The Everything Quick Meals Cookbook (Everything (Cooking)) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Everything Quick Meals Cookbook is a fun and easy-to-use compendium of more than 300 delicious, nutritious recipes that are as quick to prepare (30 minutes or less!) as they are satisfying to the palate. From Parmesan Crisps; Oriental Noodle Salad; Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff; and Lumache with Leek and Sausage Sauce; to Herb Linguine with Salmon, Cream, and Pistachios; Tuna Teriyaki; Pasta with Jalapeno Butter Sauce; and Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Biscuits; The Everything Quick Meals Cookbook covers meat and poultry entrees, seafood entrees, vegetable entrees and side dishes, pasta and rice dishes, pies, pudding, and cakes. Enhanced with invaluable time-saving tips, The Everything Quick Meals Cookbook is ideal for the busy cook and a most welcome addition to any family cookbook shelf.

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Quick & Easy Mexican Cooking: More Than 80 Everyday Recipes (Quick & Easy (Chronicle Books)) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ms. Lee's "Quick & Easy Mexican Cooking" includes notes on ingredients, cheeses and utensils; a chapter of salsas and tortillas; salads; soups; vegetables and side dishes; poultry and eggs; beef and pork; fish and shellfish; desserts and snacks; and beverages. It also includes some quick menus, mail-order sources, and a list of more books, as well as an index. There's even a set of "pantry notes" that sets out three lists of ingredients, from most useful to have on hand to less necessary. The photos are absolutely gorgeous, and the layout is--as is usually the case for a Chronicle book--clean, clear, and easy to read while cooking.
Salsas: The salsas chapter includes all the usual suspects (Pico de Gallo, a smoky chipotle salsa, Salsa Verde, mango salsa, guacamole, and a few extras, such as an herbed pumpkin seed mole. It also includes instructions for homemade corn tortillas and baked tortilla chips.
Salads: Salads include more than you might expect, from a festive corn salad to cactus salad, jicama salad, chilled bean salad, and more. My favorite was the bean salad--not only is it colorful, but the taste is fresh, complex, and bright, despite the fact that the salad is, in fact, very quick & easy to make.
Soups: I really, really need to get around to making the chilled avocado-lime soup in here. And the lentil soup. And the tortilla soup. (If those aren't enough for you, there's a meatball soup and a beef stew--no matter what you're in the mood for, you can probably find something in here that'll scratch the itch!)
Vegetables and Side Dishes: Of course, a book like this wouldn't be complete without both refried beans and black beans. Not to mention roasted poblanos. But you'll find a handful of more unusual dishes as well, such as a vegetarian quesadilla recipe, a spicy corn on the cob recipe, and fried potatoes with poblano chiles. You'll also find instructions for making great Queso Fundido--my favorite dip of cheese and chorizo.
Poultry and Eggs: Once again you'll find a delightful combination of old favorites (Huevos Rancheros anyone?) and less-common recipes (such as "Lenten Eggs," or Nopales con Huevos). The author explains in the introduction to her recipe for stuffed peppers (Chiles Rellenos) that they make a wonderful litmus test for Mexican restaurants, and how to tell whether you're getting the good stuff. (My favorite Mexican restaurant definitely passed muster!)
Desserts and Snacks: I have to say that I was actually surprised by the mango pudding included here. It's just about the simplest recipe you can imagine, using 3 or 4 ingredients, involving a little peeling and cutting, and making use of a blender. And it's so good I had trouble putting it away! You'll also find recipes for rice pudding, sweet corn ice cream, plantains with vanilla and cinnamon ice cream, churros, and of course the wonderful Tres Leches cake. Even that cake is pretty simple.

Ms. Lee's cookbook definitely lives up to its name--the recipes are simple and they're easy. The layout is easy to use and the pictures are lovely. And best of all, everything we made from this book came out perfectly delightful and delicious. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one![NOTE: review book (published 2011) provided by Chronicle Books]

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Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book: Her Biggest Ever Collection of All-New 30-Minute Meals Plus Kosher Meals, Meals for One, Veggie Dinners, Holiday Favorites, and Much More Review

