Dinners in a Dish or a Dash: 275 easy one-dish meals plus tons of time-saving tips

Being super busy, I'm delighted to learn how to put dinner on the table fast. Frankly, I've usually ignored a lot of the ready-to-use salad, slaw mixes and other foods at my supermarket because I thought,I know how to grate cabbage and tear greens. But what I didn't know was how to use these prepped foods in new and unusual ways and that is exactly what this book teaches. And I would never have dreamed of cooking a huge batch of rice ahead of time and stashing it in the freezer. This is a truly global collection of recipes and the ones I've tried have all been great. These prepped foods do cost more, I'll admit, but I figure the time I save is worth a whole lot more.

A friend put me on to Jean Anderson's cookbooks a few years ago and now they're the only ones I use. I never have failures with her recipes--and now "Dinners in a Dish or a Dash" tops them all. After my first run through of the book, I must have about 30 post-its marking the recipes I want to make immediately.

I think that Dinners in a Dish or a Dash deserves a premier place in every busy cook's kitchen; I'm so glad I have it in mine and so is my family! I've found so many imaginative recipes that offer a wonderful variety of quick and easy dishes that I can use year 'round. The chapter called Getting Set gave me dozens of new wrinkles on do-ahead items like the Dumpling/Biscuit Topping Mix or Mushroom Paste ( gives a fabulous boost to soups and stews). I particularly like the Notes and Tips that accompany many of the recipes; they really save me prep. time and make the recipe come out perfect every time. I've found that this new cookbook not only saves me valuable time but the recipes are foolproof and not run of the mill at all. Last but not least, I give "thumbs up" to whoever thought to print the ingredients in a different color to the method ... it sure helps to read the numbers more easily (and quickly) when the book is nearly 3 feet away from my eyes on the kitchen counter.

When it comes to getting dinner on the table in a hurry every evening, I need all the help I can get. I love to cook and have some favorites that I make over and over, but most nights I just look into the refrigerator and sigh. Dinners in a Dish or a Dash has come to the rescue with so many good ideas that I can't wait to try them all. The recipes are easy to make, call for things I am used to buying, and don't result in a sink full of pots to clean up. I can already tell that lots of these recipes are going to join my list of things that I make over and over. And, the first chapter and on-page notes give tips and techniques that are worth the price of the book.

I'm a busy career girl who loves to entertain but has no time to cook. DINNERS IN A DISH OR A DASH has solved all my problems. I've already served a couple of the book's main-dish salads and pastas to friends. They were so impressed and couldn't believe that the recipes were quick and easy. Or that I didn't dirty every pot in the kitchen! THANKS, Jean Anderson. These dinners were so successful, I'm going to cook my way right through your book.