Books answer what's for dinners—January 11, 2008
Now that the holiday leftovers are gone, everyday meal planning and preparation begins again. Whether you need quick, easy meals or full family spreads, Hastings Public Library has books available to help make nutritious and enticing meals.
The book “ALL YOU Real Family Food” can answer that everyday question “What’s for dinner?” The recipes “chicken stew with green olives” or “pork tenderloin with sautéed apples” sound different and delicious. Each recipe in the book includes prep time, cooking time, serving number, nutritional information and an easy-to-follow “cost per serving” rating. Budgeting becomes easier as lower cost mid-week meals retain value but allow more to be spent on celebrations and special events.
Skim some of Rachel Ray’s cookbooks for ideas, too. “30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going To Extremes,” “Just In Time! : All-New 30 Minutes Meals, Plus Super-Fast 15-minute Meals and Slow It Down 60-Minute Meals,” “Classic Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals : the All-Occasion Cookbook,” plus her other cookbooks include many of the talk-show host’s simple, delicious meals she has featured on her television program. In her book, “Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20-Minute Meals,” the author features sections that explain how to organize your kitchen, refrigerator and pantry hutch for efficient use as well as many recipes.
Have you ever watched “America’s Test Kitchen” on television? “Cook’s Illustrated” magazine editors appear on the show and have compiled a book containing what they consider to be the “best methods of American home cooking” in the book “834 Kitchen Quick Tips: Techniques and Shortcuts For the Curious Cook”. See how to separate pieces of bacon in a shrink-wrapped package easily, peel kiwi fruit with a spoon or pit a cherry with a paperclip. The book is arranged alphabetically and also contains an index.
Even expert cooks can learn from other pros using these and other cookbooks at the Hastings Public Library.
