Product Description

Fresh food is more convenient than packaged,' Marie Simmons says, and luckily for us, she provides more than 200 recipes to prove her point. In this book-Simmons' most ambitious to date-you'll see why her recipes, regularly featured in Bon Appétit, Woman's Day and Ladies' Home Journal, have become favorites with millions of cooks across the country. Whether it's Warm Egg Salad on Whole Wheat Toast or Lemon Basil Chicken, each is deftly simple, yet freshly conceived and imaginative. Most can be made in less than 45 minutes. Each recipe tells exactly how long it will take to prepare and alerts you in advance about any steps that require a little extra time. By following the inspirations of the seasons, Simmons shows how to vary your menu with dishes like Crisp-Fried Soft-Shell Crabs in spring, Roasted Tomato and Fresh Corn Soup in summer and Orange Baked Squash in fall. Ready in 45 minutes or less: Lemon Basil Chicken, Warm New Potato Salad with Scallions, Penne with Roasted Vegetables, Pork Tenderloin Marinated in Soy and Orange, Sesame Brown Rice Pilaf, Spicy Marinated Shrimp, Easy Oven-Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Black Bean and Vegetable Burrito, Stir-Fry of Cabbages with Asian Flavors, Grandpa's Peaches in Red Wine, and Apple and Ginger Crisp.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #278288 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.com Review
Break out of the fast-food burgers and shrink-wrapped sandwiches rut. "Fresh food is more convenient than packaged," Marie Simmons says, and luckily for us she provides more than 200 recipes to prove her point. Add variety to the your dull culinary palette and reawaken your palate with such recipes as Crisp-Fried Soft Shell Crab, Black Bean and Vegetable Burrito, and Roasted Tomato and Fresh Corn Soup.

From Publishers Weekly
Life is too short to waste on a bad meal, suggests Simmons, coauthor (with Richard Sax) of Lighter, Quicker, Better. Drawing from her syndicated weekly newspaper column, she sets about to liberate home cooks from the processed tastes of convenience foods. Some 250 recipes showcase fresh ingredients in such uncomplicated dishes as Quick-Chilled Cumin-Scented Fresh Tomato and Corn Soup, Oven-Roasted Halibut with Herb Citrus Vinaigrette and Crystallized Ginger Ice Cream wtih Red Plum Sauce. Cooking times can run to close to an hour (as in Honey-Glazed Orange and Rosemary Chicken or Sesame Brown Rice Pilaf with Garlic and Vegetables), but preparation times are generally 10 to 15 minutes. The pasta recipes feature streamlined, tried and true combinations (e.g., Penne Rigate with Asparagus, Prosciutto and Mushrooms). The chapter devoted to sandwiches proves that a little attention and ingenuity can lift this common luncheon fare to full dinner status: Pan-Grilled Smoked Turkey, Fontina, Bacon and Avocado; Sliced Pork Loin Sandwich with Fennel, Garlic and Roasted Pepper. Side boxes review basic techniques and suggest recipe variations. Straightforward directions, generally short, affordable ingredient lists and suggestions for staples make this a valuable collection for novice and veteran cooks who want to prepare tasty, preservative-free meals. The Good Cook/BOMC and Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Simmons, a cookbook author and food writer whose syndicated newspaper column is called "Fresh and Fast," asserts that "life is too short to waste on a bad meal," and the 250 easy recipes presented here should allow any busy cook to avoid such a fate?without spending much time in the kitchen. Many recipes took fewer than 30 minutes from start to finish; a few that call for marinating or slower cooking, for example, are for "When You Have More Time," but even many of these require little hands-on preparation time. The recipes are simple but full of flavor: Brushcetta with Braised Escarole and Garlic, Pork Loin with Fennel and Garlic, Melon and Berries with Lime Syrup. Simmons also offers many suggestions for variations and alternatives and other tips to make life easier. In short, this is real food for real people. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

The most dog-eared cookbook in the kitchen...
That's because I am constantly reaching for it! I love this book. And you should know that I hate to cook. Really. But I do love to eat, and this book marries those two opposing characteristics beautifully.

One of my favorite things about this book is that the recipes are simple enough for a true novice such as myself to tweak without fear of crashing the dish. I have scribbled my own notes all throughout the pages on things I have tried and added and truly enjoyed. One of my favorite recipes is for rice with broccoli and parmesano-reggiano cheese. It is so fabulous that even though it is a side dish, I usually will make it as a main course for my family.

This is the best cookbook I ever expect to own.

my favorite
I love to cook, have many, many cookbooks, but this is, by far, the one I turn to over and over. My whole family loves everything in it. Creative vegetable dishes, wonderful ideas for fish, new takes on pastas and salads. And, everything is fresh, no processed, packaged food. Hooray!

Highly recommended !
I buy more cookbooks than I ought to, and, while I cook a great deal, somehow never seem to give my new purchases a thorough workout - but this cookbook is the exception. I use it very frequently, and love it. The recipes actually are very fast, but it's the interesting and delicious flavours that impress me, in combination with the speed of preparation. Havn't found a problem recipe. (My husband likes to cook from this book, too.)