The Green Teen Cookbook
edited by Laurane Marchive, Pam McElroy
Genre: Contemporary Paperback: 149 Pages
Publication: July 29, 2014 by Zest Books
Going green is hard to do especially when it comes to food. There are acronyms to learn, labels to decipher, seasons to accommodate, and grocery stores to navigateand that’s before you even turn on the stove! The Green Teen Cookbook cuts through the chaos and shows teens how to shop smarter, cook more consciously, and eat a healthier diet. And in addition to the 70+ incredible recipes (created by teens, for teens), the book also includes:
* Illuminating essays about freeganism, flexitarians, vegetarianism, and more
* Tips about how to shop on a budget and get the most out of what you already have in your pantry
* A seasonal key that ensures the freshness of the recipes (and a minimal carbon footprint)
* Photos for each of the 70+ recipesThe original British edition of this book was honored as The Best Sustainable Food Book in the UK, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2012.
This a great book filled with simple recipies by teens for teens. These range from breakfast foods to soups, salads, and sandwiches, to snakcs and sides to main courses to desserts. Best of all, this is a cookbook dedicated to being green and healthy. This doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a vegetarian (there are meat recipies in here!). It means being eco-friendly and eating ethically. It means becoming aware of the impact of our diets and choice of food on the world. If you’re interested in learning more about this, there is a section in the front of the book that you may peruse. Otherwise, this is a fantastic cookbook for anyone but especially young adults.
As a college student, this is the kind of cookbook I want. It provides simple easy recipes. The ingredient lists are short and easy to fulfill, and more importantly, they tell me exactly how long I should expect to be cooking and how many servings I can expect to make. My first priority is my studies; I don’t have time to try and figure out where to buy my ingredients and how long I’m going to spend cooking. Thankfully, these recipes don’t take more than an hour to make for the most part.
The procedures are also simple and easy to follow. I love how “quick tips” are provided on how to really bring out the flavor in the recipes or change up the recipe. Sometimes, I may like a recipe, but I don’t want to keep eating the same thing. These quick tips provide easy guidelines to follow when I want more variety in my diet while keeping true to what I love.
I haven’t had a chance to try out one of the recipies yet, but there are a few I have my eye on (like the energy bar—it looks like it’ll make a good snack or breakfast-on-the-go). I look forward to making a home in my kitchen for this fantastic cookbook!
A copy was provided by Zest Books for review
Sticky Fingers
by Sophie Maletsky
Genre: Nonfiction Paperback: 240 Pages
Publication: July 1, 2014 by Zest Books
Sticky Fingers is a vibrant, easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to creating amazing projects with the hottest crafting material on the market today duct tape! The book includes tons of photographs alongside directions designed to make creating a wallet and making a bag even easier, while also providing a steady stream of ideas for personalizing and embellishing your duct tape creations. Each project includes icons showing difficulty level and project time, as well as helpful hints, such as how to keep your scissors clean and what to do with end pieces. So grab a roll of duct tape, pick a project, and get started!
This is the perfect book for someone looking into getting into duct taping. It starts out with teaching the basics and moves on to more complicated projects. The book is divided into clear sections with the various projects grouped into related clusters from wallets to purses to wearable projects to school and room-related projects. I mean it when I say there is a variety of projects to do in here. There are even variations of the same theme (for example, just check out the whole section dedicated to duct-tape wallets).
I love how clear the instructions are. Total beginners to duct taping (or even crafting in general) can follow them. I especially like how sample pictures of various stages of the projects are provided. I’m a very visual person, and it really helps to be able to see how your project should look as you progress through the step-by-step instructions. The book also provides an estimated time to complete the project and a difficulty level, so you’ll be able to plan your schedule accordingly.
This is a book that I can see accompanying me on a lazy afternoon when I’m looking for something artsy to do. I recommend it to anyone interested in getting into some kind of craft. If that craft happens to be duct taping, this just may be the book for you.
A copy was provided by Zest Books for review
Author of Sticky Fingers
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into crafting.
Where do you find inspiration for projects?
There are a lot of fun duct tape projects in Sticky Fingers. Do you have a favorite project in there?
What do you recommend to people just getting into crafting?
What are the basic crafting elements that someone getting into duct tape will need to keep around?
I saw that you’re also an event planner. What do you enjoy most about your job?
What inspired you to start Sophie’s World?
What are you working on right now?
Anything else you’d like us to know?
Thanks for interviewing!
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Mary @ BookSwarm says
Oh, very cool! Pretty amazing what you can do with duct tape.
Karen says
I'm well past my teen years but that book sounds great!
Karen @ For What It's Worth