Customer Reviews

365 Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Dinner Menus

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After all the great reviews, I was a little disappointed in this book for a couple of reasons: 1) the number of recipes that rely on canned "cream of" soups as a major ingredient, 2)the number of recipes that rely on Cheez Whiz as a major ingredient and 3)a good number of the recipes require a bit more time than I expected (for example, the Chicken Fried Steak takes 2 hours to bake). That said, I still think this is a great resource if (like me) you are just plain out of ideas for varying your dinner menus. I have noted several recipes I plan to try and think I will be referring to this book often.

You know you're going to really enjoy reading a cookbook when it is kid approved! One after another, I read recipes that were things any kid would really eat - the author sure knows her audience.

A "no brainer" for those who hate to plan meals, 365 Dinner Menus is a breath of fresh air. Full of seasonal tips and facts for each day, this is really three books in one: a cookbook, activity book, and planning calendar for your family.

365 Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Dinner Menus is easy to read, well organized, and incorporates activities to nurture your family, not just feed them. A real time-saver.

This cookbook is so easy to follow and the recipes take no extra buying to make.I do like the fact of the baking ideas at the end of each chapter. My kids like to make the cookies, and we all enjoy the outcome of each recipe.I do highly recommend this book for young and old.

June 30

BBQ Spanish Ribs
Poppy Seed Cake
Lemon Glaze

Each day of the year has a menu for dinner. The variety seems endless and the ingredients are all easy to find. One day you might make Grilled Sirloin Tips with Mushrooms and the next you might make an Ice Cream Cookie Desert.

The recipes are all family friendly and easy to prepare. A few of the yeast breads like the Cinnamon rolls take a little more time because you have to let the dough rise. Most of the recipes seem to have a prep time of around 15 minutes and you can have dinner on the table within the hour.

Penny E. Stone also includes fun activities for kids, kitchen trivia and smart shopping tips like adding a pat of butter to boiling water when cooking potatoes to keep the water from foaming up. That is worth the price of the book! I did notice that the last time I made rice and added butter - that tip worked.

Recipes include little headnotes, holiday notes and the directions are easy to follow. Some of the recipes that stood out include:

Stuffed Manicotti
Pistachio Cake
Tiramisu Toffee Dessert
Crispy Herb Chicken
Turkey Noodle Bake
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Vegetable Lasagna
Quick and Easy Cobbler - You know that recipe with cake mix, pie filling and melted butter.

The design of this book makes it very user friendly and the recipes are "kid approved." This cookbook has a lot of classic recipes I remember from my childhood and lots of interesting recipes like Chicken Cordon Blue and Individual Pizza Pies.

~The Rebecca Review

There are great recipes in this book - cookies for each month, craft ideas for kids, etc. However, there are so many little things wrong with this book that one more good proof read would have caught. There are tips for taking the fat out of recipes on the same page as a recipe for lasagna that calls for TEN cups of cheese. There is great vagueness throughout in the measurements. What is "one small package" or "one small can?" There is a recipe for roast that calls for 90 minutes of cooking time and various other ingredients but makes no reference to the weight of the meat used. Lots of reliance on hot dogs, cheese whiz, canned soups, etc. That said, if you sift the obviously weak recipes out, there are some good solid recipes in this book. You just need to look for them. I got this book on deep discount for less than $5, so all in all, it's been worth it.

the recipies in this book are plain and uninspired. they are also inexact. in the recipie for Tuna Noolde Casarole it calls for a bag of pasta. What type of pasta? How big a bag. I put a 1 lb bag of egg noodles in and tried to put it in the recomended size container, didn't fit. The sauce is also not nearly enough for the quantity (if you use 1 lb of egg noodles).

I was somewhat disappointed that many of the recipes took well over 45 minutes. My definition of 'QUICK' is 30 minutes or less. On a positive note, my entire family loved the Cheeseburger Bake on page 121.

Not only is Stone's book filled with easy and economical recipes, but it's also loaded with ideas for fun family activities! "Kid Breaks" (Peanut Butter Claydough, Make Your Own Valentines, Creative Quality Time, etc.), Cookies of the Month, Quick Tips, Food for Thought, and more, make this cookbook truly delightful and unique!

This book reminded me of some wonderful recipies my mom fixed for us while I was growing up. I also learned some new ones. My family loves the meals I fix from this book! My husband keeps telling me I have outdone myself. Thank you Penny for making a dreaded task so much easier & enjoyable! This book also provides recipies that I have been able to use with the book DINNERS IN THE FREEZER! If you are a busy mom buy this book!

As a bi-vocational pastor, my time to cook is rather limited by the time constraints of my jobs. What is best about this book is the recipes are simple enough for my 12 year old son to prepare and it helps our planning trips to the grocery store with affordable food items. Busy people should put this book on their Mother's Day shopping list, their school graduates shopping list, their birthday and Christmas lists. Guaranteed smiles at the dinner table.