The book was archived before our group could download it. We are sure that we would have enjoyed the book judging from the reviews it has received.

Was unable to open this book so can not review it. I would have loved to review this book because I have two kids 12 and 9 who love to cook, and both taking cooking in 4-H.

Treat Yourself by Jessica Siskin is a wonderful treat. This informative and inspiring book provides you with hints, tips and a great collection of 93 fabulous and fun no-bake crispy rice treats. Offers everything from individual-sized treats to full size cakes. Provides step-by-step instructions and full color photos. I am posting an honest review after reading an ARC copy of this book.

Although fun and creative, it's hard to not imagine how many of these will show up on "Tried So Hard but Failed" posts.

Way cooler than baking a cake! (5 stars)

Dessert is my heaven. Cake, pie, ice cream, pastries, you're all close friends. There's one humble treat though that hasn't gotten its due. The crispy rice treat deserves far more recognition as a brilliant combination of minimal ingredients and not needing an oven. On scorching hot days like today I'll brave the stovetop if I must but bake a birthday cake? Nope.

Which is where Jessica Siskin's clever book comes in! It raises the beige squares we all know from our childhood to an art form. Having tried my hand at this a few times in the past I can say that it does take some practice but the results are always delicious even if your design is a little lopsided.

Siskin's ideas are a lot of fun from a checkerboard and life-size apples to a birthday cake and a barbecue there're designs and instructions for almost any occasion. Better yet, there aren't any crazy hard to find ingredients or techniques to learn. As long as you can follow directions and use measuring spoons/cups you're bound to create something adorable and be a total hit where ever you take it. One of my personal favorites is the cereal bowl, ha!

What I hated about this book: The ridiculous title.

What I loved about this book: Literally everything except that ridiculous title.*

This book is SO MUCH FUN. I have NEVER, in my ENTIRE LIFE, been so motivated to make Rice Krispie Treats.

And you know what? I get to call them Rice Krispie treats, as opposed to Rice Cereal treats. You know why? Because this author was brilliant, and works with Kellogg's, so she doesn't have to go for a generic name. That right there? Everything.

The creations in this book are BRILLIANT, and amazing. They are all arranged alphabetically, from Apple to Zebra. This makes the reading even more fun, because you're anticipating what other objects will pop up. What's going to be under X? What's going to be the next P? Are there any naughty Rice Krispie treats in here???

(Spoiler: There are not).

I anticipated this would be more of a looking book than a reading book. Because let's face it, you don't really need to read the recipe. She puts the base recipe at the very beginning of the book, then throughout, tells you how much of it you will need, in addition to the fun add-ons, like Airheads, Twizzlers, and candy melts. (Also, she put chocolate Twizzlers instead of black licorice Twizzlers, bless you, woman.)

Then, flipping through the chapters and squeaking at the pictures, I came across the chapter on making fruit-shaped treats. And the first line caught my eye.

I love fruit, but sometimes I just wish it had more butter in it.

I cackled. Out loud. And then got annoyed with myself for not reading the introduction to each recipe. SHAMEFUL.

This book is so excellent. It would've been exceptionally easy to put the pictures in here with no instructions. I've seen it done before. Jessica Siskin provides not only written instructions, but also damn near picture-by-picture, step-by-step instructions. I think even I, as culinarily and creatively challenged as I really am, could make some of these.

And believe me.

I will be.



* Yes, I can appreciate the pun. That doesn't make it less ridiculous.

Possibly one of the coolest cookbooks/treatbooks I have read thus far. Pictures are bright and simply jump out at me with every turn. Ideas and and signs are creative, adorable and astonishing. I cannot stop looking at it. Definitely will do a few designs for a friends birthday party. This book seems perfect for all levels, designs require patience, possibly a try or two. Yet, instructions are quite clear. A beautiful piece that will now be in my collection and cannot wait to try something out.

i never thought you could do so many things with Rice krispies!! Who knew... really cool ideas not only for a party but for the kids to eat cereal and have fun. the pictures are amazing and the recipes easy to make.

Having been a long time fan of Rice Krispie squares, I knew that I had to check this book out! There are literally close to 100 different ideas and designs in this book, and it will most likely inspire its readers to create their own treat projects as well. The instructions are relatively easy and the images are absolutely whimsical. Also, Jessica shares her story and how she came to be the iconic Misterkrisp in the introduction to the book, which is an interesting addition to a recipe book.

If you have already discovered Misterkrisp online, you will already have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Treat Yourself! Siskin gives her readers a list of tools and tips on how to achieve the best results from her recipes, as well as a chart that breaks down the ratios of cereal, marshmallow, butter and food colouring each design will require. The book takes on the idea that this is arts and crafts more than cooking and gives the sense that there is no wrong way to create each design. The medium is forgivable and it is easy to correct a mistake with a simple fix.

