Book Review: Too Blessed to Be Stressed Cookbook By Debora Coty

TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED COOKBOOK
A Busy Woman’s Guide to Stress-Free Cooking (in 20 Minutes or Less!)

By: Debora M Coty

To Be Published: November 1, 2015

Publisher: Barbour Books

NonFiction/Cookbook/Christian

I became a fan of Debora Coty’s writing when I saw her book, TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED in 2011. It held several A-HA! moments for me and I felt like Coty understood how easy it is to get in the cycle of “busyness” without slowing down and enjoying the moments.

Coty knows what it is like to balance a home, a career, and your family while trying to provide a nutritional meal every day of the week. She has compiled some of her tried and true favorites from Dump Dishes (One -Stop Schlopping Dinner in a Pan) to Southern Favorites including her Grandma’s best recipes to Heart Healthy Dishes and even Desserts. She has stock-piled these recipes over the last forty years and has compiled them together into one cookbook for busy women. Recipes cover all culinary tastes and can be adapted to families or empty-nesters.

I liked how all the meals used pretty basic ingredients and for the two recipes I tried, I just needed to buy a couple ingredients that I didn’t already have in my pantry. Coty shares her recipe fumbles and successes along with stories of why a particular recipe is a favorite. Each recipe is thoroughly explained and takes little time to prepare.

Even though I highlighted numerous recipes that I want to try, I chose the Impossible Meat Pie and Pizza in a Pot for my first two dishes. Both were quick and easy and with a few minor changes allowed me to feed our family of five. I added the side dishes to complete the meal.

Impossible Meat Pie uses Bisquick, hamburger, mixed veggies and cheese as the main ingredients. It lacked a pop of flavor, but was simple to mix up and pop in the oven.

The Pizza in a Pot tasted more appetizing than it looks. I wish I hadn’t put all the sauce in that the recipe called for because I felt like it was too much. But, since I cooked it in the slow cooker, I didn’t want it to get to dry. It actually tasted pretty good if you can get past the look of it. The recipe includes lasagna noodles, pepperoni, ricotta, cheese, and spaghetti sauce. It only took 4 hours in the slow cooker on low, so it isn’t something you could put in before you go to work. It’s more of a weekend dish, which is when I cooked it. Serving it with rolls or garlic bread to dip in the extra sauce was a plus as well.

Overall, I really liked her cookbook and stories she shared about her family, her faith, and tips for women in general. I read this on my Kindle before the book was published. There were some formatting issues, like the letter “f” was missing throughout the entire book. Once I figured it out, it wasn’t a huge issue, but was a bit odd. A couple other recipes had missing steps in the recipe description, but most women comfortable in the kitchen would figure it out. Again, these will likely be fixed for the print edition. There were some recipes I have seen before, but had forgotten like Oyster Cracker Eaties. I haven’t had them in ages and want to make them for our next gathering with friends.

Coty closes the book with menu suggestions and ingredients list for three days worth of meals which is a great idea to help with meal planning. If you are looking for new suggestions to add to your family meal rotation, this cookbook will offer lots of ideas.

Debora Coty – source

A poster child for “It’s never too late to chase the dreams Papa God places in your heart,”Deb began writing professionally after her youngest chick flew the coop back in 2002 Since then, Deb has been blessed with over 140 published articles, and 15 award-winning inspirational books. She loves to swat a tennis ball around a court and hike in the mountains. Deb lives, loves, and laughs in central Florida with her husband of 36 years, Chuck, and her desperately wicked pooch, Fenway. For more on Debora and her books, check out her website, http://deboracoty.com/. 

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