Russel Wright's Menu Cookbook: A Guide to Easier Entertaining

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Summary: Easy-to-create recipes, suitable for holiday occasions
Review: Russel Wright's Menu Cookbook: A Guide To Easier Entertaining is a cookbook guide filled from cover to cover with easy-to-create recipes, each of which is suitable for holiday occasions or simple everyday dining ranging from Dragon Rock Dinner (Beef Stew with Green Apples; Mashed Potatoes and Turnips; Endive and Watercress Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette; Shelley Boris's Chocolate Pots de Creme - serves 6) to Sunday Supper (Chicken Baked in Cream on a Bed of Watercress; Roasted Portobello Mushrooms and Scallions; Buttered Egg Noodles; Warm Gingerbread - serves 8). Luscious full-color photographs and step-by-step instructions enhance this mouth-watering, highly recommended, minimalist cooking guide, which offers preparation tips and techniques for everything from cherry pudding to a full-course, eight-person Christmas buffet.

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Summary: There's a reason book is marked next to nothing
Review: There's a reason this book has been marked down next to nothing. Because it is. I had thought it would be actually useful for planning a dinner party and it's full of complicated recipes, watch out for anything labeled "gourmet", it means many steps, dirtying every dish in your kitchen and still not having enough to eat for dinner. The chicken salad was the most complicated thing imaginable and afterward everyone was wanting to know what was for dinner. humm...that was suppose to be the dinner!

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Summary: Beautiful and very special
Review: This is a wonderful book for long-standing RW fans, and for new fans too. For those who have followed RW forever, it's a special look into RW's favorite foods and ways to serve and present them. For new fans, the book will give more insight into his fascinating and forward-looking tastes and interests. Most of all though, in addition to the intriguing menus to try, is the beautiful design of the book and the copious illustrations. There are many wonderful close-up photos of RW's original and reissued creations, as well as numerous images of the patterns on his dinnerware and tablecloths, printed around the text pages. Many of the photos of the dinnerware were shot at Manitoga, and there are also some that look like they were features in early magazine articles or ads, which are very interesting to see. Another plus, are Ann's anecdotal memories on the menus, where the lovely recipes came from, how her family served them, and more. RW fans will be very thankful to Ann and Mindy for creating this marvelous book!