Review: How to Use Prepared Items to Make Hearty Soups
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 28, 2013
When looking for a cookbook that I want to keep, I look for several things. Does the book describe the types of ingredients that are being used? Are the amounts and directions specific? Are there any personal anecdotes about the recipes being shown? Are there pictures to show me how it should look? Does the recipe give a preparation time? Is the layout of the recipe easy to follow and preferably on one page. For the kindle there is an additional thing I look for. Is there a clickable table of contents? None of these are deal breakers. However, the more of the above questions that are answered in yes , the better chance of me purchasing it.This book as it has homemade in the title has an additional item to check for.  In my opinion most of these recipes aren't truly homemade as most of the items start with cream of mushroom or cream of chicken.  In one instance she even used a lasagna in a box as a basis for a soup.  So while I take umbrage to the word homemade, as I consider homemade should be from fresh ingredients, it is still a very useful book.If you desire to have hearty soups that could almost be a meal in of themselves, that take minimal time (although a couple of them are designed for slow cookers).  This is the book for you.The below comments refer back to what I expect in a cookbook.1. The format of the recipes is the top half is a list of ingredients, one ingredient per line.2. Below are the directions in paragraph form (not my favorite method).3. There are no illustrations.4. The author doesn't list number of servings. (Although sometimes she will mention if the recipe is only for 1 or 2 people.5. Cooking times are not listed.6. When she uses prepared items she lists the can size.7. She does talk about how the recipes have been received by friends and family.I recommend this book.