Desperation Entertaining or Pig Perfect

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 Yucatбn 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.

Ralph Ayres Cookery Book or Incredibly Easy Gifts From the Kitchen

Ralph Ayres' Cookery Book

Author: Jane Jakeman

Every day at noon in the dining hall of New College, Oxford in the 1770s, a feast was laid for students and the dons, clad in white waistcoats and wigs. They sat down to cod with oysters, ham, fowls, boiled beef, rabbits smothered with onions, mutton, veal collops, pork griskins, New College Puddings, mince pies, and roots (vegetables). That was only the first course. For the second course, they were served roast turkey, a haunch of venison, a brace of woodcocks, snipes, veal olives, trifle, blancmange, stewed pippins, and preserved quinces. Ralph Ayres was the genius behind this daily repast, and his choice recipes are chronicled here in Ralph Ayres' Cookery Book.
If you've ever wondered what a London Wigg was or why plum cake does not actually contain plums, Ralph Ayres' Cookery Book will prove to be a most rewarding collection. Here the details of sumptuous British meals are meticulously presented, as is their larger context in the history of cooking. Recipes for such famous dishes as Quaking Pudding, Oxford Sausages, Damson Preserve, and other savory English delights fill the pages. Some, such as the famous New College Pudding, are still used today. The volume is beautifully produced, featuring a wealth of full-color botanical illustrations and elegant script reproduced from the original text, and also includes an informative foreword by Bodleian emeritus  librarian David Vaisey.
A captivating glimpse into the world of eighteenth-century food and the culture of academia's apex, Ralph Ayres' Cookery Book is a valuable and engaging historical chronicle of British cuisine. It will appeal to social and culinary historians, as well as to the many loversof griskin and collops.

Table of Contents:

Foreword Introduction The Recipes Glossary Select Bibliography Index of Recipies

Read also Canon Speedlite System Digital Field Guide or Essential Sharepoint 2007

Incredibly Easy Gifts From the Kitchen (Incredibly Easy Series) (Favorite Brand Name Series)

Author: Staff of Publications International

Looking for the perfect gift, but not sure what to buy? Search no further! Present friends and family with thoughtful gifts they're sure to love—homemade breads, muffins, cookies, candies, snack mixes and jar mixes. With this collection of delectable, no-fuss recipes, you'll find gift giving has never neen so...Incredibly Easy!

Perfection Salad or Food That Says Welcome

Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century

Author: Laura Shapiro

Toasted marshmallows stuffed with raisins? Green-and-white luncheons? Chemistry in the kitchen? This entertaining and erudite social history, now in its fourth paperback edition, tells the remarkable story of America's transformation from a nation of honest appetites into an obedient market for instant mashed potatoes. In Perfection Salad, Laura Shapiro investigates a band of passionate but ladylike reformers at the turn of the twentieth century--including Fannie Farmer of the Boston Cooking School--who were determined to modernize the American diet through a "scientific" approach to cooking. Shapiro's fascinating tale shows why we think the way we do about food today.

Publishers Weekly

A journalist who has written extensively on aspects of feminism, Shapiro presents a well-researched history of women as nutritional revolutionaries during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This serious study is lively entertainment, spiced by the author's wit and wry perceptions. Through her, we discover clues to the motives of women who turned American kitchens into laboratories, run according to the dicta of the Boston Cooking School and similar establishments that proliferated across the country. The most memorable of the culinary movers was Fannie Farmer, whose cookbook was published in a modest 3000-copy edition in 1896. Stories about Farmer and other domestic scientists of the period add strong appeal to Shapiro's report. So do the parallels between early feminists and today's advocates of equal rights. It is somber to realize, as the author emphasizes, that fear of significant power for women ``even over themselves'' kept their aims restricted. By 1900, they had settled for the status of experts in home economics instead of independence. (March 3)

Library Journal

In documenting the history of the American domestic science movement at the turn of this century, Shapiro's very readable book helps explain why middle-class Americans developed a preference for a cuisine that sacrifices taste to the pure and the plastic. It was an era when science was in ascendency, and the leaders of the domestic science movement hoped to change the eating habits of the nation and to do away with the irrational methods of traditional housekeeping. How these women succeeded and where they failed is a fascinating story. A good bibliography nicely supplements this admirable book, which should appeal to a wide audience. Highly recommended. Joyce S. Toomre, Russian Research Ctr., Harvard Univ.