As the synopsis indicates, Treat Yourself! is a great resource for anyone looking to come up with some interesting, crowd-pleasing treats. The designs range from easy to advanced, with one of the more difficult recipes being a recreation of Van Gogh’s Starry Night! I am not sure if I have the ability to make that one turn out as well as the one in the book, but I think it is something that would be a lot of fun trying to create.

This book was just too much fun! Great instructions and lots of wonderful ideas for enjoying those rice krispie treats. I'll need to try one (or two) for my next event.

Wonderful treats to make with rice crisps ........ Each are unique and innovative.........

Super fun recipe book for the crafty mom. Lots of cool things to make for parties, kids events, etc. Everyone loves rice krispies!

*text of review scheduled to post on blog on 13 June 2017, two weeks prior to book publication date*


[Book Review] TREAT YOURSELF! by Jessica Siskin



TITLE: Treat Yourself!

AUTHOR: Jessica Siskin

PUBLISHED BY: Workman Publishing Company

PUBLICATION DATE: 27 June 2017

EDITION: Paperback

GENRE: Cookery, Crafts & Hobbies, Food & Wine

ISBN: 9780761189800

PRICE: $14.95 (USD)

Jessica Siskin, AKA talented food artist; and Instagram sensation; @mister_krisp, invites you to ‘Treat Yourself!’ in this beautifully photographed & easy to follow book detailing

“How to make 93 ridiculously fun no-bake crispy rice treats”




About The Book

One of the first things I noticed was the copious amount of clear photographs spread through the book. The instructions themselves are detailed yet concise and each stage is accompanied by a corresponding photo.

The opening chapters include an introduction from the author, explaining a bit about how and why she got into Rice Krispie Treat modelling, and detailed descriptions of the equipment and ingredients necessary. Everything is well documented, with additional links, recommendations, and hints & tips where appropriate.

Another genius idea is that every single treat uses the same basic recipe. In the introductory part of the book, Jessica supplies us with a helpful table listing how many cups, tablespoons & drops are required to make batches of set sizes (named A-H for ease)

Each individual​ recipe then states which size batches you need and which colouring drops are required.

The writing style is friendly and easy to read, chatty and full of puns, it’s like reading a letter from a friend.



The Recipes

The recipes themselves are laid out alphabetically; starting with Apples and a ridiculously realistic looking 11 inch tall Avocado, includes Balloons, a BBQ complete with kebabs, a dinosaur, lollipops, a piñata, a star-spangled wizard’s hat, and of course finishing up with a Zebra.

There are even instructions for how to make Yourself out of Rice Krispie Treats. I repeat, MAKE YOURSELF, OUT OF RICE KRISPIE TREATS. We’ve all seen those cakes with the photo of the birthday girl/boy/dog printed on top, but imagine the look on their face when they see themselves; in all their Krispie treats glory; taking centre stage at the party! (Coincidentally, this book is published the same day Offspring#2 turns 18. I’m already looking for a suitable snapshot to utilise this idea!)

The individual recipes are easy to follow, each step is clearly explained and any additional equipment or decorating ingredients are detailed at the beginning, alongside the required number of differently sized & coloured batches. The top of each page is also clearly marked denoting how hard each particular build is; bearing Easy, Medium or Advanced coloured banners.

Also included are traceable (or downloadable) templates to make moulding your shapes easier. They are easily transferable to the reverse of baking parchment, then you can set to work moulding each batch of mixture.



How Did I Get On?

Of course, I had to give it a try, and since I was reading this book over National Doughnut Week (6-13 May), I just had to plump for misterkrisps Donuts recipe.



I used chocolate crispies and didn’t add colour to the mix, if I was doing this again, I would probably add brown colouring or cocoa to my mallow mix.

I had 6 mini donut silicone moulds, so I used those. A ‘G’ Batch of mix filled those, plus I had enough left to mould 2 more by hand.



Half were iced with melted dark chocolate before being dusted with glitter sugar & coloured sprinkles, whilst I topped the remaining four with a coat of pink candy-melts and a drizzle of milk chocolate.

Jessica’s instructions were simple to follow and the opening chapters even include photographs of what the contents of your saucepan should look like at each stage, along with appropriate timings for a midsized batch. Speaking of which, I cannot believe how easy the cleanup was at the end; I filled my saucepan with hot soapy water whilst I put away my extra marshmallows etc and when I came back to it 5 minutes later, the remaining butter/marshmallow/crispie mix just wiped off!!




What Did The Victims Think?

