Customer Reviews

Robin Rescues Dinner: 52 Weeks of Quick-Fix Meals, 350 Recipes, and a Realistic Plan to Get Weeknight Dinners on the Table

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've purchased two previous books from Robin Miller, one I liked, the other not so much so I was really wondering which way this third book would go for me.

The book is laid out in weeks. The weeks run from January through December (they aren't labeled as such) but she mentions in the introduction the 'warm you up from the inside out' meals will be in the beginning and the end with the warm weather menus that use fresh summer produce are in the middle.

Each week has 3 meals. I can't tell you HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS!! I've learned in the past that I don't cook 5 meals, regardless of all the shopping and planning I put into it, I just lose steam and don't 'feel it' come day four and five of the week. So the fact that she features three menu's for each day is WONDERFUL!

At the beginning of each week she lists the menu and a page entitled "Prep List"


for example week 24 includes



* Grilled Chicken w/Sherried Carmamelized Wild Mushrooms
* Baja Chicken Soft Tacos
**quick side dish: Olice and Tomato-spiked rice
* Seared Tuna w/Miso Broth and Sesame Soba Noodles
**Quick side dish: Chunky Tomato Salad

then on the opposite page is the "Prep List"
* Cook extra chicken for the tacos when you make the grilled chicken. (Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.)
* Cook soba noodles for the tuna dish; toss with oil as directed (refrigerate up to 2 days).

The recipes are on the next three pages complete with prep time and cook time. I've never been one to prep ahead but I'd be curious to see how it works, I may have to try it.

The recipes are in a nice large font, the ingredients in bold with a lot of options for each recipe, ie; morphing into another meal, or a quick side dish option.

All in all, the book has a VERY NICE layout, pleasing to the eyes as you browse through it. There are two groupings of pics, not a lot but hey the book is $20 so I'm not complaining.

I GIVE THIS A TWO THUMBS UP or in this case FIVE STARS!!!

I really enjoy Quick Fix Meals so I picked up this cookbook thinking it would be a great addition to my library. I was really unimpressed. I was hoping the recipes would be more like the ones she showcases on her show--quick, family friendly and reasonably priced. Instead, the book is full of expensive cuts of meat and very heavy on seafood--something my family doesn't eat a lot of--and low on the chicken.

This book is definitely for families who aren't on a dinner budget and who do not have picky kids. If you regularly eat salmon and scallops, this may be the book for you but if you more like my family who eats a lot of chicken and ground beef, you will be sorely disappointed.

Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of Robin Miller. I am not a fan of the whole "cook one recipe, use the leftovers for another recipe" genre. Robin's entire Food Network persona was built around this premise and I, obviously, didn't pay much attention.

BUT, I decided to pick up her latest offering, "Robin Rescues Dinner." This book has dropped the emphasis on leftover recipes and, instead, offers meals for 52 weeks (an entire year!).

Older fans of Robin should not fret because she still offers the leftover recipe option. The difference in this new publication is that, for people like me, Robin also gives you the option to create meals without having to use ingredients from previous recipes.

Now that we've dealt with the whole leftover recipe issue, let's move onto the food itself. This book definitely has an emphasis on proteins (chicken, steak, salmon) with a Southwestern/Asian flair. At the bottom of each recipe, Robin offers "quick side dish" ideas and hints on "quick desserts." I love this element because it brings depth to Robin's proteins (which could have gotten stale on their own).

This book really reminds me of a Rachael Ray cookbook...with less ingredients and a slightly more healthful approach. It is accessible to those who aren't interested in utilizing "leftover recipes" and the addition of "quick side dishes" and "quick desserts" add more bang to your buck.

In my humble opinion, this is Robin's best offering yet. I highly recommend it to cooks looking to spice up the standard protein/salad/dessert fare without too much fuss.

Robin Miller, another in the stable of Food Network's talent, provides a well crafted cookbook here. The premise is pretty straightforward: put together about three homemade recipes for each week of the year. Between the three meals, maybe a couple meals out, and leftovers, one would be set each week--with some tasty home cooked meals as a key part of the overall portfolio of meals. At the outset, she notes that one has to plan out the week while shopping on the weekend. She further notes, as per her thesis, tat (page 16): "Cooking three school-night meals a week is completely doable, especially when you make 'planned' leftovers from one meal to use on another night."

Let's take a look at some of the recipes provided in this volume. "Mango-Habanero Pork over Cuban Guacamole." Sounds forbidding from the title. However, if one actually read the recipe, it is not overly daunting. I have just begun cooking with habanero peppers, and I would surely caution against too abundant a use of these hot devils!

Or "Scallops with Brown Butter, Lemon, and Capers." I have come to appreciate capers (my most common use for them is chicken piccata, where they add a delectable taste). Here, the wedding of scallops, lemon, and capers sounds delightful. This is a recipe that I intend to try. Once more, it sounds quite doable (and enough experience cooking tells you if a recipe is doable or a bear).

