Lil' Luna's So Easy & So Yummy

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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Cook with joy and feed the ones you love with 200+ recipes for all occasions from the creator of the wildly popular Lil’ Luna cooking blog. Need a hand in the kitchen? Lil’ Luna has you covered. From hearty breakfasts to festive apps to mouthwatering main courses, Lil’ Luna’s So Easy & So Yummy helps you navigate everything from meal prep and party planning to last-minute dinner solutions for your family. With more than 200 go-to, no-fail recipes—many are ready in thirty minutes or less!

—this innovative and approachable cookbook will revolutionize your mealtime routine.
With Lil’ Luna, you will see featured tips, tricks, bonus recipes, and even links to online video instructions, most of the recipes within are designed with a big family or a bunch of friends in mind. Cooking for a smaller crew? Hello, leftovers! You’ll also find inspiration and support throughout with handy charts, checklists, and meal-planning guides. Whether you’re feeding your family or a whole crowd, this crave-worthy cookbook is the ultimate resource for nourishing, tried-and-true recipes that are, above all, so easy and so yummy.

I do not have kids, but I have a 68yo husband who eats like a kid: I take him out to a relatively fancy restaurant, and he figures out a way for him to have spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs if he really is in a mood…half the time he orders off the kids menu. (I refuse to order pasta at a restaurant as it is usually about 10 cents to $1 worth of ingredients sold for $15++++!)

THIS BOOK, however, will help in feeding him at home and in less than 30 minutes??? BONUS!
Less heat in the kitchen that has no a/c in the summer and no airflow in the winter. And if you are relatively new to cooking (or just love falling down rabbit holes, the video links would be very helpful. Honesty alert: I have used YouTube twice in the last 20 years: once to look up and LOL at an “audition tape” of a girl I know who is desperate to be a movie star…it’s bad! … and a second time as I looked up instructions online on how to “break down” my broken foot walker/scooter as the useless medical supply store did not know how to do it!

Overall, a book I will use a lot to feed my big kid and to make things to take to potlucks: I don’t do dinner parties as we have a total of 3 chairs in our home and no kitchen table…long story. But I do love leftovers: I have an ex who refused to eat them so I stopped cooking for him and told him to hire someone to deal with his meals...he went home to momma.

FABULOUS BOOK --- #shortbutsweetreviews

Thanks to Netgalley and Flashpoint for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The title of this book says it all ! Yummy !! Advice : don't open this book late at night ! It's going to make you so hungry. I love that each recipe comes with a video as well as alternatives such as baking instead of deep frying. It has everything from the simplest appetizer/breakfast to the most complete dinner dishes.

I love the stories about the family as well as the easy basic recipes at the start.

Easy and Yummy are two of my favourite things when it comes to recipes and cookbooks. I love to cook, love to try new recipes and love to share them with my partner, friends and family. This book has easy and yummy in spades.

From breakfast to everything from morning to night there is a yummy and easy to make recipe in this cookbook. But more than that it has some great information and tips to get you going. This is a cookbook that cane be used by beginner cooks to very experienced ones with ease.

Some of my favourite recipes are German Pancakes, Easy Homemade Bread, Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Parmesan Sweet Potatoes, Pulled Pork and Pecan Pie Bars. YUMMY!

Thank you NetGalley and Flashpoint for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Hands down one of the best cookbooks I have come across -- especially for a busy mom. The pictures are absolutely stunning and truly look like what we are making. The recipes are simple without a ton of ingredients that you may or may not have on hand. It is even easy enough to do with our 9 year old. This would be a great option for a new wife or mother. While I love the author itself, the website scan option takes it to another level. It is techno savvy and helps take the guesswork out of the recipe. I highly recommend this cookbook being on your shelf!!

I love cookbooks and I have a whole collection of them. I will definitely be ordering the hard copy of this one to add to the bookcase.

