Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This cookbook is filled with bodacious recipes. I couldn't believe it when I started going through to find any recipes I might be interested in trying and saw how many of my old tried-and-true favorites are included. I finally stopped flagging the ones I wanted to try when I got to page 281. I had run out of sticky notes. My book looks like it has feathers!
Seriously though, I have tried 5 recipes so far: the classic lasagna on page 56 (very good), meatball and polenta casserole on page 92 (good but needs work for my family),zucchini-sausage casserole on page 121 (fabulous), corn bread for a crowd on page 272 (not iron skillet good but very tasty), and coca-cola cake on page 295 (just like my 30 year old original). At no time does this cookbook profess to be completely "healthy" or "easy" or "quick". But, if you can gather ingredients and then follow simple directions I just don't see how you can go wrong. I make it a point to always follow a recipe exactly the first time, then make any adjustments to suit my family when I make it the next time. These adjustments are noted on the recipe page. This book will be no different but I just couldn't be happier with all the choices I now have, all contained in one book. And every recipe is not for cooked foods either, there are many dishes which don't require cooking, just preparation. Dishes such as layered salads, and gelatin desserts. Also included are 16 vegetarian entree recipes plus many in the lasagna and casserole sections which could be adapted to be vegetarian with no trouble at all. There are breakfast dishes, coffee cakes and french toast, meats, poultry dishes, fish and seafood, bars and brownies, plus catagories I've already mentioned. I am very impressed with the recipes.
What I am not so impressed with is the book itself. I am not a fan of spiral binding for any book but I bought this one knowing it was bound in that way so I can't actually complain about that. I don't like it but I won't complain. What I really don't like is the lack of pictures showing finished recipes. There are 16 pictures of 16 finished dishes. All 16 are located together in the first quarter of the book. It would have been nice to have had each picture at or near the recipe it showed. Also, the paper quality is not quite as good as I would want it to be. I don't know if these pages will be able to stand up to the kind of wear and tear one of my cookbooks takes (and I try to be VERY careful but accidents happen). Also, the color chosen for the major pages is an orangey-pumpkin which I don't like at all. I also miss index tabs. Those tabs make it so much easier to navigate within a cookbook. And some thicker paper for the chapter divisions would have been nice.
Having outlined all of the drawbacks, I still say that this is one whale of a good cookbook. I already have my plan in mind for what I'm going to do if the pages begin to tear away from the spiral.
Click Here to see more reviews about: 9 x 13: The Pan That Can (Better Homes & Gardens Cooking)
More than 370 tempting recipes that can be made in a 9x13 pan, with favorites for every meal of the day.
135 make-ahead recipes to ease the last-minute crunch.
Breakfast and brunch dishes include Ham & Cheese Strata and Oven-Easy French Toast.
Crowd-pleasing main-dish recipes include Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken and Apple-Glazed Pork Loin and warming casseroles such as Italian Sausage and Spinach Casserole and Florentine Lasagna.
Potluck-perfect sides, salads, and breads make it easy to find the perfect contribution for any get-together any time of day.
Decadent desserts and sweets include Three-Layer Brownies, Pear-Gingerbread Upside Down Cake, and Raspberry-White Chocolate Bread Pudding.
Click here for more information about 9 x 13: The Pan That Can (Better Homes & Gardens Cooking)
