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Summary: Fast and Flavorful!
Review: Finally a cookbook that has fast recipes that really taste good! I am able to get dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes which makes cooking less of a chore.
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Summary: At last! Even I can cook!
Review: After following their column in my local newspaper and reading the reviews on Amazon, I decided to check the book out of the library. I had to wait about a month for my turn to come up, and before I could return it, I had to buy my own copy. This book is filled not only with delicious, quick recipes, but also with time and sanity saving ideas. It taught me a few things about having a well-stocked pantry and freezer. Now I can whip up a meal in no time. I have at least two "desparate" dinners at my fingertips at all times. My favorite recipe in the book so far is the "Balsam Inn Fancy Fettuccini" ...ummm... I've got to get home and make it tonight!
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Summary: The best book I've bought this year!
Review: I bought this book a few weeks ago and have already tried several recipes. They are fast, taste great and my husband will eat them! I have found that some of the recipes take closer to 30 minutes rather than 20, but maybe I just putter around the kitchen more than they do. Desperation Dinners is just what I needed being a full-time working mom of a 10 month old baby!
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Summary: An absolute life-saver!
Review: I have never really cooked before in my life, and this cookbook has actually kept me in the kitchen (for a total of 40 minutes per night, including clean-up). The recipes are incredibly tasty and incredibly easy. If you don't have time to cook, this is a definite must-have!
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Summary: A cookbook for today's world...
Review: This cookbook has made it possible for my family to eat dinner! So many cookbooks assume that you have several hours available to cook a meal-and that's just not possible with everything that is going on in our lives-work, school, etc.After looking at all the other good reviews this book got, I decided to go ahead and buy it. I've been burned by "quick" cookbooks before-the food they produce is mediocre at best. But "Desperation Dinners" IS different. The dishes really can be prepared in 20 minutes or less AND they taste good. A wonderful, much needed book that every busy family needs. I can't recommend it enough, and I hope the authors write another book soon!
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Summary: At last! A great cookbook for 'the rest of us'!
Review: I have LOTS of cookbooks on my shelves, but this one has quickly become my favorite. I love to cook, but at the end of a hectic day at work, I need simple! quick! good! easy-to-follow instructions! The recipes I have tried have all gotten rave reviews and requests for repeat performances from my picky family. And, they can really be made in about 20 minutes! A nice combination of fresh, pre-prepared, and convenience ingredients gives these recipes a welcome balance between dollars and time. And the tips and suggestions provided in the margin have been helpful, too. Thank you, Beverly and Alicia! Encore!
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Summary: As important as the refrigerator!
Review: I am a cookbook collector as well as a gourmet cook wannabe. I have three teens, a hungry husbandwho spent twelve years dining in Europe, teach troubled teenagers and garden avidly. To think that I have the time to cook creatively was a stretch......and quite frustrating to say the least. Desperation Dinners has made me the Academy Award Winning cook in my house....raves at the dinner table have done wonders for all of us....and my self-esteem......WOW! This cookbook is full of wonderfully delicious recipes presented in a sequence which, if followed, will have you cooking phenomenal meals in 20 minutes flat. You, too, will be the "star"!
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Summary: Finally, a realistic cookbook for the family on the go!!
Review: Don't tell Ballpark, but this book put an end to our all too frequent hot dog dinners. I checked the book out at the library and had to copy pages out of it to hold me over until I could buy the book. We have tried about 8-10 of the recipes so far, and 99.9% of them have been great (the other.1% was due to my errors)! I never would have thought that a COOKBOOK could make such a change in my family's life!
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Summary: This book has saved my sanity (and stomach)
Review: I used to love to cook and prepare good food, but now that I have two children under three and a husband who comes home for dinner anywhere between 5:30 and 8:00, dinnertime had become a nightmare. I have used other 20-minute cookbooks, but they required at least 30-minutes of clean-up time. We were surviving on take-out, which was really getting old. This book is wonderful. The recipes are very good and the clean-up time minimal. The book itself is well organized and has great tips and advice on food shopping, preparation, and using convenience products. I've used this book at least every other day since I bought it. The recipe for Magic Brownies is worth the price of the book. They take less than ten minutes, start to finish, and taste great.
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Summary: Great time saving techniques & quite good recipes.
Review: I'm a "collector" of cookbooks & this one has seen a lot of use since I got it. Many of the recipes are quite good, and most all of them really do only take 20 minutes (or so). The biggest value has been in their time saving techniques. I thought I was efficient in the kitchen but I've learned many new tips to shave minutes off here & there. This one's a keeper -- & I would consider it as a gift to a new mom (especially after her 2nd or 3rd baby!).
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