There was a little of something for everyone in this cookbook. If you want something quick and easy for a busy weeknight, there are recipes for that. If you are having guests over and want an impressive meal to serve, there is also ample recipes to fit the bill!!

I think this is a great cookbook for anybody that needs a little variety in their meal planning. I know it can become daunting trying to figure out meals every week and this book gave me some new ideas and gave me a does of motivation I needed to keep my family well-fed and happy with the meals I make.

This is a must-have cookbook! It is full of delicious recipes and stunning photos. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

THIS IS PERFECTION! Yes, that needed to be in all caps. I have been following Lil’ Luna for years. I have done many of her recipes and have been so anxious for her to do a cookbook. She is one of my go to bloggers for recipes. I was thrilled when I saw this one! The recipes are so easy! And the pictures? Perfection. Within the first few pages, I already knew I would be buying a physical copy of the book. I absolutely love that it isn’t just recipes. She has holiday meal plan ideas, tips and hints for cooking and so much more! LOVED everything about this!

After reading through this cookbook, I can see why Lil' Luna's VLOG and Youtube channel would be so incredibly popular. She is super organized and detail oriented!

She also draws in her family and friends to help test each recipe so that you get perfection every time. I gained weight just READING the recipes!

Let's start with my favourite: DESSERT!!!:

Sample such tasty treats as Strawberry Cookies, M&M Chocolate Oat Bars or her Lemon Bars, Arroz con Leche, Muddy Buddies, a slice of Pumpkin Roll and top it off with Jell-O Poke Cake! (See what I mean?!!)

On to MAINS:
Hawaiian Haystacks, Creamy Swiss Chicken, Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops, Beef Goulash, Marinated Steak, Beef Stroganoff - all these family favourites taken up a notch!

SIDES:

Spanish Rice, Funeral Potatoes, Pico de Gallo, Parmesan Sweet Potato Cubes and Homemade Mac and Cheese! Yuuuuummmmmmmy!

BREADS:

You can sample the standard home baked breads, biscuits, pankcakes and pizza dough, then move on to delicious Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread, Cornbread and hot buttery Cinnamon Bread. (Is your mouth watering yet?!)

Substitutions are allowed in many cases, and Kristyn Merkley and her team take the time to walk you through those substitute ingredients and how to incorporate them in the original recipe.


You can certainly watch her videos on Youtube and Facebook, but this wonderful - outstanding, really! - cookbook puts it conveniently down on paper (or on your ereader) so that you don't have to fast forward or backward to remind yourself of a measurement or ingredient.


Highly recommended! 5 out of 5 fully satisfied, new fan stars! I am sure this excellent cookbook will fly off the shelves!!! My thanks to the author, her publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this cookbook in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of those cookbooks that wasn’t intimidating, while providing plenty of recipe inspiration at the same time. On my list to make: potato breakfast casserole, chicken dumpling soup, white sauce pasta, puppy chow, and pink punch. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I absolutely enjoyed this cookbook. The book is divided by meal type i.e. breakfast and dinner and has a hint section where the author shares tips and tricks. I loved how it was organized , written well, full of helpful hints and great pictures'. I recommend this book to everyone and beginner cooks.

This cookbook is an absolute gem! I have purchased and used dozens of cookbooks in my adult life, but this takes the cake for my new favorite. This cookbook is above and beyond what most are. There are QR codes to scan, picture index for ease of use and helpful tips galore. Due to the generosity of NetGalley in allowing me to have a review copy, I was able to test many of these gems on my family. Every single recipe was simple and a huge hit. I loved the gorgeous pictures and the personal touches on each page.

