Desperation Entertaining!
Author: Beverly Mills
Yes, you can be desperate and still be a great host
No more harried get-togethers, dreary take-out, or dreading it being your turn to have friends and family over. The Desperaton Cooks solve the entertaining conundrum with the same brilliant approach they bring to everyday dinner dilemmas—by concocting delicious, crowd-pleasing dishes using timesaving techniques, shortcut ingredients, and tried-and-true planning.
The desperate details
1. All recipes can be made in 20 minutes or less or in phases where actual hands-on work is 20 mintues or less.
2. Bottled chopped garlic, washed salad greens, precooked bacon, individually quick-frozen shrimp—wisely used convenience foods save time while boosting flavor.
3. The Crock-Pot—if you have one, dust it off. If not, think about investing in one.
4. The Desperate Pantry, easily stocked during weekly shopping trips, okays the spontaneous "Let's have dinner at my place" whim.
5. The plan—decide on the who, what, and where, then how to carve out simple blocks of time for preparation and cooking.
6. Relax.
Desperate but have time to plan? Try phased and flexible.
Roasted Garlic Artichoke Dip
Mushroom Lasagna Alfredo
Shrimp Creole à la Beverly Pork Chops with Fruit Salsa Baked Party Paella Enchanting Chicken Enchiladas Rocky Road Brownie Sundaes
Fast and fabulous for when you're really desperate
Golden Curry Dip Chicken with Mustard Glazes Three-Bean and Meatball Chili Blue Jay Point Pasta Amazing Steaks Lemon Cake Sandwiches
Chicago Tribune
Party in a jiffy. Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross... aim to please time pressed hosts and hostesses.
Library Journal
From the authors of Desperation Dinners! come 200 new recipes for "Desperate Cooks" e.g., busy moms like Mills and Ross. The recipes are organized into such chapters as "Welcoming Light Bites," "The Good Ol' Crock-Pot," and "The Casual Cookout" and then into two categories within them: "Fast and Fabulous," dishes that take only minutes from start to finish; and "Phased and Flexible," which take a bit more time but can be prepared in stages, often almost entirely in advance. Recipes that are especially "kid friendly" are indicated with a special symbol, and there are numerous boxes and sidebars on how to make cooking for guests stress-free. Sure to be popular, this is recommended for most collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
What People Are Saying
"The desperation gals have done it again! Their doable, delicious, and festive fare makes me want to get on the phone and cook up a party!"
—Anne Byrn, author of The Cake Mix Doctor
Table of Contents:
How Desperate Are You? (2)
All of the Desperate Details: Fast and Fabulous and Phased and Flexible menus, how to make your own game plans for entertaining, and what to keep in a Desperate Pantry so you can entertain with just a moment's notice.
What! Dinner Tonight? (5), The Do-Ahead Solution (10), The Basic Equipment (12), How to Make Your Own Game Plans (16), Desperation Symbols (21)
Beguiling Beverages (22)
Beverages that are a cinch to serve in warm weather—think Frozen Fruit Smoothies—or cold—think Rich Hot Chocolate. Plus drinks that can be made with and without alcohol.
Serving Wine? (24), Beer Buying Rules (26), About Serving Hot Beverages (30), Designated Drivers Must Drink, Too (33), The Perfect Pitcher (34), About the Ice Bucket (36)
Entertaining Entrees (80)
Festive and substantial no-sweat main dishes. Look for Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers, Pepper-Sauced Pasta with Ham and Asparagus, Lazy Spinach Lasagna, and Baked Party Paella.
Making More Space at the Table (84), Pasta Perfect for a Crowd (86), Perfect Basic Pasta (88), The Pasta Pot (93), The boss is Coming (100), Buy a Big Ham (103), Game Night (107), Meat Loaf—The Perfect Family dinner (109), Basic White Rice 1(20), Pick a Place to Eat (123), Containers of Your Dreams (125).
The good Ol' Crock-Pot (128)
Everything goes into the slow cooker effortlessly for dishes like New Old-Fashioned Pot Roast, Big Beefy Burritos, Our Favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs, or Chill-Out Chicken Chili.
AboutBuying a Slow Cooker (131), About Crock-Pots and This Book (135), The Poker Party (138), Kid-Friendly Ideas (141), About Children's Birthday Parties (145), About Using a Slow Cooker (149)
The Casual Cookout (150)
Gather guests around the grill for Amazing Steaks, Stuffed Bacon-Cheddar Burgers, Vacation Fish Boats, and Portbello Mushroom "Steak" Sandwiches.
Handling Hot Peppers (156), Little Things Count (159), Gas Grills (162), Hot Dogs for All (167), Gadgets: Burger Presses (173), The Yard Olympics (174), Cookout Essentials for a Smooth Evening (177), Let's Hear it for the Garlic Press (179), Baby-Sitter Salvation, Sort Of (181), Fish for Company? Build a Boat (183), Foil Baggin' It (187)
Standout Salads (188)
Delicious, main dish salads and side salads are a snap to throw together for company. Try Chunky Chicken Salad with Macadamia Nuts, Niçoise Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette, Louise's Big Bowl Slaw, or Rainbow Wild Rice Salad.