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(More customer reviews)Why the title? Ray herself says (Page 8): "It's orange simply because orange is my favorite color." Simple enough! This has the normal complement of 30 minute meals. However, there are some features to this volume that attracted me to order it: vegetarian meals, holiday menus, some recipes longer than 30 minutes (breaking out of one's mold is a plus to me), Kosher meals. The vegetarian is especially important for me now, since my family is asking me to develop some more vegetarian meals (more on this below). The recipes here are doable by amateur/wannabe chefs. From an earlier cookbook of hers, I found that I could make some tasty meals without a lot of heart palpitations.
This cookbook is well over 300 pages long, so I don't aim to give a comprehensive detailed review (would take too many words). What I'd like to do here is focus on a few recipes and use these as examples of what this cookbook provides. The contents:
30-minute meals
Entree burgers
Vegetarian meals
Kosher meals
Meals for one
A little more than 30 minutes--but worth it
From my family to yours
Starters and snacks
Holiday menus
30-minute meals: "That's Shallota Flavor Spaghetti" (ugh for the bad pun!). A meatless pasta dish (consistent with my family's wishes). Extra virgin olive oil (what Ray calls EVOO), butter, garlic, shallots, salt and pepper, spaghetti (she calls for wheat, but that would not be necessary), parsley, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Very simple to make. I have not yet tried this, but looking at the recipe, this is a "can't miss" recipe.
"Roasted Pork Tenderloins with Escalloped Apples." My family wants me to lay off pork tenderloin. But this recipe might change their minds! Lemon zest, Montreal steak seasoning, thyme, EVOO, pork tenderloins, butter, apples, salt, flour, lemon juice, and sugar. Another pretty straightforward recipe, and one that I hope can get my family to give pork tenderloin another chance!
The section on burgers is pretty cool. Beside the standard beef-based recipes, there are turkey burgers and salmon burgers, etc. Some imaginative recipes here.
As mentioned before, I have been empowered to develop more vegetarian recipes. One of those mentioned here is on next week's schedule of menus--"Popeye Risotto with Beefy Balsamic Mushrooms." Portabella mushrooms are at the heart of this recipe, along with balsamic vinegar. Another that is easy to make and, by the description, a can't miss dish (I don't need to cook something to know that the recipe will work)--"Jaw-Droppingly Delicious Asparagus Penne." Very tempting and a sure winner. Asparagus, penne pasta (whole wheat), EVOO, garlic, flour, vegetable stock, half-and-half, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, pepper, lemon, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. As Ray would say, "Yum-O."
I cook a lot of chicken dishes (lower cholesterol and fat). Here's a goodie. "Chicken cutlets and spaghetti with pepper and onions." Some pasta dishes that take more than 30 minutes. . . . "Elsa's Baked Ziti." And "Basil Cream Sauce with Pasta."
So, this is a fine cookbook, accessible to ordinary folks who want to try some different dishes. I am very much looking forward to trying out some of the recipes already mentioned. As cookbooks go, this is a nice addition to the literature.


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Nathalie Dupree Cooks Great Meals For Busy Days Review

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(More customer reviews)This cookbook is designed to "helptime-pressed cooks fit gracious entertaining and delicious family meals into acrowded schedule." It is organized around the principle that preparingparts of the meal ahead of time gives the hostess time to set the table, enjoy the company, take a bath, or run errands at the last minute.
There are more than 175 recipes in this littlebook, all of which can be preassembled and left to cook or complete at a later time. Manycan be frozen and reheated whenconvenient. There are eight chapterscovering appetizers, soups, salads, meats & main dishes to breads, enhancements anddesserts.
All of the dishes I have cooked, have been wonderfully easy and delicious, a must for thecook who loves to entertain with a minimum ofstress.

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The Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook Review

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(More customer reviews)Any cookbook really has two things going on: the book itself, and the food it produces. This cookbook has so many advantages as a book that I'd like to be able to recommend it without hesitation. Recipes are sorted by prep time, so you can decide if you have 10 minutes to whip up some Hawaiian Sweet Potato soup, and the main dishes (including soups) are presented with a full menu. The book instructs you to set a timer before starting, and then gives you all the steps, and I found that by following the directions I was indeed able to get the meals on the table before the timer rang.
Each dish has a neatly sorted grocery list, and each main dish has a list for the entire suggested meal as well. Instructions are informal yet clear, nutrition information is clearly presented, and overall the book is so user-friendly that I think anyone will be able to succeed with it.
The recipes themselves are something else again. The author refers to these dishes as "down-home cooking" like your grandma used to make, and I guess it depends where you're from. Chipped beef on toast, candied vegetables, and eggs with sauerkraut are very exotic dishes to me. We're assured that these dishes are "delicious recipes that are healthy and easy on the budget," but it's hard to think of meals as healthy when they rely so heavily on things like pie filling and canned biscuits. In fact, cans feature very largely in these meals -- canned soup, canned fruit, canned vegetables, and even canned meat.
I cooked from this cookbook for a weekend, and I certainly could have cooked fresh food more cheaply than these meals. We tried out a dessert made from graham crackers, pudding, and whipped topping which totaled $4.00 -- more than a homemade cake, and neither more healthy nor more delicious.
Still, if you don't know how to cook, or are determined not to spend more than 15 minutes getting dinner on the table, this book could save you from continual drive-through. And if this is the style of cooking you prefer, then these might be faster, cheaper, and conceivably even healthier alternatives to the way your granny cooked.

