Are you having a bad hair day? Whip out your whisk, snatch up your spoon, and prepare your palate. Inside the pages of this cookbook are recipes that will bring you good cheer.Enjoy 160+ tasty recipes from Nancy J. Cohen’s popular Bad Hair Day cozy mystery series. Included in this cookbook are excerpts, cooking tips, and anecdotes written by hairstylist and savvy sleuth Marla Vail. From … Marla Vail. From appetizers to desserts, Marla offers cooking tips and tricks along with commentary about the dishes she prepares for her family. Whether you’re a skilled cook or an eager novice, this cookbook will unravel the mystery of cooking. Put on your apron and plan to make some killer recipes. Bonuses Include:
- Meet the Sleuth
- Introduction by Marla Vail
- Cooking Tips
- Excerpts from Series Titles
- Themed Menu Suggestions
- “A Sabbath Dinner” by Nancy’s Mother
For Home Cooks, Food Lovers, Mystery Fans and Cookbook Collectors
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In this new book from Nancy Cohen you’ll find a wonderful collection of recipes right out of her Bad Hair Day cozy mystery series. I always love when a cozy author includes recipes in their books but it’s even better when they bring all those recipes together and puts them in a cookbook. There are over 160 recipes to choose from and there is not only something for everybody but also a great recipe for any occasion. I always love trying recipes from books and made the Spinach Artichoke Dip for my nieces baby shower. It was easy to make and went over well with all the guests, you know something is good when people ask for the recipe. The anecdotes that came with each recipe were lovely, they added a touch of insight into each one. I look forward to reading more of the Bad Hair Day series and can’t wait to see what recipes she includes next. I’ll definitely be waiting for another cookbook in the future!!!
This is an amazing collection of recipes straight out of Nancy’s books! I’ve actually tried a couple and they are GREAT. Occasionally, an ingredient substitution is necessary (only for personal preference), but most of the recipes are easy and good enough to tolerate a dash of change. A wonderful variety of recipes for all tastes and needs, desires and varieties accommodate the amount of time you have to prepare. Something for everyone! As the saying goes, “try it, you’ll like it!” I received a complimentary copy and I am providing this honest, and unsolicited review after reading and trying the recipes.
What a fun cookbook! Lots of interesting recipes sprinkled with snippets from the author’s mystery novels. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
“A Bad Hair Day Cookbook” earns 5+/5 Silver Whisks!
Nancy J. Cohen’s cookbook states, “Whether you’re a skilled cook or an eager novice, this cookbook will have you in and out of the kitchen in no time.” So any experienced or novice cook will enjoy this “must have” collection of 160+ recipes of family favorites, some “inherited from [Nancy’s] mother.” From appetizers to entrees and sides, from breads, sauces, and soups in time for cold weather to desserts and refreshing beverages, the cookbook also includes such bonuses as Cooking Tips, suggestions for Themed Menus and Holiday Dinners, a delightful story, A Sabbath Dinner, written by Nancy’s mother, and several excerpts from books in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries. The Introduction by the book’s protagonist Marla Vail should not be overlooked; it highlights a humorous disclaimer since Marla grew up in a kosher household, “If you’re looking for pork or ham recipes, you won’t find them in these pages. I can’t say the same for shrimp, however. I know what you’re thinking, but that’s the way it is.” Each recipe begins with an entertaining introduction from Marla Vail’s perspective on background, cooking or serving tips, or connections to her book’s characters. For my test, I chose The Tomato Broccoli Quiche recipe, described as a favorite of Marla’s husband Dalton, finding it easy to make and delicious, and thankful for a calorie-reducing suggestion. Do you have a slow cooker? I do, so I’ll be exploring Mushroom Pot Roast, Roast of Lamb, Apricot Chicken, Turkey Breast, Chicken Cacciatore, and Cornish Hens. I have the eBook version of Cohen’s cookbook and appreciate its organization, recipes put into categories, and links in the Table of Contents easily navigate the list of recipes. I love it! Suggestion? Not anything of consequence. This cookbook is complete, well-organized providing interesting ideas, and stories. Well, since I’m a sucker for cookbooks, I would have enjoyed illustrations, photos, or images.
If you asked me a couple years ago what my favorite genre is to read, I’d have told you cozy mysteries. They still are, but now they tie with cookbooks. I can read my way through a cookbook just like I can any novel. Authors like Nancy J. Cohen have brought them both together. All I can say is, thank you!
