Customer Reviews

Not Just Beans: 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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

Tawra Kellam has lived a genuinely frugal lifestyle for the past 30 years. Out of her experience she has compiled Not Just Beans, a outstanding cookbook offering a wealth of budget-friendly and highly recommended recipes that are as inexpensive as they are nutritious and delicious. From Chicken Barley Soup; Mexican Hamburger Casserole; Tuna Chowder; and Navajo Tacos; to Maple-Glazed Chicken; Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles; Onion Rings; and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Not Just Beans offers a cornucopia of frugal but scrumptious eating that will be as easy on the pocketbook as they are welcome at the dinner table!

Tawra has taken a lot of time to put down in her book frugal ways to cook, make silly putty and fruit leathers, etc. A must have book for a family on a budget but the recipes are great - so you don't need to be poor to enjoy this book.

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Reviewed by Sheila Farrell Murray, author of ANOTHER DAMN COOKBOOK and WHAT'S SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE.

I have wasted even more money because I've had to throw out so much that was just awful! I did fix a couple of things that we liked like the 90 minute rolls but most of it I had to throw out. I'm very disappointed. Not much, if any, flavor in any of the recipes I tried. I'm glad so many others have liked it but it just really wasn't for my family.

I had been curious about this book for a long time, but I just bought one recently. I wish I had bought it years ago. A fantastic book for any family looking to cut down expenses, particularly on their food bill. This book is chock full of sensible, good-tasting recipes the whole family can enjoy. It calls for no fancy ingredients that you have to buy specifically for a recipe. You probably already have most ingredients in your pantry. There are also MANY tips to save time in the kitchen and good ideas for homemade gifts that people can really appreciate. Lots of recipes for kids, picky eaters, etc. Just a wealth of information. This book would make a great gift for any young homeschooling or stay-at-home mom who is looking for ways to live comfortably on one income. I highly recommend this one.

I received this cookbook about a week ago in a giveaway, and boy, do I feel pretty gosh-darn lucky!

The Beef Stroganoff met with rave reviews from my husband and three kids.

It only got better from there.

Because of this cookbook, I will no longer buy store-bought Blue Cheese dressing, I'll make my own. I will also no longer spend a small fortune on flavored coffees, thanks to the Orange-Cinnamon Coffee fix-up on page 198. And, we might start eating popcorn for dinner because of the great seasoning ideas in the book. Furthermore, Meatless Monday went over VERY well in my household today because of the Red Beans and Rice recipe on page 105.

Shall I go on?

There's another two dozen I want to try right now. I'll probably run to the store tomorrow for a cucumber to slice up into my leftover pickle juice (one of the many frugal money-saving tips splashed throughout the book). My kids are too big to play with Play-Dough, but I'll probably make it anyway because it's in there.

Okay, yeah, a lot of the recipes have meat, cheese, butter, cream soups, etc., in them...maybe not the most health-conscious recipes. So what? Kellam never markets it as such. However, the recipes are flexible and simple enough that substitutions can easily be made. Which brings me to my final point - simplicity. There are no recipes in here that call for saffron threads, Pecorino or goat cheese...I mean, you'll actually be able to go to Small Town Grocery Store USA and find just about everything you need to make these recipes. Now that is an author who is aware of the large scope of audience.

The four-star rating is simply because I've only explored about a twentienth of it. But that twentieth is awesome!

I love this cookbook! Just plain, good food for people who want to keep things simple. You won't need high-priced extras to fix these recipes. Forget gourmet! And lots of frugal tips I haven't seen before. Glad I got this book!

This frugal living book is filled with great tasting,
easy to make recipes using inexpensive ingredients, most of which we
usually have on hand. Yes, there are a couple beans and rice recipes,
but they are there to prove that even beans and rice can taste good!
You'll find recipes for just about everything such as Breakfast, Breads,
Beans and Vegetables, Pickles, Dressings and Salads, Pasta, Rice, Side
Dishes, Meats and Main Dishes, all kinds of Desserts, Beverages, Jar
Mixes, Kids and many more.

But wait....this is not just a cookbook! Dispersed throughout this book
are tips galore! Timesaving Tips and Shortcuts, Household Tips,
Dessert Tips, Bean and Vegetable Tips, Kid Tips, and Freezer Tips
along with a Freezer Guide that includes the average time span for
certain frozen foods and a list of the recipes in the book that will
freeze well. This is helpful for those who do once a month cooking.

The chapter on The Basics of Frugal Cooking will help to get you
started and will have you on your way towards drastically cutting your
food bill. The author, Tawra Kellam, paid off over $20,000 in debt in
just five years on an average income of $22,000 a year. That sounds
like a lot of beans, but according to Tawra, "You can eat frugally
without living on beans alone." After trying her recipes and tips you
too will find the proof in the pudding!