Desperation Entertaining! (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author)
Key Phrases: discard the tough lower, minutes dinnertime, desperate cook, North Carolina, Amazing Steaks, Carolina Chili (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

From the authors of Desperation Dinners! come 200 new recipes for "Desperate Cooks" e.g., busy moms like Mills and Ross. The recipes are organized into such chapters as "Welcoming Light Bites," "The Good Ol' Crock-Pot," and "The Casual Cookout" and then into two categories within them: "Fast and Fabulous," dishes that take only minutes from start to finish; and "Phased and Flexible," which take a bit more time but can be prepared in stages, often almost entirely in advance. Recipes that are especially "kid friendly" are indicated with a special symbol, and there are numerous boxes and sidebars on how to make cooking for guests stress-free. Sure to be popular, this is recommended for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Party in a jiffy. Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross... aim to please time pressed hosts and hostesses." -- Chicago Tribune

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (May 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761118152
• ISBN-13: 978-0761118152
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #501,639 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A guests-are-coming survival guide, April 30, 2004

By	"ms_newlywed" (Fairfax, Virginia) - See all my reviews

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.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Only so-so. Desperation Dinners is better., August 20, 2002

By A Customer

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.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite cookbooks, April 24, 2003

By	apoem "apoem" (Bosque Farms, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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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