People who know me well know the kitchen is not my favorite place to be. So you might be surprised to find that my guests today are a mother-daughter team who love to cook. In fact, they have written a series of cookbooks. While I don’t love to cook, I do like to eat. And I like easy recipes. These books caught my attention and I wanted to share them with my readers. Before we talk about the books, let’s meet the chefs:
Maggie Brooks is a mother-daughter team. Mom has been planning parties and cooking for crowds for all of her daughter’s life. Daughter followed suit by becoming a caterer and event planner with a hospitality degree. These Texas born women now live in Atlanta, Georgia. You will notice in their recipes a spicy southwestern style with a hint of southern charm. They cook and work together on a daily basis. Each of their recipes has been tested in their homes or the homes of friends & family. They are very hopeful that you love the recipes that they have added to this cookbook collection.
Website: www.loveofcookingonline.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaggiesFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaggieBrooks11 or @MaggieBrooks11
Here’s a look at the cookbook we’ll be discussing today:
This Book is a #1 Best Seller. It hit #1 in all of Amazon Book. This was the 1st release by Best Selling Author Maggie Brooks.
Needing a little help getting warm this winter? How about some soup? Here are some great choices whether you want an old standard like chicken noodle or something new and different like chilled avocado. You will have fun discovering new ways to make soups, stews & chili.
This book has hot soups & cold soups. There are recipes for anytime of the year. Time to start making great soups!
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Now for our chat:
From your website, I learned that neither of you actually have the first name ‘Maggie’. How did you come up with your publishing name?
When we first decided to write these cookbooks we took a course on how to write ebooks. One of the pieces of advice was to pick a pen name. It needed to be 2 first names. Mom did not want to use her name because it is not that easy to remember. Maggie is my daughter’s name & we of course used my name as the last name & just added the s.
What do you find the most challenging aspect of cooking and working together?
Finding enough time to work together. We are extremely lucky to work so comfortably together. We have wanted to do a project together for years. We finally found something we really like doing together & feel really proud of.
And the most rewarding?
The last answer really answers this as well. Working together & being proud of what we are doing.
How do you go about creating a new recipe?
A few ways actually, sometimes we find a recipe that looks good to us, but one of us will say wouldn’t this be better with.…whatever change. Sometimes we just need to fix something before the food goes bad. We call this a cleaning out the frig recipe. They have been some of our best.
What is each of your personal favorite recipes from Soups, Stews & Chili?
I love the Spicy Chicken Vegetable Soup. Mom & I have been known to make it on a Monday & keep eating it for lunch all week. The Fiery Bean soup is another great one with a kick. Mom really likes the Chicken Soup too, but her fav is the True Texas Chili
This is Book IV of Volume 1 from your Love of Cooking series. I understand that each book is available as a separate ebook, and the entire volume is available in print. What other books are included in this volume?
LoC: Appetizers; LoC: Salads; LoC: Side Dishes; LoC: Main Dishes.
I’m a vegetarian and, unlike the two of you, tend to avoid the kitchen. (Though I do love to bake!) Any chance you’ll create a book of easy vegetarian recipes?
The only reason I say no to writing a vegetarian book is that I don’t think we could do it justice. Not being vegetarians, we don’t cook vegetarian meals. We really only want to write something that we know will taste good. Sides might be a good book for you though. There are a lot of recipes without meat in that one & we pride ourselves on our recipes being easy to follow so even a new cook can make them.
I noticed you have some cooking hints on your website. Could you share a couple tips or hints with us?
Sure. 1: If you have to measure honey for a recipe, spray the measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray. The honey will come right out & the cup will be easy to clean. 2. To make rice fluffier, put a slice of bread on top to the cooked rice. It will absorb the extra water. 3. Fresh lemons will remove the smell of onions from your hands.
Thank you, both, for being with us here today. I especially like that tip about cooking with honey. In the past, I’ve made quite a mess trying to get it out of a measuring cup!
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Here’s a look at the Love of Cooking series on Amazon:
I hope you’ll explore Maggie Brooks’ world of cooking. If you do, I’d love to hear about your favorite recipes!
Thanks for reading. 
Tags: chili recipes, Cookbooks, Cookbooks for Kindle, Cooking Tips, Fiery Bean Soup, Love of Cooking, Maggie Brooks, recipes, soup recipes, Soups Stews & Chili, Spicy Chicken Vegetable Soup, stew recipes, True Texas Chili
