Happy Cooking: Make Every Meal Count ... Without Stressing Out: A Cookbook

by Giada De Laurentiis

Best-selling cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis is picking up where  Feel Good Food  left off. Filled with even more fresh recipes and day-to-day living strategies, the Food Network superstar shares her year-round approach to living a healthy and happy lifestyle.

     Giada De Laurentiis, one of the most recognizable faces on the Food Network lineup, invites readers to get to know her as never before. The celebrity chef is back with nearly 200 new recipes and helpful advice on everything from hosting a potluck or open house to what to pack along for lunch every day. Drawing on the time-saving tips and healthy eating strategies that keep her functioning at the highest possible level in her roles as working mom, restaurateur, and tv personality, she has assembled a year-round roadmap to vibrant good health and delicious eating. Readers will be inspired to try new ingredients, new wellness practices, and create a wholesome balance between peak nutrition - and the occasional decadent indulgence. Featuring her New Year's cleanse, homemade Christmas gifts, and ideas for every holiday, special occasion, and casual weekend in between, this is Giada’s 365-approach to cooking up a happy life.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Health

303 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2015

About the author

Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian American chef, entrepreneur, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's program called Giada at Home. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's program entitled Today. De Laurentiis is the founder of the catering business GDL Foods. She is a winner of the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host and the Gracie Award for Best Television Host. She was also recognized by the International Hospitality Institute as one of the Global 100 in Hospitality, a list featuring the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.

Reviews

[Brittany McCann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted this to be so much more than what it was. I think it was partially a problem of food preference, I wasn't even interested in most of the recipes and only found 3 I wanted to try in the entire thing.

The end of the book just threw in some random recipes that seemed out of place and the photos are so staged that It looks like Giada is angry at her taco.

I love Giada, not this cookbook.

2 Stars

[Tina Culbertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This latest Giada book is just….ok.

I hate to say that because there are some great recipes in there but some things just didn’t make me happy. The photography is great, that is one of my positives.

Best to list them out, the pros and cons, in my humble opinion. Let’s start with Cons because I don’t like ending a review on negative note.

Cons:
Small print. The text is small enough that I found myself staring hard at the page. Maybe it’s just my old eyes but other cookbooks don’t use that small text. That bothered me.

Food photos are not numerous but there are ample photos of Giada. Why not make the food the focus and use a larger photo. I don’t need to see larger photos of Giada smiling or talking a bite from a sandwich.

Too. Much. Kale. I know, I know, it’s healthy and trendy and everywhere these days. What is that about? If you love kale, good for you. I’m not a fan so when I see it crammed into recipes where, in my personal opinion, it doesn’t belong…that’s a detraction for me. She puts kale in lasagna. That’s just wrong.

Recipe Repeat

Pros:
The mini eggplant parm is begging for me to make it. I love eggplant and this looks like a good recipe.

Well labeled for Gluten Free, Vegan and Vegetarian.

I was given this book through the Blogging for Books program and happy to have gotten it free of charge. This would be one I would have been happy to check out of the library, peruse and return. I have to say I would be disappointed if I’d parted with money for this Giada cookbook.

Sorry Giada! I like most of your other cookbooks but this one fell flat for me.

[Pattie Tierney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, more than I care to think, actually, Giada was signing books at the local Sur la Table. My son, who was probably about 16 at the time, loved her and wanted to go, so off we went to spend an hour or so standing in a line that snaked its way through the upscale mall. She was lovely to everyone, but particularly to him, addressing his questions with great interest and talking to him in the respectful way generally reserved for the adults. When my son looks back on this he says of Giada, “We had a moment.” For this heartwarming reason, she will always be special to me.

