I don’t review cookbooks as a general rule. Actually, as a general rule I don’t use cookbooks. My recipes come from long Saturdays and Sundays spent in the kitchen beside my mum or my grandad, or my own culinary experiments. If I really want to try something I might look up a recipe online occasionally and then I still adapt it to fit my needs.
But there’s a cookbook that was released on June 12th that I instantly put on pre-order the day I found out it was going to be released. I have to confess, I already knew that one of its authors is quite the foodie and culinary genius (even if others didn’t) and it just made it all the more tempting. Marketed at “gamers, coders, freaks and geeks” (am I giving away whose cook book this is yet?), I knew instantly that this was going to be a cookbook full of amazing recipes that would be worth a shot. And I also knew that as a disabled person, any recipe that’s going to involve a “Snack Hack” is going to be one that is probably going to be handy for me in the kitchen.
Snack Hacks by Claudia Christian and Mark Michel arrived on Saturday morning. By Saturday lunchtime I was cooking CC’s Sunday Blueberry Pancakes. Although I replaced he Blueberries with raspberry coulis (personal preference) made from frozen raspberries and just a tablespoon of maple syrup for sweetness.
As I said in my Instagram review of the recipe, I’ll be making these again. I just need to remind myself that they are a weekend treat because they truly are the best pancake recipe I’ve come across yet.
Today I made the Dragon Power Mac and Cheese and my review of that recipe is up on my Instagram too. Each recipe has a spoonie difficulty level attached and my honest opinion. I’ll be instagramming more recipe results as I delve further into the book. But I really am loving the healthy options inside!
I love that each recipe comes with its own “in game download” suggestion that creates an adaptation for the person cooking. The recipes give you background on which video game they are inspired by. “Hack Attack” pages give you handy hints and tips. There are “guest recipes” and information on Claudia and Mark’s love of food, the hacks they both use at home, and so much more.
I love the 8-bit graphic presentation of the book. It takes me back to my childhood and the games I used to play on Atari in my living room, the Sega Megadrive in my bedroom, or (yes I am this old), the BBC computer at school.
All in all, whether you’re a gamer, a Babylon 5 fan, a disabled foodie (or all of the above like myself), or none of these things, this cookbook is one that’s definitely worth having in your kitchen. I can’t wait to try the following recipes over the next week or so:
Slime Dressing
Crashbreaker Chips (which will go with the aforementioned slime dressing)
Claudia’s Deadly Disc Summer Citrus Pie
Mad Bomber Apple Pie Poppers
And who knows what adventures will await after that? My love of cooking is back. These recipes are making it so much fun and easier for this disabled foodie to access the kitchen!
nalebrun.com 