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Perfect recipes for any cook with little time and even less money.Today's bad economy is forcing people out of restaurants and into thekitchen. But who has the time to cook? Dawn Hall shows home cooks how to prepare simple and fast food that's as healthy as it is easy on the budget.The Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook is just the thing for today's economy minded meal makers.

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Semi-Homemade Money-Saving Slow-Cooking: 128 Quick-to-Cook Meals Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow, this cookbook is fabulous! one good recipe after another that are easy & delicious. I love using my crockpot but this makes the prep even easier and the result is ohhh so good!


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The 30-Minute Vegan: Over 175 Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Recipes for Everyday Cooking Review

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(More customer reviews)As soon as I heard the title, The 30 Minute Vegan, I fell in love with this book. As with any great page-turner, I settled into a comfy chair and read through it from cover to cover. Every recipe beckoned to me, and just reading through the ingredients, I knew that these were going to be some very impressive dishes. Discovering a book filled with 175 mouth-watering recipes that could be made in 30 minutes or less was like a dream come true. If I could prepare great-tasting, satisfying, hearty vegan meals in much less time than I was accustomed to spending in the kitchen, then The 30 Minute Vegan would be a godsend.
But where to begin? Because I happened to have some nice, juicy ripe mangos on hand, I started with the Live Mango Gazpacho Soup. While most gourmet raw food dishes are time consuming (all that soaking, chopping, dehydrating, etc.), and high in fat from nuts, seeds, and avocado, this delightful little soup turned out to be a wonderful surprise! It's actually simple to prepare and made for a sensational low-fat summertime dish. As I have a garden full of mint, I substituted it for the cilantro called for in the recipe, and it blended quite nicely with the lime juice and mangoes. That's one of the things I love about The 30 Minute Vegan: Unlike most other cookbooks, the way the recipes are presented, you are actually encouraged and inspired to add your own culinary creativity. I love that feeling of freedom. I wasn't afraid to experiment on the first go-round with any recipe. The authors made me feel like I couldn't mess it up.
The Monk Bowl's, "Zen simplicity," as it is described in the book, is also co-author Mark Reinfeld's favorite meal to prepare. So I couldn't resist trying such an enlightened and inspired recipe. It's made with quinoa, which is noted for containing more high-quality protein than any other grain. I love it's lighter-than-brown-rice consistency, although this dish would be wonderful with any kind of rice, too. I chose to use roasted tempeh instead of tofu, (one of the suggested variations on this recipe), and added sliced red bell pepper and edamame to the mix of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. Served with nutritional yeast, soy sauce, flax seed oil, and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, the lightly-steamed veggies and fluffy quinoa made for a hearty and satisfying meal. I think that the next time I make this dish, I'll try it with the peanut sauce suggested as another variation of this recipe.
I was thrilled to see that a simplified version of the prize-winning recipe from last year's Most Remarkable Vegan Recipe Contest was thoughtfully included in The 30 Minute Vegan. Live Un-Stir-Fry with Cauliflower Rice was as fun to prepare as it was vibrantly eye-appealing and palate-pleasing. The cauliflower "rice" really fooled my taste buds, and the spicy vegetable dressing had just the right balance of sweetness and piquancy.
Extremely helpful sidebars are peppered throughout the book: "Quicker and Easier," "Tips and Tricks," "Superfoods for Health," and "If You Have More Time" enhance the value of this book a thousandfold. As do the opening chapters, "Getting Started" and "Preparation Basics," which includes grain and dried bean cooking charts. It's wonderfully time-saving to have all of this information in one place.
Since I feel the need to get my hands on a copy of every vegan cookbook that comes along, I have a stack of them collecting dust on my bookshelf. But like the authors' earlier books, Vegan World Fusion Cuisine and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw, The 30 Minute Vegan has found a permanent home in my kitchen, where its pages will quickly become worn, torn, and stained. And I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of this book. Can you say Chocolate Ganache Pie?

