Book Review: The Romney Family Table by Ann Romney

The Romney Family Table: Sharing Home-Cooked Recipes and Favorite Traditions, by Ann Romney
2013, 213p, Cookbook
My Rating=5 stars
Source: Received copy from publisher for an honest review

Home is where good things happen--and for the Romney family, the heart of the home is the kitchen. In The Romney Family Table, Ann Romney, wife of former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, reflects on her many years as a mom, shares family recipes, and describes some of her favorite and not-so-favorite moments of raising a family. Woven together with personal memories and traditions are Romney family favorite recipes such as Peppered Pork Chops with Peach-Vinegar Glaze, Welsh Skillet Cakes, Honey Wheat Bread (which Ann made regularly for five growing sons), and Mimi’s Buttermilk Pancakes, which she and Mitt shared with their Secret Service detail at the end of his presidential campaign.

This unique blend of heartwarming and humorous stories told in Ann’s warm, welcoming style, candid family photos spanning four decades, and more than 125 fabulous recipes will inspire your own traditions and family dinners for years to come.

This is my kind of cookbook! First of all, the recipes are simple and don't require a lot of ingredients. Also, the ingredients are easy to find and I know what they are. I may have mentioned before that I don't really enjoy cooking (which is why I blog about books), so when I do cook, I like to be able to do it quickly and easily and have something yummy at the end! 

The other thing I like about this are the stories behind the recipes. The Romney's are down-to-earth and I could relate to a lot of her experiences and stories. I grew up in a large family (9 children) and reading some of their family traditions brought back fond memories. I currently live in a house of picky eaters so I don't cook much because most of the time, I'm the only one who will eat it. I love the traditions the Romney's have built and the food they enjoy while spending time together: holidays, vacations, birthdays and even just Saturday morning pancakes. 

One of my favorite stories that she told was about Fluff. Fluff is basically marshmallow creme (not sure how different it actually is, though). One day, she went to play tennis for a little while and left her 13-year-old and 11-year-old in charge. When she got home, her youngest son had gotten into the Fluff jar and was having fun. When his older brothers saw what he was doing, they smeared Fluff over the parts of his face he had missed. She included a picture of her with her Fluff-covered son. 

It was fun to get a glimpse into the Romney's lives and see how normal they are. Yes, they've experienced things I never will, but they're easy to relate to. This book is gorgeous with lots of pictures, both of food and of family. If you enjoy cooking yummy food that won't take all day, then this is a cookbook you will want to pick up!

 Deseret Book * Amazon

Here's a fun interview Ann Romney did recently on the Jay Leno Show, where she shows how to make Mitt's Meat Loaf Cakes (part 2 overlaps a little with part 1 but the ending is different and Fluff will make an appearance): 

Ann Romney places primary importance on her role as a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. As First Lady of Massachusetts, she worked to focus attention on the challenges facing at-risk youth and served as the Governor’s Liaison to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, she has volunteered much of her time to raise awareness of the disease. She and her husband, Mitt, celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary this year. They have five sons, five daughters-in-law, and twenty-two grandchildren.