Customer Reviews

Stylish One-Dish Dinners: Stews, stir fry, family dinners, and entertaining friends

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

 

 

What a great cookbook, I saw the author on TV, and was so impressed, that I immediately logged on amazon and ordered it. I have made about 8 dishes and my husband is so impressed. Better yet, I have two children (2 1/2 and 10 months) and this book and recipes have afforded me the extra time I need with them, while still providing our family with very YUMMY meals. I highly recommend this book!

I was lucky enough to attend a cooking demonstration/tasting conducted by the author and was thrilled to find a book that lives up to it's title! Not only are the recipes wonderfully flavorful, they are indeed stylish and EASY.

This cookbook is printed on recycled paper, there are no pictures and the print is very hard to read. I wish the author would reprint this cookbook with glossy pages, beautiful pictures and not have the ingredient list in all capital letters. The recipes in this book are excellent. They are one dish stews, stir-frys, etc. and there are serving suggestions with an appetizer, salad, dessert, and side for every recipe. It's just phenomenal. There are also wine and beer suggestions for those so interested.

The Braised Herbes de Provence Beef in Burgundy Wine was excellent. The suggested pairings were Pickled Beets and Toasted Walnuts in Vinaigrette as an appetizer. The side was Grilled Polenta Disks with Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes and hot baguette bread. The dessert was Perfectly Ripe Comice Pears and Blue Cheese with Port Wine. Wow...what a meal. There was even a quick serve suggestion of buying the pot boast already cooked from the meat department and adding the vegetables and wine. The suggested wine for the cooking and drinking was a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the southern region of France.

The downside is the print is a dark red so it's hard to read, the ingredients are types in all capital letters on in a two column format whereas the instructions are printed in a single column format so you have to switch back and forth from reading across to reading down. It's quite bothersome when you have bifocals and do this over and over. The time tables and cooking times are written in light green print...it's eye strain to the max.

BUT...having said all that this cookbook is really worth it. Even 10 years later it still sells for top dollar so that's how you know a good cookbook. Another great cookbook using wine for cooking is The Gourmet's Guide to Cooking with Wine: How to Use Wine to Take Simple Recipes from Ordinary to Extraordinary.

My main problem with the book is that it is difficult to read. The ingredients are put in a bold, difficult to read type. All the recipes as well as chapter titles are on the left hand page and many of the right hand pages have a lot of blank, poorly utilized space.
It just makes me out of sorts trying to read it.
I'm sure other reviewers will say I haven't really reviewed the book and passed judgement on the actual recipes but that's the way I feel. I can't use a cookbook unless it is user friendly.