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Busy vegans, rejoice! award-winning husband and wife chefs/authors Reinfeld and Murray present 150 delicious, easy-to prepare recipes for everyday vegan cooking-all dishes that can be prepared in a half-hour.Sections include The Lighter Side of Life: Smoothies & Satiating Beverages; Snacks, Pick Me Ups & Kids' Favorites; Lunches: Wraps, Rolls, Bowls, and More; Extraordinary Salads; Sumptuous Soups; Small Plates: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Light Dinners; Wholesome Suppers; Guilt-Free Comfort Food: Healthy Translations of Old Stand-bys; and Divine Desserts.The 30-Minute Vegan also provides at-a-glance cooking charts, kids' favorite dishes, and exciting menu suggestions for every occasion-making this an essential cookbook for busy vegans who want to enjoy delicious, healthful, whole-foods vegan fare every day.

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Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times: Featuring 350 recipes from the author of HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING and THE BEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD Review

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(More customer reviews)I received Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes for Christmas. I am an avid cook, but find that lately I don't have the time or energy to cook a full meal when I get home from work. Mark's book makes cooking a delicious meal easy and accessible.
Additionally, the recipes use common ingredients--and a limited number of ingredients per recipe. For example, Chicken Curry in a Hurry calls for 4 ingredients: vidalia onions, curry powder, chicken breasts, and sour cream (excluding cooking oil, salt, and pepper: too ubiquitous to be considered ingredients). Egg Drop Soup calls for 5 ingredients: chicken stock/broth, eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and scallions.
I recommend this book both to novice and experienced cooks that are looking for a go-to cookbook with reliable recipes.

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Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20-minute Meals Review

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(More customer reviews)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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30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, low carb has been all the rage for sometime now although the fad seems to be slowing down somewhat. But not before TV's spunkiest cook can put her stamp on low carb as Rachael Ray does in her latest book. At 256 pages this is Rachael's largest book yet. I've never quite been able to get meals done in 30 minutes. i guess it probably helps having good editors and a staff but even at 45 minutes or so I've enjoyed every one of Rachael's books. It's good food where taste is first, not fancy presntation and ingredients that have you haunting exotic food stores to find.
The recipes here are not all that low-carb so don't be put off by thinking it's a diet cook book. It's just another great one from Rachael where carbs are used in moderation, but not at the sacrifice of taste. Call them good-sense carb recipes as opposed to low-carb. There's plenty of bread and pasta to be found inside. With all her books the emphasis is on good food and good food done fast and this one, like the previous ones, is right on the mark. Wonderful Italian and Mexican dishes, burgers, even desserts. And it all comes to you in Rachael's endearing, homey way of writing that comes across so well on TV. With her new publisher now being a part of Random House, the book is much more well-presented than her previous ones. Bolder colors that stand out and just plain look better.
Another winner from Rachael!

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Robin Rescues Dinner: 52 Weeks of Quick-Fix Meals, 350 Recipes, and a Realistic Plan to Get Weeknight Dinners on the Table Review

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(More customer reviews)I've purchased two previous books from Robin Miller, one I liked, the other not so much so I was really wondering which way this third book would go for me.
The book is laid out in weeks. The weeks run from January through December (they aren't labeled as such) but she mentions in the introduction the 'warm you up from the inside out' meals will be in the beginning and the end with the warm weather menus that use fresh summer produce are in the middle.
Each week has 3 meals. I can't tell you HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS!! I've learned in the past that I don't cook 5 meals, regardless of all the shopping and planning I put into it, I just lose steam and don't 'feel it' come day four and five of the week. So the fact that she features three menu's for each day is WONDERFUL!
At the beginning of each week she lists the menu and a page entitled "Prep List"for example week 24 includes* Grilled Chicken w/Sherried Carmamelized Wild Mushrooms
* Baja Chicken Soft Tacos
**quick side dish: Olice and Tomato-spiked rice
* Seared Tuna w/Miso Broth and Sesame Soba Noodles
**Quick side dish: Chunky Tomato Salad
then on the opposite page is the "Prep List"
* Cook extra chicken for the tacos when you make the grilled chicken. (Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.)
* Cook soba noodles for the tuna dish; toss with oil as directed (refrigerate up to 2 days).
The recipes are on the next three pages complete with prep time and cook time. I've never been one to prep ahead but I'd be curious to see how it works, I may have to try it.
The recipes are in a nice large font, the ingredients in bold with a lot of options for each recipe, ie; morphing into another meal, or a quick side dish option.
All in all, the book has a VERY NICE layout, pleasing to the eyes as you browse through it. There are two groupings of pics, not a lot but hey the book is $20 so I'm not complaining.
I GIVE THIS A TWO THUMBS UP or in this case FIVE STARS!!!


