I'm a self-proclaimed cookbook hoarder so I got excited to see one as a Read Now choice. This one sounded right up my alley being it is all about cooking from scratch rather than buying processed equivalents. The introductions in the beginning were nice; Typical cookbook things here like author intro, best kitchen tools and notes, etc. The chapters are laid out mostly by meal: Breakfast, Muffins and Breads, Dinner, Soup, Salads and Sides, Dessert. Each recipe page shows ingredients and instructions beside each other. The Instructions are all straightforward, simple to follow and thorough. This book appears as it will be super easy to use!

Some of my favorite things:
Each page is laid out with prep time, cook time, total time and yield right at the top of the page.
Pictures with every recipe! This is a huge positive aspect for me (as I'm sure it is with many others as well)
Love the Make ahead & Freezer tips (<which also come with thaw/reheat/cook follow up tips)! I'll likely keep a few of the freezer tips in my back pocket for when I make large batches of these types of dishes or meals.

A heads up for those with dietary preferences: most of the recipes don't fall in line with any specific 'diet' types. There is all-purpose flour, breads, pastas, milk, buttermilk, butter, other dairy ingredients, vegetable oils and refined sugars used throughout. For me personally, I'd have to make a lot of subs to work with these recipes but that's not going to be true for everyone. I likely won't use this cookbook in my own kitchen BUT I can appreciate how it is laid out, presented and photographed.

This will be an all-around great choice for many home cooks. I very much enjoyed flipping through all the recipes for new ideas and tips. Beautiful photos, well laid out and straightforward with a large variety of amazing-looking recipes!

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the copy to read and review.

This is a great cookbook for new cooks who want to start cooking more homemade dishes. There are gorgeous photos for every recipe, which is the strongest suit of the book. Most of the recipes are tasty classics. I took issue with calling them all from scratch. If a recipe calls for a can of cream of something soup or lemon lime soda, I don’t consider it really from scratch. Also, the “best” salsa calls for canned tomatoes. Sorry but just no. The best salsa will always call for fresh garden tomatoes. Anything from a can or even tasteless supermarket tomatoes is a distant cousin.

Minus one star for the lack of nutritional information. Also, this is 100% Standard American Diet recipes. It will not work well at all for people who are vegetarian, vegan, paleo, gluten free, keto, low carb or even watching their weight. This is mainly carb-heavy, sugar-heavy, unhealthy-fat-heavy high calorie food for the most part — French toast, lasagna, cakes and cookies, rolls, macaroni and cheese, macaroni salad, biscuits and gravy, etc.

It’s still a beautiful cookbook that will be a big hit with many.

A NIce cooking Book that came with nice Pictures and some easy recipes. It also came along with some good stories. So when you get a chance give it a try and enjoy.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Author is a busy mom too. With real life, family-focused meals made from healthy and frugal ingredients is a must. Tips on freezing as well as substitutions for ingredients you may not have on stock come in handy. Recommending for anyone who works outside the home wanting home cook experience and for busy families needing tips and information to make dinner hour easier.

This cookbook is from a mom of four, and I love that the recipes, where applicable, include Make-Ahead Instructions, Freezing Instructions, Ingredient Tips and Substitutions, and/or Variations. There is a couple of pages of tips for confidence in the kitchen (tools and ingredients), and a "word on pickup eaters."
Chapters are Breakfast, Muffins and Breads, Dinner, Soup, Salads and Sides, and Dessert. Recipes list prep and cook time and servings and have a full-color photo.
I appreciate that the recipes are food that sounds good, with available and accessible ingredients, and most of the recipes fit on one page (so not tons and tons of steps). None of the recipes in here seem revolutionary as something new, but the photos and descriptions make me feel like they'd be a great version of things my family is already familiar with or enjoys.

A very informative and great recipe book. Love the great categories and recipes. A lot of them that I plan to make. Love how simple and easy most of these are, too. It's not too complicated for a beginner.