So, it bothers me just a bit that I'm going to go against the grain here and not agree with all of the reviewers who are gushing over her latest book, Happy Cooking; I'm just not wild about it. I wanted to like this book, I really did, but despite my wants, I found it disappointing. Perhaps it's the small text. Perhaps it's the small pictures. Perhaps it's the glaring lack of white space resulting in everything being crammed together giving it the look of a cookbook from the sixties. Add matte versus glossy photos and this weighty tome, despite its newness, looks dated. The food pictures seem secondary to the big pictures of Giada. Giada having a cocktail, Giada preparing food, Giada and her cleavage, Giada looking left, Giada looking right, Giada in front of the American flag.

There are some big pictures of food, but none of these pictures beckon or make me want to actually make anything that's pictured. Yes, I have probably become as jaded as the annoying film critics who pick apart even the best of films because they have seen so many that their standards have become tightened over the years so that few films can measure up. I have reviewed a lot of cookbooks this year and most of them have been gorgeous, stimulating, inspiring, and had me wanting to lick the pages because the food looked that good. I think, is it not, that this is what cookbooks are supposed to do?

Okay, all of that said, here's what is right with this book. First of all, Giada fans will love it because it has a lot of her in it, not just pictures, but tidbits, tips, suggestions, helpful hints, and tiny looks into her life with her adorable daughter.

Second, there are a lot of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free recipes in this book, all of which are easy to find, thanks to boldly placed icons at the beginning of each recipe.

In addition, there is a nice section on making bone broth that should send everyone to their stoves to do this because it makes a world of difference in both flavor and nutrition in recipes that call for stock.

There is a nice instructional section on pasta along with, as one might expect, taste tempting pasta recipes, including a short rib lasagna that sounds delicious. The book is comprehensive in what it offers with a wide variety of recipes in all categories (including snacks and small plates, and eating clean).

Entertaining ideas and tips will come in handy during this time of the year, with ideas offered up for appetizer-only parties, the best cocktail party foods, cookie exchange parties, crostini bars, along with holiday strategies and stress relievers.

Desserts look sumptuous and the section on gifts from your kitchen is a nice addition that includes her Chocolate Dessert Salami that I know first-hand is decadent. Other gift ideas include Smoky Fennel Salt, Citrus Lavender Hand Scrub, a Moscow Mule Kit, and Peanut Butter Dog Bone Treats.

The recipes that I have tried have been good - Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna and Brown Butter Tortellini. Still, I'm giving this book 3-1/2 out of 5 stars because, unlike other cookbooks that send me immediately to the kitchen, this one just didn't do it.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Cooking


I'm interested in happiness. How could I pass up a title like Happy Cooking?

You probably know the author. Giada De Laurentiis. I didn't. Still don't, though I am pretty sure she is one of those celebrity chefs on tv. Don't hold that against her; she has a lovely little cookbook here.

Like many of us, De Laurentiis is happiest when she is cooking. In this book, she shares recipes that are both healthy and stress-free to prepare.

Well, let's put the cookbook to the test. Why not start with a recipe for something that is always a little stressful for me? Shall I try her recipe for pot roast? Yes, I think I shall.

Here's her Sunday Pot Roast.



I was a little flummoxed at the start. Fennel? What's that?



The produce manager at the grocery knew, of course. Looks quite a bit like an onion, though it is in the carrot family. Quite healthy for us, apparently.



All the other ingredients were easy. The recipe called for some onion. A chuck roast. Rosemary. Thyme. Garlic. Potatoes. Homemade marinara sauce. And red wine.



Some simmering on top of the stove.



And then ready for a couple of hours in the oven.

What did we think of the Sunday Pot Roast? It met all its promises. Healthy? Check. Delicious? Check. Easy? Check.

And are we quite happy now that we have eaten it all? Yes, we are.

I'm ready to try a few more healthy, happy meals from Giada De Laurentiis' Happy Cooking.

[Michelle Hankes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a heart-felt space in my life for cookbooks. Cookbooks of any kind. Old, new, used, gifted. I love them all. I think I love looking at how people get creative in their cooking, even the fundraiser cookbooks. It's amazing what people come up with or re-invent.

