Lauren Chattman has written a lovely new book called Mom’s Big Baking Book: 200 Simple and Surefire Family Favorites for Birthday Parties, Bake Sales, and More. Like many moms, I have a very hectic schedule, and to be totally honest, the kitchen is not a safe or friendly place for me. However, I have found Lauren Chattman’s baking recipes to be very easy and even I can make them.

The book is divided into seven sections: Beyond the Case of the Freezer: Homemade Pancakes and Waffles; Mom’s Cafe – muffins, quick breads, cookies and scones; The Cookie Jar: Old Fashioned Cookies, Mom’s Way; Easy-Bake Oven: Keeping it Simple with Brownies and Bard; Mom’s Apple Pie: Tarts, Pies, Quiches, and Cobblers That Don’t Fail; birthdays and beyond: cakes for all occasions; and yeast is your friend: basic bread and pizza.

I love cake, I can’t help it. But I don’t like just any kind of cake. It has to be yellow cake. So I thought I’d try making the classic yellow layer cake (or cupcakes) from the chapter on Birthdays and beyond. I chose to make cupcakes instead of a cake because I was more comfortable with my cupcake pans than my cake pans. The recipe was so easy that I couldn’t believe my luck. No cupcake would go to a party without frosting, so I covered my fresh baked goods with vanilla birthday cake frosting. I love a party! My friends couldn’t believe my newfound talent.

I felt pretty confident in the dessert category, so I decided to make my son some Apple Spiced Raisin Dumplings from the chapter on Mom’s Apple Pie. The sweet pie crust recipe was easy to prepare as was the filling. My kitchen smelled divine while the empanadas were baking. Turnovers are a keeper.

I had my best friend (and her waffle maker) over for Sunday breakfast a few weeks ago so we could try one of the waffle recipes from the Beyond the Freezer section of the book. After much deliberation, we chose gingerbread waffles. I think I can have a new career here and my list of new friends is constantly growing.

I plan on baking a lot more in the coming weeks. On my list to try are pan pizza crust, salty cornbread, oatmeal cookies, and instant homemade microwave brownies.

I appreciated the time-saving tips and techniques offered in each chapter, as well as the information on mail order and online resources. The only complaint I have about this book is that it doesn’t contain color photos of the recipes, a feature I really appreciate as I am a true novice in the kitchen.

You can find this book at your local public library, but you’ll probably want to purchase a copy for your own collection.

ISBN: 9781558323957