While I don't have a huge family and I usually don't cook in big batches, this cookbook was filled with some many recipes I can only describe as comfort food. (And that I can't wait to try, just on a smaller size).

That being said, the cookbook is filled with delicious recipes, but they are filled with carbs and processed ingredients, so eating big portions everyday could be a bad idea. However, eating some from time to time would make a foodie like me happy for sure. I would have liked to see more photos of the recipes, since many of them don't have a photograph attached, and the instructions could have been a bit more detailed (they are still easy to understand if you have a bit of experience cooking).

For each recipe you get information about the prep time, cook time and how many servings you get, a list of ingredients (only in imperial measurements) and steps.

You also get a peak into her family life and their stories, which is a very sweet touch to a cookbook, without making it overwhelming or too much (you might know about the blogs where you get very long story before the recipes).

All in all, it's a good cookbook filled, with something unique and you find everything that was promised.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review of via netgalley and the publishers.

Mama Bells Big Family Cooking is a cookbook of comfort type foods for large families.
Mama Bell has eight children plus herself and her husband to cook for, and so she decided to share her famous dishes/recipes for filling home cooked meals.
The meals are high in carbs and contain many processed food ingredients and no dietary restriction alternatives so if you have special dietary requirements or are trying to eat healthy and low fat meals, this book is not for you.
The recipes are easy to follow, and in between them are photographs and information about Mama Bell and her family and she shares many stories about them too. This was a lovely touch to the book, and I really enjoyed reading about them all. I have screenshot a few recipes I'm going to try out at some point over the winter that I think my daughter would love.

I follow the Bells on social media and was absolutely thrilled to get a copy of this. It's beautifully written and I love that each chapter is dedicated to a kid. The recipes themselves sound wonderful and I can't wait to give a few a try. As a visual person, I do wish that each recipe came with a picture, but it's a small complaint.

This was a great look into recipes to feed a larger family. I will definitely be making several of these myself. Highly recommend to any families looking for something to meal plan or make for dinner. Thank you for the opportunity to read and ARC.

I wanted to read this one since I’ve been following Heather Bell online for about a year now and she’s been talking up this cookbook so I needed to see what all it was about. (If you don’t follow her, you should.)
I love all the stories and pictures in it!
They are just a normal family and I greatly enjoy that aspect. I hope they never change! But the recipes are too large for my family and I kinda think they are average/normal recipes we grew up eating. I do think this would be a cookbook for a beginner who needs to prepare large quantities of food though.

Go big.

This cook book is for those who need to cook big, as in big meals, for large families.
Tasty dinners, treats, and more.
Think big, plan for large scale.
Recommend.

I have been batch cooking recently to prep for the week ahead so this book has come in handy too help me on this journey with beautiful recipes that I am excited to test out.

I really enjoyed this book!! The plot was so interesting and full of adventure that I was never bored. The author did a great job with character development because I was full invested in there stories. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

A really enjoyable cookbook, with great stories!

I've watched Mama Bell and her family on Facebook reels and was excited to learn she was putting together a cookbook. I love how she introduces the chapters with each child and the reason for their recipes. The recipes are easy to follow, have great instructions and photos. The batches are huge and probably not anything I'd need to make, but there are a few I'd like to break down into smaller portions.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I was already following Mama Bell's cooking and family journey over the past year, so I was thrilled to read this. It's a nice comforting read, full of family-style meals. I've already bookmarked quite a few to try! I think this would be a great book that'd suit large families looking for fun new meal ideas, as well as international readers interested in casual American fare. The casseroles and cookie recipes were the highlights for me!

A cookbook is a door into someone’s kitchen. Mama Bell has invited us in with over 100 recipes, including 1 dish casseroles, breakfast, soups and plenty of desserts!

I have a made Noah’s burgers (yum!) and have a handful saved to make in the next couple week. I am really looking forward to Mama Bell’s Fab Five Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Photos: A+ (includes family photos!)
Layout: A+ (recipes easy to read and follow. and person stories is a great bonus)
Realistic recipes (aka not too complicated): A+

Thank you NetGalley and Adams Media for an advanced copy. #MamaBell #NetGalley.

