The Prairie Table

Author: Karlynn Jonston
Genre: Cookbook
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Appetite (Random House Canada)
First Published: May 1, 2019
Opening Lines: "Living on the Prairies is all about socializing, spending time with thos we love, and enjoying tasty food."

Book Description from GoodReads: Celebrate prairie life with this delicious combination of more than 100 recipes from Karlynn Johnston, bestselling author of Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky. Discover new and nostalgic prairie favorites, perfect for family dinners, potluck parties, picnic lunches, and gatherings of all kinds.

Karlynn Johnston, beloved blogger behind The Kitchen Magpie, knows first-hand that meals made with love--cooked with comfort in mind, and filled with real ingredients--are greeted with the biggest smiles. In The Prairie Table, she captures the magic of families crowded around the kitchen table; of social gatherings, with picnic benches groaning under the weight of a multitude of dishes; of food eaten in wide-open spaces under sunshine-filled blue skies.

Featuring more than 100 recipes--from salads to vegetable dishes; home-baked breakfasts to easy main meals; crowd-pleasing appetizers to portable desserts; a chapter dedicated to the Ukrainian heritage of the prairies, and much more!--The Prairie Table is filled with Karlynn's approachable and tasty dishes. Paired with gorgeous photography and candid stories, every recipe in this book can easily be cut in half for a smaller family meal or doubled for a large event, and there are even quick "cheater" recipes for when you are in a hurry. You can then complement each dish with the array of cocktails and mocktails featured in the final chapter of the book, written by special guest and popular Kitchen Magpie contributor, Karlynn's husband Mike (aka Mr. Kitchen Magpie).

Whether it's Grandma Ellen's Cold Picnic Barbecue Fried Chicken, perfect for a hot summer day; Sweet and Sour Meatballs to bring to your community potluck; Mango, Avocado, and Arugula Salad that even the pickiest of eaters will love; Pi�a Colada Sour Cream Squares for unexpected visitors; or pitcher-friendly cocktails like Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Fizz, The Prairie Table brings quintessential prairie cooking to kitchens everywhere.

My Rating: 5 stars

My Review: The Prairie Table features down-to-earth, good 'ol Canadian recipes from the blogger behind the highly successful The Kitchen Magpie. In this cookbook, Karlynn Johnston shares over 100 recipes - from appetizers and main dishes to side dishes, delicious desserts and cocktails (compliments of Mr. Kitchen Magpie). These tasty yet doable recipes will encourage us to share more meals with those we love and remind us of the importance of reconnecting at the end of a busy day.

I immediately enjoyed the personable, friendly feel to Karlynn's writing as she shares the recipes she makes for her own family and big get-togethers. Organized into 8 chapters and with a nostalgic, retro vibe to its colour pictures, Karlynn weaves some of her heritage into the book by dedicating the first chapter to the tasty Ukrainian dishes she grew up on. As a Tater Connoisseur myself, I'm particularly smitten with the section on perogies. Oh .. my .. word. I'm eager to jump into her "Choose Your Own Perogy Adventure" section to learn how to make these wonderful little pillows of awesome.

I tried a couple of the recipes before this review -- my daughter and I made the Cake Mix Cookies (using cherry chip - deelish!) and I'm relieved to know that Karlynn (like myself) is a serious banana hoarder. I am not alone. Phew! Her Banana Gingerbread Loaf was a great way to reduce my cache of frozen 'nanas and it was big time yum. 

I also plan to make many more recipes including: Beer and Orange-Glazed Salmon, Curried Honey Chipotle Sweet Potatoes, Make-Ahead Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole...

I love that Karlynn's writing and recipes have a casual, homey feel. I'm not one for snooty cookbooks that make me feel bad for not knowing certain hard-to-find ingredients. Her 'down home cook who loves food and family' vibe fits me to a T and I'm sending Karlynn a big High Five for her Cheater recipes. Life is busy and sometimes you have to make a quick meal with a few not-from-scratch ingredients that make life easier. Life's too short for food guilt.

With good tips, a wonderful down-home feel and a great selection of doable recipes, The Prairie Table will get home cooks into the kitchen and eager to share their new culinary skills at family dinners, dinner parties and large potlucks.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Appetite Books for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.