30-Minute Main Dishes

The more I use this cookbook, the more I like it. I haven't made anything from it yet that I'd call stunning (though the turkey sausage, white bean, and spinach soup was close), but it's reasonably good food (3 or 4 on a 5 point scale), easy to cook, and most importantly, quick.One of the things I like best about this cookbook is that it's down to earth, designed for real people who don't have a lot of time or energy to plan and cook meals. It calls for a lot of off-the-shelf ingredients, including stuff like frozen veggies, canned stewed or diced tomatoes, basic spices, pasta or rice, and easy-to-find cuts of meat - stuff you might very well already have in your kitchen. Most items have a short ingredient list, and as the title of the book suggests, can be cooked pretty quickly.The book is a good size for the counter, has a full-page color picture of every dish next to its recipe, and has detailed nutrition information with every recipe. There are a range of dishes including beef, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian, plus a few pork and at least one lamb. At least half a dozen recipes are simply embellishments of a basic chicken breast, but when you're strapped for ideas and energy night after night, it's a big help. There's southwestish cuisine, asianish cuisine, and even a greekish dish in the collection, among others, so you're sure to find something to please in this cookbook.

My mom bought this for me when I got engaged. I haven't gotten around to trying all the recipes yet, but I have tried those such as the Rosemary and Mushroom Beef Tenderloin, the Apricot Pork Medallions, and the Sherried Pork, among others. They are soooo great! The food tastes good, I'm able to make the entire meal in 30 mins, and my husband is no longer starving. All this from me, the girl who's mom feared she'd never like cooking! With a cookbook like this, who wouldn't like cooking?!One of the things I *really* love about this book is that EVERY recipe has a picture. I like to see how my creations are suppose to turn out. So far so good! The recipes also suggest what to serve with it which has really developed my meal-making skills.These days we eat, we eat well, and we still have time to kick back and watch Friends! This book is a definite must for newlyweds or anyone loking for great, easy, and quick recipes.

These recipes are simple, easy, but don't taste simple - they actually taste more sophisticated than I expected. Especially the Southwest Chicken Skillet and the Southwest Chicken Soup! Also, these are mostly ingredients you can buy and keep in the freezer for when you need them.