Rating: 
Summary: 20 minutes... for real
Review: I've tried many cookbooks that promise meals in 20 or 30 minutes. Most of them don't include the time it takes to chop ingredients, so it ends up taking 40 minutes when you include the prep time. This book delivers on its promise. Symbols alert the cook to start boiling water, defrosting meat, or preheating the oven as soon as he walks in the door. From there, instructions are complete and simple. They make an effort to reduce the number of pans needed, and many efficiency tips are built right into the instructions.As with anything "fast," there are drawbacks. Some recipes lack a homemade flavor since they rely on many convenience items, like instant rice, bottled chopped garlic, and canned sauces. And some are a little bland, but I've remedied that by adding my own herbs and spices. I have made a few recipes that were remarkably flavorful and have become some of my "old standbys." This is a lifestyle-changing book for people who work hard, care about their health, and think there's more to life than cooking.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best "Old Stand By" in my collection
Review: I love cookbooks, I adore them. I oh and ahh over fancy recipes and exotic ingredients. Desperation Dinners doesn't fall into that category. Simply put, when you're desperate and it is 6PM and all you have is defrosted chicken and everybody is hungry, this is what I turn to. I can always find a recipe for which I have all the ingredients in my pantry and/or freezer. I highly recommend it to all working moms (and busy stay at home moms too!) There are lots of great recipes even my finicky 6 year old will eat, and it sure beats the expense and nutrition of Pizza Hut or a trip through the drive through at McDonalds. My mother always had the Joy of Cooking or the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that she scoured for recipes. This is THE cookbook for the next generation.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book, with Exceptions
Review: I bought this book about a year ago and it is so well-worn I think I might need to buy a new one soon! While I kinda like to think of myself as a "gourmet" cook, many nights I just don't have the energy, motivation, ingredients, etc. to even THINK about dinner, much less make it. That's where this book is indispensible. In 20 minutes or less -- no lie-- I can make a very tasty, filling meal, using pretty much what I've got in the cupboards (maybe with a short trip to the grocery to pick up a couple of fresh ingredients). Now, I agree with one of the reviewers who said that these recipes are kinda bland. Many of them are. Mills and Ross certainly don't impress us with their cultured palate, and in some instances (for example, their Fiery Chinese Beef, or should I say, Fiery Chinese "Blech!") their use of spices is just plain wrong. But fortunately, they don't go astray too often and if you have a rudimentary grasp of salt, pepper & semi-exotic seasonings like curry powder, dijon mustard, "fresh" (bottled) ginger, etc. you can easily flavor these dishes to your taste w/ wonderful success. Many of the recipes keep you moving, but some of them are so amazingly simple I wonder why the heck I didn't think of them on my own (the Shrimp Dijon and Honey Mustard Porkchops come to mind here: just slather & cook; served over rice these dishes are delicious). There are great recipes for gazpacho, shepherd's pie, chicken fingers parmesan, spaghetti w/ clam sauce, golden fried fish fillets and an interesting bunch of recipes for the grill, too. Along with the meals, Mills & Ross provide lots of simple recipes for delicious sauces, salsas, vinaigrettes, you name it. I've used these to spruce up old favorites from other cookbooks, as well. Side dishes are kinda limited, but there are a lot of ideas for dressing up muffin mixes & refrigerated "tube" biscuits to make savory accompanyments. And I find myself whipping up homemade salad dressing all the time now, rather than use the preservative-laden bottled kinds. Oh yeah, and the ladies have a whole section on breakfast foods that I've turned to many lazy weekend mornings when my husband & I are in the mood for a big breakfast w/ minimum time in the kitchen. These hearty breakfast meals make satisfying dinners, on occasion, too. So, if you frequently find yourself standing in your kitchen, staring blanking into the refrigerator, wondering what in god's name you can make for dinner... Do as this book instructs and start frying an onion. The smell will motivate you to start flipping thru your cookbooks and before long, dinner will be on the way. Do yourself a favor, though, and add this book to your cookbook collection, cause I bet my favorite non-stick frying pan that --nine times outta ten-- this'll be the book you turn to in such instances.
