22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything Sandra at your fingertips!, Nov 11 2010
By Joan Katsounakis - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Semi-Homemade The Complete Cookbook (Hardcover-spiral)
I found this to be the best of Sandra Lee's cookbooks. It's a much larger book with many more receipes than the earlier ones. The receipes I've tried are excellent. I love the way her receipes cut the time involved down by using prepared items. It makes an everyday meal special with the extra touches.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Complete Sandra Lee Cookbook - a MUST in any kitchen, Nov 18 2010
By The Not So Perfect Housewife - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Semi-Homemade The Complete Cookbook (Hardcover-spiral)
Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Food Network show is one of my all time FAVORITES shows! I love to watch her pull together simple ingredients to make delicious meals for the family.
Sandra's trademark 70/30 Semi-Homemade philosophy, alongside her beautiful tablescapes and creative cocktails suck me into every episode and get my cooking senses going.
And thanks to wonderful people at Wiley Publishing, I was able to get a copy of Sandra's brand new Semi-Homemade Complete Cookbook to review.
I dug right into this cookbook, flipping the pages back and forth, soaking in all the great photos, helpful hints, and great chapters like:
* Cooking Basics
* Breakfast & Brunch
* Light & Healthful
* International Flare
* Slow Cooker & One Pot Meals
* Cocktails & Appetizers
* Tablescapes & Entertaining
It's Sandra Lee at her best!
And I don't know about you, but one of my BIGGEST pet peeves when it comes to cookbooks, is being able to have the opened with ease as I cook.
A lot of cookbooks have funky binding or awkward 3 rings, but Sandra Lee's Complete Cookbook has this great spiral binding that allows the pages to sit flat while open and closes easily when done. I LOVED that!
Of course I couldn't review a cookbook without trying out a recipe...
Since pork loins were on sale at our local store, I decided to try out her Pork Chips Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta.
With a little adjustment for our `gluten free' diet - this recipe was simple and easy to put together.
I really wish this picture had turned out a little better,
because it's really not doesn't do the dish justice.
The pork chops were moist and my whole family loved the spinach & cheese filling. This recipe is definitely going to be created again in our house.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!, Dec 14 2010
By Robyn Cole "robyncole22" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Semi-Homemade The Complete Cookbook (Hardcover-spiral)
Buy this cookbook now! You will not be disappointed! I love, love, love this book!
The first section is titled "Basics." Here you will find tips on how to organize your kitchen, what timesaving gadgets to buy, tips for a quicker/easier cleanup, and she even includes a checklist of things you should stock your shelves with (dry, frozen, refrigerated, spices, meats, and produce). For beginning cooks and for those of us that need to clean and organize our kitchens once in awhile, this is very helpful.
The rest of the book includes the following sections:
-dairy, eggs, and cheese
-breakfast and brunch
-salads, soups, and sides
-light and healthful
-pasta and pizza
-poultry
-beef and veal
-pork and lamb
-fish and shellfish
-family favorites
-weeknight meals
-international cusine
-slow cooker and one-pot meals
-grilling
-cakes, cobblers, puddings, and pies
-cookies, candies, bars, and breads
-cooktails and appetizers
-tablescapes and entertaining
I also love the fact that this book is spiral bound.
Trust me - you won't regret buying this book! The recipes are so easy to follow and Sandra includes specific directions on how long prep should be, how long you need to marinate, how long you should grill/roast, etc. I also love that the recipes use some pre-packaged items to save you time! This is a must have cookbook.