Simple 1-2-3

This cookbook is designed to make finger party foods. It lies flat (it's spiral bound) so to prepare a recipe is easy to do. Every recipe has a full-color photo showing you the final product. The recipes are all dips, bites, dunks, wraps, treats, etc. This is not a "dinner" type cookbook. All the recipes involve using packaged goods, dried soup mixes, canned goods, bottles sauces, etc so it's not a heart healthy cookbook. It intended to make appetizing, delicious foods for a party and those foods involve fat and salt and sugar. There are pictures of the specific ingredients to buy (similar to a man, a can, a plan cookbook) which is a big help to the new home cook. This would be a cute wedding gift if you took a basket filled it with this cookbook, perhaps a small crockpot, several of the ingredients pictured to complete a few of the recipes. You could even include a gift certificate to Omaha Steaks (purchase a discounted one from www.restaurant.com first). My example would be the spicy thai satay dip. You could include in the basket a jar of peanut butter, french's dijon mustard, ginger root, honey, and Frank's hot sauce, some skewers, gift certificate for omaha steaks (chicken breasts) and it would make for a different very useful gift for the new bride. If you included a box of white rice this would make a complete meal. The recipe only calls for making an appetizer of satay chicken but with some added sides it would be a full entree. I tried the Angelic Deviled Eggs and did not like them. It involved making the egg filling with cottage cheese, pimentos, ranch dressing, and only a few of the yolks (the rest it suggested discarding). But someone else will probably love them. The spicy marinated shrimp was delish. Chunky Hawaiian spread was wonderful. One of the "recipes" is lipton onion soup mix and sour cream. I don't really need a cookbook to give me that recipe we have been using it for years but what I did like is there are 4 variations that really change it up and might have people guessing at your next party what's in that dip. The garlic bean dip is made with a can of pinto beans plus a secret ingredient of chopped up green olives. So many people asked for the recipe not realizing it was so good because of the secret of green olives and ground cumin. It's a very good dip. So there are many recipes that provide a slight twist on the "traditional" party foods. It's well worth it. There are dessert too. All simple to make with ingredients you probably have in your pantry.