Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life (2024)

I think there must be some kinda thing with country music singers putting out cookbooks...but I saw that Martina McBride had one coming out and I did get all excited. I kinda have a girl crush on her.

Steven Tyler ain't bad either..just saying.

Anyways, I asked and Netgalley said yes. So I did the happy dance. The only hard part? I cannot hardly do a decent cookbook review on one of those download only books from Netgalley. My fat butt was running back and forth from the kitchen to the computer and I completely had a meltdown.
That is not the cookbook's fault though.

I actually did like this one. There are a few recipes that are in every cookbook known to man but there are some that I couldn't wait to try.
Like these....

Her spaghetti and meatballs and brocolli and cauliflower salad.

The meatballs got messed up because I stirred the crap outta them. User error.
They were good but I kinda like my recipe for them better because I didn't like the addition of pork and veal. The boys loved them though...so I probably was wrong.
Now that salad? That stuff was sooooo dang good.

Then I went for the Chicken Tiki Marasala.

And now? We gonna try her stuffed poblano peppers and lasagna soup.

I need a copy of this one on hand.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

I don't listen to country music so I'm not a fan of Martina Mcbride. I literally couldn't pick her out of a lineup. I saw a fantastic review filled with photos of tested recipes from this cookbook and thought it was worth a look. It is definitely worth the look. Not only is it stunning to look at, it has tips, "ad libs" which offer variations for each recipe, "don't knock it 'til you try it" recipes which are unusual concoctions and cooking methods that you may not think of on your own, and over 100 recipes ideal for home cooks. Included are breakfast/brunch, co*cktails, appetizers, salads/dressings, soups, sandwiches, main courses, side dishes, and desserts.

It's odd to give star ratings to cookbooks, but I tend to rate them on their usefulness and how realistic the recipes are in their execution and the balance between nourishment and enjoyment. I expect lots of pictures so I know what the final dish is supposed to look like and I don't expect to have to search for hard-to-find ingredients. Ultimately, if I can see myself recreating over half the recipes, then it's a 5-star winner. Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life checks all the boxes. I've got the following menu planned for next week courtesy of Martina Mcbride. Thanks, girl!

Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce
Sauteed Spinach

and after that...

Blackberry-Bacon Grilled Cheese

I know, but I'm optimistic.

Take a peek, test it out, and nourish your body with some very doable down-home eats. I can't wait to get started!

Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Martina McBride
Publisher: Meredith Special Interest Media/Books - Oxmoor House
Genres: Cooking, Food & Wine
Pub Date: November 6, 2018

I really enjoyed reading Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life by Martina Mcbride. I received a free advanced e-copy from NetGalley for my honest review.

I learned a lot about Martina Mcbride. I didn't realize she had been making records since 1992. It was wonderful how she went into great detail about her husband, John and how they met. Her children, Delaney, Emma and Eva. Martina has proved that her passion for her family, cooking and music are things that inspire her each day. A wonderful cook with a masterful cooking book based on the love of her family.

I really enjoyed the what I saw of this cookbook. It's looks like Martina has some wonderful recipes. I read the sample from Netgalley, but it was enough to know I want to add MARTINA'S KITCHEN MIX to cookbook shelves.

' I thought this was an average cook book full of recipes that I have seen other places. It didn't seem too fresh at all. This would be perfect for a working mom as the recipes aren't too complicated but definitely are pleasing for a family. I enjoyed the pumpkin cornbread but the recipe for cinnamon honey butter has been around for quite some time. The recipe for green beans with goat cheese and warm bacon dressing looks delicious and I am going to try at the next family gathering.

I wish there had been an index at the back of the recipes so you could just flip to it and look up cornbread instead of trying to remember what section it was in and then having to locate it. It's a great touch that I used to in most cookbooks.

Still if you are looking for comfort family food that doesn't require much time or effort, you will find some good recipes.

Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist For Real Life
By Martina McBride
Publication date 10-30-18
Oxmoor House

Martina McBride is best known for her country hits, but she grew up experimenting with her mother in the kitchen. The stories shared around the table were a family tradition Martina valued and loved. In this cookbook she shares some of those recipes, hoping to inspire others to become creative and unafraid to think outside the box when trying a recipe. Stunning photographs, over 100 easy to follow recipes, this would make a perfect gift for the holidays.