The Other Half: “Yummy!” and “mmmm..marshmallow-y”

Offspring#1: “I liked them, I guess!?!”

Offspring#2: “They were some good doughnuts” whilst simultaneously reaching for a second

& Me? I found it a bit on the sweet side but yummy, and I’m sure I’ll be making lots more Rice Krispie Treats in the coming months!

Rating



I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars, as it is a real treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds!

Disclosure: A free ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.





As always, thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you here again soon, and in the meantime; have you tried anything from an interesting new recipe book lately, or have you got an old favourite to share?

Hugs,

Crafty xx

JUNE 13, 2017
THECRAFTYLASS
#BOOKREVIEW, #DONUTS, #JESSICASISKIN, #MISTERKRISP, #NOBAKE, #RECIPEBOOK, #RICEKRISPIETREATS, #TREATYOURSELF!, RECIPE, REVIEW

This is a really fun book. I have made a couple of easy recipes with my Granddaughter but that being said some of these things are high tech. I loved this book and will be following the author

It's exactly what it looks like and says it is: ideas on making edible crispy rice art. There weren't many designs here that would fit into a celebration in my world, but it inspires me to come up with my own.

I received a free digital copy of the book from NetGalley.

This is a design book, not a cookbook.

The book is not about treats, but about presenting the treats for many occasions. It has exactly 1 (one) recipe for a treat (with a whole table to make a specified amount of the resulting mix) and the rest of the book is instructions on how to combine different amounts of differently colored mix to shape different treats. Those look awesome, and many of them are very creative. And you know exactly how much of each color mix to make and use, and there are some templates, too. They add some sprinkles or icing or frosting to decorate.

I am disappointed about the book because while there is a very large varieties of designs, there no variety of ingredients. I was expecting to see some different stuff added or mixed in, maybe using puffed millet or honey or chopped nuts or spices or something, to make the treats taste differently. So, this is strictly a design book, not a cookbook.

I have been making rice crispy treats since I was a kid, Just put them in a pan and made bars out of them. My kids loved them when they were growing up. My Grand Kids though are gonna get surprised now when I make they come to visit now that I have this awesome book of ideas. This book will make you rethink the rice crispy treat. There are so many awesome ideas in this book to make them colored and shaped. Easter is coming up in a few weeks and we are going to have some fancy rice crispy Easter eggs. For parties I will e making balloon shaped ones and so many other things.

The first part of the book gives you tips as well as the basic Rice Crispy recipe, and then there are a whopping 93 ideas of what you can create. It also give you a link to a website where you can print off templates to use while making your masterpiece. No more plain old bars for us.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

What a fun book! Jessica Siskin, who admits that she isn’t a cook, has taken Crispy Rice Treats to another level in her book, Treat Yourself!: How to Make 93 Ridiculously Fun No-Bake Crispy Rice Treats. Not only has she perfected the recipe (which isn’t huge, since most of us make them successfully from time to time, but her recipes turn out perfectly and there is a chart so that they can be made different quantities for projects), but she has used her amazing imagination to create treats in shapes and colors that most of us haven’t even imagined. Who knew that crispy rice treats could be made into amazing works of art!

There are instructions for treats shaped like bagels and lox, a wizard hat, a mouthwatering cheeseburger, apples that are red on the outside and white when they’re sliced just like real apples. There is a darling gingerbread man for Christmas, and a spider web for Halloween. The watermelon is very clever, and can be sliced just like a real one. There is a bicycle, a bikini, a zebra, and a slice of pizza. Siskin has included sushi, a fishbowl, a Christmas Tree and a Statue of Liberty. There are dozens of other ideas, and her ideas will surely motivate you to think of a few projects of your own.

Each Crispy Rice “Project” is photographed, and there are easy-to-follow instructions for amounts, coloring, shaping, and decorating different shapes suitable for dozens of occasions. The Easter Egg was really quite simple, and some, like the breast cancer ribbon, are no-brainers. There are a few that are a little more involved, but definitely doable.

It’s nice to see that even a non-cook can write a good cookbook that will inspire everyone; Siskin’s creative no-bake treats will set off our own creative ideas allowing us to create beautiful, edible treats for every occasion. These crispy rice projects make great centerpieces for holiday parties, and are always a good idea to take to a pot-luck or gathering. This fun book is definitely recommended for everyone who likes to have a little fun in the kitchen, even kids.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Very cool and very easy! LOVED IT and I hope the author comes out with more!

I need to get myself some rice krispies, food dye and marshmallows! This book shows you how you can make some awesome-shaped rice-krispie-treats. Including a lobster. A rice krispie lobster. And a watermelon! I need to make everything they showed in this book.