Easy to follow recipes with detailed instructions. Love it when you include pictures. First book I’ve seen that has freezing instructions. Plenty of recipes I want to try.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this book.

This cookbook is phenomenal! I was already a fan of the author's website and had cooked several of her recipes. I found her website when I was looking for a recipe to cook my first Thanksgiving turkey dinner in 2020, because we weren't traveling to my mother-in-law's house due to Covid. It turned out so amazing and was such a gorgeous turkey that I posted it on my Instagram page and the author included my post in her stories! I signed up for her meal plan e-mails and regularly visit her website when I'm looking for a new recipe. This book, however, is a much better resource because so many incredible recipes are all gathered in one place. She has a recipe for basically everything you would want to cook! I found tons of new ones that I want to try, and I know they'll be amazing. I highly recommend this cookbook and will be purchasing a print copy to keep on my shelf.

Although I am an experienced cook and from the UK, I have followed Lauren Allen for a while now as she has an easy way of simplifying things and coming up with great ideas to make cooking for a family easier. This book follows on totally from her blog. Although I think it would primarily appeal to someone who is new to cooking or who doesn't usually make things from scratch, I also think it has something for everyone and I am planning to try several of the recipes that I haven't already.

Absolutely loved this recipe book and all the new things I want to try!
Will be gifting this to all of the households in my life
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Loaded with recipes.

As with most cookbooks, there are sections in the front of the book that explain about the author and the book. This cookbook has sections on Introduction, How to Use the Book, A Few Tips for Confidence in the Kitchen, and A Word on Picky Eaters.

The recipes are divided into the following sections, and I have included an example of a recipe from that section.

Breakfast - Easy Homemade Scones
Muffins and Breads - Buttermilk Cornbread
Dinner - Chicken Gyros
Soup - Broccoli Cheese Soup
Salads and Sides - Balsamic Bread Dip
Dessert - Rolo Cookies

Each recipe includes an ingredient list, instructions, prep time, cook time, total time, and yield. In addition, where appropriate, the author includes Lauren’s tips, how to freeze, storing leftovers, make ahead, and if the recipe was for the grill, the author includes how to cook in the oven. I found the information to be valuable. I did find most of the recipes to be familiar ones, but with a few additions via the ingredients or the way it was prepared.

I made the Peach Cobbler that was included in the book. The ingredient list was simple, and the instructions were easy to understand and follow. The cobbler was delicious, and tasted better than any that I had had in a restaurant. There is definitely something to say about cooking from scratch.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions expressed are
my own.

Tastes Better From Scratch
Cookbook: Easy Recipes for Everyday Life
Lauren Allen
This cookbook is pretty basic. I already cook almost everything from scratch however this is a much needed cookbook for beginners. Recipes should be simple enough for beginners to understand and the steps should be easy. Author Lauren Allen has done a great service to families by creating this book.
The recipes have prep time, cook time, total time, yield and ingredients. There is a photo of each dish and some have a video showing how to prepare the dish. There are recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Don’t forget the desserts! The tips and suggestions are invaluable! I will hang on to this one.

This recipe book is SOLID. As someone with food allergies, it's sometimes difficult to sort through what ingredients hide the allergen culprits, but this author has done a phenomenal job of actually showing the ingredients from scratch, with only a few potential issues (which have substitutes anyway!).

I sincerely cannot wait to make EVERY. SINGLE. THING. in this book. It looks as dependable as my ancient Better Homes and Gardens cook book and add trustworthy as King Arthur's Internet stash of baking recipes.

I especially love the instructional pictures.

I loved Lauren's cookbook! As a mom of two kids myself, I am always looking for delicious, easy and quick recipes for my family. This cookbook had so many wonderful recipes that I can't wait to try! I think the Taco Pie or Creamy White Chicken Chili are first on my list. I appreciated that she gave tips throughout the book, including substitutions and freezing directions. I also love the QR codes that link to a video! This is a book that I would definitely purchase for others as a gift, especially new moms!

