This cookbook contains many delicious classic recipes in one place plus some newer but soon to be favorites. It starts with desserts like cookies, bars, and treats or cakes and pies, but there are also non dessert recipes including breads, breakfast and brunch, soups and salads, lunch and dinner, sides and dips. The author even included the chocolate chip cookie recipe she used to start her bakery.

I love the title because it reminds me of a time I was eating at a buffet and the person I was with did just that – chose dessert and ate it first. I like that there isn’t a whole blog worth of text before each recipe. Just a couple of sentences, short and sweet. Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing for a temporary digital ARC via NetGalley to use for my review. Now I plan to order a paper copy to keep.

I have to say that the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie recipe has my vote! It is one I will be using again and again! I substituted no sugar chocolate chips for the ones the recipe called for. Yum!!!

And if you're looking for a hot fudge recipe, the one included in here is the one I grew up making and it is a big hit with everyone who tries it. My family begs for it to be made.

A lot of the recipes are classic recipes and ones that I've made several times throughout my life. So nothing too much that stood out and wowed me, besides those Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. But this would be a good cookbook for using when teaching your kids/teenagers how to cook. Or for college students to have ideas for some good meals, or for a wedding gift.

I liked the pictures for each recipe and I liked the easy layout of the recipes and directions.

I received a copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

I’m always on the hunt for new recipes and cookbooks. I especially love making desserts, so when I saw Elise’s Home Kitchen: Eat Dessert First, I had to give it a try. Elise Thomas is the founder of Cookie Co. and known as The Cookie Lady. I was surprised to find her signature chocolate chip cookie recipe as the first recipe in the book. As the title suggests, desserts are featured first with plenty of amazing cookies, cakes, bars, pies, and treats.

I loved that every recipe was accompanied by a photo and short introduction. I also loved that icons with total making & cooking time, serving size, and whether it’s a kid favorite were prominently featured at the top of each page. Beyond desserts, the cookbook features: breads, breakfast and brunch foods, soups and salads, lunch and dinner, and sides and dips.

Some of my favorites I made were her Chocolate Chip Cookies, Your Mom’s Scotcharoos, and Grandma Williams’s Angel Chicken Pasta. They were both delicious and easy to make. The ingredients are ones most people would have on hand or are easily purchased at the local grocery store. There are definitely some familiar, old family favorites in the cookbook, but I can’t wait to try the Oreo Stuffed Peanut Butter cookies, French Toast roll ups, Carmel Cookie Icebox Cake, Sweet Pork Nachos, and the New Jersey Chicken Lasagna,

This would be a great cookbook for beginners, dessert lovers, newly married couples, new moms, high school/college aged kids, or anyone who’s looking for some new, delicious home-cooked recipes. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

This is a great cookbook for beginner cooks and bakers. There aren't any truly unique or original recipes that I haven't seen before. However, all of the recipes we've tried so far, although fairly simple, have been good. Bonus points for including a picture with each recipe. This is a great cookbook if you want to start cooking/baking with your kids. My kids have had fun learning with these recipes.

“Eat Dessert First” is the debut cookbook from Elise Thomas. I have loved looking through this cookbook and have a good list of recipes I want to try. I just made Homemade Oreos, and they were delicious. My only complaint is that I should have doubled the recipe. My family loved them, and I’ll definitely be making them again.

I loved that the dessert recipes were listed first. So fun to see what we all really want to eat first. If you keep looking, you’ll find some great dinner recipes though. Just going off the pictures alone, my mouth was watering. I can’t wait to try them.

“Eat Dessert First!” What a great title, and better yet, words to live by! Elise Thomas’ new cookbook is one you don’t want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the advanced copy. These thoughts are my own.

Starter cookbook.

A handy starter cookbook. I liked the author's backstory.
Good photos and easy recipes.
This is would make a very useful cookbook to have on hand for the beginner or college student or post grad who wants to tackle more in the kitchen.
Recommend.

Great pictures, easy to follow, yummy recipes that are fantastic for those who love sweets! I can see myself making every one of these recipes.

Thank you Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing | Shadow Mountain for the ARC!

This is a really good basic cookbook with easy to read Instructions and nice pictures. Reading about the author, she started a gourmet cookie company, so I was looking forward to some unique Cookie recipes. Unfortunately, The recipes that are in the book are the basics, sugar cookie, chocolate chip, pumpkin chocolate chip, and Oreo… There are a lot of other recipes for desserts, salad, soup, sides, main dishes… I would buy this book for someone who is starting their cooking experience maybe a wedding gift or going off to college. Many of the recipes are similar to what my mother used when I was young so you could say they are tried and true. It’s nice to have them all together in one book. The other comment I have is, there are no exceptions for allergies or food limitations. Definitely comfort food. They do use very simple ingredients you would probably have in your pantry or could easily purchase at a local grocery store. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This cookbook is a MUST if you like delicious things, which hopefully you do! Seriously - the founder of Cookie Co. shares drool-worthy recipes that range from her famous cookies to her favorites from childhood that her mom made. The desserts are obviously showstopping, but the main courses that we tried were also so good. Not only did I try a handful of these scrumptious recipes, but I also just repeatedly looked through each page, reading the recipes like a novel because they were all so much yum in one book.