I am so happy I got this book. I wasn't sure because I passed up the last few of Giada's books - not because they weren't great with amazing recipes, but because I wasn't sure I would actually make any of them. I look at all the pretty pages and I think, "I would eat that." But, will I make it? Meh. Not always.

Why?

I think when it comes to cooking, we have to feel inspired. At least, I do. I have to feel that I can play with it, get a great deal of joy out of it and plenty of leftovers. Particularly, if I am going to be in the kitchen for hours. I love the experience and the outcome - not one over the other. And, sometimes, I feel lackluster about recipes.

But, Happy Cooking, Giada's new cookbook, inspires me. At first, I was leafing through and I just wasn't so sure. I thought, "Beautiful. Delicious. Yum." But, I couldn't find the inspiration. And then, some recipes stood out.

Giada has been the queen of Italian cooking since her first cookbook and her first show on Food Network, Everyday Italian. Pasta, sauces, culinary comfort that meets California fresh. She's done it all and we've watched her transformation.

Her new book is more than that. Giada lives in California, the land of makeovers, make-betters, and make-mores. And, while her background will always lie in traditional Italian cuisine with California flare, her newest book is starting to transcend some of the California kitsch.

Happy Cooking includes many of her most popular things like pastas, sauces, and Aunt Raffy recipes, but there is an element of searching and creating true health that is inspiring to me. Giada is surpassing the typical "We have to eat this way to be healthy and perceived popular" California attitude and going straight to "Here are some great ideas for things that taste great, are easy to make, and some ideas about feeling great."

Yep. I said great three times in that last sentence.

There are quite a few collaborative recipes in this book, including Alex Guarnaschelli, her daughter Jade, sleep experts, and other chefs and physicians. As most of us do, we spend our lives running, creating, doing, and being - when we have time - and, eventually, it catches up to us. I think this book is Giada's newest offering to help counteract that in her own life, as well as her readers' lives. There are recipes for detox soup, green smoothies, banana tea (helps promote sleep - who knew?), and more veggie-inspired recipes than I have ever seen her put in one book. Of course, there is no lack of meat, fish, and holiday meals, including a fabulous-looking Persimmon-Pumpkin Pie. But, as she says in many of her tips and suggestions dotted throughout the book, there's an overall theme: Be Good To Yourself.

I'm excited to start making and baking from this new delight. Beautiful imagery, pictures galore (a must for me), well-written recipes that always turn out, and choices upon choices upon choices. Giada is showing the world that it is not about sacrifice, it's about choices. And she's giving them.


A delectable sampling of some of the delicious divinity included in Happy Cooking (and things I plan to make):

Spring Pasta Timbale
Superfood Fudge Torte
Banana Tea
Smoky Candied Carrots
Citrus-Chile Acorn Squash
Lemon-Roasted Fennel
Bacon Bourbon Brussels Sprouts Skewers
Peas, Pancetta, and Prosecco
Smashed Root Vegetables
Polenta Plank with Frank's Bolognese
Raffy's Polpettone Two Ways (braised in milk and marinara)
Persimmon-Pumpkin Pie
Old-Fashioned Buttercrunch

*This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. I loved it.

[Kankakee Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book choice for my cookbook book discussion. All the dishes that we made were delicious. The sausage stuff, bacon wrapped dates were a big hit!

[Amanda Geaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on Christian Shelf-Esteem http://christianshelfesteem.wordpress...

Happy Cooking, Giada De Laurentiis' eighth cookbook, is focused on clean eating and healthy choices. For anyone with food sensitivity issues (such as Celiac Disease) or those who may be striving to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into their meal plan – gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan recipes are clearly marked. Happy Cooking is infused with mouth watering photography, easy to follow instructions, and helpful tips for the home cook.

