Conquering Your Kitchen

I was recently given the opportunity to review a new book Conquering Your Kitchen by Annemarie Rossi. I also got a chance to interview her and get some answers to really great questions. This book is guide that walks you through the steps of how to shop and cook real food with confidence.

Annemarie Rossi is the he creator, writer, and photographer at Real Food Real Deals. This book is part of the series of books titled Untrained Housewife Guide; these guides look to empower active parents who want to develop a more self-sufficient lifestyle with how-tos, real-life advice, and honest views of modern work-from-home advice.

She is a mother who got tired of feeding her family processed food. Raised in a Twinkie-loving household, she somehow always had an affinity for vegetables too. When she set out to learn how to cook and find healthy food that her young children would enjoy, it opened up a new way of life for her.This book is full of easy, delicious recipes that will help you With the support of her husband and children, Annemarie has made this approach to food a way of life for her family. She’s not a nutritionist or a professional cook. She’s just a regular mom trying to do the right thing for her family. In order to share what she’s learned with others, Annemarie founded Real Food Real Deals. This food blog helps people to eat a whole foods diet while sticking to a budget. The website features hundreds of affordable, tasty recipes made with real food ingredients. A math person at heart, Annemarie does price breakdowns for all her recipes. People often complain that eating healthy is too expensive, but she shows that this isn’t the case for many different types of recipes.

Conquering Your Kitchen is a comprehensive guide that walks you through the steps of how to plan meals, shop, and cook real food with confidence and purpose. Part of the Untrained Housewife Guides series, this book is full of 80 easy, delicious recipes that will help you to look like a pro in the kitchen.

Every recipe takes 30 minutes or less to prepare, so you can incorporate these meals and snacks into your schedule even during your most hectic days. It’s never too late to take control of your kitchen and learn how to feed your family homemade food.

Not just dinner, you’ll be guided through creating breakfasts, snacks, and more. Everything you need to stop feeling overwhelmed, and conquer your kitchen with confidence.

I got a chance to ask interview Annemarie Rossi. Here are my questions and her answers.

1. What made you write this book?
There are so many talented, intelligent women (and men) out there who don’t even know where to start in the kitchen. Processed food and takeout windows have become the norm for many families, but it doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve gradually learned how to manage a kitchen efficiently and prepare healthy, easy meals that my family enjoys. I wanted to share this information with people who want to get better about making homemade food for their families.

2. Why do you think people are afraid of the kitchen?
I think it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the kitchen because of the sheer volume of food we need to eat. Three meals a day plus snacks, every day of the year. It’s hard to keep up with all that food, and many people walk away because they’re intimidated by the process. They also think they “can’t cook” because they haven’t had much success in the kitchen.

3. Do you think anyone can cook?
Yes, I do think anyone can cook. My 9-year-old daughter can make lasagna and pumpkin pie all by herself. Cooking isn’t difficult at all. There are so many easy meals that any adult should be able to prepare. I’m not “a natural” in the kitchen, and I don’t actually love to cook. But I can do it, and I do it because it’s important.

4. What would you suggest a cook have in the kitchen?
Having good kitchen equipment is very helpful for a home cook. I have a detailed section in my book, Conquering Your Kitchen, about all the equipment and food I like to have on hand. Some of the basics include good knives, cutting boards, measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and a good food processor or blender.

5. Many girls learn to cook from their moms, but what if they didn’t? What advice do you have for them?
I didn’t learn to cook from my mom, and neither did most of the women I know. Cooking is easy to learn as an adult, and there are so many resources out there. Start by scanning the web or magazines for recipes that look good to you, and get cooking. It’s usually a good idea to make changes gradually, so add one home-cooked meal or snack into your food rotation each week.

6. Your one item you can’t live without in the kitchen?
I think I use my food processor more than anything else. It saves me from the trouble of having to chop, so I use it several times a week. I panicked when my old food processor broke last year, and I bought a new one as quickly as I could.

7. Favorite meal to prepare?
My family loves taco night, and it’s very easy to prepare. I like that everyone fills their tacos with whatever they want, so there’s no complaining.

8. Easiest meal to prepare for a gathering?
I love making chili when we have company for dinner. I make a few different kinds, including a meat-based chili and a butternut squash chili. We serve it with a big batch of cornbread and a salad. Everything can be made ahead of time, so when the guests arrive we can enjoy their company away from the hot stove.

The book will be released in June, and I think it is the perfect guide for any cook to have in the kitchen. I am going to get it as a gift for a few of my friends.

Check it out on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Your-Kitchen-confidence-purpose/dp/0692237534