If you don’t own one of Anne Byrn’s Cake Doctor cookbooks, you don’t know what you’re missing. The original version was published more than 10 years ago and is still just as popular as it was back then.

Creating more involved dessert recipes from a boxed cake mix is something that I’ve found quite enjoyable. With the help of one of Anne’s books, I think you will too.

Her newest cookbook, Cake Mix Doctor Returns, features 160 totally new cake mix recipes. There are 16 cupcake and muffin recipes, 38 Bundt and pound cake recipes, 40 layer cake recipes and much more. Cookies and wedding cake and Whoopie Pies, oh my!

As prices at the grocery store continue to rise, a yummy piece of cake can still be a terrific, inexpensive, pleasure.

(If there was some way to magically extract the calories, it would be the PERFECT dessert. Don’t you think?)

In addition to the initial cookbook and The Cake Doctor Returns, other titles include: The Chocolate Cake Doctor and Cupcakes from the Cake Doctor.

For you cupcake lovers, out there, feel free to read my post on nifty cupcake stands and/or this giant cupcake pan.

Do you own one (or more) of these cookbooks? Please take a minute to tell us what you think of the cake mix recipes, contained within.

I’ve had this cookbook in my possession, for over a year. I absolutely love it! In fact, I use it several times a month. The Red Hat Society Cookbook is really just a GIANT community cookbook, compiled by Red Hat Ladies from all over the country.

The hard cover edition contains over 1,000 yummy recipes, including four chapters worth of desserts… the first four chapters. (If you have been searching for recipes that require boxed cake mixes, as a base, look no further.) Strawberry YaYa Cake, anyone?

Take the time to read some of the rave reviews about this inventive cookbook. You will soon discover that those who have ordered it, before you, believe it’s one of the wisest purchases they’ve made. Many have purchased extra copies to give as gifts.

Intermixed with all of the tasty recipes are fun stories, antidotes and photos submitted by these wonderful ladies.

I happen to love the Maple Glazed Ribs and the Ice Cream Crunch Torte… just two of the many recipes I have prepared.

If you are looking for a true down to earth, ‘tastes like Moms home cooking’, cookbook I urge you to order this one. If you only refer to it half as much as I do, it will still be well worth the purchase price.

I’ve collected cookbooks, for years. If I had my way (and a larger house) I’d own more of them. Every time I purchase a new one, my husband rolls his eyes and asks me where I’m going to put it.

Even though I have access to millions of recipes, on the Internet, they will never replace my love for the traditional cookbook. There is just something about them that makes me feel like Betty Crocker.

Over the years, I have learned to really research a cookbook before adding it to my collection. That way, there is a less likely chance that it will need to be returned. (I don’t have enough space to keep a cookbook I probably won’t use.)

That being said, I recently subscribed to Cookbook Digest and am eagerly awaiting the delivery of my first issue. Each month I will be made privy to recipes and reviews from twenty popular cookbooks.

The magazine also includes a great many colorful photos and informative articles, covering topics such as entertaining, seasonal foods, product and equipment recommendations and much more.

I opted for the 6-month subscription. There is a 12-month subscription available as well. This allows you to choose the one that more easily fits into your budget.

All I can say is if this cookbook would have been in existence when my son was in grade school, I would have had a MUCH better chance of being named ‘Homeroom Mother of the Year’.

Hello Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make is the collaborative effort of authors Alan Richardson and Karen Tack. Go Alan! Go Ka-ren!

Thanks to this cookbook, you don’t have to be related to ‘the Martha’ to make creative cupcakes… to die for. It features detailed instructions, along with large photos that even the most novice baker will clearly understand.

When it comes to the actual recipes, they are divided into two categories… quick cupcakes that you prepare using a box mix and made from scratch cupcakes.

Masterpieces include: TV dinner (”peas & carrots”, “drumsticks”, & “mashed potato” cupcakes!), sunflower cupcakes, the big top, alien cupcakes, Easter egg cupcakes, snowman cupcakes, fat cat cupcakes, bowling ball and pins cupcakes and SO much more.

There are also tons of great hints to assist you in creating the best cupcakes you can possibly make. Learn the easiest way to pour batter and frost finished cakes. Learn how to draw bugs and faces with melted chocolate… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg (or should I say icing?)

This cookbook has been added to my growing list of ‘kitchen gotta haves’. Need I say, YUM?

I plan on purchasing this cookbook, along with the fondue pot I blogged about in my last post. The Everything Fondue Cookbook, by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson, features 300 tasty fondue ideas.

(The ‘Everything’ series is excellent. I own two of these books and can attest to the fact that they are well worth the investment.)

When it comes to cooking it seems that Ms. Parkinson knows her stuff. She has also written The Everything Chinese Cookbook and has been the Chinese Cuisine Guide at About.com, since 1998.

If you take the time to read some of the reviews written about this cookbook, you will see that it has been well received. Even the folks who were leery about buying it, because of all of the free recipes on the Internet, are glad they did.

As you might guess, there are yummy fondue suggestions for every meal and occasion. How about Ham and Cheese Fondue for breakfast, Crab Rangoon Fondue as an appetizer and Chocolate Kahlua Dessert Fondue as an after dinner treat?

What is the most creative fondue recipe you have ever come up with? We would all love to know what ‘dippers’ were served with it and how it turned out. Let the fondue begin!

