Great menus and stellar party ideas- not just another celebrity cookbook. She gives descriptions on how to complete even the minute details to each thematic event planned. Enjoyed her family’s stories and traditions as well. Never knew this fellow Nashvillian had a flair to entertain in this way.
What's really positive about this book: very handy for party planning and recipes that are appealing, not too fancy and accessible. Ingredients are easy to access and I think would generally be enjoyed. The intros are good (I know a lot of people don't like those little blurbs before recipes, but I actually love them). It's a very down-to-earth cookbook.
What I'm saying is negative, really isn't negative. This cookbook is really more for people who don't have a ton of cooking experience and perhaps a more run-of-the-mill palate.
Firstly, I would consider this more of an entertaining book rather than a cookbook. It has tons of super delicious recipes, but they are all simple to execute and can mostly be prepped beforehand, making them perfect for parties. Martina walks you through a number of different themed parties that she has hosted, touching on invitations, decor, menu and even favors. She doesn't spend more than a page or two on anything other than food, and encourages you to make each one your own.
As someone who rarely does any sort of formal entertaining (I'm more of a last minute "y'all come on over" type) I found these parties to be approachable and loved how she laid out the execution of them from top to bottom. Martina takes care of all the heavy lifting, you just have to follow instructions, tweak to your own taste, and enjoy your guests. Perfect solution for those of us who shy away from hosting duties.
Highly recommend this for anyone who wants to start, streamline, or just add a few more tricks to their party throwing.
One of my favorite singers who packs a powerful voice into a petite body. Martina McBride also manages a marriage and family with 3 daughters. She understands trying to cram family dinners and occasional entertaining into whatever free time you can manage. These are some of her favorite recipes.
She lays them out for different occasions but makes it clear you can mix and match. I like the game plan that sets out a timetable for getting things done. I really like her playlists where she suggests the music to keep the party lively.
I'm ready to get started with several of the salad dressings and moving on from there.
Would love to get on her guest list and always enjoy hearing her sing.
This book would be a great gift for anyone new to entertaining. McBride provides a step-by-step planning guide for 10 seasonal parties. Each party has a menu, music playlist, decoration and favor suggestions, a cooking game plan, and recipes. Beautiful illustrations round out the book. The author always encourages the reader to use as little or as much of the menu as needed.
What an awesome little cookbook for the entertainer! Not only easy to prepare recipes, but music and designing ideas to boot. I was able to grab this book while on sale and one of the best $1.99 purchases I have made.
I look forward to trying some of these recipes. More than any of the recipes though, I really enjoyed how she organizes and plans events. My biggest reservation with entertaining is how to prepare everything to be ready on time, while still spending time with my guests.
The book was good, and I am glad that I didn't pay full price for it. Some of the tips are great, and the recipes seems nice, but didn't really attract my attention for long.