Showing posts with label gift idea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gift idea. Show all posts

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Monday, May 28, 2012

Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20-minute Meals Review

Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20-minute Meals
Average Reviews:

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Like I said in my review for her slow cooker book, I love these books.
I do substitute a lot of pre-packaged items with fresh items, but I love the recipes more than I do that they are fast and easy. I just love how they are put together and that they taste great. And just because I choose to cook my own sweet potatoes rather than buy canned, or that I shred my own cheese, etc, doesn't mean that there aren't times I don't take advantage of the convience foods on the market today. There are times I don't want to cook but still have a family to feed anyway.
We can easily sub fresh ingredients over pre-packaged if that is a concern, but the recipes are great, the photos even better and the lay out is as good as it gets.
I will forever buy her books as long as the quality doesn't change.

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New York Times best-selling author Sandra Lee is back with more fast and fabulous family-friendly recipe.
Sandra brings her Semi-Homemade cooking approach of 70 percent store-bought, 30 percent homemade to create super-quick meals in 20-minutes or less--from start to finish.
Irresistible recipes for main dishes, sides, appetizers, desserts and more are included along with a foolproof list of at-the-ready convenience foods to make dinners in a dash.


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Friday, March 30, 2012

The Best Simple Recipes Review

The Best Simple Recipes
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As a "seasoned" cook, I've been down most of the cooking routes: from the French classics, to one-hour gourmet, to complex vegetarian, to severe, healthy cooking by the docs. Now, I lean to this cookbook's style: simple, tasty, fresh and light -- somewhere between poached quenelles and fried tofu. This is a good grouping of contemporary recipes with zip, often with international flair (oriental, Mexican, etc.). Some recipes are updated twists on old faves like Tuna Melt but with artichokes; BLT salad using mayo-smeared croutons; vegetarian chili with corn; Southwestern salmon cakes. Others take classics but ditch the complex and daunting preparation-- like switching paper-thin potato slices for a potato chip mix or skipping the fish-steaming by laying salmon atop the asparagus, or using rotisserie chicken for a flavorful- but quick-chicken soup. Some clever ideas that work! The book has some surprising ingredient combos like kielbasa with potato leek soup. I appreciate the explanatory notes on the thoughtful but concise hows and whys of the recipes, and am impressed with the recommendations of brand name grocery items that they have tested. It's instructive without being pedantic or fussy. For those of us who like to see the cook in action, there are selected photos of some of the techniques and I picked up a few new ones. This is the kind of cookbook you can actually USE everyday, without resorting to the dumbed-down or goofy ones, or those with exotic hard-to-find ingredients or lengthy preparation. It reflects how we cook these days, and I plan to use it often.

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Most quick-recipe collections promise a lot but deliver very little. Bland, uninspired dishes may be fast, but will you make them again? And clever gimmicks sound great, but in reality, they rarely make sense. The team at America's Test Kitchen has created more than 200 easy-to-make 30-minute recipes that guarantee impressive results with a minimum of effort. With our test kitchen know-how (and relentless testing) we found ways to make naturally fast dishes faster, and traditionally slow-cooked dinners a weeknight option. But one thing we never did was settle on shortcuts that shortchanged flavor. Some compromises simply aren't worth making. No matter the path taken, every recipe in this book is foolproof, full-flavores and fast. And they come with our promise to you: Recipes that work. Every time.

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Simply Natural Baby Food: Easy Recipes for Delicious Meals Your Infant and Toddler Will Love Review

Simply Natural Baby Food: Easy Recipes for Delicious Meals Your Infant and Toddler Will Love
Average Reviews:

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I love this little book. I know a past reviewer criticised the book for being too thin but that's one of the things I like about it. I have always enjoyed cooking and bought quite a few baby cook books when my daughter was very young thinking I would potter around making her perfect gourmet meals but soon realised that there are many days when the thought of even leafing through the pages of those cookbooks is too much effort. I just find them too overwhelming and invariably reach for this book because the recipes are simple but still tasty. You don't need to be a great cook to be able to make these recipes, the instructions are very easy to follow.
Despite being a slender volume, the book packs a lot of information into its pages, and still has a great collection of recipes.

