Homemade

2016 review: This book is far too heavy on recipes that could more appropriately be found in ordinary kitchen cookbooks, about 200 pages of them. Then there are a lot of beauty and home remedy formulae that are impractical because of their extreme complexity or because they require ingredients that are difficult to obtain. Some are also far more expensive than their purchased equivalents: a "Rub for Back Pain" proclaims "You don't have to pay for a special tube of rubbing cream" and then presents a recipe using FOUR different essential oils and a castor oil base -- probably at a cost of well over $60, and just because you've bought a lifetime supply of essential oils doesn't mean they'll stay good for a lifetime. But just when I was show more about to discard the book, it opened to a dishwasher detergent made of simple, inexpensive washing soda and borax. It gets a second chance: I plan to search the final 100 (non recipe) pages of the book in hopes of finding a few more simple, inexpensive life hacks.
Update on second chance, 2019: I actually needed a specialty recipe, so I checked this book for Dijon mustard. There are several recipes that call for Dijon mustard as an ingredient (marinade, salad dressing, etc), but only one mustard recipe. It contains apple cider vinegar and beer -- SO not Dijon. Another fail. I think I will photocopy the page of mold and mildew remedies, which seems quite useful, reduce the rating by half a star (on the grounds of not even doing the chosen job, recipes, well) and release this book. show less

Mostly a cookbook - I was looking for more household recipes