Country singer Martina McBride is known as a country singer with numerous hit songs and as she has entertained audiences with her music, she also is known for entertaining family and guests with her cooking.
Having released her first cookbook “Around the Table” in 2014 in which she shared a lot of recipes, but this second cookbook titled “Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life” features foods that she is cooking now. Like her music which evolves, so does her cooking.
And as McBride said with this book, she is at a point as a cook where she is comfortable of making up her own recipes, tweaking recipes and experiencing new flavors. But also with health and nutrition play a big part in this book, it was enough for me in wanting to see what McBride has to offer as I also explore a more healthier lifestyle but trying to escape the mundane everyday foods that I have eaten everyday.
Martina McBride’s “Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life” is broken up into the following chapters:
Breakfast & Brunch
You can find recipes such as “Cherry-Orange-Almond Granola”,”Avocado Toast with Corn-and-Tomato Salsa”, “Springtime (or Anytime) Quiche”, “Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole with Tomato Gravy”, “Fried Cornmeal Mush”, “Grandma’s Cinnamon Rolls” and more.
Cocktails & Appetizers
You can find recipes for “Blackberry-Lemon Gin and Tonic”,”Grilled Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese and Herbs”, “Flavia’s Deviled Eggs”, “Avocado, Cucumber, and Red Pepper Salsa”, “John’s Spicy Sausage Cheese Dip”, “Tequila and Soda with a Grapefruit Splash”, “Smoked Gouda Pimiento Cheese” and so much more.
Salads
You can find recipes for “Watermelon Cucumber, and Tomato Salad with Feta and Fresh Herbs”, “Romaine Salad with Buttermilk Parmesan Dressing”, “Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad”, “Romaine Salad with Pear, Smoked Blue Cheese, and Candied Pecans”, “Thai Slaw with Peanut Dressing”, “Kale Caesar Salad with Quinoa and Chicken” and more.
Soups & Sandwiches
You can find recipes for “Cream of Tomato Soup”, “Very Green Broccoli Soup”, “Quick-and-Easy White Bean and Baby Greens Stew”, “Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup”, “Lasagna Soup”, “Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup”, “Blackberry-Bacon Grilled Cheese”, “BLTA Chicken Salad”, “Chicken Panini with Southwestern Pesto”, “Spicy Shrim Po’ Boys” and so much more!
Main Courses
You can find recipes for “Risotto with Asparagus, Peas and Basil”, “Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas”, “Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce”, “Cheese Tortellini with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce and Toasted Walnuts”, “Garlic-Roasted Cabbage ‘Steaks’ with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce”, “Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Lime Crema”, “Pot Roast with Gravy”, “Pan-Roasted Halibut” and so much more!
Side Dishes
You can find recipes for “Roasted Asparagus with Lemon, Parmesan, and Garlic”, “Smashed New Potatoes with Lemon”, “Green Beans with Goat Cheese and Warm Bacon Dressing”, “Roasted Summer Veggies with Herbs”, “Spring Roasted Fall Veggies with Herbs”, “Sauteed Spinach”, “Roasted Cinnamon ‘Harrisburgs’ (aka Brussel Sprouts)” and more!
Desserts
You can find recipes for “Individual No-Bake Chocolate-Cherry Cheesecakes with Biscoff Crust”, “County Fair Orange Cake”, “Fresh Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce”, “Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting”, “Pistachio Lemon Drop Cookies” and so much more!
Basics
And this section, you can find recipes for “Homemade Taco Seasoning”, “Grilled Pineapple Salsa”, “Martina’s Greolata”, “Cranberry Orange Relish”, “Classic Vinaigrette”, “Citrus Vinaigrette”, “Green Goddess Dressing”, “Pesto Butter”, “Chipotle Sauce” and more!
Martina’s Menu Mix
And in this section, you can see what is on Martina’s Playlist when cooking to give her energy and serving ideas ala menu mix
Metric Equivalents
And Index and Acknowledgements.
As for the cookbook, you have the recipe, a full page color photo of the dish prepared, tips and adlib.
Overall, this is a wonderful recipe book from Martina McBride. Great for families, recipes that family members can assist, ingredients that are not difficult to find but also great for people who want to add more variety into healthy eating into their lifestyle as well.
McBride’s energy is felt through these recipes and what I enjoy about it is that there is a lot of thought of making a concise cookbook which people can find ingredients (there are many cookbooks which require ingredients that is great for those who live in metropolitan cities but very difficult for others to find) easily at their supermarket.
Martina McBride’s “Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life” is highly recommended!