Mama Bell's Big Family Cooking focuses on big batches comfort meals perfect for the whole family.

The Sections are
One Dish Casserole
Grilling and Barbecue
Breakfast
Fun Pizza-Themed Recipes and Then Some
Land and Sea
Mexican-Inspired
Super-Easy Slow Cooker Meals
The Bell Family’s Favorite Cookies
Italian-Themed
Chili and Soups

Each recipe has prep time, cook time, yield, ingredients, and steps. I wish there were more pictures of the different recipes. I enjoy the personality that is built into the cookbook.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating book of American home style recipes.We are in the UK and are fairly unlikely to make any of this food simply because it is not the way we eat as a family but it made really good reading.

Mama Bell provides tried and true, easy to follow recipes for some familiar classics. Her descriptions and story telling add to the "homey" feel for this wonderful cookbook. Have a big family? This is perfect for you as she knows how to feed a big crowd.

Honestly before taking a look at this cookbook I had no idea who Heather Bell was, and outside of what I learned in the stories in this cookbook I still don’t. I don’t follow her and probably never will, but I am always looking for some good recipes that my family will enjoy. I have a family of four, so I will definitely need to cut these recipes down, but I will be trying some of them soon! The different casseroles and slow cooker meals really appealed to me and I think they are something my family would enjoy and be easy for me to put together in a hurry. I really enjoyed the layout and amount of pictures in this cookbook. I love when cookbooks have great photos to accompany the recipes and I wish there were a few more in this book but the ones included were great. If you are looking for some good American recipes, especially if you are cooking for a crowd or big family this cookbook is worth checking out. I cant wait to try some of these for myself.

In the intro, Heather Bell says she can’t believe anyone would want her recipes in a cookbook and I kind of agree with that, not in a mean way but just because this is the kind of food every mom made in the 80s and many of us make anyway without really needing a recipe. Think tuna casserole, breaded chicken and tater tot casserole. It’s not particularly healthy or original, and I don’t find it particularly tasty, but it’s standard American food and I know a lot of people like that and a lot of people don’t know how to cook the basics these days.

The book will be a big hit with her fans, I’m sure. I had not heard of her before but she shares a lot of stories about her kids and her personality shines through.

There are photos for about a third of the recipes. There is no nutritional information. The recipes use a lot of processed ingredients, meat, carbs, wheat, sugar and fat, so people with dietary restrictions may not find a lot they can eat. A lot of people will probably really enjoy the recipes though.

I read a temporary digital loan of this book for review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Adams Media for my copy of Mama Bell's Big Family Cooking by Heather Bell in exchange for an honest review. It publishes October 22, 2024.
I've been following Heather Bell on Instagram for years, so this book has been a very exciting one! Mama Bell is living the dream and I'm so happy for her! This book has beautiful and mouthwatering pictures throughout, there is something for everyone in this book. The anecdotes and stories about her family are so sweet and tender. This is truly a special book. I highly recommend this one!

This was a pretty book…the recipes look wonderful. I didn’t realize how big the portions were for each r3cipe and I do t have nearly enough people to feed but I did grab some to divide down because they looked so good. Anyon ho has a large family will really enjoy this collection

A large chunk of pages had blank squares on them (which is hopefully an ARC issue and will not be an issue with the actual digital version) which made it hard to read. However, the receipes look delicious - some real homey vibes and as someone who likes to make extra to bring to work for lunch the next day, I love how its pre-portioned to make more.

There are lots of great recipes here! Mama Bell focuses on meals for large families, and her recipes are tried and true for her family of ten. This is stick to your ribs, down-home comfort food—if you’re on a diet, you’ll probably want to find a different cookbook.

I enjoyed learning about how the Bells came to have eight children. The parents have really been instrumental in the the foster/adoption community in the north of Michigan, and it’s heartwarming to read about each of their kids.

I’ve got my eye on a bunch of recipes to try out. Warning, make sure you have cast iron pots & pans, salted butter, shortening and tons of cream cheese on hand. 😉😁

Thank you to NetGalley and Adams Media for the eARC. This review was written entirely voluntarily.