42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have for Frugal Cooks!, March 31, 2004
This review is from: Not Just Beans: 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites (Plastic Comb)
Not Just Beans - 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites, by Tawra Kellam, is an excellent cookbook and frugal living resource!
I've been an avid cookbook collector for most of my life, and I can tell you, without a doubt, this is absolutely one of the best cookbooks on the market for frugal cooks! I've just finished reviewing the entire book myself and feel it should be on the kitchen counter of every household!
Not only does this delightful cookbook contain 542 recipes, there is a large tip section in the front and back of the book that are filled with great tips for frugal cooking, meal planning, grocery shopping, saving time in the kitchen, freezing foods, snack ideas for kids, jar mixes and other gift ideas, homemade seasonings, household cleaners, fun stuff to make with kids, menu ideas, and more!
In addition, Tawra has included an extra tip page at the beginning of each section of recipes (Breakfast, Breads, Soups, etc...), and more tips are spread throughout the entire cookbook, many of which are great money-saving tips!
Not Just Beans is truly a must have for frugal cooks, but I would also recommend this cookbook for anyone just starting out on their own. Leaving home (and mom's great cooking) is not always easy, but with this cookbook in hand at least it will be a lot easier for new cooks to put delicious meals on the table; the recipes are easy to prepare and easy on the budget!
I get letters all the time from people wanting to know what they can cook for their families on a tight budget, other than just beans! I remember thinking the same thing when our family first encountered difficult financial times many years ago. In fact, I said to my husband "What in the world am I going to cook (on a food budget of $30 a week) besides macaroni and cheese... and our children hate beans!" Boy how I wish I had been able to have a copy of Not Just Beans back then!
Some of the recipes I was most delighted to find included in this cookbook are Baking Mix, Flour Tortillas, Onion Soup Mix, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Cheeseburger Rolls, Hawaiian Chicken Wings, Fried Apples (I'm always forgetting how much butter and sugar to add!), Granola Bars, Vanilla Wafers, Peanut Butter and Ranch Dressing - both completely homemade, and hundreds of more recipes my family is sure to enjoy!
I believe Tawra and I must be kindred spirits - along with millions of other frugal parents! We simply want to feed our families good food, limit the macaroni and cheese dinners to once a week or less, and still have some money left over after leaving the grocery store!
Tawra is originally from Kansas and her recipes make this Southern girl proud! Most of the recipes are for traditional comfort foods, which can also be altered as needed with the healthy substitutions included in the cookbook. And the money-saving tips alone make this a great investment for every frugal home!
Michelle Jones, Editor of BetterBudgeting.com
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome! Great resource!, October 14, 2005
This review is from: Not Just Beans: 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites (Plastic Comb)
I love this book! It has seen us through some really tough times. The weeks we are broke my husband thinks we are eatting better than normal. Everything I have tried has turned out great, the Chicken & dumplings, french dressing, pumpkin bread, no bake cookies, chicken salad and the list goes on. (My kids love the play-dough recipe). This book is sooo worth it's price. I would love to buy a couple copies for our local food bank.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!!! A True Family Pleaser!!!!, March 29, 2005
This review is from: Not Just Beans: 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites (Plastic Comb)
OH MY GOSH this is exactly the book I have been looking for.
I have loads of cook books from expensive recipes to amish style cooking and this one is my FAVORITE!!! Now when I do my bi-weekly meal planning I grab ONLY this book instead of a whole bunch of my other cook books. I was looking for something that was good old style cooking without all those ingrediants that I never have on my shelf because they are too expensive.
Super easy and delicious recipes.
Better then Betty Crocker :o).
I recommend this book out to EVERYONE I know.
My only problem is that my book is falling apart because I abuse the heck out of it.
I will just have to order another one soon. I WON"T dare go without my 'Not Just Beans" cookbook.
I just want to say a BIG thank you for making this WONDERFUL cookbook its exactly what I was looking for. I am teaching my teen age daughter to cook with this book. :o)
My only question is will you make Not Just Beans #2 ?
*hee hee*. Hint Hint. with more of you wonderful recipes!!!
Those reveiws that complain about too much fat, sugar etc can EASILY be adapted to fit there lifestyle.
I was surprised to see some of the reveiws in there about this not being low fat etc. It DOESN"T Claim to be.
Some people like my family need the fat in our diet or we would wither away to nothing. and our cholesteral is great.
I used Whole Wheat flour and honey in place of some of the ingredients in her recipes and have had great success. As well as you can cut down the fat also. Using lower fat cheeses, sourcream etc. So the only dissappointment that I have are the people that complain that they can't use it because its not vegan enough or low fat.
All I can say is adapt the recipes to your taste and lifestyle.
Tawra AWSOME job. Keep us posted on when #2 comes out because I want to be the first to know. :o)
Thank you so much
Michelle in Washington
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