Customer Reviews

Desperation Entertaining!

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I pull this book out every time I face an entertaining challenge, and I always find at least one recipe that's perfect for the occasion. The guacamole-with-peas and black bean "hummus" dips wowed my New Year's Day guests and they were really tickled when I revealed the secret ingredients. (They said, "You must really trust the "Deperation" ladies!" I do!)

Witty commentary and helpful shopping, presentation, and decorating tips make this a fun book to browse through.

Some warnings and comments: Unlike the original "Desperation Dinners," this book focuses on multi-stage do-it-ahead recipes. Those wanting lots of menus that can be on the table in an hour or less will be disappointed.One long chapter is devoted only to grilled main dishes; another to slow cooker meats and soups. If you don't grill or slow cook, half of the main dishes won't work for you.

Certain food themes are repeated ad naseum - there are 9 creamy dips, 6 chicken salads, 5 chilis, 4 kinds of slaw, and 8 breakfast casseroles. The beverage and side dish chapters are slim, but the dessert chapter is much larger here than in "Desperation Dinners." Both authors are North Carolinans, and the book is heavy on Southern favorites. Although they make some concessions to low-fat dairy ingredients, this is not the book to turn to for low-fat, low-carb, or low-calorie ideas.

Because these dishes rely on partially-prepared ingredients such as "already-cooked" bacon, and because the authors favor shrimp and fine cuts of meat, most recipes are expensive. If your grocery store is rural or small, you'll struggle to locate some ingredients.

Check this out if you're looking for easy entertainment-specific recipes, throw-together dips, do-it-ahead plans, and lots of interesting advice for the host or hostess. Most dishes serve 8-12.

This cookbook is merely o.k. I have made four recipes from this book.

1.) The roasted corn and baked potatoes are easy and excellent. Good recipes.

2.) The chicken fingers are easy and have good flavor, but they are not crispy at all, as promised in the recipe title. If I would have cooked them longer, the coating would have burned. Also, originally I poured the remaining coating over the chicken as indicated in the recipe and it immediately scorched on the bottom of the pan when I put it in the oven.

3.) The smoked oyster spread was a total disaster. Yuck! I followed the recipe to the letter, and the spread had the exact look and consistency of baby poop. It tasted horrid, too. The notes say to see if your guests can guess the secret ingredient. I would have guessed canned sardines. I wouldn't make this for my dog, let alone guests.

4.) Some of the recipes seem needlessly odd. Would you really serve your guests guacamole made with peas??? I know I wouldn't.

This book has a few good recipes, but I'd advise checking it out from the library first to see if it's up your alley. Desperation Dinners is much better.

I'm a frequent "Desperation Dinner" cook. I was excited to find Desperation Entertaining. All of the recipes have turned out great. My family and friends have loved them. I made the BLT Dip and Cajun Barbecued Shrimp for New Year's Eve. They were the first things to go. I couldn't keep my kids out of it. Best of all, they didn't taste like a quick fix. My friends can't believe I don't slave in the kitchen all day with the dishes I make from this book.

Don't be afraid to try the unusual, like peas in guacamole, you may be pleasantly surprised. I look forward to the next "Desperation" edition.

I would rate this a low five or a high four. My big complaint about this cookbook and it's fellow one "Desperation Dinners" is that sometimes there is so much advice and hints, the recipe kind of gets lost on the page.

But having said that, these are great cookbooks. They are full of easy to follow recipes, time savers, hints and helps. The recipes require normal ingredients and rarely anything fancy. Every meal I have made has turned out fantastic. And this book lives up to it's name, in that almost every meal in this book can be served to company.

Well worth the money.
Enjoy

This book is a great source of recipes for entertaining or just for your everyday dinners where you want to relax. As with the earlier Desperation Dinners, it is focused on making things easy for you, although in this book not necessarily fast. In the first book, all the recipes took about 20 minutes from start to finish (although they sometimes started assuming you already had the water boiling!). Here the emphasis is on planning things ahead so you can do preparation work before your company arrives, leaving you to time to enjoy visiting rather than go crazy in the kitchen at the last minute!

Don't save the recipes and use them only when you're having company. There are some great recipes that your family will enjoy even when you're not having company.

I have Desperation Dinnners but this cookbook is great for entertaining.Have made several easy things from here which certainly makes entertaining much easier.A must have along w/other Desperation Dinner cookbook.

I have all 3 books by these authors and this one is my favorite. The recipes are good for both entertaining and cooking for your family. Although, the recipes are not quite as quick as the Desperation Dinners cookbook, they are still quick, easy and usually use common ingredients.

I do agree with the other reviewers that this book is heavy on dips. But, when you are entertaining a dip is a very useful addition to the menu. For recipies that are more complex, the authors show you how to break the prep and cooking into steps. I found this to be a great help since as a mom of little ones I usually cook in spurts.

We have tried a number of recipies from this book and have found them to be excellent. I have been in search of a good meatloaf recipie and I finally found one in this book. The Fastest Fruit Salad recipie is also excellent and gets rave reviews everytime I make it for a potluck. The Blue Jay Point Pasta is also very yummy and is great to freeze.

I highly recommend this book to people who like to entertain and like to cook a nice meal without becoming stressed out.

I love having friends over and I love to eat good food, but I'm not the type that likes to spend hours in the kitchen. If I can fix good food with 20 minutes of effort, why spend hours? There's a LONG list of things I'd rather do than cook!! If that sounds familiar to you, you'll love this cookbook. I bought it a few weeks before hosting a family reunion of 14 people for nearly a week. Nearly everything I cooked that week was prompted by a recipe or an idea in this book, and it all turned out great. Highly recommended.

Alicia and Beverly have done it again! Desperate cooks everywhere now have no excuse not to entertain friends and family at home. More than a cookbook, this book provides how-to tips on organizing, planning ahead, and menu selection. Most dishes serve 8, so the dishes could also be made for dinner -- with leftovers. If you follow their advice you'll be able to serve tasty meals for guests with minimal cooking skills and only some effort. I've used quite a few recipes and find them easy to follow and everything tastes good!