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas even for the not-so-desperate
Review: I bought this book because my husband and I had run out of quick dinner ideas for our family. This book covers the gambit from appetizers to salads to dinners and uses common foods most people would normally have in their pantry. The pantry guide is wonderful, as is the convenience foods section. I began using many of the suggested products after I received Desperation Dinners and haven't gone back since. We often refer to the recipes on the weekends when we have extra time to cook, just because the food is so great. The book doesn't have a huge selection of dessert ideas. I plan to buy this book for all my working mom friends and even for those friends who have time to plan their meals. You don't need to be "desperate" to use this cookbook. Check it out!
Rating: 
Summary: This book has changed my life!
Review: I purchased this book on impulse in January, tired of take-out and sandwiches. My husband and I took one huge grocery shopping trip to stock up on the pantry staples that most of the recipes are based on. A couple of months later, we were still eating wonderful meals and were spending less on groceries that ever before. We have even lost weight since we aren't eating as much junk food! It is a pleasure to eat at home again without all of the stress!
Rating:
Summary: Thanks from a busy but not guilty anymore Mom of 4
Review: This book has saved me from feeling guilty when there are too many things scheduled and no time for a healthy meal. The recipes are great and so easy to follow. I haven't found one that took longer than the 20 minutes. My family loved the Topsail Spaghetti, we have it even when we aren't rushed! Thank's to Julie's Best-Ever Baked Asparagus my "I don't like green vegetables kid" is eating green vegetables. This is great purchase for busy families.
Rating:
Summary: Desparation Dinners!
Review: This Book is my kitchen "bible". I love this cookbook over any other book in my kitchen, and believe me, I have a ton. Beverly and Alicia take the simplest things in your kitchen and turn them into masterpieces. I live in the midwest so our tastes are not caviar and pate. My family likes a good homecooked sit-down meal. This book can give a simple cook like myself a sense of confidence in the kitchen I've never felt before. A "whatever" attitude. I've had this book for a year now and feel like I am a better cook now than I was two years ago. I am not new to the kitchen. I'm a 37 year old wife and mother of two boys. Until I owned this book I felt like there was a right and a wrong way. Now I know different. I can't tell you how wonderful this book is. It gives you ideas and shortcuts in areas you would never dream of. And when they say dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes flat; they're not kidding. I've made some fabulous dinners I'm almost ashamed of. Dinner tastes like you've been in the kitchen all afternoon. But it's 5:30 and you didn't even start dinner until 5:00. This Cookbook teaches a person how to use what is on the shelf. How to use convenience foods and make a meal taste wonderful. If I could, I would give this book an eleven star review. I've never found a cookbook I read as often as I do this one. Like I said, it's my "Kitchen Bible".
Rating: 
Summary: Tried it extensively, wouldn't buy it again
Review: I've made 12 recipes from this book: 2 of them are keepers with a few slight additions but the rest I'll only make again after reworking the ingredients significantly. I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY with the reviewer who said these are too bland - there's not a recipe I've made that hasn't needed some extra herbs or spice and often they're still too blah (I'm feeding kids, ages 13,16,17,18 and 42 <grin> and they agreed). Also, there's a heavy reliance on Instant Rice and bottled garlic and ginger. If you don't like these you'll have to do the prepare-ahead thing to make these recipes quickly, or just add in the extra time (which slows a lot of 'em down). My other gripe: food professionals or not, based on the recipes I suspect the authors need a better acquaintance with (or fondness for?) Southwestern/Mexican & Asian cuisines. Their versions of these dishes lack some of the basic supermarket ethnic ingredients that would give them some life. This was surprising, given the number of really excellent cookbooks addressing these foods and the increasing availability of interesting ingredients in supermarkets. I'd only recommend this book to experienced cooks who can modify recipes with some confidence, and then it's probably redundant to their own skills at getting flavorful meals on the table quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I was prepared to love this book (and do like some of the pantry tips) but have been disappointed with the 3 or 4 recipes I've tried. Maybe I've had the bad luck of choosing the worst recipes in the book but everything so far has been very bland. I judge a recipe by the criteria, "would I make it again?", unfortunately none of these passed. I'm ready to retire this book. From my notes: Two-For-One Noodles: "a little bland"; Mock Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna: "just OK - not outstanding"; Hamburger Steak with Mushroom: "gravy too bland/pasty".
Rating:
Summary: Better than Take Out!
Review: In keeping with the recipes in this book, this review will be short and sweet. It's true -- the meals take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to make. And they're good! The cookbook comes in very handy on those nights when I crawl into the house at 6 PM after some afterschool acvitity and now have to cook dinner and help with homework. I wish the authors would write a DESPERATION DINNERS II.
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