Some of my favorites Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble; Grilled Shrimp with Chipotle Sauce and Slaw but the one I'm trying first......Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce.
#Martina'sKitchenMix. #NetGalley

I met singer-entertainer Martina McBride backstage at a Garth Brooks’ concert when she was first starting out. She was gorgeous then and is still today, with that lovely spirit reflected in MARTINA’s KITCHEN MIX, her second cookbook.

This delicious guide to entertaining boasts more than 100 easy yummy recipes with the freshest ingredients and is truly one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve ever seen!

Martina grew up on a Kansas farm helping in the kitchen from a young age, so cooking comes naturally and entertaining is one of her passions. Recipes — one more delicious than the next — include her fave Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Sauce and Slaw, her hubby’s Bacon-Wrapped Olives and her mother-in-law Flavia’s Deviled Eggs. Martina adds in “Ad Libs” ... tips for switching up a recipe ... and encourages cooks to use her recipes as a starting point, adding their own flavorful twists to feed a few or a full house. She also includes a playlist of songs to energize cooks as they work in the kitchen. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Meredith Special Interest Media/Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#Martina'sKitchenMix #NetGalley

Martina McBride has a brand new cookbook coming out called Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life. It will be released October 30, 2018 by Oxmoor House.

The digital galley I received for review purposes was essentially a sample, showing only the first 87 pages of the book. The recipes included in this sampler consisted of co*cktails and appetizers.

While I was disappointed to read only a portion of the book, I liked what I was able to see. I love reading cookbooks and discovering new recipes to try out, and several of these sounded delicious.

I'll be keeping an eye out for this book.... I can't wait to see the rest of the recipes!

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Oxmoor House via Netgalley.

This is a really beautiful cookbook, and a must have addition to your collection if you love to cook and are a fan of Martina McBride. The BEST thing about the book is all the personal stories she includes, closely followed by all the terrific pictures, many of Martina. There are pictures with every recipe, which I love--I really like to see how things are SUPPOSED to turn out, plus it's inspiration when trying to decide WHAT to cook. I also really like that Martina pulls music metaphors into the book, comparing trying new ingredients or spices or even recipes to trying a new instrument...or playing with a particular recipe and making changes to it on the fly as a "riff". I really enjoyed that. It really helped make the book feel personal and written by a music artist. Another little "musical" element: Each section of the book has a cover page photo that features a vinyl album with the appropriate label for the section. Sections include: Breakfast and Brunch, co*cktails and Appetizers, Salads, Soups and Sandwiches, Main Courses, Side Dishes, Desserts, Martina's Menu Mix/Favorites. There's also an Introduction from Martina, a section on Metric equivalents and an index. The photographs throughout the book are beautiful and I love that intermixed with the food pictures, we get pictures of Martina, her kitchen (presumably), etc. It's very warm and inviting, and almost feels conversational. The recipes are clearly and simply written; most include personal comments about Martina's feelings about the recipe, or favorite ways to serve it. Many also include what's she's calling an "Ad Lib" suggestions for how to modify the recipe or ways to change it up. Each section also includes a "Don't Knock it Til you try it recipe", which is a favorite recipe from Martina's family that's been passed down that maybe isn't the most logical sounding recipe or super healthy, but it tastes really good, and her family loves it. She talks about where it comes from and why they love it, and suggests the reader give it a try. There are a pretty wide variety of recipes here--Martina appears to enjoy a lot of different types of foods, I really liked that the recipes didn't stick to one genre of cooking. There are taco recipes, italian recipes, seafood recipes, southern recipes, traditional recipes...a lot of different things to try. Overall, I thought this was an excellent cookbook and I really enjoyed seeing this side of Martina McBride.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

There are a ton of celebrity cookbooks out there – Trisha Yearwood, Chrissy Tiegen, Valerie Bertinelli, Tiffani Thiessen, etc. – and although I start out skeptical, I’ve actually been pretty impressed with most of them. Country singer Martina McBride has a new cookbook called Martina’s Kitchen Mix coming out at the end of October and I was lucky enough to get a pre-release copy of it to review.

I was pleasantly surprised at the mix of recipes in the book, and one that especially caught my eye is this Quick-and-Easy White Bean and Baby Greens Stew (almost sounds like a song title, right?). I made it and really enjoyed it. It's a light garlicky broth with chunks of smoky ham (although you can make it vegetarian if you want), tomatoes, cannellini beans and wilted baby greens. Yum.