I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Eat dessert first! That’s my motto. This book has lots of easy recipes with a focus on common ingredients and simple techniques that give good results. It’s a nice catch-all book, with appetizers and snacks, lunch and dinner ideas, and of course, cookies and desserts. I’m going to try the dinner roll recipe tonight!

Lots of nice pictures and easy to follow instructions make this a good book for someone who wants an all-in-one cookbook!

The first thing I always look for in a good cook book is pictures of the recipes. This- did not disappoint.

Stunning pictures - made me hungry and made me want to try all the recipes instead of just the few I have been able to try so far..

How a dish looks is incredibly important to children can make a difference between whether a child will even be willing to try a dish.

I appreciated there being a picture of every dish and /or recipe. I know I already said that but having children the visual is incredibly important in feeding and getting children to like meals and/or recipes.

I liked that dessert came first . That got me hooked.

The recipes are home cooking at its best !
I have already added several recipes as favorites and look forward to trying even more !

Thank you to Netgalley for a download of the cook book in exchange for an unbiased review .

This is a very basic cookbook. Nothing wow, nothing really new, especially in the LDS community. There are a few recipes that are different/unique, but for the most part every recipe are recipes that are out there in other forms on blogs or from other cookbook authors. There are pictures included for each recipe, which is always a plus, but they are also pretty basic photos. There's a little intro blurb for each recipe. Each recipe's list of ingredients are very common and ones that most households should have on hand to be able to make. A great basic cookbook for newlyweds, beginner chefs, and/or new moms with young families.

This cookbook is perfect for people who want easy recipes with ingredients most people have around their kitchens. You may need an ingredient or two from the store but overall fairly simple ingredients. The recipes I've tried have been really delicious and easy to make. My family loved the caramel corn and the chicken tortilla soup. Excited to try more recipes.

This cookbook was beautiful. The recipes are simple and easy to read. The pictures make everything look delicious and mouth watering.
This is my new house warming, wedding/anniversary gift moving forward. It feels like a new staple, "must have cookbook".

Vey nice book. I’ll make some of these recipes for sure! So many nice pics. Really liked this book.

Since I am on a restricted diet for health reasons, I may not be the best person to rate this cookbook, but I'm always hoping to find a new recipe I can use and enjoy. Unfortunately for me, this book didn't have a lot that can work for me but the pictures all looked delicious. I decided to try one of the recipes even though it isn't strictly approved for me. I chose the chocolate chip pecan pumpkin bread. If you love lots of pecans and chocolate chips then this might be the perfect recipe for you. I cut back on the amount listed and still felt like there was too much. We found the chocolate overwhelmed the bread and we couldn't taste the pumpkin at all. So if I were to make it again I'd definitely use fewer chips. But if you are eating it just for the chocolate, then it would be perfect.
The recipes had beautiful photos of the food which did look delicious. I noted a lot of the recipes had cream cheese or sour cream in them which likely makes everything tastier. There wasn't a whole lot that I would say attempted to be low in fat content. The only goal was to be yummy.

#ElisesHomeKitchen #NetGalley
This cookbook has an illustration with each recipe and a list of ingredients and detailed instructions. There are many recipes to choose from to get you out of the rut of cooking the same meals over and over again.

Such delicious and yummy recipes! They are all simple and approachable! There are some recipes out in the universe that you don't even want to attempt because of them being so complex. But none of these are like that. They are seem doable and make you look like a baking rockstar!

This is a must-have cookbook! The recipes look divine. I can't wait to give each a try. 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.

Note: On Goodreads, this is titled Elise's Home Kitchen: Easy Family Recipes for Everyday Cooking vs Elise's Home Kitchen Eat Dessert First

Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
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The founder of a successful chain of bakeries shares more than 150 no-fuss recipes for delicious go-to family dinners and desserts.

In 2020, when the world was hit with a pandemic, Elise Thomas used her own small kitchen oven to begin baking her signature gourmet cookies. Selling them first out of her garage, her business quickly skyrocketed into a successful chain of bakeries—Cookie Co.—and earned her the nickname “the cookie lady.”

Now, in her debut cookbook, Elise shares not only the delectable baked goods she is famous for but also the fast, easy, and delicious meals that have become staples for her own busy family. Recipes are broken into sections based on cravings: Burgers, Sandwiches and Tacos, Pasta, Soups, Salads, Side Dishes, Appetizers and Dips, Breads, Cookies, Cakes and Pies, Desserts and Treats, Breakfast and Brunch.

Whether you’re looking for savoury dinners like Bacon-wrapped Guacamole Chicken or Beef and Biscuit Pot Pie, or something sweeter like French Toast Rollups or Oreo-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies, Elise’s recipes are both simple and flavorful and focus on ingredients most people already have in their pantry. Alongside full-colour original photography of each dish are the culinary tips and tricks Elise has learned over the years, a suggested pantry list, and notes about which dishes her kids love most, which can help take the guesswork out of what’s for dinner or dessert.

A wonderful cookbook full of food you will want to cook over and over again --- not necessarily the healthiest food but sometimes just getting food into the kids is a major accomplishment. Highly recommended. #shortbutsweetreviews