I never found it to be a problem finding any of the ingredients. I have to admit that even though I consider my cooking to be quite wholesome I had never used some of the items like dried seaweed (you only use a pinch) and ground seeds myself, but after reading in the book just why these things are included, I found myself adding them to my own food as well. They are incredibly nutritious and such an easy way to bolster your child's immune system which I found so reassuring during the winter. I'm sure you can order these ingredients online if you can't find them in a store nearby. You use such a small amount that they will last for ages. And you can always leave those items out if you prefer.
The book is written in a very friendly manner and is a nice balance between educating and guiding you as to what your baby's and toddler's developmental needs are with easy to follow recipes. A reviewer below wrote that the last thing they needed was to be making their own baby cereal. Well I guess if that's your mindset then this book isn't for you because honestly it takes all of two seconds to make the cereal, and the jar lasts a very long time when you are using a couple of tablespoons at a time! Not that you can't find good organic packaged baby cereal, (I did try that myself but my baby would never eat it). And there's nothing stopping you from using the recipes as guides and substituting purchased products for some ingredients if it makes life easier.
The book takes you right through to when your child is a toddler with tips that help you sneak vegetables into their diet and great snack ideas too. There are some lovely recipes for cookies and cakes as well, which is nice, it's very realistic in that although you want to feel that you are presenting your child with yummy healthy food, there's always a place for sweet treats in life. I'm not personally a fan of soy products which some of the recipes call for, but I just substitute the tofu or whatever with chicken,lamb or fish.
I went online to check out the authors website and was happy to see that the adorable little girls on the website who I assume are the author's daughters look like very happy and healthy children. They are a great advertisement for the book.

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Cookbook for Men Whose Wives Don't Cook Review

The Cookbook for Men Whose Wives Don't Cook
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This book is the most irreverent and useless cookbook that I can imagine. I returned it to Amazon and thanks be to Amazon I recieved a full refund, even including S&H

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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Guy Can't Cook Review

The Guy Can't Cook
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I bought this book for my fiance, and I have to admit I find myself looking at recipes in it even more than him. So far I've done two of them, and they were both a hit. The one was a meatloaf, and my entire family loved it. So much so even that my mom stole the recipe and made it (my dad hates her meatloaf), I laughed when they called a week later and said it was the best meatloaf she'd ever made. There's also some neat tips throughout the book, like how to tell how well done a steak is by comparing it to your hand. This is a catch all book with a wide variety of recipes to fit every meal and skill level. Highly reccomended!

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza Review

Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza
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As a lover of all things pizza, this book does not disappoint. The authors cover it all: the fundamentals of all the ingredients and techniques, as well as chapters on Neapolitan, NY, Chicago, California, Pizza on the Grill, Pizza for kids, and even dessert pizza. The best thing about this book is that it lifts the shroud of secrecy from the closely guarded secrets and passes along techniques used by professionals to make truly great pizza. I thought I was doing well when I was buying TJ's pizza dough and putting my own toppings on at home. This book got me to try making my own dough and now I will never go back. The techniques and recipes in this book have taken my pizza making skills up by several levels. I was blown away at how easy it is, how much better it tastes, and how much fun it is!

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Betty Crocker's Easy Slow Cooker Dinners: Delicious Dinners the Whole Family Will Love Review

Betty Crocker's Easy Slow Cooker Dinners: Delicious Dinners the Whole Family Will Love
Average Reviews:

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For me, this cookbook had the perfect mix of oldtime favorites and new dishes, clear and helpful instructions, plus great pictures that gave me a good idea of what I was supposed to be aiming for.
I'd definitely recommend this cookbook to anyone in a situation similar to where I was -- I just never seemed to have the time or the patience for regular cooking, but still wanted to make nice meals. On the other hand, I don't know that this would be the best fit for say, a college student giving crock-pot cooking a try -- the dishes may be more elaborate or use more expensive ingredients than they're looking at.

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Dinner ready and waiting when you want it - it's all possible with your slow cooker and Betty Crocker! Betty Crocker's Easy Slow Cooker Dinners gives you 50 slow cooker dinners recipes -- from succulent meats and fantastic poultry, to simmering one-pot meals including vegetarian options, as well as heartwarming soups and stews. Plus, you'll find tips and techniques for the best way to use a slow cooker - including extra-special shortcuts, cleaning hints, how to lock in flavors, and other finishing techniques to make every dinner look as good as it tastes.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats--A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook) Review

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats--A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook)
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Love this book! I have all of Ray's previous books, and I often watch her show when I am cooking my own family dinner. We are huge fans of her Cooking Round the Clock book and her Cooking Rocks (for kids) books. On average, I use recipes from those books at least twice a week.
Her first book that I purchased was her 30 Minute Get Togethers and the first couple menus that I used were NOT 30 minute meals for me. However over the years I have learned to adapt. I have gotten quicker at chopping veggies and will use already prepared things if necessary. Ok, on to the new book.
This is her biggest book by far. I got it the day it came out and spent at least two hours pouring over the recipes and marking ones I want to try. For the most part I was thinking I would be anal here. I would start with recipe number one and go from there, making every single recipe and not skipping a one. But I husband really wanted to try #37-Warm Lemon Chicken Sandwich with Arugula and Pears. Not something I would normally make, but it sounded intriguing. WONDERFUL! Even my picky eaters (I have two) gobbled it up. We then went on to #38-Grilled Flank Steak Sandwich again we were not disappointed.
If you are looking for a cookbook that offers quick, but unique and tasty meals, this is the one.

