I know most women will think, do I really need another cookbook? Well, with this charming edition I would have to say that it's really a pleasure and a worthy investment.
I subscripted to the little fabulous food magazine "Everyday Food" so I felt that I knew most of the recipes, but I was pleasantly surprised with a wonderful melange of useful new dishes I haven't seen before but which were still pretty simple. The real beauty of this book is the easy font, nice photos of each dish - makes picking out what's for dinner that much easier - and the ease of preparation not to mention the simple list of ingredients and finally recipes that work. Everything that I tried from this book was almost picked on a whim, and it turned out beautifully, I felt like a culinary genius as my friends and family thoroughly enjoyed the dishes I made with this book's help. I have collected cookbooks since I was a little girl and some I have because they are fancy and beautiful and I might cook form them one day, but this one is in constant use as I borrow this and that from each page and mix my own meal. Cooking at home is never daunting when books such as this one give so many simple ideas to turn into a hot supper any day of the week. Separated by season the recipes are easy to find, if I'm in the mood for hearty and spicy I pick winter or fall, refreshing and bubbly recipes are from the spring and summer menu.
I have been a proud owner of this book for a few months now and I only review cookbooks that I have actually made food from. Pretty pictures and pleasant sounding ingredients are charming but if I can't make anything form a book and it's not helpful I will certainly make that clear in my review, I also would never recommend or bash a book I have never used - so I can proudly say that this book is nice to look at, everything in it looks tasty and it actually makes me want to get into the kitchen and cook, and after testing large amounts of it I know that it will not fail me during any meal.
There is a recipe for macaroni and cheese in here that made my head spin, I was used to making it one way from my first Nigella Lawson cook book "How to Eat" and I never thought I could improve on it, but improve I did! There is a secret ingredient that sounds out of place but which made my macaroni spectacular, cheesy and yum - simply stuff that comfort food dreams are made of. I also often buy chicken for dinner, raw of course and then wonder of ways to improvise on it on my way home, well the recipe for the Buttermilk chicken was so easy I forgot I was cooking at all, and once it was baked and I was relaxed in from of the TV with a glass of wine with the boyfriend, the dinner was ready. Sometimes I would pick a protein form one recipe and combine with leftovers I had from the night before, missing chicken with warmed up kasha and sautéed string beans were all hot and spiced to perfection, yet I made then by choosing random sides and entrees from the book. I also loved the beef bulgogi - which looks good enough to eat from the picture, cheesy and herbal asparagus and gruyere tart was a show off meal but really not a big sweat to make, flank steak with lime marinade was ridiculously easy but satisfied my craving for something charred and rustic but with a sour kick at the same time, the roasted salmon with lentils is now a staple on my repertoire - I can't believe I didn't cook lentils before, they are easy and taste heavenly, grilled chocolate sandwiches are now a heartbeat away for dessert when I have my panini press out, the gooey dark richness melts with the buttered toasted bread and other things I loved were seasonal soups and pastas. I cant even remember all the things I made from it but they were tasty and certainly I will make them again.
At the end of the book there are some fabulous pages with tips and tricks that make life easier - it's a section called Basics. It discusses vinaigrettes, eggs, chicken, rubs, herb sauces, easy chunky tomato sauce, how to cook pasta, perfect white rice, best couscous, soft polenta, how to cook risotto, chocolate sauce, whipped cream - basically giving a standard recipe and helpful little bits of info that I sometimes would have to look up online before I used other books.
This book is not expensive and not at all pretentious, anyone can make new favorite weeknight and weekend suppers with its help and the ease of preparation makes it worry proof when hungry family member demand them again. It's really good ingredients and books such as this one that remind me about cooking being a hobby and not a chore.
- Kasia S.
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Reviews with images
It's AWESOME!
I was looking to add to my repertoire and this did the trick. There's something for every taste. I've bookmarked so many recipes and made a majority of them with nary a crumb to spare and absolutely no leftovers when I use recipes from this book! A must buy if you're looking to push away the doldrums!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023
I was looking to add to my repertoire and this did the trick. There's something for every taste. I've bookmarked so many recipes and made a majority of them with nary a crumb to spare and absolutely no leftovers when I use recipes from this book! A must buy if you're looking to push away the doldrums!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2011
Top reviews from other countries
Jenifer Ehreth
Lovely book to keep on hand for emergencies
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2017
