On the list of things I do often or well, cooking is probably somewhere in the middle. Once I find a recipe that I love, I like to make it my own and then broken record the you-know-what out of it by making it over and over and over and over and over.

What I’m saying is I eat the same thing pretty much every day.

And it’s not that I don’t have options: I have cookbooks. I have Google. (Pinterest makes me look and feel like a total loser.) The recipes I could be using are really infinite but I seem to almost always run into the same few issues:

1. The beautifully named dishes seem to require a Ph.D. to actually create
2. The recipe calls for ingredients I can’t find anywhere – or they’re crazy expensive
3. I need something other than a stove or oven, hands and general kitchenwares like bowls and spoons
4. Photos. WHY ARE THERE NO PHOTOS? How else will I know that my meal is not supposed to be all black and stuck together? C’mon.

So, as I said. I stick to what I know and no one except my taste buds gets hurt.

When Lick Your Plate showed up in my mailbox, I ripped the packaging open and I did what we all secretly love to do: I judged that book by its cover. Bright, colourful and fun, I turned the book over to read the snippets of praise from people who know way more about things than I do. And then I cracked the cover.

Lick Your Plate is chock full of beautiful images, fun quotes and something for every appetite. Easy to read – and actually enjoyable to read – I have officially dubbed this the cookbook every kitchen needs. From page to page, the passion Julie and Lisa have for their art (and it is an art, my friends) shines through.

With a rebrand at work and rounds of illness coursing through the house, I haven’t had as many opportunities to break out my book as I’d like but I’ve been able to test out a few.

The Ultimate Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie might have helped me find a new husband; Cheesy Lemon Roasted Broccoli is probably the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted and I was re-named “Best Mom Ever” when I whipped up a dinner that featured Mac and Cheese Cups with Buttery Bacon Crumble. (Further proof that cheese and bacon really can fix anything except a diet.)

If you don’t have a copy, don’t ask to borrow mine. Instead, pick up a copy at Indigo Chapters, Amazon or get it on your Kindle or Kobo. I promise: You won’t be disappointed.

(But maybe don’t lick the pages. They just taste like paper.)

I received a copy of Lick Your Plate in exchange for writing this review. This review reflects my own, personal experience and is in no way influenced by my relationship with Bite Me More, Penguin Random House or any other third party.