Author: Tod Dimmick
Publisher: Alpha House
Book Review by Laxmi Chaandi 

This book is packed with over 500 recipes for a variety of meals within its nearly 500 pages.

If you’re thinking of ideas for appetizers, breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners, desserts, sides and snacks or whatever else, you will likely find recipes with a list of ingredients and steps to preparing or cooking them in this ample guide containing 7 Parts and 31 chapters.

Our busy modern lives that take up so much of our time and energy demand recipes that enable us to gather the foods and ingredients quickly from our pantry and follow easy steps to preparation. This guide fits our bill.

Part 1 introduces you to the art of faster and better cooking; what foods to stock your pantry with; and the essential equipment you will need in your kitchen.     

Parts 2 through 7 have the various chapters which feature different types of meals based on time of day. You will also find separate chapters based on the type of food you feel like cooking or eating – pork, poultry, red meats, seafood or vegetarian dishes.

In addition, you will find recipes for things like simple bean dishes, pastas and pizzas, and meals for kids. Side dishes are also featured in this book – you will find recipes for pasta, rice and vegetable sides.

Looking to make baked dishes within half an hour? You’re in luck with this book. You will find 30-minute recipes for baked goods such as buttermilk biscuits, cornbread made on a skillet, scones and other items.

Garden bruschetta, roasted red pepper bruschetta, and olive-and-feta bruschetta are three other baked dishes you can make within half hour, as well as garlic-and-herb bread and Jamie’s Welsh rarebit.

Part 7 is devoted entirely to desserts, with three chapters – one each for fruit desserts, “sweet-tooth teasers,” and rich desserts such as chocolate-chip cookies, mousses, pies, puddings and strawberry shortcakes.

The author Tod Dimmick has also written The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cooking  – for Guys and other cookbooks. He creates dishes for the Phantom Gourmet television show. His own food and wine website is: www.TastingTimes.com

The easy-to-follow recipes for each dish simply lists the foods and ingredients needed and a list of steps to take to prepare it. How much easier can cooking get? Helpful tips and definitions of unfamiliar terms are also provided. This is an excellent, highly useful guide to plentiful 30-minute meals!