A BAD HAIR DAY COOKBOOK brings to readers the amazingly delicious recipes from the series of the same name. Easy, fancy, and favorite standbys, they’re all covered, making this book packed with something for everyone! Some of the mouthwatering recipes you’ll find are Asparagus Cheese Pockets, Eggplant Dip, Stuffed Mushrooms, Citrus Cider, Lime Punch, Cranberry Bread, Ritz Cracker Stuffing, Turkey Gravy, White Wine Gravy, Butternut Squash Soup, Sweet Onion Chowder, Brisket Cola, Honey Barbecue Meatloaf, Slow Cooker Mushroom Pot Roast, Chicken Broccoli Casserole, Chicken Mac and Cheese, Chicken Thighs Dijon, Slow Cooker Cornish Hens, Baked Tilapia, Macaroni Shrimp Salad, Tuna Rice Supreme, Mushroom Potato Savory, Spinach Stuffed Shells, Vegetarian Stew, Cauliflower Couscous, Gingered Brussel Sprouts, Potato Onion Bake, Apple Rum Cake, Chocolate Mint Torte, Lemon Bread Pudding, and Pear Cake. I haven’t even touched on all of the recipes in this book. Just wait until you see!
The recipes are only a part of this book. You will learn about sleuth, Marla Vail, read a wonderful introduction by Ms. Cohen, get helpful cooking tips, and read excerpts from the books in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries and learn the titles of the books in the series that contain recipes. There are themed menus, holiday dinners, and a delightful article from the author’s mother.
I loved everything about this book, and look forward to trying many of the dishes myself. There are no photos (you know I love my recipe photos in cookbooks), but none are to be expected in a cozy mystery themed cookbook, so I didn’t miss their presence. (you can find photos here . . .
https://www.facebook.com/pg/NancyJCohenAuthor/photos/?tab=album&album_id=3066779393337097&ref=page_internal
Pick up a copy of A BAD HAIR DAY COOKBOOK. It is a must have for any cozy mystery and/or cookbook fan!
This is a really wonderful cookbook! The recipes are easy to make and are delicious! I have tried a number of them for my family and they loved them all. I especially loved the “chicken cacciatore”! The recipes are wonderful if you don’t have a lot of time or even if you do! You will be able to have more family time. I loved that there are excerpts of A Bad Hair Day Mystery books throughout this book. This is a fun cookbook to read through and each recipe will make your mouth water! I loved the article the author included at the end of the book written by her mother. At the end of the book the author includes a list of themed menus, holiday dinners, a list of her books with recipes, and a list of all of her books available. After reading and enjoying the meals you will make from this cookbook, you will want to read her Bad Hair Day Mystery series!
There are so many good recipes in this cookbook. I tried several and they are so yummy!
I’m not much of a cook but this cookbook made me want to become one!! Highly recommend it.
Food, recipes, and a mystery series – a yummy treat!
A fun way to experience recipes and food – through the eyes of a master storyteller in her favorite character’s voice. The guacamole, Portobello mushroom appetizers, and shrimp brown rice are some of my fav dishes. I love Nancy’s Bad Hair Day series, and I eagerly look forward to her next release.
I love to cook and I collect cookbooks and recipes. I am always looking for something different and I actually did find a few in the book that I want to try.
A Bad Hair Day Cookbook is unique in the way that it shares not only recipes but excerpts and anecdotes written by hairstylist and savvy sleuth Marla Vail.
Marla Vail is a hairstylist who is known for exposing secrets. Marla lives in Florida with her detective husband along with his two daughters. She uses her abilities to pursue justice.
In the book, there is an introduction by Marla Vail and she explains a little about who she is and a bit about her recipes. There is also a section on cooking tips like what to do with herbs, and what you can do with bananas, fresh ginger, and using eggplant in a lot of recipes. This section also has how to make gravy by making a roux and do you use flour or cornstarch for the roux. Wonder how to cook corn in the husk? The book has that.
The recipe section has appetizers, entrees, breads, beverages, sauces, soups, veggies, meats, and desserts. Interspersed in the recipes are excerpts from various books by the author. I liked the section that had Themed Menus, holiday dinners, books with recipes and a Sabbath dinner. Lots of fun information in this book that made it hard to put down. I did bookmark quite a few of the recipes. Easy to follow too!
If you love a cozy mystery book, this is for you and as a plus, you get lots of recipes! I highly recommend getting this book and cook something for your family or just you and read a few excerpts also!
A Bad Hair Day Cookbook by Nancy J. Cohen is a different approach toa cookbook, but one that I enjoyed.
Find the recipe and which mystery it came from
I haven’t read any of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, but now I want to learn more about Marla Vail and her detective husband. Marla sounds like a fabulous character. I am adding these to my TBR pile.
The thing about this cookbook is each group of recipes; there is an excerpt from one of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries. There are so many great recipes, and I can’t wait to try some of them, like Brisket with dried plums or the mushroom barley soup. Yum!
So, check it out. We all need cookbooks, and this one comes with excerpts from mysteries. How many cookbooks can say that? I am giving A Bad Hair Day Cookbook by Nancy J. Cohen, five stars. Maybe, I will post a few of the recipes on social media later.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Bad Hair Day Cookbook by Nancy J. Cohen.
Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
I am excited to get my hands on a copy of this cookbook. There is a variety of easy to make recipes, including beef, chicken, fish, and vegetarian entrees. Followed by a fun book excerpt that lists the recipes featured in Nancy J. Cohen’s Cozy Mystery Series. I will definitely be starting with the dessert recipes. The Cranberry Bread sounds yummy! I am looking forward to trying all these great recipes.
I am a cookbook-aholic and always love when authors that include recipes in their books compile them all into one easy location – like a cookbook! I have been savoring each recipe and while I haven’t made any of them quite yet, I have bookmarked a few to try out on my family and friends.
What I also enjoyed about this book was the excerpts from several of the books, noting which recipes were from which book, and the tips and tricks at the beginning. The recipes include everything from appetizers to desserts and everything in between.
A new favorite cookbook. I will be buying a hard copy very soon. Plenty of yummy recipes to keep me busy for a bit.
The cooking tips, in the beginning, were very helpful. A few things I did not know like you can exchange parsley for cilantro. It is divided into sections like most cookbooks are but Cohen made sure to include a vegetarian section which will be helpful when I have my niece over. There is also a beverage section. If you like doing theme dinners, Cohen has also taken the time to give you themes and what recipes you should fix for that theme. How fun!
I have never read The Bad Hair Day cozy series so I enjoyed the book excerpts throughput the cookbook. I have put this series high on my TBR list for 2020.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Orange Grove Press, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
A BAD HAIR DAY COOKBOOK
By Nancy J. Cohen
Marla Vail, the savvy hairdresser and sleuth of the Bad Hair Day Mystery series by Nancy J. Cohen, is back. Instead of solving a new mystery, however, Marla is sharing lots of easy to prepare recipes in a cookbook.
A BAD HAIR DAY COOKBOOK is a great little book. There are a lot of recipes, over 160, well organized into types, for example appetizers, beverages, and desserts. I especially like how the entrees are divided into types as well, lamb, chicken, vegetarian and more! The recipes themselves are quite simple, for the most part. A good number also involve time saving measuring such as pre-packaged food and the use of a microwave.
Each section of the book includes a nice graphic, the story line of one of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, the names of recipes included in that book, or food talked about if the book didn’t include recipes, and an excerpt. In addition each recipe has a little introduction by Marla, sometimes including tips. Suggestions for themed and holiday dinners are also included as well as a special article written by author Nancy Cohen’s mother entitled A Sabbath Dinner.
I was pleased to see a great variety of foods and flavors included and I was absolutely thrilled to see several recipes featuring lychees! I adore lychees, but aside from one recipe by Ming Tsai, I have never cooked with them. Lychee Blueberry Muffins and Lychee Curry Chicken will hopefully find their way to my plate soon!
A BAD HAIR DAY COOKBOOK is an easy to read cookbook chock full of recipes and anecdotes from the Bad Hair Day Mystery series. This book is enjoyable to read even if you’re unfamiliar with the mysteries and even if you don’t cook!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me an e-copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
I enjoy cookbooks of all kinds and books with recipes in them, so I was eager to get a look at A Bad Hair Day Cookbook. Marla Vail is the star of author Nancy J. Cohen’s Bad Hair Day Mysteries. She’s down to earth, running a business as a hairstylist, providing a home for her husband Detective Dalton Vail and his teenage daughter, Brianna, and getting involved in crime solving on the side. The books have provided many hours of reading pleasure as well as several tasty recipes.
A Bad Hair Day Cookbook is as down to earth as Marla. It spans soup to nuts, appetizers to desserts, and contains an interesting variety of dishes, from some staples everybody makes to more exotic dishes and Passover meals. This is the kind of cookbook you’ll want to keep on your kitchen counter for handy reference on those days when you are racking your brain trying to come up with ideas for dinner. Whether it’s an old standby you forgot all about or a new or unusual combination or preparation of ingredients there will be something to appeal to you. Even if you’ve only got a job and family to attend to and aren’t solving crime in your spare time, this cookbook will make your life easier. The recipes are easy to follow and designed to save time, utilizing prepared or pre-packaged foods when possible without sacrificing variety, taste or presentation.
The book begins with an introduction of terms and techniques for the novice cook, and Marla provides commentary for each dish – its history, cute movie references, how her family liked it, how simple it was to make, how she especially likes to serve it, how to use any leftovers, etc. This commentary makes A Bad Hair Day Cookbook more than just a book of recipes. It’s fun, especially for long-time fans of the series. Also included are some excerpts from various books to give you a peek into Marla’s sleuthing.
A Bad Hair Day Cookbook is a cookbook I will use again and again. I am an experienced cook and love to experiment but I don’t always have a lot of time and Marla has provided time savers as well as meals I haven’t really thought of before that I feel are sure to please my family. It will be fun trying them all! A special treat is an excerpt from the forthcoming book in the series. Author Nancy J. Cohen is a bit of a “foodie” providing recipes, food tips and reviews of meals she’s eaten in various locations on her blog and FB posts. A Bad Hair Day Cookbook is the next logical step. Many thanks to her for providing an advanced copy for my honest review.