I love Paula Deen and her cookbooks. My grandparents were from down south and many of Paula’s recipes remind me of my grandma’s cooking… which I miss terribly!

If you take the time to read reviews on Christmas with Paula Deen, you will find them more than favorable. It was published in October 2007 and features a wealth of yummy holiday dishes. I don’t have this particular cookbook yet, but it’s on my list… along with a million other things!

The cookbook includes family stories, baking tips, family photos and some of her most requested recipes… many suitable for holiday gift giving.

Recipes include dishes like Standing Rib Roast served with three, yes THREE, kinds of mashed potatoes (her traditional Christmas dinner), Praline French Toast Casserole, Cheese Coated Bacon Wraps and Chocolate Cheese Fudge.

These traditional Southern recipes are easy to understand and can be prepared with common ingredients.

The only thing that I think would improve this cookbook is the addition of photos, depicting the finished dishes. This is a small book, great to use as a stocking stuffer.

Do you serve a traditional Christmas dinner like Paula? Or, are you like me and vary the menu, from year to year? Inquiring holiday cooks want to know.

I own all of Todd Wilbur’s ‘Top Secret’ cookbooks and use them quite frequently. This one, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 was in published in 2006 and features 150 recipes.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mr. Wilbur, he is referred to as the ‘King of Clone Recipes’. He brings the restaurant to you… no tip required. If you tend to eat out a lot, these cookbooks can save you a bundle.

This edition will teach you to make signature dishes from eateries such as Applebee’s, California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, Hard Rock Café, IHOP, Olive Garden, Outback Steak House, Red Robin, T.G.I Friday’s and more.

The thing I like best about all of Todd’s recipes is the fact that they call for common ingredients and are pretty darn simple to prepare. For example, do you know that you can make Twinkie molds out of aluminum foil? (There is no need to purchase the $25 pan, made specifically for this purpose.)

If you love Buffalo Wild Wings and Sauces, this is the cookbook for you! Recipes include: Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce, Medium Wing Sauce and Hot Wing Sauce. YUM!!

Do you own any of these cookbooks? If so, what is your favorite recipe? We’d all love to know.

Because I’m trying to trim, both, my grocery budget and my waistline we ate a lot of chicken around here. Thank goodness my husband loves it and my ‘picky eater’ son no longer lives at home.

I recently received a review copy of 150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken (And 50 Ways to Roast It), by Tony Rosenfeld. I honestly can’t wait to try some of the recipes. The Glazed Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash and Chicken with Sage and Cornmeal Dumplings sound especially yummy.

The cookbook includes ‘chicken basics’ such as cooking times, butterflying and carving instructions, roasting and grilling tips and additional recipes for things such as rubs, glazes, bread crumbs, stuffings, gravies, sauces and even mashed potatoes and other vegetable side dishes.

There’s no reason why you can’t throw an extra chicken into the roaster when it’s time to cook. It doesn’t take any extra effort at all and gives you twice as much meat to use for sandwiches, casseroles and salads.

This REALLY is an excellent cookbook. I recommend it wholeheartedly and would love to hear your thoughts about it, as well.

Isn’t it great that there are so many things you can do with chicken? Personally, I’m always on the lookout for new recipes, so feel free to share yours. I’d love to add it to my files… especially if it’s a potpie.

I own the first edition of this neat little cookbook. You might be surprised to learn that it continues to be one of my favorites… even after all these years.

I’ve eaten a lot of Ramen noodles in my day. I’ve never particularly cared for the seasoning packet. In my opinion it’s just too salty. I always added bouillon to mine, instead. When I was in a more creative mood, I added things like ham chunks and broccoli or whatever sounded good at the time. That was before the cookbook…

Now when I’m hungry for Ramen, I feel like a gourmet. (Well, sort of!) Before I acquired the cookbook, I never dreamed you could make custard pudding out of these noodles. YUM! There are tons of things you can do with them, all quite inexpensively.

These recipes are so creative that it makes me wish I would’ve thought of them myself. Some of the recipes, in this edition, include: Pasta Salad, Ramen Trail Mix, Taco Salad, Chicken Alfredo, Ramen Burgers, Chocolate Chinos and Cheddar Beef Casserole… and that’s just the beginning.

This cookbook would make a great gift for college students or anyone who is trying to save money on their grocery bill.
What’s your favorite way to eat on these noodles? Please share your recipes here.

If you live in a small household but still enjoy whipping up a batch of cookies, yummy cake or other dessert, now you can do so on a smaller scale. If you are anything like me you’ll wonder how you ever got along without Small Batch Baking, by Debby Maugans Nakos.

Since my son no longer lives at home, it’s just my husband and I. Because he isn’t all that keen on sweets, I’m usually the one who eats the majority of what I bake. Needless to say, it’s not good for my waistline.

This cookbook makes a great gift for newlyweds, college students and empty-nesters… not to mention the single person who loves to bake. It includes recipes for cookies, cakes, breakfast breads, pies and much more!

Some of my favorite recipes include: Spiced Sweet Potato Bundt Cakes (made in mini Bundt molds), Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble with Tapioca Sauce, Down Home Buttermilk Biscuits and Cheesecake Toffee Drops.

When six cookies or three brownies or two servings of cake or pie are just enough, Small Batch Baking is the cookbook for you.

There is a whole chapter dedicated to decadent Valentine’s Day desserts, as well. (Of course, it goes without saying that these same recipes are more than appropriate to serve any other day of the year.)