Every so often, I enjoy a "Fra Diavolo" dish when dining out. I have never made such a dish at home, though. This recipe sounds like a keeper. Linguine, habanero or jalapeno pepper, , garlic, cubed cooked chicken breasts, oregano, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil. "Yum-o!" If I can convince my family to try a little hot sauce (a long shot, I admit), I would like to try this.

And so on and so on. A nice cookbook, promising to help working cooks out, with home cooking several nights a week.

I checked this out from the library first to see if it was worth it before I purchased it on Amazon. And it is worth it! I have only cooked one recipe so far, Chicken Penne with Artichokes, Tomatoes, and Pesto Cream. I added asparagus and roasted red peppers. It was fast, healthy, delicious, and was much more elegant than your typical weeknight "throw together" pasta. Our family loved it! I can't wait to try some more recipes. We like to eat healthy and this cookbook is full of recipes that use lean meats, seafood and fresh veggies. It is meat-centric, though, so I do not recommend for vegetarians. I like that the recipes can stand alone, or you can use Robin's week-long menu that builds upon recipes made earlier in the week. For example: cooking extra meat or veggies earlier in the week, to use in a recipe later in the week. And if you are trying to eat less meat, the week-long menus include 3 interconnected recipes, so there are several other nights for vegetarian dinners too. Another thing I love about this cookbook is that it incorporates a variety of flavors: american, asian, mexican, french, latin american, italian, southwest, and mediterranean. My family likes to mix it up and not eat the same foods over and over again and this is perfect! Also great are Robin's lists of quick meals: 20 Fast Meals for a Rotisserie Chicken, 10 Fast Meals from Leftover Seafood, 17 Fast Pantry Pasta meals, and more. There are plenty of beautiful, full-page, color photos to make your mouth water. Great cookbook for busy people who want to eat healthy and with lots of flavor!

This attractive, well-organized and illustrated volume from Food Network host Miller soothes harried cooks with a menu plan that encompasses the whole year, three weeknight meals a week, every week, from the first of January.

Each week opens with a Prep List for tasks that can be done ahead and includes all freezing, thawing and storage tips as well. Most dishes take 30 minutes or less and provide leftovers as the basis for another meal in the same week as well as "morphs" to other dishes cross referenced in the book. A quick side dish accompanies the main event.

A fall week, for instance, starts with Peanut-Crusted Chicken with Apple Gorgonzola Relish (15 min. prep; 30 min. cooking), providing leftover chicken for Creamy Peanut Chicken Fettuccine with Broccoli later in the week. Side dish recipes include String Beans with Olives, and Sautéed Bell Peppers. The week's closer is Grilled Shrimp with Mandarin-Horseradish Dipping Sauce (prep and cook 20 minutes) served with Rice Pilaf with Tomatoes. And if you make extra shrimp there are numerous recipes cited to use them in.

Chicken dishes generally call for boneless chicken breast and Miller is innovative with preserves, marmalades, salsas and dried fruits in making sauces. Variety and organization are the keywords here and most busy families will find plenty to like.

I love this book - I can honestly get a tasty dinner on the table 3 nights a week. I work until 7pm nightly and these is the first cookbook that works for my family!

This cookbook is one of the most frequently used out of my collection. I have Robin's other cookbooks, but I like the way this one is laid out particularly because of the breakdown by week. I prefer to eat certain foods during certain times of the year. The meals are fairly inexpensive to make, and the recipes use basic ingredients and spices in ways that I have never thought of to create great flavor. Most of the ingredients are on the lower caloric end of the spectrum, and when you combine them with a few high caloric items the taste is excellent and the calories are less than most other meals. Very often healthy meals tend to lack flavor so Robin recipes are great for those trying to eat healthy without sacrificing flavor. Most recently I made the pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and converted that into the Alsatian tart. Both were fantastic, healthier than eating out and took me very little time to make. The quick desserts are also fantastic and because of they are relatively low in calories I feel comfortable even having desserts on the weeknights.

Finally! A cookbook that helps you save time while you cook yummy meals for your family. This book provides simple menus and then helps you to cook and prepare for more than one meal at a time. I get home late several nights a weeks and my dinner is ready in minutes after I walk through the door.

This is a great cookbook! As a busy dietetics student and the daughter of a chef, I have 3 goals for dinner: nutrition, taste, and time. This book helps me achieve all three. I find that a lot of nutritious cookbooks skimp out on taste; however, Robin does a great job incorporating tons of delicious spices and flavor-filled foods to make up for the lack of fat and salt. I love the variety and find that I hardly have any trouble reaching my dietary goals utilizing her recipes. Her "quick fix meals" strategies and menus have been a huge time and money saver. I chop all my veggies and cook my meats on Sunday, I will leave enough for 3 days in the fridge and freeze the rest for later in the week. It's too easy!

I highly recommend this book!