Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You'll Ever Need for Stress-Free Entertaining from the Diva of Do-Ahead Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's not necessary to read Phillips' party-planner introduction, but you may find it steadying, even reassuring with its calm, well-organized timeline, lists and tips. The book's easy-on-the-eyes graphic design allows for quick browsing and the color-coded highlights and eye-catching symbols continue on through the recipes. An appendix includes mail-order sources and "stress-free" menus for all occasions.
Recipes provide 10 to 12 servings, and all have at least some elements (even if it's only salad dressing or sauce) to prepare in advance. Phillips provides a table for multiplying recipes for larger parties, a list of essential tools and pantry items and an entertaining primer for rescuing disasters, from lumpy sauce to too many guests. She even gives her email for last minute disaster aversion.
Brief intros to each dish suggest variations and describe the dish's character. Step-by-step instructions pause at "do-ahead" points, and give instructions for how, and how long, to store, be it a few hours, days, or even months.

From drinks (Mulled Wine, Margaritas) through appetizers (Marinated Shrimp, Pigs in a Blanket) salads (Marinated Orange, Chicken Waldorf), sides (Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Wild Mushroom Rice), poultry (Tarragon Sesame, Oven Fried, French Farmhouse), seafood (Pesto-Crusted Fillets, New England Clam Pie, Seafood Gumbo), meat (Braised Beef in Cabernet Sauvignon, Swedish Meatballs, Pulled Pork Barbecue), to dessert (Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake, Chocolate Truffles), Phillips emphasizes accessibility, be it sit-down elegant or grazing casual.
A versatile sauce chapter, from Cilantro Pesto to Quick Berry, offers a choice of serving suggestions and Phillips ("The Perfect Mix") also includes chapters for breakfast and lunch. Thoroughly unintimidating and full of useful advice beyond food preparation, this is a practical, comforting guide to making entertaining a pleasure.
- Portsmouth Herald

Click Here to see more reviews about: Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You'll Ever Need for Stress-Free Entertaining from the Diva of Do-Ahead

Click here for more information about Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You'll Ever Need for Stress-Free Entertaining from the Diva of Do-Ahead

Read More...

Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead: A Year of Feasts to Celebrate With Family And Friends Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I hope Dianne is enjoying her yacht on the Riveria. This book was so fabulous that I bought it for at least twenty friends and family. The book is extremely reliable, easy and very inspiring. You feel as though you are getting one on one cooking coaching. It makes cooking non intimidating and fun. I used this as my holiday "bible" and sailed through with rave reviews. The book allowed me to pace myself so that I wasn't wiped at the end that being the goal and beauty of this book. I would highly recommend this for an experienced chef as well as a novice. Great job Dianne. Many Thanks!!!! This will be a party classic for years and years.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead: A Year of Feasts to Celebrate With Family And Friends

This book is the follow-up to the successful Perfect Party Food.Happy Holidays from the Diva-of Do-Ahead brings the same how-to and do-ahead approach to creating menus for 12 holidays-with special emphasis on Thanksgiving and Christmas-as well as tips on recipe variations, decorating, and serving.Featuring a beautiful 16-page color photo insert, this is the perfect book for anyone who wants to take the stress out of entertaining and enjoy the holidays with family and friends.

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead: A Year of Feasts to Celebrate With Family And Friends

Read More...

Once-A-Month Cooking, Revised and Expanded: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I made my first set of meals a couple weeks ago, and I've really enjoyed the benefits of this cooking method. However, I had a lot of trouble with the cookbook. Like a previous poster, there were so many errors in this cookbook. One of the recipes was missing an entire part of the recipe's directions, and I had to improvise. Also, I realized quite quickly that I needed to actually sit down and read every single recipe to make sure that all the ingredients and prep work processes had been recorded properly, because there were many errors there too. Most of the recipes have turned out great, but this book would be so much better if someone had just taken the time to really proof read everything. I plan to make another set of meals in two weeks from now, and I'm definitely going to use the recipes, but make the shopping lists myself, and read all the recipes to carefully record all the prep work involved, plus make sure I'm not going to be stuck with a half-missing recipe!!!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Once-A-Month Cooking, Revised and Expanded: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day

Since the first edition of Once-a-Month Cooking was published in 1986, its proven, practical method has helped hundreds of thousands of families reduce their cooking time and still enjoy nightly home-cooked meals. You don't have to be a super savvy chef to pull your family together each week for these light and simple, easy-to-prepare meals. Revised to reflect today's healthier diet, this revised edition explains how to: plan ahead, spend less time at the supermarket, cut down on prep time, group similar kitchen tasks together to get them all done at once, make kitchen clean-up more manageable, and use the freezer, computer, and your head to create a month full of delicious meals!Contains many easy, prepare-ahead recipes for dinner time success such as:--Baked JambalayaMexican

Get 32% OFF

Click here for more information about Once-A-Month Cooking, Revised and Expanded: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day

Read More...