Back Home and Hungry? Think Salads (193), Pretty Food in a Pinch (197), Salad in a Sandwich (201), About Buying Shrimp (207), Salad Greens (213), Precooked Bacon? Come On! (218), Dressing Up Yur Salad (220), Sing for Your Supper (223), The Coleslaw Show (227), Desperate Holidays (231), Take It on the Road (232), Serve Up Some Art (245)
Super Simple Sides (246)
Reliable side dishes that get to the table without taxing the cook. Think of Perfect Baked Potatoes, Dressed-Up Asparagus, Can-Do Corn on the Cob, or Succotash with a Twist.
Potato Mashers (249), Our Idea of Decorations (250), Dealing with Garlic (259), Roasted Garlic (262)
Everybody's Brunch (268)
Casseroles and quiches put together ahead of time are hot and tasty when guests arrive. Baked Omelet with Italian Salsa, Eggs Benedict Casserole, Overnight French Toast Casserole, and Three-Cheese Broccoli Quiche are all crowd pleasers.
Bring on the Bagels (271), The Fail-Proof Breakfast Casserole (27), Dihing It Out (281), Almost-Instandt Breakfast Fix-Ups (284), School's In! Mom's Special Brunch (287)Giving Breakfast and International Flavor (291)
Decadent Desserts (298)
Fast and gratifying desserts like Easy Elegant Pears with Red Wine Glaze, Strawberry Shortcake Trifle, Apple Brown Betty, and Granny Zeta's Pecan Pies let you end the meal gracefully.
The Ice Cream Sundae Social (302), Desperate Ways to Decorate That Desssert (308), The Elegant Trifle Bowl (310), The Peppermint Parable (317), The Desperate Dish (325), Easy, Equitable Slicing (327), The Party's Over (334)
Book about: Encyclopedia of Foods or Sacred Path Companion
Pig Perfect: Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Ways to Cook Them
Author: Peter Kaminsky
What Bill Bryson did for trees and walking shoes and Mark Kurlansky did for cod, Peter Kaminsky now does for pork in Pig Perfect.
Do you crave a juicy pork chop? An old-time country ham? Or maybe some Southern-style barbecue? Then you'll want to join Peter Kaminsky on his pilgrimage in search of the perfect pig.
Part travelogue, part cookbook, part naturalist's encounter, and part love letter, Kaminsky's book takes us from Kentucky, Burgundy, and Madrid to the YucatŠ±n and back to Brooklyn to tell the tale of the pig. From the wondrous techniques of tailgate chefs to Mayan home cooking, competitive barbecuing, and the ancient rite of the pig killing that has bound communities together over the centuries, Pig Perfect brings together an oddball pork-loving band of chefs, farmers, and food lovers and offers a tasty history of the oft underappreciated pig.
Still hungry for more? Try these delicious recipes interspersed throughout the book:
--Porchetta, Burgundy Style
--Suckling Pig Braised in White Wine and Herbs
--Emile and Rachel's Roast Loin of Pork with Greens and Cantaloupe
Peter Kaminsky, a lifelong "hamthropologist," is the author of numerous books, including The Moon Pulled Up an Acre of Bass. Formerly New York Magazine's "Underground Gourmet," he has written award-winning articles that have also appeared in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Outdoor Life, and Field & Stream. Currently he is a columnist for the New York Times. He divides his time between New York City and Long Island.
Men's Journal
"Consider a bib - this is drool-inducing reading."
Publishers Weekly
In this sprawling love letter to hogdom, hamthropologist and food and fly fishing writer Kaminsky takes readers to France and Spain as well as to such American cities as Memphis, Louisville and Des Moines to visit a broad variety of pork-related venues. He waxes ecstatic about long-aged country ham and laments today's leaner, less flavorful meat. He seeks out a pig slaughter, considers why pork is taboo to Jews and Muslims, and excoriates the brutality and environmental damage wreaked by hog factories. Kaminsky (The Moon Pulled Up an Acre of Bass) celebrates family farmers who give their pigs freedom in the field, offer them natural foods and produce a far better pork. The author's enthusiasm is infectious, but since he races all over the map, the chatty accounts of his various adventures and the people he meets along the way are often fleeting as well. The narrative is, however, generously embellished with dozens of facts about pigs (such as the staggering statistic that about 350,000 U.S. hogs are slaughtered every week). Nine recipes, ranging from Country Ham Braised in Cider and Molasses to Emile and Rachel's Roast Loin of Pork with Greens and Cantaloupe, are scattered throughout to honor the oinker itself. Agent, Lisa Queen at IMG. (May 11) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Kaminsky, an award-winning writer of numerous articles for Field & Stream, Food & Wine, and Outdoor Life magazines and currently a columnist for the New York Times, is a lifelong lover of ham; this is his culinary search for the best pork. He travels from Kentucky to Madrid to Brooklyn, NY, regaling readers with stories and mouth-watering recipes (e.g., Porchetta, Burgundy Style). Meanwhile, Kaminsky reveals a disquieting fact: the industry has changed processing procedures to market large quantities-the end result of which has only compromised flavor and our health. Kaminsky's passion and love of pork is reminiscent of Peter Mayle's fervor for food and the south of France (see A Year in Provence). For those who enjoy food literature and cooking, this work is an ideal escape; it will inspire creativity in your kitchen, as well as have you embarking on your own pork adventure! For all collections.-Jennifer A. Wickes, Suite101.com, Pine Beach, NJ Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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