Nach Waxman

Dazzling may be an odd word to use about a work of social history, but dazzling it is. Laura Shapiro's gimlet-eyed exploration of the roots of modern home cooking in America offers utterly fascinating research, analytic acuity, wit, pace, and writing so exhilaratingly good that it's sometimes hard to remember what an important book this is. Three cheers for this classic. Entertaining, and it's good for you. What more could we ask?
—Owner, Kitchen Arts and Letters

Richard Saz

How good to see this worthy book in print again. And how rare a writer is Laura Shapiro-she has synthesized an immense amount of research through the lens of her own crystal-clear thinking (and not incidentally her sly humor). Along the way: white sauce as purifier and ennobler, color-coordinated menus, Crisco as sandwich spread (!), "Dainty Desserts for Dainty People," home economics as agent for keeping "the male world male." This book is a pleasure to read. Welcome back, Perfection Salad.
— author of Classic Home Desserts

Interesting book: Tappan on Survival or Lavender

Food That Says Welcome: Simple Recipies to Spark the Spirit of Hospitality

Author: Barbara Smith

Make Your Friends and Family Feel Welcome, One Meal at a Time.

"Welcome to my home as we share life and laughter around the table. It means sharing my life in such a way that there is always room for one more."- Barbara Smith

Some people naturally have the gift of hospitality, instinctively creating inviting, mouth-watering meals and a warm environment that assures guests, "We're glad you're here." Fortunately, says food expert Barbara Smith, the rest of us have the same potential to make guests feel nurtured, and here she offers an unforgettable, not-to-be-missed treasury of recipes, tips, and how-to's for everyone with the spiritual gift of hospitality- and for all the rest of us who want to look like we do.

In Food That Says Welcome you'll learn to:

• Make "welcome" food that is healthy and easy to prepare.

• Create an atmosphere that says to your guests, "You are special."

• Make hospitality your ministry and service.

The mother of Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith, Barbara has cooked for and entertained numerous celebrities- extending to them the same warmth and exuberance as to her large family. Learn what makes Barbara Smith's meals and outreach so rave-worthy and discover how you can invoke the same spirit of hospitality in your own home and kitchen in Food That Says Welcome.

Publishers Weekly

Hospitality is a spiritual gift, according to this beginner-level, Christian-themed cookbook, but it can also be learned. Smith, a former caterer, shares the recipes she has made for family, friends and church gatherings. Beginning each chapter with a personal reminiscence and a Bible quote, Smith emphasizes her religious orientation and traditional values. Her culinary aesthetic is equally conservative, hearkening back at times to the 1960s. Smith reports that she is acquainted with the Bush family, and her convenience-oriented, anachronistic but crowd-pleasing cuisine resembles that of Ariel de Guzman's recent Bush Family Cookbook. Salads include both green and gelatinous creations; soups are as straightforward as Tomato-Basil Bisque and as exotic as Chicken Pot Pie Soup. Entr es are old-fashioned American favorites (Ham Loaf) or inauthentic versions of international dishes (Ravioli Lasagna; marmalade-sweetened Mandarin Chicken). There are also chapters devoted to nonalcoholic drinks, appetizers, brunch, breads and dessert. Many ingredients can be found in cans and packets, and Smith helpfully supplies a grocery list and pantry checklist for every recipe. While this work won't seem particularly welcoming to serious foodies or, for that matter, nonbelievers, it may offer inspiration to some. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

By the Sackful or Cookie Sensations

By the Sackful: A Scrapbook with Recipes from 85 Years of White Castle Craving

Author: White Castl

If White Castle is more than just a burger to you, you'll love this memory book of vintage photos, Craver memories, and inventive and delicious recipes created by Cravers like yourself. The key ingredient in each recipe is ten White Castle hamburgers! Best of all, proceeds from By the Sackful will support Turkeys 4 America!

Book about: In a Persian Kitchen or Picnics 50 Inspired Recipes Card Deck

Cookie Sensations: Creative Designs for Every Occasion

Author: Meaghan Mountford

Cookie Sensations is a step-by-step guide to creating edible art. It features templates, detailed instructions, illustrations and information on resources. Everything you need to succeed is in this book, including recipes for cookies and icings, directions for coloring icings, instructions on master your decorating technique and even tips on fixing mistakes.