In the Kitchen with Mary & Martha: One-Dish Wonders

Mary and Martha
Barbour Publishing (2006)
ISBN 9781597890113
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (12/07) 


I remember the very first cookbook I used when I got brave enough to venture in the wondrous, but at the time so very foreign, land of cooking. It was an old, battered one; my mom received it from her mother-in-law when she got married. I do not remember its title any longer, but I remember that any recipe from it I ever tried turned out edible. What was even more surprising to me is that the very simple dishes in it actually tasted great and the results oftentimes looked like I’ve spent more time and effort on them than I really did.

“In the Kitchen with Mary & Martha: One-Dish Wonders” greatly reminds me of that first cookbook I used many decades ago. While it is clearly geared towards busy Christian moms, it is a cookbook that would come in handy in any busy woman’s life. The simple, straightforward recipes cover a great array of dishes - quick snacks and meals on the go, casseroles, other one-dish wonders, slow-cooker recipes, salads, soups, sides, dishes with five or less ingredients, candies and desserts. Most of the dishes are so simple to prepare that the actual directions consist of only a couple of lines.

The layout of the book is appealing, the chapters well-organized and the extra tips engaging. The drawings are very charming and cute. I liked the easy-to-read font used in the book as well as the purple and green ink instead of the usual black one. The spiral-bound book lies flat when opened, which makes it handier in the kitchen.

What would have made the book even more appealing to me? Well, I am a very visual person and I really like cookbooks with actual photos of the finished dishes. Another issue was the lack of any nutritional information for the recipes. I would have found inclusion of such data helpful and informative. And although I understand that convenience is a major issue in today’s busy lives, I found the abundance of canned ingredients slightly puzzling. With their usually very high sodium content they are not the best choice in most cases, so substituting them with frozen or fresh ingredients would make the recipes more health-conscious and not that much more time-consuming to prepare.

Overall I really liked “In the Kitchen with Mary & Martha: One-Dish Wonders” for the simplicity of the recipes as well as the attractive layout. This is a good, solid basic cookbook that should find a permanent place on the bookshelves of busy women everywhere. It would also make for a delightful Christmas gift, especially if accompanied by one of the treats from either the first or the last chapter.

Make comment on weblog