Fantastic comprehensive cookbook for the beginner cook! This cookbook is stuffed to the absolute brim with every recipe a beginner cook could need from party dips to breads to beef stew to chocolate chip cookies and more! The book is chock full of extra tips as tricks to really make the newbie cook feel confident. The organization and index is fantastic with pictures and clear labels. I don’t think that this is geared toward experienced or overly adventurous cooks as the recipes are on the more simplistic side. The ingredient lists are small yet mostly rely on whole ingredients which I appreciate. The directions are clear and not complex, making it just perfect for beginners. I would absolutely gift this approachable and comprehensive cookbook to anyone just starting out on their own as it has everything a beginner could want or need!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the early release.
A good cook book to me is one with lots of pictures. As an armature in the kitchen I need an image to compare my creation too- make sure I did it right. Lil' Luna's cook book does not skimp on the images. There are so many simple recipes that any family would love. I loved the touch of adding what to serve with the recipes, so each recipe could be made into a complete meal.

Instead of the usual reading frenzy in my house this caused a cooking frenzy. The children decided that the best way to review this book was to try out the recipes. We did have some strange combinations (they did not all agree on the menu they wanted to make). The food was generally delicious (and easy to scrape off the floor and wall tiles !). Will try some of the recipes just for me and grumpy grandad one the kitchen is usable. They loved it anyway.

Great family cookbook! The recipes in here are all for family favorite type items - I didn't find anything that was super unique, but they all look and sound delicious. Recipes are in chapters on Breakfast, Breads and Muffins, Appetizers, Salads, Soups, Sides, Main Dishes, Desserts (further separated into 4 categories), and Drinks.
Maybe more than the recipes themselves, what I really love about this cookbook is that the info is presented and laid out in a uniquely helpful manner with extra info. Charts in the intro section have substitutions, plus there is a page of video QR codes for techniques. There are pages on Quick and Easy, Make Ahead, Feeding a Crowd, and how long things will last in fridge and freezer. Holiday Meal Planning charts list suggestions of quantities of types of items, the suggest a few different recipes, and also give timelines for preparing.
I love that each recipe fits on one single page! No more trying to flip back and forth to read instructions or ingredient amounts. Each recipe has tags for situations, a QR code for videos, variations and bonus recipes if applicable, tips, and some have "also try" for similar recipes and pairings. They also have a color photo.
Then in addition to the standard index by term, there is an index showing the title of each recipe and it's situation tags, and another index of the categories of recipes and thumbnail photos of each.
The care taken to show the info in multiple different ways and to make cooking from this book as easy as possible is unique and delightful and contributed to my rating.

I’ve been following Lil’ Luna (Kristyn Merkley) for over a decade, knowing I can always count on her for delicious and straightforward recipes that my whole family will love – picky kids included! So naturally when I saw she had a cookbook coming out, I couldn’t grab it fast enough!

This cookbook is the perfect staple for every kitchen! So many of these recipes are classics that your family will know and love. All of the ingredients are common and accessible, many are probably in your pantry right now. The directions are clear, easy-to-follow, and simple enough for even novice cooks.

This cookbook is so user-friendly and accessible! It’s chock-full of valuable tips, substitutions, variations, and recipe pairings. So useful whether you’re preparing your weekly menu or a holiday dinner! Also, not only is there a photo to accompany every recipe (which is something I always look for in a cookbook) but there’s even a helpful online video to go along with each recipe that’s easily accessible via QR code. Don’t worry if videos aren't your thing though, everything you need is in the cookbook; these videos are just a nice little bonus if you like learning that way.

I’ve been making a number of Lil’ Luna recipes for my family for a long time, and I noticed that three of our family’s favorites from the website are included in this cookbook, so I can vouch for how delicious and easy they really are. The Biscuit Egg Casserole has been a regular dish in my house for years, and even though it’s listed as a breakfast food, I often make it for dinner because it’s plenty hearty for a main meal. The Gooey Butter Cookies are literally “so easy and so yummy”, using a cake mix as a time-saving base. And the Snickerdoodles – they’re the best I’ve ever tasted. They grace my Christmas cookie platter every year and they are always the first to disappear!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flashpoint for providing me an advance copy of this book.