Showing posts with label 6 pm sanity savers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 6 pm sanity savers. Show all posts

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cheap. Fast. Good Review

Cheap. Fast. Good
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Everyone seems to like this book more than I do so I took a second look at it. I opened up to the chapter "Everyday Entrees". The first recipe for Gayle's Country-Style Steak does sound good, but it has to simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Not exactly "Fast". Looked at the next recipe Texas Cowboy's Pie and it calls for "shredded already-cooked beef" for which there is a recipe on another page. I took a look at that recipe and it would take more than 3 hours to cook. The 3rd recipe in this chapter is Beefed-Up Chinese Burritos. It calls for "Flexible Mexican Filling" for which there is a recipe on another page. You get the idea. I notice that these recipes that are needed for some of the general recipes are in a chapter titled "Budget-Minded Batch Cooking" that's at the end of all the chapters with recipes for dinners. So if so you decide to try this book, I'd suggest starting with that chapter. Each of those recipes does tell you which recipes require them. The recipes must be good if so many people wrote positive reviews, so take that into consideration when making your final decision as to whether or not to buy this book.

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Not a penny-pinching cookbook—a "get smart!" cookbook. No more staring helplessly at rising grocery bills or, too harried for time, shelling out twenty-five bucks for mediocre take-out. The work of two brilliant problem-solvers, Cheap. Fast. Good! cuts through both the budget dilemma and the time dilemma with 275 recipes for great, family-pleasing dishes, most of which take under 25 minutes to prepare and average out to cost less—and usually far less—than $2 a serving. Home Ec simplified Saving money in the kitchen is as simple as one four-letter word: Cook. But cooking to save means cooking food you and your family are going to love—and cooking (and shopping) smart. In dozens of time-and-money-saving tips, techniques, strategies, and solutions, the authors show how to make the right choices again and again. They'll never know you're thrifty Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Pepper Medley Stuffed Peppers with Kielbasa Rice Zesty Chicken Sauté Bayou Stew Catfish with Pecan Crust Cinco de Mayo Skillet Quickie Cacciatore Perfect Spinach Pesto Pizza Moroccan Meatballs Over Couscous Salmon Pasta with Tomatoes and Dill...Even when it's time to s-t-r-e-t-c-h Onion Chopped Steak with Easy Gravy Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs Fall Sausage and Cabbage Sauté Ultra-Easy Veggie Quesadillas Pasta e Fagioli My Beef and Barley Soup Ziti Mexi-Cali

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Friday, April 15, 2011

Desperation Dinners Review

Desperation Dinners
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I admit that I was skeptical when I purchased this book. I was expecting yet another book full of "canned" recipes -- you know the type: a can of this, a can of that, few fresh ingredients. Boy, was *I* surprised!
While the book does take advantage of convenience foods -- pre-chopped veggies, frozen chopped onions, etc. -- it uses mostly fresh vegetables, meats, and readily available herbs, spices, and condiments. I've made several recipes from this book and haven't had a problem yet. My first was the cream of wild mushroom soup -- a heavenly silky concoction made with several varieties of mushrooms that reminded me a soup I'd eaten in an excellent Swedish restaurant some years ago. Outstanding!
And the authors are true to their word -- if you follow the directions, you'll complete each dish in 20 minutes or less. You'll keep busy for those 20 minutes, but you WILL finish. Each recipe is marked to let you know if you need to pre-heat the oven, boil water, etc. -- which aren't usually included in the 20 minutes.
As a cookbook collector, I purchased Desperation Dinners as another example of "quick and easy" cuisine. It's now on my "most used" shelf!
August 2007: It's now six years later since I wrote that review above, and this is STILL my most-used cookbook. I have over 2500 books in my cookbook collection, but this is the one I reach for first. I've made probably 30-40% of the recipes in the book, but I still have my favorites (that cream of mushroom soup, for instance). If you're looking for down-to-earth recipes that use everyday ingredients, but use them in creative ways, this is the book for you. Seriously. It's worth the investment.

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