsy Road site.

One of the required merit badges for Boy Scouts is the cooking badge…or should I say the ‘dreaded’ cooking badge.  It’s dreaded because it’s so long, and so in-depth…the boys have to do a variety of cooking projects and learn a ton about nutrition, and they’re just really not into it.  But Everyday Homemaking just let us check out their new Everyday Cooking book, and in the span of two months, we’ve got this badge nailed! 

The book is available in both e-book and physical format.  We received an e-book, so we printed it out double-sided (took 100 pages) and then used a combing machine to turn it into a spiral-bound book.  I also laminated the front and back pages (prior to combing) so that if it were to get wet or dripped on, those could be wiped clean easily.

Let’s peek inside the book!

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Time Saving Tips 
• Breakfast Ideas
• Appetizers and Dressings
• Bread and Grains
• Main Dishes & Soups & Sides
• Desserts and Snacks
• Homemade Vanilla Extract
• Low-Carb and Gluten-Free Pantry Helpers
• Basic Measurements and Helps
• Meal Planning and Shopping Hints 
• Sample Menus & Menu Planning Masters
• Basic Cooking Skills Checklist
• Basic Kitchen Accessories
• Kitchen Equipment
• The Tortoise and the Hare
• Pressure Cooker Tips and Favorites
• Index of Recipes
• Index of Practical Tips

I had my scout pick out three recipes for us to try initially – figuring that if they were his idea, he would be more into it, and it worked out nicely.  He choose Red Beans & Rice, Pancakes (he also learned scrambled eggs with this one), and Chicken Quesadillas.  His breakfast-for-dinner dish came out beautifully (and yes, those are chocolate chips in those delicious pancakes!), with no leftovers to be found.  With Chicken Quesadillas, he learned about using food scraps (we’d had chicken the night before) to create new dishes – they were also a hit.  Finally, we had the Red Beans & Rice.  I’m not sure if it’s because this was a more difficult dish for him, or if it’s because we’re kind of picky about our Cajun cookin’, but this was the least favorite of the three dishes he created.

Some of the things that I liked about this book, other than just its simple recipes, include:

• Practical time and money-saving tips
• Information on different cooking methods (including crockpot and pressure cooking)
• How to make base ingredients (such as biscuit mix) from scratch
• Meal planning and shopping tips
• Low-Carb and Gluten-Free options (while we don’t need this, it’s a big deal for many families)
• A home economics checklist (this book could be used as a high school semester elective course)
• Reproducible forms and checklists
• Two separate indices (makes it easier to find what you’re seeking)

One of the things that I didn’t like about this book was the lack of photos.  I should say that my son didn’t like it – he is a visual person and responds to graphs, tables, and illustrations.  There were pictures of the bread baking steps (which are very helpful), but not of the various recipes.  When he was trying to decide which recipes to make, I think he might have been more adventurous if he’d had an idea of what the final product looked like.  (The picture is a note from one of the pages of the book.)

COUPON CODE!!
As a special offer, the author is offering 10% off The Everyday Family Chore System and/or Everyday Cooking (print or e-book) through Labor Day! The code is TOS10books  You can apply it to as many books as you'd like, but you have to have the cart filled first.  Expires Sept 5.

See what others are saying about Everyday Homemaking at the Homeschool Review Crew!