My Little Pocketbooks: Cooking My Way Through: The Get Em' Girls Guide to the Power of Cuisine (pt.1)

I have a small stack of cookbooks that I have been saying I am going to crack open one day and try something out of them. Usually I look at the pictures then I order Thai or Pizza to be delivered. But not anymore. I am going to make it a new 2015 goal to at least try to cook my way through one or two of the books I have. Because I can cook but it is not amazing. It's more like not bad, not good more like sustainable. Not like mama's cooking that is for sure. So new project is underway. Cooking!

About the Cookbook

Title: The Get Em' Girls Guide to the Power of Cuisine

Author: Shakara Bridgers, Jeniece Isley, and Joan A. Davis

Publisher: Fireside Book by Simon and Schuster

Release Date: August 26, 2008

Paperback: 208 pages

I got this cookbook from my cousin years and years ago. She was moving and in her box of stuff to go to the Goodwill was this book. Of course I brought it home and looked in it once and awhile. I love the premise and the writing so much I never got rid of it. So I am now making it the first cookbook I will cook my way through.

Get 'Em Girls Essential Seasoning

Page 29

This is a basic seasoning that the authors use on everything. I didn't have the exact ingredients and made a few small substitutions like Sea Salt for the recommended Kosher Salt. I also used Garlic Salt instead of Garlic Powder. That is why it might be a bit too salty and I will use it sparingly. When it is gone I will make a new batch.

Recipe makes about 1/4 Cup

My Thoughts

I love the idea of basically making your own seasoning salt. It is easy to do with only 6 ingredients. I just would have like for this to be the first recipe in the book. It's number three.

Simple Southern Fried Chicken

Page 27

I am not a meat eater and I have made fried chicken about twice in my life. But now that there is a man in my life who loves fried chicken this recipe came in handy. I made fried chicken for him once before but he thought this was by far the best chicken I have made to date. YEAH! I only used a small pack of 6 chicken wings and I didn't use the 5 lemons it called for. I think that will be for a whole chicken. I did another substitution by using Almond Milk instead of regular milk.

Here is the finished product.

Makes about 4 servings

My Thoughts

If he liked it I loved it! The recipe worked and it was (in his words) very flavorful.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

page 28

Sorry i forgot to take a picture of the ingredients before I started cooking but don't worry I got a picture of the finished product. Let me say first... I have never made Mac and Cheese. Never! Because it was a food my parents didn't like so it was not something I grew up with. It would be at a relatives house for the holidays and I would skip over it. It was not until I was in my 20's that I tried it and liked it. Not the box kind the adult kind. So when I saw this was the next item up in the book I was a bit hesitant to cook it. Of course there were a few substitutions. I do drink milk and eat cheese but I just don't like all cheeses. Instead of the recommended 1 cup of mild Cheddar cheese, 1 cup of sharp Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack I used a bag of Kraft's Italian Cheese mix. It is a mix of mild cheese like Mozzarella. I also wanted to have a very brown top and turned on the Broiler for a few minutes.