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Rachael Ray's Look + Cook Review

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(More customer reviews)I love cookbooks, I must have hundreds and my mother (from whom I inherited my passion for cooking) has thousands. A few of my early purchases were of the "Look and Cook" variety, such as French Country Cookery (Anne Willan's Look & Cook) but I have since moved on to cookbooks that rely on the reader to have mastered the different techniques that are required for each specific dish. Then I saw Rachael Ray on television cook some of the dishes from this new cookbook of hers. I must say that I was impressed with both the style of the dishes and their ease of preparation. The recipes are new, trendy and very approachable. The photos that demonstrate the preparation of the dishes do so in a step-by-step fashion are well shot and very easy to learn from. Some of the recipes in this book were posted on Rachael's website before the book was released so I had the opportunity to try out a few earlier as well as some new ones that are only in the book.
The look and cook portion of the book includes 100 recipes and is divided into 3 chapters:
1. Cozy Food - Includes recipes for some great comfort food, such as: Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes; Pimiento Mac n' Cheese; and fresh Onion and Wild Mushroom Soup2.Make Your Own Takeout - Restaurant-style dishes that can be prepared faster than you can pick up something to-go, recipes include: Chinese Orange-Barbeque Cashew Chicken and Crunchy Tuna Tacos3.Fancy Fake-Outs - These are simplified versions of dishes that are usually reserved for the advanced home chef, including: Almost Tandoori Chicken; Individual Beef Wellingtons; and Veal and Olive Ragu with Pappardelle
The back section of the book includes 5 more chapters (125 additional recipes), but they are in her 30 Minute Meals format and do not include photographs. There is also a link to her interactive website where you can see select dishes being made in real-time.
So far my favorite recipe is for the Chicken Cutlets Brasciole. The chicken breast filets are butterflied and pounded; the breasts are then stuffed with a mixture of raisins, toasted pine nuts, parsley, lemon zest, cheese, garlic and bread crumbs and is served atop a tomato, wine and tarragon sauce. Delicious!
This book is full of great recipes, some of which will become regular fare at my house. Although the Look and Cook feature is not really necessary if you are an advanced cook, this book is still worth having for its creativity and ease of preparation alone. It should be a big hit with the beginning and intermediate home chef as nothing is assumed and each technique and process is both shown and explained in detail. Advanced cooks will still be inspired by Rachael's ability to simplify classic recipes and to substitute easy to find ingredients for those that have been used historically in the well-known versions.
Ms. Ray has both her fans and her detractors. Some find her a little too "cutesy" with her made-up words and expressions (like EVOO for extra-virgin olive oil), but I find her somewhat unorthodox style to be refreshing (and she's not too hard on the eyes!). All in all I find this to be a very fine cookbook and one that I will be recommending to quite a few of my friends who would appreciate both the recipes and the step-by-step style of the photography and instructions. This will not become a go-to cookbook for me, but I am very glad that I own it and I will be cooking recipes from it from time to time.


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Robin to the Rescue: Quick & Simple Recipes for Delicious Home Cooking Review

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(More customer reviews)I guess I'm a little confused with the negative reviews for this book. I love it just as much as Robin Miller's first cookbook. I agree that some of the ingredient combinations sound odd, but every recipe that I've tried has been wonderful. This cookbook allows me to create home-cooked meals in a relatively short amount of time, and everyone loves them! I really appreciate that most of the ingredients lists are either fairly short or mainly rely on pantry staples that I always have. This cookbook is helping me keep grocery costs down as prices rise (even as I've had to give up some of my other favorite cookbooks because of the prices of required ingredients). Strongly recommended for adventurous eaters with smaller budgets and little time. :)

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Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)This book, like many others, is often mistaken as a "I hate to cook!" book, when in fact it is more of a "I have no time to cook!" book. Cooking is one of my favorite passions, however working 50 hours a week really doesn't lend well to cooking elaborate meals. Rachael Ray provides a menu-style book that is both cost-effective and does not require unusual ingredients that are hard to find. The meals are easy and always 'homestyle' delicious. The only drawback, as many have pointed out, is that her deserts leave a lot to be desired. But it IS geared towards getting a meal done in 30 minutes, and as mentioned, I usually don't have time to make creme brulee. :-P

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Homemade in a Hurry: More than 300 Shortcut Recipes for Delicious Home Cooked Meals Review

