Valerie Bertinelli

This is the perfect book for the most Basic Girl you know. Mentions (and mentors!) include: Brene Brown, Taylor Swift, Drew Barrymore, Elizabeth Gilbert, and many, many more unexamined but blindly accepted American gurus. She also, not surprisingly, speaks of her ex, Eddie Van Halen, as if they were still a couple because 'rock star wife' is her favorite belt notch. There is a somewhat 'edgy' chapter involving James Hetfield, but it is a sleight of hand.

There is a lot of mediocre advice show more about growing older (not sure how to apply if not rich and famous) She claims to be over her extreme body obsession but talks about it a lot. I don't harbor much like or dislike for Valerie (it's mid) yet here I am reading every book she writes!. So...she wins! show less

Valerie Bertinelli’s friendly, optimistic persona combines with yummy foods, beautifully photographed, to make this an enjoyable and inspiring cookbook.

The recipes tend to be contemporary takes on familiar comfort foods, and Valerie introduces each with a paragraph of personal background that evokes her fun personality. While there is no nutrition info, each recipe does include the number of servings (usually four, with some singles and some serving six or eight); the hands-on time and show more total-prep time; the ingredients list (nearly everything made from scratch); and clear preparation instructions, which often include tips about technique or suggestions for substitutions/variations. And then there are the pictures: beautifully styled, full-color, full-page photos of the prepared foods that not only make my mouth water but also inspire me with new ideas for how to plate a dish and set a casual table.

For a sampling, here are the dozen recipes I want to try first:
• Tom and Ludo’s Special Negroni
• Blueberry-Banana-Oat Breakfast Muffins
• Blueberry Cake
• English Lemon Cake
• Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
• Broccoli Salad
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Ham, Apple and Cheddar Sliders
• Slow-Cooker Sloppy Joes
• Chicken with Lemon-Wine Sauce
• Bucatini with Wilted Spinach and Lemon Mascarpone Sauce
• BLT Pasta

haha, Yes that’s two with blueberry, two with bacon, three with lemon. Sounds like a great start!

(Review based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher.) show less

Enough Already by Valerie Bertinelli is a 2022 Mariner Books publication.

When I first saw this book, I presumed it was a memoir, but upon further inspection, I noticed it was also labeled as a foodie/recipe book… even more intriguing...

Because I like biographies/memoirs and cookbooks- I just don't recall ever seeing them combined together in one book.

I also noticed that the book was placed in the ‘self-help’ category, which always gets a firm ‘no’ from me, especially if it is show more written by a celebrity.

Despite that, the memoir/ recipe combo, plus all the rave reviews, overrode my reservations and I decided to see how this would play out.

So, did the presentation work? Well...

It was a mixed bag...

Let’s start with the areas I struggled with, first. I was not really looking for a book about Valerie's memories of her ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen. I liked Eddie Van Halen- maybe not to the degree others did- but, to be blunt, this book seemed like some sort of tribute to her life with him, because she really couldn’t seem stay on other topics for very long before she was back to talking about Ed again.

The recipe box, mentioned in the blurb, didn’t surface until deep into the book- though that might have been by design. Valerie did spend some time speaking about her background, though, her relationship with her mother, and shared some shocking revelations about her parents, and family- but I didn’t get that 'strong woman' inspirational vibe I was hoping for.

I also wondered if maybe sticking with a good, licensed therapist would be better than woo-woo advice from a psychic, when it comes to mental health questions- but that’s just me...

What I did like…

I liked the way the recipes are tied to specific memories, events, occasions… and they are recipes that are down to earth and sound, not only delicious, but comforting, as well. I do wish we had some recipe photos, though.

I am glad Valerie came to realize that she had allowed her weight obsession to suck the joy out of living her life with gusto. She’s been incredibly hard on herself over the years, and it was so unnecessary. She seems to have finally accepted that now, seems more comfortable in her own skin, and I like the way she is embracing this stage in her life, even though, admittedly, times have been hard- and she’s going through a divorce as this book concludes.

It was also lovely to discover that Valerie is a cat person. I like the way she is with her son, too, and I’m glad they have a good relationship. I have always enjoyed Valerie’s acting performances, but I will confess, I have not seen her cooking show yet- partly because I haven’t had ‘cable’ in years and didn't have access to the Food Network. That said, we recently got YTTV for my parent’s sake- so I’ll just have to try and catch her show someday.

Can I say Valerie’s journey towards self-love inspired me in any way personally? Sure- I think some of her advice to herself is solid. All of us should practice self-care, but there was nothing in that way I have not heard before. Still, there's a good list of things to do that are worth being reminded of- but we all have to do the work ourselves.

Frankly, I'm comfortable in my own skin- and have been for a long time now. I don’t analyze myself in terms of how others see me physically. I’m more concerned with just being healthier, not just for myself for others in my life, as well. I never stand on the scales, or angst over gray hairs or wrinkles- but of course, I’m not on TV, nor am I under the social media spotlight being scrutinized by trolls everyday… so there’s that.

Still, despite my not finding the 'self-help' sections deeply motivating for me, personally, the book is an interesting and revealing peek into Valerie’s life, as it is now.

I’m sorry she’s lost her parents, and the love of her life, but I am happy to see she’s in a better place mentally when it comes to her relationship with food, and her body and self-image. I hope her journey will inspire others who are struggling with these issues, to say 'Enough, Already', too!

3.5 stars show less

In the interest of finding motivation wherever I could get it, I decided to read Losing It – And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time. The book is not so much a weight loss success story as it is an honest account of Valerie Bertinelli’s struggle with food as she tried to juggle an unhappy marriage and self-image. Interestingly enough, it appears as though she employed the “laws of attraction” or “The Secret” to start her journey into weight loss, although never coming out show more and labeling her techniques as such. Things really started to change when for a second or third time she was accosted by Jenny Craig to be a spokes person, and finally decided to give it a shot. Although she was a beloved TV actress from the 70’s through to the 90’s, she couldn’t be anymore down to earth as she dishes the dirt on her past mistakes and recent growth as a wife, mother and individual. It is apparent that she was vain, naïve and insecure, for most of her life, but her willingness to share these flaws publicly, in the hopes of finally being able to break free, be herself and face her demons, shows her true character and strength. All-in-all a fluff read, and whether it will motivate me to make the necessary changes in my life in order to slim down, remains to be seen.

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