Quite a few of the recipes in Martina’s cookbook are basics that I already have in my recipe file (Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, Fresh Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce, Hoppin’ John and surprisingly the old standby Velveeta cheese dip), but there are others I’m really looking forward to trying. I’ve tagged Smoked Gouda Pimiento Cheese, Very Green Broccoli Soup, Pumpkin Cornbread with Cinnamon-Honey Butter, and County Fair Orange Cake. This will be one celebrity cookbook worth having on my shelf!

I am IN LOVE with this cookbook! As soon as I heard Ms. Martina McBride was coming out with this cookbook, I knew I had to check it out. I was NOT disappointed! Her personality comes out so well in this book, and the recipes are to die for! So far I've tried the shrimp & chorizo (OMG!!!) and the cinnamon rolls, which were sooo sinfully good. There's a recipe for a breakfast quick rice, which takes me back to my childhood and I can't wait to try it! I'm making white beans with baby greens soup for dinner tonight.

This book is over 250 pages of fantastic anecdotes and amazing recipes, which are gorgeous, elegant, and delicious, but also accessible and easy. I'm not a pro chef by any means, but I found these recipes easy to understand and follow. The photography is beautiful. and the recipe selection is HUGE- breakfast, drinks, appetizers, sandwiches, tacos, and on... I can't wait to try more recipes from one of my most adored country queens, Martina McBride!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oxmoor House for the opportunity to read and review this AMAZING new cookbook in exchange for my honest review.
5 out of 5 stars for Martina's Kitchen Mix.

I requested this from netgalley mainly because I am a fan of Martina McBride's music, and I am a sucker for pretty cookbooks with lots of pictures. It seems like every celebrity is coming out with a cookbook lately - I have skimmed a few that were definitely disappointing, so I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this one. I loved the personal details that accompanied every recipe and also separated each section.

While there are quite a few of the staples in here, there are at least a dozen recipes I want to try soon which is saying a lot. I think I am going to try her Pan-Roasted Halibut for dinner this weekend, and the Pistachio Lemon Drop Cookies for dessert! And I am always interested in trying different versions of cinnamon rolls -seems like everybody claims their recipe is the best- so I will add her grandma's recipe to my list to get to this winter. The digital ARC I received will expire this month which means I will need to get the physical copy pretty soon!

*received free digital copy from netgalley

Martina mixes a little bit of story with a number of great recipes. I love how most recipes have an "ad lib" section that gives you additional ideas such as how to make a side into a full meal. The first recipe I knew I had to try was the cheddar biscuits with bacon. I did only half with bacon as I needed a non-meat option for a vegetarian friend. I served them straight from the oven and they just melted in your mouth. It was served with the watermelon, cucumber, and tomato salad with feta that I made into a main dish with grilled shrimp. All the flavors together with these summer fruits/veggies were so refreshing. I think this cookbook is going to remain on my counter and be used quite often.

Martina McBride has long been one of my favorite country artists. I was lucky enough to see her sing live in Nashville many years ago and I remember thinking how does such a powerful voice come out of such a tiny human? I was excited to see she had a cookbook and even more excited to see that she has a fantastic ability to put together a good recipe. I would try pretty much anything in this book. What I really loved that many of these were creative recipes I haven't seen before but that they sound completely delicious. I can't wait to get in my kitchen and to try out some of these fantastic recipes! I recommend this book to anyone who loves Martina McBride or who loves to experiment in the kitchen and have a wide array of interesting and tasty recipes at their fingertips.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and Exmoor House for an honest review.
Martina's Kitchen Mix is a beautifully illustrated cookbook filled with lovely, delicious recipes that also healthy and nutritious. I tried the Pot Roast recipes along with the Brussel Sprout recipe fro a dinner for my large family. Most of the family member hate the dreaded Brussel Sprout but I saw smiles when they tried these ones. Thank you to the author for the great recipe. I enjoyed reading about there family and her life growing up on a farm. The one other recipe I just loved was the Cherry Chocolate cheesecakes with Cherry season coming to the Southern Hemisphere very soon I will enjoy very much using Fresh cherries instead of frozen or canned to make this lovely delicious recipe. I recommend this cookbook.

