Holly Sinclair gave me a free copy of her amazing cook book, The ABCs of Appetizers, in exchange for an honest review. I enjoy cooking, when I have time. It seems like I don’t have much of that lately. The wonderful part of this cookbook is the ease of making the recipes. I got to throw things in my mixer and let it do the heavy lifting.
Here are some of the recipes I tried:
Kalamata Olive Spread This was my favorite. The blend of salty and creamy made my tastebuds tingle. I had to go look up kalamata olives, and was surprised I already had a jar of them in my refrigerator! Go figure. My husband likes to buy random snacks he thinks I’ll like, and the olives made the impulse shopping list. With the parsley from our garden, garlic from my mother-in-law’s garden, and groceries we always keep on hand, this one recipe was easy and low budget. All I had to buy was a pack of cream cheese and the baguette.
Easy Chicken Cheese Ball Like the name says, it is easy. It’s also fun. I got to mash it in my hands and roll it around. Who says not to play with your food?
I did have to buy more of the supplies for this one, since we don’t keep cream cheese, pecans, and canned chicken on hand. My best friend gave her thumb’s up of approval, and then took half of the remaining cheese ball home to her husband.
Topped Taters This one is great if your attention is divided between entertaining a 4 year old and feeding a 1 year old. I set the potatoes to boil, and came back 20 minutes later. Slice, gouge, and top! We ended up having a surprise guest that night, and this made an excellent treat for him to snack on. Now if only cleaning my house was as easy…
If you want in on this delicious goodness, you’re in luck! One commenter on this post will win a free digital copy of this cookbook. To enter, just leave a comment. If you want to leave a comment but don’t want to enter, add “I hate food” to your comment. The winner will be announced on October 31st on Holly’s blog.
But if you can’t wait…
The ABC’s of Appetizers
This book contains 50 of the best appetizer recipes. Included are classics (like Caramelized Pear over Brie), favorites (like Wonton Wrappers), and her own creations (like Jambalaya Spirals).
Cost: $2.00 ebook
Where to get it:
Kindle | Smashwords | ibooks | Barnes & Nobles
Holly Sinclair, who goes by Southpaw on the Interwebs, finds cooking cathartic. The recipes she’s created and collected grew into cookbooks. Holly’s trying her hand at fiction and food seems to creep into most of her books.
Holly Sinclair Cookbooks, the website
HR Sinclair, the blog
Join Holly on the rest of her Blog Tour, each stop features a different cookbook and a chance for a free ebook!
You can join in the fun by signing up for the End of Tour Foodie Blog Hop!
Talk about a fond food memory, describe your disasters in the kitchen, post your favorite recipe or pictures of food, or do anything food related. Sign up here.
What are your favorite appetizers? Which one sounds the best?Are you hopping on board with the End of Tour Foodie Blog Hop?
I like easy chickens. Wait, that sounds bad.
The olive spread sounds really tasty!
I know, it should at least have you buy it dinner first.
I love the kalamata olive story! I love wonton’s stuffed with anything! Thanks so much for the review and hosting my book today.
It was a tasty treat to take part in this tour!
those potatoes look nom nom!
Hi Loni and Holly – I love, love, love Kalamati olives – so delicious .. not so easy to come by here … I had them all the time in South Africa – tin at hand. The idea of Kalamati Olive Spread seems an excellent idea – but I do enjoy all appetisers …
Cheers and great thoughts here … Easy Chicken Balls and Tasty Topped Taters … Hilary
What!?! You don’t normally have cream cheese on hand? Okay, fine. Not everyone keeps 5 to 10 types of cheese in their fridge, but they should. 😉
Only three types, my dear. Only three. 😀
What three do you keep on hand?
Parmesan, individually wrapped American slices, and Easy Cheese! (The first is for me, the other two are for the kids. :))
Miss Holly told me that my comments were in Spam. Thanks for setting them free. What is Easy Cheese? It sounds scary.
Hehehe, I think Easy Cheese scares to most people. It’s cheese that comes in a pressurized can, kind of like whipped cream.
Sorry about my spam filter. It gets me in trouble from time to time.
Ahem! I’m going to have to disagree. Two of those “cheeses” are NOT cheeses. (I’ll let you figure out which ones.) 😉
How did I know you would say that?
I love those mini potatoes!
(I need to drop in at your house. :P)
Great review. 🙂
Come on over anytime. 🙂
I’ve bought a few of Holly’s cookbooks. Like you, I enjoy cooking if I have the time. And with the holidays coming up, it’s always good to have a few fresh ideas for guests. Good stuff. 🙂
Thanks.
I love anything with potatoes. Those sound good.
Kalamata Olive Spread is sooo good. Now I’m starving! I need to eat lunch. 😉
Crystal, you’re not alone. Cheese is my life. And Loni, this made me SO HUNGRY haha. I miss cooking–used to cook all the time with my dad and brother a few years ago, but cleanup got too overwhelming so we stopped lol.
Thankfully, I have family who help with the dishes.
The topped taters sound really good. 🙂
They were!
Holy cow, these pictures have me salivating! There’s no better friend than one who cooks for you — or at least gives you great recipes! Wishing Holy much success! 🙂
Yes, of course I meant I was wishing “Holly” much success. “Holy” is the cow! lol
Thanks.
It’s terribly embarrassing when I leave out an “l” when I’m typing.
Ok, now I’m hungry. Man, reviewing a cookbook is dangerous work, huh? All the delicious food… Congrats, Holly! 😀
Oh, and welcome to the world of kalamata olives. One of my all-time favorite foods. Really.
Quite tasty indeed. 🙂
Those look really good – -especially the cheese ball!
And they tasted even better. 🙂 (Aesthetics aren’t my strong suit)
Oh, wow! I’m salivating. The appetizers look so yummy. And kalamata olives are my favorites.
I’ve made the olive spread before. One of my favorite things 🙂
I love easy recipes and that cheese ball looks delicious!
Looks delicious! I don’t get much time in the kitchen either. It’s important to have recipes to do between entertaining small children. 🙂
Tried to leave two comments and they didn’t work. Came back to give it a third go 🙂
What three cheeses do you keep on hand?
Wow, never even knew such appetizers existed.
Those look yummy! And just in time for the holidays!
Those look super yummy!! Maybe I do need to host a party this year.
Those all look delicious! I enjoy cooking, just don’t have much of an excuse for one lately. Makes me want to invite some people over though 🙂
Now I’m really hungry. Those sound fabulous! Holly is so clever.
What a fantastic roundup of appetizers, Each one looks so tempting, especially the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and the stuffed mushrooms. These recipes are perfect for entertaining guests or enjoying a cozy night in. Thanks for compiling such a great list—can’t wait to try them all.