For those who want to cook but don’t want to be overwhelmed by complexity, this book is a nice resource. Inside are over 100 recipes, all of which are illustrated, and have easy to follow directions.

Inside are recipes for breakfast, a section on muffins and breads which is then followed by suggestions for dinners, soups, salads and sides, and desserts. A sample from each section: Easy Homemade Scones, Pumpkin Bread, Baked Ziti, Corn Chowder, Baked Potato Salad and Peach Cobbler.

There are q codes for additional help. I also like that at the top of the page for each recipe prep time, cook time, total time and recipe yield are all listed.

This book would make a great gift for someone just learning to cook, even if that person is you. There is enough here for weeks of cooking. The author is a mom of four so she knows the importance of getting those meals out. Those who use this book will meet all of the family.

#TastesBetterFromScratchCookbook #NetGalley

Many thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

While this book is good for many people, it’s super for new cooks! IT’s got the basics and is easily followed as you go through the recipes. If you’re an experienced cook, you can enjoy the recipes as well.

This is a scrumptious and useful everyday cookbook that everyone from new cook to experienced cook can utilize and enjoy! Filled with familiar and comforting recipes that we all enjoy, this book makes preparing our meals completely from scratch easy to do.

In this book the reader will find recipes for spaghetti sauce made completely from scratch and it’s not much more time consuming than opening a jar, to Banana Bread Bars; a fresh take on favorite snack. There are so many recipes I can’t wait to try out like Pad Thai, Butter Chicken, One Pan Jambalaya and Navajo Tacos with fry bread, no need to wait for a restaurant or street fair to enjoy these dishes.

There are other unique twists on old favorites like Teriyaki Pasta Salad, Baked Potato Salad and Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats.

Every meal of the day is included in this book, from breakfast to after dinner dessert and every meal in between. And every recipe includes a beautiful photo!

One very unique and helpful addition to this cookbook is the QR codes providing access to an instructional video for many of the recipes.

This will be a great gift for anyone and don’t forget to treat yourself when this book is available for purchase on September 27, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley, Greenleaf Book Group and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This cookbook is WONDERFUL! Gorgeous photographs accompany these recipes. It's always frustrating when cookbooks don't give you visuals to what you're supposed to be making, but this one not only gives you pictures of the finished products, but also includes a QR code that links to videos to show how each is made. I have never seen that before in a cookbook and is possibly the best feature here. I would absolutely buy a finished copy and recommend this book.

Thank you so much to Greenleaf Book Group for making this available to review on NetGalley.

This is the perfect beginner cookbook for every casual cook. Allen gives us recipes for every type of recipe you could want as a beginner. We get beautiful fluffy pancakes, and breads to spaghetti, tacos, and so many varieties of chicken. I love this book because even if you're not a regular cook, the recipes are easy, and have a variety of flavors to try while not requiring many things that you wouldn't already have stocked in your home.

I am always looking for something unique in a cookbook that will make me want to add it to my already large collection. This book made me realize that it is a great staple cookbook to have in your collection if you don't already have the basics covered. It's probably best suited for people who don't have a lot of time to dedicate to cooking, like the writer themself, a busy mom. There are a lot of recipes that utilize store seasoning packets to make life a little easier while adding flavor to dishes. I absolutely loved that there are QR codes for further visual guides with a good chunk of these recipes as well.

The book is beautiful and very user friendly. I'm excited to try some of these recipes and see how they compare to how I usually prepare some of these dishes.

Thank you Netgalley, Lauren Allen, and Greenleaf Book Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

4 STARS!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy to review!

The recipes in this cookbook are all very accessible and tasty looking. How do I know they look tasty? Because there are pictures of each one! Finally…an author and publisher who understands that the maxim “you eat with your eyes” exists for a reason — because it’s the truth.

The only reason why I’m not giving this 5 stars is the formatting was a bit rough. Hopefully that gets fixed on the ebook version before final printing.