The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket

First saw this cookbook when Katie Workman had a segment on Good Morning America and my daughter was in preschool. The recipes are skewed towards a younger crowd but sophisticated enough for adults. My daughter is in middle school now and I still make our favorites from this book. The spice mix from the taco recipe is great--never buy a store bought version again. Chicken picatta is really good and she gives an option for making it plain too--she's thoughtful about a kid's palate in that way. They can grow into the "advanced version" if their tastes shift. Making her fresh sauce and lasagne for Christmas now. Favorites, duds, and recipes I noticed as I looked through the book to write this review.

When I buy a cookbook, I usually read it all the way through before I start cooking. When I finished reading The Mom 100 Cookbook I was sad it was over - I missed hearing Workman's unique voice reminding me that she's been there, done that. How often do you laugh out loud while reading a cookbook? As the mom of two teenage boys I cook often and Workman's book has given me a few more tricks up my sleeve. Her recipes are based in reality (use canned chicken stock if that's all you have; store bought tomato sauce will do; feel free to use ketchup instead of tomato paste) but they're not full of processed food and her attention to flavors and the ability to make the same dish for both finicky and adventurous eaters (fork in the road recipes) is invaluable. We made the turkey chili last night and it was the best home made version we've ever had - maybe it was the pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce which will now be a constant presence in my fridge. Don't be fooled by reviewers who say that the recipes are for basic boring dishes - I found them to be a refreshing revision to some old classics as well as many new dishes to feed your families and friends.

This isn't a bad cookbook. It's clearly written, with lots of nice notes and sidebars, explanations, cautions. It definitely addresses a certain audience. Perhaps more experienced cooks or even moms or people with seasoned cooking years will find it useless. I think if you are someone who doesn't have a lot of basic recipes up her sleeve, or that is looking to expand her basic recipes, this is good. A new mom, a mom that doesn't know where to begin with meals, it would work well. I personally don't have a lot of recipes other than spaghetti, hamburgers, mac and cheese, grilled chicken, turkey meatloaf, salad, raw veggies that I know my 3 and 7 year old will eat. Nor are they very willing to try new foods. Even ones she has in her cookbook, which are pretty non-exotic, they approached with suspicion. For instance, I made her enchiladas (I recommend doubling the sauce, btw). We tried her lemon viniagrette, chicken piccata, her simple fresh mozzarella pasta(jar of prepared sauce made this very simple and not even a "recipe" really). My husband and I liked all of them. The enchiladas did not go over well with the kids, although dipping in sour cream was an improvement and my older child at least picked out the chicken. The mozzarella pasta was not even touched by the little one. They have this same reaction to lovely homemade macaroni and cheese, though. Kids are just inconsistent. It's not a horrid cookbook if you are trying to eat healthy and with whole foods rather than pre-packaged. She gives recipes for pudding and brownies that is a welcome change from the boxed prepared kind that you only add milk or oils. And I like that she has her own recipe for enchilada sauce and taco seasoning (that you don't have to use). Makes cooking a little more authentic. But it is portrayed as doable and easy. Perhaps not always quick, but every meal is not quick to prepare.As an aside, there is a lot of her in this cookbook. It IS a cookbook with commentary, after all, which is a brand of cookbooks that I usually enjoy. Some people may not like that. Or some, like me, might find her voice annoying.

I read good things about this new cookbook in a magazine and then online here at Amazon. This weekend we had 9 for dinner and I made the Lamb Chops with Lemony White Beans and Spinach from the chapter titled "mixed company dinners". The meal was FANTASTIC and very easy to prepare!! My guests were super impressed and the 3 kids present all ate their lamb and sampled the beans (a friend contributed a pasta salad side which the kids preferred - oh well). For dessert, I made the Gingersnaps cookie recipe and followed the author's instructions for homemade ice cream sandwiches. We ate these outside with paper towels before the end of the evening. The ice cream sandwiches were amazing!My only concern is the proofing/editing of the book... the Gingersnaps cookie recipe calls for 1 egg, but the recipe instructions refer to "eggs" plural... this is sloppy editing... I've found this issue before in a Martha Stewart cookbook I own and like very much... it's annoying to wonder "did I need more eggs? or is this an error in the directions?".. in this case, I suspect it was 1 egg needed because the cookies tasted great.I look forward to trying more recipes - thanks to the other Amazon reviews for recommending the book.

I love this cookbook! If you're a mom, it's a good one to have on hand. For a few reasons:1. Some good simple/basic recipes. Including a make at-home enchilada sauce. I'm always forgetting to get that, so it's nice that there's a recipe that utilizes things I usually have stocked in the pantry!2. A lot of the recipes have "things your kid can do to help make dinner" segment; when while mine is still too young, I adore! I can't wait till she starts helping me in the kitchen, knowing how to cook is an important skill to develop, imo.3. There's a good section on large group items, and how to tweak some staples to make them more interesting.I love this book, and wish there were more like them out there.

This book is jammed packed with recipes of foods that people really want to eat. I have a lot of cookbooksfrom famous cooks but this is the best one of all.

A second opus of culinary cleverness -- even for a guy with years of kitchen experience -- and living solo (but not like a monk) !!

Love this book. I use it constantly. The Asian Salmon is my 6 year old son's favourite dish. I have Katie Workman's other book, Dinner Solved, and love that, too. As a not very inspired or talented cook, I found this book to be a revelation and it has improved our weekday meals significantly.

I have actually used more recipes from this book than any other recipe book that I own. Delicious dishes, easy to make and not too many fancy ingredients, perfect.

Just alright. The recipes are things my child wouldNever eat so I was very disappointed in that

didn't like this bookcombinations in my opinion don't make taste bud senseDidn't use this book at all.Thumbs down