When this book arrived on our doorstep, my foodie husband's eyes lit up. The overall layout and visual appeal of this cookbook are quite stunning. As we began looking through the recipes an appetizing photo would grab my attention, but I found myself having difficulty trying to conjure up what the dish would taste like because the ingredient list was so foreign to me. Pearled barley, tumeric, fennel bulb, chia powder, harissa, tahini, orecchiette pasta – these are all items I would have to ask my grocer to help me locate. On the other hand, when we sat down to eat Giada's Sunday Pot Roast my husband said, "That's exactly how I expected this to taste." For this reason, I believe an experienced cook or someone with a sophisticated palate would draw the most enjoyment from Happy Cooking.

3.5/5 Stars

I received this book for free as a member of the Blogging For Books reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great cookbook! It's well organized with good quality photos of all the recipes and full of wonderful tips. I found it to be both fresh and modern. It had mouth watering recipes that were new and different without being too exotic or full of difficult to acquire ingredients. The recipes are clear and easy to follow.

This book has encouraged me to think and eat healthier. For example, I have switched from sugary jams to nut butters on toast. It also gave me the great idea of shopping at restaurant supply stores. I actually have one nearby but before I read this cookbook, I hadn't thought of shopping there.

Another great thing about this cookbook is that all the recipes are labeled to show whether they are gluten free, vegetarian or vegan, which many will find useful.

Happy Cooking would make a great addition to a cook's collection or a great gift idea for anyone who likes to cook, be they a beginner or someone more proficient.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful cooking book features cooking recipes from Giada Laurentiis that will help every single meal without stressing. Whether you're looking for something quick for breakfast, trying to eat clean or looking for some fun Holiday recipes, this book has it all. I loved how this book strikes a healthy balance between good cooking to good eating in a more healthier way, while decreasing your stress level. I cannot wait to make the Peanut Butter Espresso Brownie dessert. It looks delicious! I love how Giada shares her family routines, and time saving tips. This book is the perfect gift for a Christmas gift for your favorite chef or someone who is looking to have more balanced meals.

[Jessica Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book is like hanging with that friend who constantly makes you feel bad for what you’re eating, thinking she’s helping you (and, I admit, I used to be that person). Giada seems to have a pretty unhealthy relationship with food. She mentions certain foods making her feel guilty throughout and she gives her strategy for dealing with bloating- a 3-day cleanse before photo shoots and after vacations- complete with recipes so you can do a cleanse too. I don’t need this in my head!

BUT when I finally started making her recipes! Omg! She really knows food. Nearly everything was delicious. I had to finally cut myself off because I was getting out of control cooking for this post. I’ll definitely be making more and now I want more of her cookbooks too! I just don’t recommend reading anything but the recipes. 😅

🥞Fluffy Lemon Buttermilk and Mascarpone Pancakes: the name says it all. Whipped egg whites give them the fluffy texture and you can really taste the mascarpone! Yum!
🥞 Go-Green Carbonara with Peas: this was so dang good. Loved the texture and flavor. I can’t wait to eat it again… even though it still somehow hurt my stomach despite being lower in fat than normal carbonara.
🥞Eggs Cacio e Pepe: I’ll be honest- I hate pepper. So I made cacio e Bob’s Big Boy Seasoning and yowza I loved it! The eggs were so creamy and cheesy! We will be eating this regularly.
🥞Espresso-Peanut Butter “Better” Brownies: I didn’t add those quotation marks but they definitely belong there because these really aren’t better to anyone but Giada and even she questions that. They were gross. They’re black bean based which I swear I’ve had before and it was okay… but these really taste like beans! No thanks!!
🥞Monte Cristo Sandwiches: SO GOOD. A real treat. I actually loved the cranberry sauce and mustard combo. It worked really well with gf white bread!
🥞Watermelon Agua Fresca: tasty and refreshing. The mint was way too strong for my kids which meant more for me!!

