Description:
The 1, 2, 3 Dinner series publishes the consummate page-flipping books for those who like to browse cookbooks until they see something inviting to make for dinner tonight. It is also a series for the menu-impaired--those who decide to make Lasagna Spirals, but then have no idea what to include alongside. The long, narrow "pages" of 1, 2, 3 Pasta Dinners have been cut into three recipe-card-size sections with a different recipe on each card. Reference numbers are on the cards rather than the full sheets; this way you can view pages 3, 62, and 129 simultaneously. The top recipe (Marinated Goat Cheese, Peppers, and Olives) is for a first course or appetizer; the middle recipe (Vermicelli with Scallops and Orange Butter) is the pasta course; and the final recipe (French Upside-Down Apple Tart) features breads or dessert. According to the publisher, this method allows for 125,000 possible menu combinations. If you don't like the idea of marinated goat cheese, for example, but the vermicelli is exactly what you want, flip through the top third of the book until you land on something more suitable, Spinach Soup (page 37), say, or Marinated Vegetables (page 18). The backside of each recipe card lists additional food matches and corresponding page numbers. All recipes are for four to six servings. --Brenda Pittsley
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