Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife: All the Dishes You'll Need to Make from the Day You Say "I Do" Until Death (or Divorce) Do You Part

When the opportunity to review this little gem came, I wasn't sure what to expect. Was it really a recipe book? Was it a bash on marriage? I'm pleased to say it was, for the most part, a delight. The subtitle says, "All the Dishes You'll Need to Make from the Day You Say 'I Do' Until Death (or Divorce) Do You Part". With recipes like, "Sweethearts Engagement Buffet" and "Way Too Much on Your Plate", Nava has a fun take on marriage. There was a bit more criticism of husbands than I like, but hidden in the snark and sarcasm are also little tidbits about the rewards of a good marriage. The book is full of great retro 50s art and advertising. There is something in it for everyone: whether you're a newlywed, a tired mommy, heading for divorce, or married to a good man who is like corn and has traits like these--maturity, tenderness, consistency and endurance. A light, easy read, and while I have nothing to complain about in my marriage, or about my husband, I laughed my way through it. My favorite recipe? "Happily-Ever-After Ambrosia".

Atlas departs from her business of writing vegetarian cookbooks, to skewering happy family life through a 50's style cookbook (complete with classic food photos and illustrations) with lifestyle recipes. These "recipes" aren't going to fill your stomach, but they will fill your need for snarky commentary. Starting with Recipes For Accommodation (Gender Role Casserole), Recipes For Trouble (Old Boyfriend Buffet), and Recipes For Disaster (Souffléof Fallen Expectations), Atlas walks you through the stages of the relationship from courtship and engagement to pending divorce or seperation. But Wait!--There may still be hope. There is also Recipes For Reconciliation and (Gasp!) Romance-Sometimes I Feel Like a Tart and Happily-Ever-After Ambrosia. //Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife// will make you re-think the names you use for your standard meals, and give you a laugh or two along the way (Beans `n Weenies of Sexual Tension? Try serving that one to your spouse with a straight face.)

In this delectable skewering of the mid-20th-century fantasies of "happily ever after" that linger to this day, Ms. Atlas has brought to the table two of her greatest gifts: a fondness for food and a salty wit. The result? A fine fondue worthy of deep dipping! Grab a long-handled fork and enjoy!

This book was so much fun . . . from the recipe for Way Too Much On Your Plate (which I eat daily!) to the Soufflé of Fallen Expectations, Control Freak Cookies, Midlife Stress Stuffed Cabbage, and Sweet Cakes of Hope -- there are recipes to suit every mood and pallet. A departure from Atlas's healthy, vegetarian cookbooks--this is full of black humor, hideous fifties food pictures, and a laugh (or sometimes a cry) on every page.

Any woman worth her salt, will relate to the clever tongue-in-cheek recipes found in "Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife." Each delivers dozens of oh-so-tangy morsels of insight into the role of women now and then. The irony is served up with a punch of humor and a dash of sass--just the right amount of spice to keep your mouth watering for more. In her latest book, Nava Atlas has departed from her vegetarian ways and created a meaty, laugh-out-loud look at marriage with some very "special sauce" on the side. It belongs on every woman's bookshelf. In fact, keep it in the kitchen; the humor and sass will keep you cookin' for years!