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm disappointed in this book, and I'm glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it. It has very few recipes that look like something I want to make for dinner. There's lots of filler: recipes for tea, broth, smoothies, popcorn (I really don't need a recipe for popcorn), a whole chapter about "eating clean" (and "liquid cleanses" and omg I expected better from Giada). And there are a lot of recipes for things that aren't dinner (such as the aforementioned smoothies, also French toast, salads, bean dip, mixed drinks, lemonade, cookies, and so on), which is fine, but not what I was looking for.

The first recipe I tried - roasted cauliflower with orrechiette (I know! how can you mess that up? but ... this did) was not very good - the first recipe I've ever been unhappy with from Giada! Usually her recipes are a sure thing. The second recipe I tried (fusilli with tuna and capers, except I used olives instead of capers because nobody in my house likes capers) WAS very good (but I'm the only one who liked it, so maybe it's not a surefire hit).

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The style of recipes has swerved severely in the direction of revoltingly "healthy" and, frankly, very few of them were appetizing or enticing.


Favourite recipes (and likely the most delicious in the whole book):

Fluffy Lemon Buttermilk + Mascarpone Pancakes

Parmesan Marinara*

Short-Rib Lasagna

Bacon Bourbon Brussels Sprouts Skewers

Sunday Pot Roast

Spiced Apple Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

[Rachel C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Denser with recipes than her book “Weeknights,” but sort of all over the place content-wise. Also buys in to a lot of recent trends – gluten-free, kale, quinoa, etc.

[Andee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Love all of Giada's books.

[Jen Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only found one recipe in this book that I actually made, everything else is very unpractical.

[LAMONT D · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOME NICE TIDBITS AND HINTS ON HOW TO DO CERTAIN TYPES OF FOODS AND WHY SHE LOVES PASTA, HER OWN DRESSING ETC.; FOUND SEVERAL RECIPES THAT MAY WORK; A VARIETY TO CHOOSE FROM.

[Teri Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

can't fail with Giada!!

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad cookbook, but nothing stood out to me.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giada De Laurentiis’s Happy Cooking: Make Every Meal Count … Without Stressing Out attempts to provide us with delicious foods that we don’t have to spend hours making. These aren't all healthy, but there are a lot of fresh, delicious foods in here. One of my favorites of the not-so-healthy recipes was a sausage-stuffed-bacon-wrapped date recipe with a lemon basil crema. SOOOO good.

There are plenty of light, ‘clean’ recipes in here. One of my favorites is a shaved vegetable salad with a goat cheese vinaigrette. I was stunned that the leftovers were still quite good the next night. Another favorite was a chicken salad recipe–the use of sliced snap sugar peas made it unusual and interesting (and delicious!). I also like that you use shredded chicken from an entire rotisserie chicken, meaning a nice combination of dark and white meat.

None of these recipes felt fussy or overly complicated. Even making our own lemon curd from the book to use in the Limoncello Parfaits was fantastic. (Although I’ll note that the recipe they advise you to use makes 3/4c curd, and the parfait recipe used 1 1/4, so be sure to make a double batch!) I’ve never had lemon curd before that didn’t strain out the zest, but if you’re using a Microplane zester the bits of zest are so small that it isn’t icky texture-wise.

The cookbook includes recipes for breakfast, snacks and small plates, salads and seasons, soups and stews, pastas and risottos, ‘eating clean,’ weeknight warriors, vegetables and sides, weekends and holidays, and treats and sweets. I wasn’t overly thrilled to see things like “detox soup”, since I pretty much believe that the entire ‘detoxing’ industry is snake oil. However, her detox soup recipe looks quite delicious, so I won’t knock it, at least as good food.

Every recipe we tried from this cookbook came out beautifully. The most effort we had to put into anything was the lemon curd, and even that was pretty easy. I wish we still had some of those dates left–time to make more!


NOTE: This book was provided free for review by Blogging for Books.
Original review on my site includes PHOTOS: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/02/r...

[Coleen (The Book Ramblings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Giada De Laurentiis many years ago, when I would watch her cooking show, Everyday Italian, with my grandmother, so to finally own one of her cookbooks is something I was looking forward to. When it came to her cooking show, I was always intimidated by the types of dishes she cooked because they were either too expensive, or ingredients were not available in my area, so I was curious how this cookbook would be in terms of bringing it into the kitchen as a weekly essential.