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(More customer reviews)This really is a wonderful cookbook. I bought it in college and it was really great for making quick, wholesome, tasty meals in what little time I had. Now I continue to use the book because the recipes are so wonderful; and I bought my mother a copy, which she uses on nights when she gets home late from work or doesn't feel like cooking.
Many cookbooks that advertise expedience have little to offer other than bad-tasting food. Not so with this book! The recipes are inventive and plentiful--it would take a long time to get tired of all the meals in this book! One of my favorite things about the book is that the author explains the reasoning behind some of the shortcuts he takes and also takes the time to educate the reader on how to perform basic cooking duties. I am an experienced cook and found the comments interesting and helpful rather than annoying.
I recently bought this book for a friend of mine who is very afraid of the kitchen. She has already made 3 recipes from the book, all of which were a success. Just a great, great book.

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In an age where time is as precious as good food, enter Homemade in a Hurry, the secret to having more of both. With over three hundred recipes, from appetizers, soups, and salads to main courses, side dishes, and desserts, cooking from scratch is made easier with shortcuts for those who demand more—a LOT more—in less time. By jump-starting the cooking with high-quality prepared ingredients such as pestos, curry cooking sauces, and pre-chopped vegetables—all found at local supermarkets—the complicated is streamlined and what used to take hours in the kitchen is now ready in minutes. Author and cooking teacher Andrew Schloss has a knack for creating easy-to-prepare recipes that turn the same-old-thing into something special. Puree a can of navy beans with a little garlic, olive oil, and lime juice and voilà, White Guacamole. Dress up a cup of stuffing mix for a turkey meatloaf that's in the oven in under ten minutes. A little mango and onion give new life to store-bought salsa making a perfect accompaniment to grilled salmon. And even after a delicious bit of Lasagna Bolognese, no one will guess it takes only minutes to prepare. Homemade in a Hurry is the essential home chef's companion guide to using the supermarket as a personal pantry for creating impressive dishes, whether for everyday meals or for full-on dinner parties.

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Real Fast Food Review

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(More customer reviews)I was introduced to this book by a friend back in the mid-90s. Since then, it's become my food bible, and I've shared it with my family & have impressed many a friend who's popped in for a mid-week supper. And, like several of the other reviewers, my copy is like the Velveteen Rabbit: pages are stained, stick together, falling apart, and the more it becomes like this, the more loved it is. It is, quite simply, the best cookbook around. It's certainly the only book that we refer to by name: "what does Nigel suggest?" being a common refrain in our kitchen.
Why is this book so perfect?
Well, for one thing, it's fast and nutritious: we work long hours & don't have the time or energy to slave in the kitchen for 2 hours when we get home (I love Delia & Martha but that's the problem with their recipes). And as the alternative is a) eating out, b) pulling something out of the freezer, c) pasta (again), or d) hummus & ryvita, this book often proves to be our Monday-Thursday evening road-map. And even when it is pasta again, Nigel has the best suggestions for fast & interesting sauces/toppings.
Second: Nigel's philosophy of cooking is very similar to mine: I make things up based on what's in the fridge anyway. The thing I like about this book is that Nigel's been doing that for longer than me: he has more suggestions, and some really interesting ones. I'm sure he's made mistakes, but they aren't listed in the book, so I can learn from them without making them myself. Nice.
Third: Nigel's a foodie but not a snob. I love the fact that he tells you to eat the very best of things: chocolate with 75% cocoa solids, greek yoghurt etc, but he also includes chip butties. And which of us doesn't secretly want a chip butty occasionally?
Fourth: Nigel's realistic. His recipes are for 1-2 and he says that this is because it's how most of us live now. He's right. (Martha: again, take note: we're not all families with 3 kids looking to roast beef). Much easier to follow his portion amounts (tho' I've made his risotto for years & still think his amounts for 2 would feed a family of 5).
Finally: I have some of Nigel's other books, but frankly, I'm a little worried that he's following the Nigella-Jamie "Glamour Cookbook" trend with his most recent offerings. Yes, they're gorgeous, and yes, he needed to do something different. But their complexity is a little more intimidating (as is the time needed for preparation), and they don't just prop up on the kettle as easily when I need to follow a recipe while opening the post, answering the phone & making supper in 25 minutes.

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Great Meals Using Two Burners and a Microwave Review

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(More customer reviews)This book offers very simple recipes. The ingredients are easy to find and the procedures just as easy to follow. Yet the end result is outstanding every time! It's a must have!!!

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