April 2007 Archives
This is a book that I have had on the shelf for awhile and continue to pull down and thumb through for ideas. While I am a reasonably experienced cook, there are fresh ideas in this book for the time impacted cook.
Many readers will be familiar with the name Sandra Lee. Sandra Lee is known to audiences nationwide by appearances on the QVC shopping channel and numerous network and cable television programs. Her Semi-Homemade solutions have also been featured in People, Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens, Traditional Home, Country Home and Victoria. She has also appeared on NBC's Today. FOX's Good Day LA, Good Day New York and the Food Network.
Semi-Homemade is based on Sandra's 70/30 philosophy - 70% store-bought/ready-made products accompanied by 30% fresh and creative touches - allows anyone to take 100% of the credit for something that looks, feels or tastes homemade.
As Sandra herself says; " Our days are filled with too much to do, too little time to do it in, and not enough money to make it all happen. Life today requires us all to be super-human. and after getting all your "to-dos" done, you're expected to plan, shop for, and whip up new, fresh, mouth-watering homemade meals from scratch?"
You will love the simple yet elegant recipes and the accompanying photos for each recipe. This book will give you new energy and hope to face the "what's for dinner?" line.
From Amazon.com
Every ingredient that can possibly be branded is labeled as such. Lee's Salad Chinois is made with Swanson premium chunk chicken breast, Kikkoman soy sauce, McCormick ground ginger, Hellman's or Best Foods mayonnaise, La Choy chow mein noodles, Fresh Express prepared green salad, Chun King chow mein vegetables, and Dole mandarin orange segments. Gnocchi Dippers are whipped up with Alessi gnocchi, Bertolli olive oil, and, believe it or not, Kraft Velveeta cheese. The Malibu Rum Cake includes Malibu Rum, Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe yellow cake mix, and Jell-O vanilla instant pudding.
Sandra Lee has written 8 other books dealing with the same Semi-Homemade theme.
While the title sounds promising, I have been disappointed many times by recipe and cook book titles that fail to deliver. This book, 834 Quick Kitchen Tips however, is a book that WILL NOT disappoint you.
Yes it is another kitchen book but it is so much more than a cook book or recipe book. The contents are a distilled collection of the best techniques and shortcuts over 11 years of readers of the Cook's Illustrated magazine.
Many of the tips are so practical that that you will be tempted to sit down and read the book like a novel, all 585 pages.
What's the best way to preserve leftover herbs, peel eggs in record time, or chop chocolate with ease? Ever wondered if it is possible to soundproof your coffee grinder? How can you clean hardened food out of your blender with the push of a button? And exactly how many uses can are there for the humble zipper-lock storage bag?
Each tip, 834 of them, is accompanied by a detailed illustration. I found this both enhanced the readability of the book as well as the understanding of some of the tips.
The book is just fun to read, and a valuable reference that you will refer to again and again. It is a terrific book to give as a gift for someone leaving to college, newly-weds or Grandma, all will benefit from it.
I found it at Amazon.com for only $11.53 (a 32% discount off of the $16.95 cover price) and shipping is free if your order is over $25. Enjoy!