This was a good cook book with some good recipes that I will try. A Tai slaw that looked good, cinnamon rolls that I am always willing to try, a cheddar biscuits with bacon that looked good also. The book led off though with a recipe for a homemade orange – cherry almond granola that really is worth the time to try. There is also a quick recipe collard greens that I have not seen before. There were other ones that did not suit me but that is like every cook book. The photos and stories were both excellent as were the directions for each recipe, easy to follow instructions as well as her encouragement to add or change to try a different flavor which was something different as well. I did like her recipe for a flour-less chocolate cake that is real easy to make. Overall a very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

What's not to love about Martina McBride? Filled with wonderful recipes for entertaining, her new cookbook is no exception. The recipes are simple, yet elegant and the photographs are mouthwatering. There is even a suggested music playlist suitable for your next dinner party. I received a 65 page galley that was a sample of the book containing mostly appetizers and co*cktails. But I'm sure the remaining portion of the book is equally as delectable and I may purchase it for myself. Anyone who enjoys entertaining guests should check out this cookbook for some lovely ideas. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance review sampling of this book.

I previewed a 65 page portion of Martina’s upcoming cookbook and I have to say, this looks like a winner! Not only does she provide some great recipes for entertaining, from drinks and food, but she also provides a play list for entertaining. I’m in! 

We made the Vodka Limeade Cooler today and they were yummy! Can’t wait to try the Smoked Gouda Piemento Cheese next weekend. And Flavia’s Deviled Eggs? Similar to mine, but an option ingredient that I had not thought of before and can’t wait to add next time. You are going to love the recipes, as much as you friends are when they come over.

Thank you to Net Galley and Oxmoor House for an electronic advance read of Martina's Kitchen Mix. I've loved Martina McBride for years, so I was happy to get this, but wondered if the cookbook would measure up.
It did. There's something about a country singer and a cookbook. I think the heart and personality just shines through. I loved that the recipes were simple and really ones that I'd try. Whether you know who Martina is, love her music, or you don't, you'll love this beautiful cookbook. I'm going to order a copy just so I can have a printed copy (the way I prefer my cookbooks.) This review was done in exchange for my honest opinion.

I saw Martina cooking on a couple of morning shows and was impressed with her recipes and her cooking skills. She moved easily from prep to cooking, which a lot of home cooks do not. I was very pleased to find her cookbook. I love cookbooks that also entertain with stories of family life. Her book is definitely worth adding to any collection. I've tried several recipes already and have several more bookmarked to try in the future. Mix up your everyday menus with some of hers...you never know when you'll discover a new family favorite!

This is an excellent book chocked full of great recipes from one of Country music's leading ladies! When Martina McBride isn't on stage, wow-ing fans, she can be found in the heart of the home. Cooking is one of her great passions. In this book "Martina's Kitchen Mix" she shares with us some of her favorite recipes!

Martina’s Kitchen Mix is a great addition to anyone’s cookbook collection. The recipes are practical and fun additions to any gathering. I loved the playlist suggestions. I have been a huge Martina McBride fan since the beginning of her career. I feel like this cookbook gives me a glance inside her home. I loved every page.

I thought this was a really good cookbook. With beautiful pictures, clear instructions, helpful tips, ad libs, and over 100 enticing recipes, you get a lot to work with. Add in quite a bit of charm and entertaining personal stories and the book is not only helpful but very entertaining. I found most of the recipes to be in the easy to moderate skill range and they cover everything from breakfast, lunch and dinner, to also beverages and desserts. From the mainstream (Spaghetti & Meatballs), to something a bit different (Blackberry-Lemon Gin & Tonic). So regardless of your recipe need you should be able to find something to try. Of my own accord I am posting a truthful review.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Oxmoor House for my unbiased opinion of the book. What a great cookbook! I loved the layout the recipes, I've tried several. This cookbook is quickly becoming one of my go-to cookbooks when in need of something spectacular!!! Way to go Martina!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
This book was really good. I can't wait to use these recipes.

So glad I was gifted with a free copy of Martina's cook book! The recipes are easy to follow and mouthwatering and the illustrations are gorgeous!

I like a cookbook that the photos of the food look so good it inspires you to make them yourself. This is one of those cookbooks. I also like the fact a lot of the recipes have items you normally use to cook with. From appetizers to dessert with some make your own included you will enjoy this cookbook. I really want to try Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls. Cinnamon Rolls are a family favorite and these look and sound so good. If you like to cook and bake this book is definately for you.
I recieved this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Martina captivated me in so many ways with this recipe book. I tried most of them and they are fabulous.

Martina McBride's cookbook MARTINA'S KITCHEN MIX is a collection of the singer's own recipes, as well as stories of her family and her time in the kitchen. Every recipe looks amazing, and this book would be a great addition to the cookbook collection of any cook, not just Martina McBride fans (though those are probably the target audience).

This was every bit as good as I thought it would be! I loved Martina's stories, recipes and all of the beautiful pictures. Very nicely done.