Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners [Paperback]

I wanted to learn some simple cooking but did not know where to go... I bought this book afer seeing Rachel on TV. This kind of cook book fits me as the recipes are simple and do not require much time preparing. I especially like the chicken receipes. I cannot compare it with other cooking books as I never had any, so I think 4 star is fair rating

This book is awesome,

The meals are great and make me excited to be in the kitchen. I've never been big on cooking, but since I have bought this book I've found myself in the kitchen more often than the drive-thru. This book has educaterd me on tons of new ingredients, do you know what arugula is? or what prosciutto di parma is? well you'll find out when you make sme of the recipes from this great book. I've made recipes from this book for family and friends and I get nothing but rave reviews from the cooking.. this book is well worth the $20 or less you'll be paying for this book. It's a great buy. The only bad thing I might say about this book is if you're living ina small town, you may have some difficulty finding some of the ingredients, but they can always be subtituted for something else.

I have been reading my way through Rachel Ray's cookbooks as fast as I can. I originally started with her books because I was fascinated by the idea of 30-minute meals. After sampled some of her dishes, I found that she's brilliant at putting in lots of flavor and variety into quick meals . . . the kind you associate with six hours in the kitchen and expensive restaurants where you might go for a major wedding anniversary.

The only drawback I've found so far is that her better cookbooks use many ingredients that I don't usually have on hand. That means that a major shopping expedition needs to precede having lots of 30-minute meals.

That's okay, but my frugal side worries about buying a lot of things that I'll use once a month and will sit in the cupboard the rest of the time.

Rachel Ray 365 (actually it's 366 recipes because she wants to account for leap year): No Repeats deals with that concern of mine in a most delicious way. Ms. Ray takes a number of her better dishes and shows you have to make variations that use mostly the same ingredients . . . but which no one will think of as being the same dish. I liked that approach for another reason. It doesn't take much turkey and chicken for me to be tired of dishes that feature them. With this book, I can usually substitute beef, pork, or fish. As a result, I thought this book presented me with a great expansion in choice of tastes, flavors, and eating experiences.

I like spicy foods, especially Mexican, Spanish, Thai, and Indian dishes. 365 is full of wonderful choices if that's what you like.

But if you have young children who like things a little blander and more traditional, you'll find at least 200 dishes that will thrill any such family.

Although her book doesn't have many photographs in it, you'll quickly sense that she has a strong visual sense that will reward you with different appearances and eating experiences. Let's look at that elegant food, swordfish: She's as likely to have you roll it up as finger food as she is to serve the fish, for instance, as a traditional filet on a lovely dinner plate.

Look at the choices you have just for swordfish (which most people just broil with a little seasoning):

Balsamic-glazed with capers and grape tomato-arugula rice

Grilled in a salad

As burgers with lemon, garlic, and parsley

In Sicilian-style roll-ups with fennel and radicchio salad

Cutlets with tomato and basil salad

Steaks with raw puttanesca sauce and roasted capers

That's way beyond the variety I've experienced with swordfish in 60 years.

Imagine what she can do with pasta!

Although you can read front to back (or back to front) which I did originally, the index is well designed to help you pick up ingredients, flavors, and styles that appeal to you. If planning a week's menus, I suggest you start with the index. In addition, the recipes are grouped by themes in the front matter starting on page xii (perfect pasta, on the light side, super fast suppers, make your own take out, big bowls, romantic dinners, burgers, good for a crowd, to serve 1 or 2, fancy fare, pick of the chix), vegetarian foods, and comfort foods.

As always, the best part is the way that Ms. Ray can come up with a variation that will strike your fancy. Here are a few of the more than one hundred that I marked for future consumption:

Texas T-bones

Oregon-style pork chops

Citrus-marinated chicken and orange salad

Salsa stoup and quesadillas

Mostly green curry chicken over coconut jasmine rice

Halibut soup

Balsamic-glazed swordfish with capers and grape tomato-arugula rice

Whole fish with ginger and scallions

Uptown down-home chili

Cod croquettes and red bell pepper gravy

Crab salad lettuce wraps

Cuban sloppy joes with smashed yucca, tomatoes, plantain chips, and mojo sauce

Flounder francese

Chicken tortilla soup with lime

Ham and cheese stuffed pork chops

Indian spiced vegetables

Fa-schizzel my schnitzel

Lettuce tacos

Spanish fish and chorizo stoup

Shrimp martinis and Manhattan steaks

Sweet pea soup with parmigiano toast

Ham and Swiss crepes with chopped salad

Veal scallopine with Dijon sauce, asparagus, and avocados

Spanish-style pork chops with chorizo

Lemon and artichoke risotto with shrimp

Don't miss this book. It'll brighten up your life!