Just like my grandmother, I adore cookbooks, and being involved in the kitchen, so I couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen once this arrived. After the introduction–which includes a note that lets the reader know if a recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan–there are recipe sections, listed as the following; First Things First: #breakfast, Snacks & Small Plates, Salads & Seasons, Soups & Stews, Pastas & Risottos, Eating Clean, Weeknight Warriors, Vegetables & Sides, Weekends & Holidays, and Treats & Sweets. In the end of the book, of course, there is acknowledgments, credits, and an index.

I love the variety in this cookbook! For example, the breakfast section has recipes such as smoothies, oats, rice bowls, wraps, crepes, and muffins. There is pizza, pasta, all-types of salads, and more. There are little blurbs throughout the book with information, Cook’s Notes beneath recipes, and pages of thorough tips, advice, and information that anyone in the kitchen can put forth with success. I did think some of the recipes called for a lot of labor, but that is something that pays off when it comes to cooking, and enjoying the meal. I thought the design and layout were beautiful, and the photos captured the food wonderfully. This is a cookbook that’ll be going in the kitchen to be used throughout the week, because the Soups & Stews section is ideal with this cold weather quickly approaching.

I received this cookbook through Blogging for Books for an honest review

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thinking "fresh" these days? Want to feel even fresher? Check out "Happy Cooking: Make Every Meal Count ... Without Stressing Out" by Giada De Laurentiis. It's not just a cookbook--it's a lifestyle book filled with healthy hints, wellness wisdom, and personal insights about embracing and incorporating change into a recipe for happy living. With all the fabulous foods and beverages featured here, you won't be thinking about what's been trimmed-down or eliminated--you'll be wowed at the bounty these leaner, cleaner recipes have to offer. Filled with beautiful color photos from cover to cover, "Happy Cooking" features almost 200 recipes, and it even includes a special "Gifts from Your Kitchen Section". Recipes that are vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free are so noted. These dishes and drinks really caught my eye: "Pineapple-Ginger Smoothie"; "American Breakfast Rice Bowl"; "Ricotta Toast with Strawberries"; "Sautéed Shrimp Cocktail"; "Better Wedge Salad"; "Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup"; "Pasta Primavera with Summer Vegetables"; "Zucchini Spaghetti with Sun Gold Tomato Sauce"; "Superfood Fudge Torte"; "Smashed Root Vegetables"; "Crispy Zucchini and Potato Pancake"; "Sunday Pot Roast"; "Spiced Apple-Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing"; "Pumpkin-Ginger Chocolate Muffins"; and "Espresso-Peanut Butter Brownies". There are many more interesting and inviting treats to discover on your own. GIADA DE LAURENTIIS is the Emmy Award-winning star of Food Network's Everyday Italian, Giada at Home, and Giada in Paradise; a judge on Food Network Star; a contributing correspondent for NBC's Today show; and the author of seven New York Times bestselling books. She attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and worked at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant before starting her own catering company, GDL Foods. Born in Rome, she grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives with her daughter, Jade.

