Review: Perfect One-dish Dinners

This one came across the check-in desk at work, and while flipping through it before putting it back on the shelf, I saw too many recipes I wanted to try.  So had to check it out myself!  One of the perks of working at a library :)  So, here are my thoughts on Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson.

Plot?  Um, no, it's a cookbook...  

The premise, for lack of a better word, is to provide recipes cooked in one dish - something beyond basic casseroles - that you would serve for company.  The book is ordered into the main 'one-dish' recipes, accompanied by an appetizer, salad, soup, and/or dessert - a starting point for a full menu as host.  I say and/or, because not every meal has all accompanying recipes; if the main dish is very vegetable-heavy, there may not be a salad, for example.

Biggest complaint?  Not enough pictures.  A cookbook like this needs a lot of pictures.  There were a good number of recipes that didn't have pictures, even in the background of another dish.  And the pictures that are there aren't necessarily cleared designated.  A little confusing, when you consider the formatting of the book.

Second biggest?  No estimated prep time given with the recipes.  I admit, I'm not looking for Rachel Ray's guaranteed "30 Minute Meals," and I don't mind making everything from scratch like Anderson has you do, but at the same time, I'd like to know about how long it'll take me to get dinner on the table.  And that strikes me as especially odd for a book marketed for get-togethers.  Don't you want to know what time you'll be able to serve your guests their meal?

Final big frustration?  I couldn't figure out her organization of the recipes.  Yes, they were grouped as whole meals, but I spent a lot of time flipping through the book or looking in the index trying to find the recipe I was wanting to try.  Granted, in my own cookbooks, I use a lot of Post-It and 3M taps to mark my favorite recipes, so I didn't have that aid in this cookbook, but it was still a little irritating.

Another thought is about how it's presented - not a frustration like the ones above, but more like an observation.  Though it's marketed as "easy" and for "readers [who] are new to cooking or simply looking for new ideas for meals," it's more complex than I would have thought for a beginner's cookbook.  More advanced beginner or intermediate, I'd say.  Everything's made from scratch, biscuits and pie crusts and all, and most recipes have a good long list of ingredients to find.  I don't consider myself a beginner cook anymore and (like I said above) I don't mind making things from scratch, but I do like shorter ingredient lists.  Living way out in the middle of nowhere means that if it's not available on post, it's most likely at a store nearly 1 1/2 hours away.  The longer the ingredient list, the more likely I'll have to drive into Town to find something, or trying to find a suitable substitute.  And not that being a more advanced cookbook is a bad thing - just that it should be marketed that way.

There are a lot of inspiring recipes, though, and I liked how the main dishes had accompanying recipes to create a whole menu without much fuss.  We tried a few of the recipes, and here are our thoughts (no recipes provided here, obviously, just my thoughts on the ones we sampled)

• Salsa Verde Chicken with Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings - Chicken'n'Dumplings gets spiced up!  I liked it, but...  One of those recipes that I'd make again, but with heavy alterations.  I liked that it wasn't plain chicken and dumplings, but it was very onion-y for me.  I guess I'm not that big a fan of salsa verde.  If I made it again, I think I'd use less salsa verde in the chicken, or not use the scallions in the dumplings, but another spice instead.  Not that it was bad, just a little strong for my taste.  I guess I like other seasonings better than onion.
• Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages and White Beans - this one I used the actual recipe only as a starting point.  I altered this one a bit to fit the ingredients and equipment I had (I don't have a large roasting pan yet, for example).  Basically, though, I just wanted to cut the quantity in half, since it says it serves 8, and I didn't want to be eating the same leftovers all week - there are only 2 of us, after all!  This was one I wanted to try - Zach wasn't as impressed by the picture.  But, it came out well!  To quote him, Zach was "delightfully impressed" with the outcome. 
• Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats - great success!  I also want to try them with peanut butter chips, to see if it makes a choco-peanut butter snack, like Reesie Rice Krispie Treats!
• Perfect Cupcakes with Pineapple-Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting (pictured below) - these I made for Valentine's Day for my pineapple-addicted valentine.  I know the combination of flavors sounds very odd, but it's actually pretty good.  The cupcakes are worth a repeat - a light  butter-and-vanilla flavor, like pound cake, but not so heavy.  Zach's opinion, though, was that it's not pineapple-y enough :)

Overall:  3 of 5.  There are some good recipes in there, and some inspiring ones, but not enough to make me spend $32 to purchase the book myself.  If you get a chance to borrow it though, it's worth a look-see!