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135 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, Practical Recipes, October 27, 2006
This review is from: The Everything Meals For A Month Cookbook: Smart Recipes To Help You Plan Ahead, Save Time, And Stay On Budget (Everything: Cooking) (Paperback)
I have been playing around with the idea of OAMC (Once a month cooking) for about a year. I love the concept, but with three children, a full time job, and a husband that works on the weekend, I had not been able to put together a cooking day. This is the book that led me to compile and complete my first "mini" session (12 meals in the freezer). The book made it sound so easy and fun, that I had to try it.
The recipes are kid friendly (obviously important, if the kids refuse to eat the meal I have not saved ANY time or money), easy to make, and contain common ingredients. There was a good variety of different ideas. I made 9 different recipes (a lot of variety for one setting, BUT who wants 3 more meals sized helpings of something no one liked?) and so far I have not been disppointed with any of the items I made.
If you are looking to try OAMC, this is the best cookbook I have found (I bought about 10 different cookbooks specializing in freezer cooking, so I have a pretty big library for comparison to back up my claim).
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73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cannot Live Without Cookbook!!, January 25, 2007
This review is from: The Everything Meals For A Month Cookbook: Smart Recipes To Help You Plan Ahead, Save Time, And Stay On Budget (Everything: Cooking) (Paperback)
I requested this as a gift based on the reviews on the website, and I'm so glad someone bought it for me!! EVERY recipe I've tried has been delicious, the only complaints being that I hadn't doubled the recipe so they could eat more. The recipes are nicely organized according to type (meat base, breakfast food, slow cooker meal, etc.), and laid out well on the page. Ms. Larsen has also included some variety in cuisine, including Asian, Indian, Mexican, and Mediterranean styles as well as American favorites.
I especially love that ingredient lists don't give impossible ingredients or ridiculous measurements; i.e., it says "1 onion, sliced" instead of something like "3/4 cup sliced onion". Lists are also provided for tripling recipes, which makes composing a shopping list a little simpler. And I also like that Ms. Larsen provided instructions both for cooking the recipe right away and also for preparing ahead of time and freezing. This makes the book very flexible.
I've not yet frozen any of the meals for later - our freezer isn't big enough to handle it - but I did prepare a pan of Easy Lasagna the day before I needed it and I refrigerated it. I followed the "made-ahead" instructions the next and it was absolutely fabulous. (I also think the cream cheese in the mixture adds something to the taste and consistency. I never would have thought of cream cheese in beef lasagna.)
Something else I like is the use of herbs and the relative non-use of salt and sugars. I prepared the Chicken Cassoulet one day and the quick soak method for the beans did not work (but then I've personally not had any success with dry beans so far). However, the herbs and other flavors in the cassoulet were so wonderful, we ate all the leftovers, in spite of the crunchy beans. I'll probably soak beans overnight next time I try this recipe, but I was still impressed that the recipe tasted wonderful despite me flubbing it up. Some recipes do call for fatty things - like the Turkey Meatballs and Couscous which uses alfredo sauce and swiss cheese (and is divinely delicious) - but I imagine you could tweak these recipes to find what works for you.
Sometimes the prep can take an hour or so for a recipe; if you do the "marathon" (i.e. "once-a-month") cooking session, this might dovetail with other recipes you are preparing and be less time overall. Or, you could prep the ingredients one day and then cook the next, which I sometimes do. Regardless, the prep is definitely worth it.
In sum, I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants delicious and varied homecooked meals. It is filled with quality recipes and has definitely given me more options for meal planning.
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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book of it's kind that I've found yet., August 29, 2007
This review is from: The Everything Meals For A Month Cookbook: Smart Recipes To Help You Plan Ahead, Save Time, And Stay On Budget (Everything: Cooking) (Paperback)
I've tried the Wilson & Lagerborg OAMC book, but that one wasn't what I was hoping for. While the recipes in that one are frugal, they're all too similar. I then tried a weekly cooking book by Theresa Albert, and that too was not what I was looking for. When I say a week, I mean seven days. When they say a week, they only mean five. Well I can plan that myself, thank you. Frustrated, I began checking out books from the library and of them all, this book is THE book. The tips alone are worth the purchase. There's a handy equivalents chart (ex: 1 whole chicken = 3-4 cups cubed meat), recipes for seasoning mixes (ex: spaghetti, onion soup, etc.), an easy planning method and plenty of recipes to choose from. The ingredients in the recipes have the standard amounts for a typical dinner, but just below that there are amounts to triple it, so you never need to do it yourself! The idea is to pick out ten meals, triple them and you have your monthly menu. I like that so much better. I currently have the library book, but I just ordered me a copy so that I can have my very own. I can't WAIT to get it!
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