LIVE LIFE DELICIOUSLY: Recipes for busy weekdays & leisurely weekends

by Tara Teaspoon

Release date: 10/6/2020

Cookbook

Synopsis

IN TARA’S FIRST COOKBOOK, she shares more than 120 delicious showstopping recipes that are designed to impress and gather people together around food. From leisurely weekend brunches spent over burrata with grilled peaches and orange zest chimichurri to easy weeknight rice bowls with carrot-ginger dressing to a mouthwatering cherry crostata, Tara explains how to put together and master several special go-to dishes with global flavors to add to your repertoire.

Tara’s takes on classic recipes plus her innovative entertaining ideas and helpful tips are designed to encourage cooks to enjoy their time in the kitchen and incorporate new flavors, ingredients, and comforting-but-elevated meal ideas into their everyday cooking.

Live Life Deliciously with Tara Teaspoon shows foodies, both serious and casual, how to present food as an interesting and beautiful culinary experience with dishes that taste as delicious as they look.

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This book releases October 6th, 2020

Advance Praise

“Tara’s passion for cooking and entertaining paired with her exceptional professional experience make for a cookbook adventure that no kitchen should be without.” —KELSEY NIXON, author of Kitchen Confidence

“Tara has been teaching people how to create joy in the kitchen for as long as I’ve known her, and Live Life Deliciously brings her style of modern yet comfortingly familiar recipes right to your hands. Both serious and casual cooks will find success and cooking joy by following her simple but impressive takes on classics and flavorful creations.” —SUSAN SPUNGEN, author of Open Kitchen: Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings and founding food editor of Martha Stewart Living

Review

I enjoy a good cookbook and especially when it is one that does not call for fancy ingredients or long cooking times. I like that some of the recipes are used in other recipes – sauces, dressings, etc. It shows how versatile food can be and what might make another recipe pop.

The book starts off with an intro from Tara and then it jumps into pantry staples and the right equipment. She talks about the different types of pots and pans and even has a section on knives. I agree with her that you need to feel a knife in your hand to know if it is the right one for you. I also think that you should spend a little more on a good quality knife set. It will last you forever.  Other good basics to have are mixing bowls (multiple sizes), cutting boards, spatulas, tongs, and so much more.

The cookbook is divided into various chapters – appetizers, salads, sides, weeknight meals, flavor inspired dinners, meals for gatherings, breakfast dishes, and desserts.  As I perused each section, I found many that looked delicious and will be adding to my rotation of meals.

This is a great cookbook for beginners to intermediate chefs out there. I don’t think anything is too hard and you shouldn’t have to search very hard for most of the ingredients. If you look at her pantry staple list, many of the items are on that list.

The recipe I am going to share with you is a side dish. I love green beans especially when they are still crunchy. This one adds in browned butter, garlic, mint, and almonds to round out the flavors.

Green Beans with Browned-butter almonds, garlic, and mint

Ingredients

4T unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 c sliced almonds

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 lb trimmed haricot verts or regular green beans

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3T chopped mint

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds. Stir occasionally until almonds begin to turn brown and the milk solids in the butter turn brown, approx 5-6 minutes.

Add the garlic and cover with the haricot verts, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan with a lid or foil, and steam for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring until beans are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in mint and serve. Top with extra mint if desired.

About the Author

Tara has spent more than twenty years in the food publishing industry creating recipes and articles, and food styling for various magazines, books, television, and advertising.

Most recently she has been the food and entertaining director of Ladies’ Home Journal magazine. Prior to working at the Journal, Tara was a food editor at Martha Stewart Living, Kids, and Weddings magazines. She has appeared on the Martha Stewart television show, The Today Show, and on The Food Network as a show judge and contestant.

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