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Even your favorite dinner can lose its appeal when it's in constant rotation, so mix it up!With her largest collection of recipes yet, Food Network's indefatigable cook Rachael Ray guarantees you'll be able to put something fresh and exciting on your dinner table every night for a full year... without a single repeat! Based on the original 30-Minute Meal cooking classes that started it all, these recipes prove that you don't have to reinvent the wheel every night. Rachael offers dozens of recipes that, once mastered, can become entirely new dishes with just a few ingredient swaps. Learn how to make a Southwestern Pasta Bake and you'll be able to make a Smoky Chipotle Chili Con Queso Mac the next time. Try your hand at Spring Chicken with Leeks and Peas and you're all set to turn out a rib-sticking Rice and Chicken Stoup that looks and tastes like an entirely different dish. As a best-selling cookbook author and host of three top-rated Food Network shows, Rachael Ray believes that both cooking and eating should be fun.Drawing from her own favorite dishes as well as those of her family, friends, and celebrities, she covers the flavor spectrum from Asian to Italian and dozens of delicious stops in between. Best of all, these flavor-packed dishes will satisfy your every craving and renew your taste for cooking. With so many delicious entrees to choose from you'll never have an excuse for being in a cooking rut again.How about a brand-new 30-minute dinner every night for an entire year? Tired of making the same old same old, week after week after week? With Rachael's most varied and comprehensive collection of 30-minute recipes ever, you'll have everyone at your table saying "Yummo!" all year long. It's amazing what a half hour can do for your tastebuds … 365 days a year!

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Friday, September 23, 2011

Easy Meals with Just 3 Ingredients: 75 Simple Step-by-Step Recipes for Delicious Everyday Dishes Review

Easy Meals with Just 3 Ingredients: 75 Simple Step-by-Step Recipes for Delicious Everyday Dishes
Average Reviews:

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most recipes are meaningful and cookable. i have a number of cookbooks, this is the one i use most. very clear, easy to follow instructions and outcome tastes good. i strongly suggest it...

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A fabulous collection of recipe ideas, each using just three ingredients or fewer for quick, easy and fuss-free meals. The perfect collection for the modern cook with a busy lifestyle who still wants to eat healthy, home-cooked food.

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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Gluten-Free Quick & Easy: From Prep to Plate Without the Fuss - 200+ Recipes for People with Food Sensitivities Review

Gluten-Free Quick and Easy: From Prep to Plate Without the Fuss - 200+ Recipes for People with Food Sensitivities
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The numbers of people who, because of allergies and other health considerations, must adhere to a gluten-free diet is numbered in the hundreds of thousands and growing dramatically every year. "Gluten-Free Quick & Easy: From Prep To Plate Without The Fuss -- 200 Recipes For People With Food Sensitivities" by Carol Fenster (author of five especial diet cookbooks and an acclaimed wheat-free and gluten-free culinary expert) is specifically for just such people and their families. In addition to compiling 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for gluten intolerant people, "Gluten-Free Quick & Easy" offers shortcuts, tips, and time-saving techniques for the preparation of gluten free dishes for all dining occasions including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. From Chicken Pot Pie; Orange Beef Stir-Fry; Monte Cristo Sandwiches; and Pork Carnitas Slow-Cooker Style; to Smoked Salmon Quesadillas; Banana Bread; Baked Eggs in Ham Baskets; Potato-Leek Soup with Kielbasa; and Cranberry-Apple Crisp, "Gluten-Free Quick & Easy" is proof that being gluten-free doesn't mean giving up gourmet quality dining. Beginning with sage advice on living gluten free, to wonderful do-it-yourself recipes, to informed and informative information about gluten-free grains, substitutes for wheat as a thickener, baking with dairy substitutes, associations and resources, even mail order and online sources for gluten-free ingredients and products, "Gluten-Free Quick & Easy" is an essential, core, culinary reference for the kitchen cookbook shelf of everyone and anyone who must maintain a gluten free diet.

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