Review Copy Gratis Pam Krauss Books via Blogging for Books

[Mazzou B · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid cook, you can imagine my excitement every time I discover a newly-published cookbook! This is actually my first from well-known cook and cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis! Having heard much about her personality and recipes, I was greatly looking forward to reading this book.
Happy Cooking is all that you expect: it is full of delicious recipes, fabulous photos and, best of all....it makes you feel relaxed and happy about cooking! I know I certainly need a stress-relieving cookbook. Although I do love cooking, it as well as everything else in life tends to stress me out at times. Giada puts the happy back into cooking with this pleasant book!
Fans of Giada will be delighted with her presence in this cookbook; there are many pictures of her and her quotes accompany most of her recipes. The photographs of the foods themselves are not always as amazing as other recently published cookbooks I have read and reviewed, but they are still bright and enjoyable. Just not as coffee-table worthy as other cookbooks I own.
Personally, I won't be cooking a ton of recipes from this book because of the large amount of (no surprise) pasta meals. I don't eat a lot of pasta yet I was aware of the fact that this is an Italian-based cookbook when I ordered it so I am not complaining! On a good note, this book also has a ton of vegetable and salad recipes and the dessert section is surprisingly small! Overall, I assure you that this book is full of delicious recipes. What especially struck me is that the recipes in this cookbook are not only basic and easy enough for most amateur cooks to master, they will taste complex enough to delight the detailed chef! This cookbook could just become your new all-round favorite!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Giada De Laurentiis so when I saw her cookbook, I knew I would have to have it. What I really think stands out about this cookbook compared to others out there is that it is more than recipes. You actually get to know Giada a little bit. There are pictures of her throughout the book and she is giving tips for different social situations and actual glimpses into her life. There are even pictures with her daughter.

The recipes are focused around clean, healthy eating which is perfect for me! Some are simple and anyone can make them, but there are a few more complex ones as well to practice your skills with. I like the balance that is offered.

One of my favorite tips is buying a really good whole grain loaf of bread and keeping it in the freezer and just pulling out a slice or two as needed versus a new loaf that you throw out every week because you only needed a few pieces.

Some of the recipes that I have my eye on are:

“Nutella” Milk
Mediterranean Chile Chicken Wings
Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Goat Cheese Dipping Sauce
Brown Butter Tortellini
Cupcake Shake
Citrus Chile Acorn Squash

There is a great mix of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, cleansing drinks, fun shakes/smoothies and plenty of party hosting ideas too. Plus if you like photography, there are some great pictures of the food.

If you are in the market for a new cookbook, I would certainly give this one a look!

View more information about the book here.

Learn more about the author here.

**I received this book from Blogging for Books but all opinions are honest and of my own. **

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough great things about this cookbook!

I was already a huge fan of Giada, but some of her previous cookbooks are a little too complex for me (and most casual cooks would agree). I’m so pleased to say that this book has recipes that can be made by anyone, with ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen or can easily locate in your local grocery store.

What really set the book apart from others for me was the fact that every recipe is denoted as vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten free. As a long-time vegetarian (by choice) and recent gluten-free eater (for health reasons) I so appreciated this easy breakdown! It makes finding recipes for my household, where I do live with a carnivore, way easier. We’ve already found some gluten-free recipes for me to tweak by cooking the meat separately so we can enjoy the same meal, just meat-free for me.

I can’t wait to try out more of the recipes from the book! I can’t even look at the dessert section without my mouth watering. Giada, you’ve done it again!

Fans of Giada and the Food Network in general need to add this book to their repertoire immediately! The great news is, with the holidays coming up, it’s the perfect gift to receive or give to the food fans in your life!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite cookbook so far from chef Giada De Laurentiis! There's something here for everyone, even a few vegan recipes, which made me super happy to see! Giada included vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free recipes for all of us allergy sufferers, as well as recipes to be enjoyed by those without allergy concerns. Included in this cookbook are main meals, salads, pastas, soups, snacks, desserts, holiday and weekend recipes, exquisite side dishes that highlight the power of my favorite thing (veggies), and gifts and tips for the holidays. Also included was a whole chapter devoted to clean eating, and Giada did an awesome job in this cookbook of including information on the side about many ingredients, and every recipe is beautifully illustrated. This is her most beautiful and informative cookbook yet!

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Vonze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not familiar with Giada's show, but I own and use a lot of cookbooks because I prepare nearly all my meals at home.

Happy Cooking is very well organized. Giada covers it all. From: #breakfast, snacks & small plates, salads & seasons, soups & stews, pastas & risottos, eating clean, weeknight warriors, vegetables & sides, weekends & holidays, and treats & sweets. I feel the book contains a nice variety, with a little something for everyone. Even picky eaters like me!

