Girls Dinner Club Review

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(More customer reviews)Junie and Celia are best friends who welcome Danielle into their circle. The three girls soon discover that they enjoy cooking together. Danielle and her grandmother teach the other two to concoct luscious Italian dishes. While the girls are inspired to try other recipes and invent their own food creations, they become closer, sharing the most intimate details of their lives and drawing support and comfort from each other.
Junie's parents are always gone. Trying sex with her boyfriend, Brian, has been a turning point for their relationship. Junie did not enjoy the act and hasn't been able to confide in Brian. She leans on her friends as her connection with Brian unravels. Eventually, Junie finds herself crushing from afar after one glimpse of Danielle's hunky cousin, Roberto. Amazingly, he seems to be attracted to her as well. Rob is a cheese expert and teaches Junie some fascinating facts about this calcium-filled food. However, as time goes by, Junie finds herself daydreaming about Brian again and feeling irritated by some of Rob's mannerisms.
Celia's cozy life with her dad is rocked when he brings Jane home. Celia despises Jane, and is horrified that her dad would get involved with her. However, she ends up grudgingly escorting Jane's British nephew, Henry, around New York and discovers a redeeming feature --- Henry can cook! Still, Celia can't wait to see the end of Henry's trip to New York. Or can she?
Danielle adores her grandmother, Nonna, but loathes the paths her mother and sister have chosen to follow as lingerie saleswomen. Nonna and others urge Danielle not to waste her beautiful singing voice, but Danielle has her reasons for turning them down. When bad boy Steve returns, she more or less forgets how he broke her heart. Then she uncovers an amazing family secret, and her perspective on her own life changes.
This is an enjoyable read, celebrating both the intense joy of cooking good food and the pleasures of friendship. The reader comes to care about each girl, rooting for successes and worrying over setbacks. Each character is clearly defined, and there are frequent funny scenes. The one way to improve this book? Include recipes!
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The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick. Cheap. Easy. Review

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(More customer reviews)This was my first cookbook, and I can now cook and bake almost anything I try. My mother gave this to me when I was studying abroad in Ireland and found that, being vegetarian, I couldn't eat most of the food in restaurants. I had never liked cooking much before but this book sparked an interest in me that has become my primary hobby.

The book consists of multiple sections, which include Breakfast, Poultry, Beef, Seafood, Vegetarian (yay!), and Desserts. And even though most of the above don't apply to me, this book is still splattered and marked with my always successful attempts at these recipes. The ingredients are usually on hand in a well-stocked kitchen, and, for further assistance, the authors give you thorough advice on how to stock a kitchen in the first place. In addition, the book includes a glossary on cooking and baking terms in case, like me, you didn't know and couldn't place international calls to your mom every five minutes.

But the absolute best thing about this book, after you take into consideration the creative recipes, the simple delicious taste of each finished product, the ease of use, and the lasting power of the recipes - I still come back to this book for the recipes listed further below, is the universal quality the authors cultivate. Each recipe gives both metric and standard measuring units (and in my case, it was essential) and thorough nutritional information with each recipe.

Key recipes that I still use, many many dinner parties later: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Carrot Cake, Baked Ziti, Garlic Green Beans with Tofu, Tomato Basil Sauce, Mushroom Pasta Sauce (try with linguine), and Mushrooms Parmesan.

Drawbacks to this book: Not many. And there aren't even any pictures, which I usually find upsetting. For this book, it works. If I had a photo of what the dish was supposed to look like in front of me, I would have been upset if my final product didn't resemble it completely.

If you are searching for the perfect gift for a student with a first apartment, consider this book. It was a gift to me, and I am still grateful.

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Written by students and for students, this creative collection of nutritious, easy-to-make, and inexpensive recipes will fuel even the most inexperienced cooks through those demanding college years. Illustrations throughout.

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