I love that each recipe has been photographed in full detail. It's so frustrating when cookbooks only showcase a choice few recipes, leaving users to guess what the finally product should look like. I feel like Giada cares that you know what you're making. She also has a lot of useful tips for foodie novices.

With the holidays coming up, Happy Cooking has some great recipes, such as: Old-Fashioned Buttercrunch, Espresso-Peanut Brownies, Mini Eggplant Parmesan, Buffalo Grilled Shrimp, and Veal Piccata, sure to thrill guests.

All and all, great cookbook that I'll be referencing for years to come.

I was given a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody who knows me is surprised to learn that the first book I read cover to cover this year was a cookbook, nor less that it was Giada's newest tome of deliciousness. Since every bite of food my husband and I ate at Giada's Vegas brought us near to tears because it was so divine (Who said the food of the gods was ambrosia?! I'm pretty sure it was some kind of cheese plate.), and because Giada's shows on Food Network are a family favorite, and because every recipe of Giada's I've made at home has worked out wonderfully, snapping up Happy Cooking was inevitable.

Because we live in Durango and are part of the "crunchy" health foodie movement in the area, I was DELIGHTED that Giada shares our philosophy about food being clean and nutritious, but also soul-satisfying. I think it is more detrimental to our mental and physical health to stress out and obsess about food than eating junk "food." Eating with gratitude and savoring the pleasure of food and the people we fellowship with around food is a healthy lifestyle choice. . .and we can all train our palates to appreciate the way God made food and flavor and be HAPPY COOKING.

[VikToriya Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to collect cooking books, especially with photos. They inspire me to make something new, to try new recipe.

Giada’s book contain recipes for breakfast, snacks, salads, pastas, weeknight recipes, vegetables and side dishes, recipes for weekends and holidays, some treats and sweets. She indicated recipes for gluten-free, vegetarians, and vegans. They will be easy to find.

For healthy breakfast, you will find smoothies, milkshakes, oats, granolas, rice bowls, ham wraps, tofu scrambles, ricotta toasts with strawberries, avocado toasts, frittatas, some casserole stratas, breakfast crepes, waffles, pancakes, muffins. Yammy!

In snack section, I see dips, fruit roll-ups, citrus turkey jerky, popcorns, chow, lemonades, ice pops, chicken wings, meatballs, stuffed dates, shrimp, and pizza.

And that is just a sneak peak of few chapters of the book. Delicious recipes with beautiful photos.

Freely provided by BloggingForBooks for my opinion and review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis that I have really looked at so I don't have any comparison to previous books. It was a lot larger book than I expected so be ready for many recipes! I really like the simple dishes, and the breakfast ideas. There are lots of pictures, which I love in a good cookbook, and she includes side notes on different topics.
I guess the only thing for me is there really isn't anything in this cookbook that makes it stand out from all the rest. It's a good cookbook, but it is not much different from the hundreds of others I have looked at. If you enjoy her cooking show, and Giada De Laurentiis in general, then you will love this book.



Four stars.



"I received this book from Blogging For Books for free in exchange for an honest review."

[Ally Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giada's newest cookbook is elegant & tasty! Happy Cooking is simply gorgeous, the layout and photographs are beautiful. There is truly a recipe for everyone in the family, including dog treats! I love that the recipes are easy to follow and include healthy ingredients. It is refreshing to see a variety of recipes that I can easily make at home and for entertaining. Most cookbooks I have read only have a handful of recipes I want to try, but I can honestly say this book is a keeper. It has delicious smoothie ideas, and we really enjoyed the: eggplant dip, chicken marsala meatballs, mini eggplant parmesan, and creamy spinach and mushroom lasagna. I cannot wait to make more yummy recipes from this fantastic cook book!

I received Happy Cooking: Make Every Meal Count...Without Stressing Out from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.