From Publishers Weekly
In this newest by Lee, author of the bestselling Semi-Homemade Cooking, a typical ingredients list reads like an index of advertising sponsors-Duncan Hines, Nestle, Carnation. According to Lee, that's the idea. Why buy fresh ingredients when you can buy mixes and prepared foods that allow you to skip a few steps? The gimmick-buy name-brand food items and transform them into glorious dishes-is a good one, but the results are often less than satisfactory. (One additional downside with this approach-aside from the chemical and additives involved-is that many of these dishes emphasize attitude rather than flavor.) Recipes such as Pastel Petit Fours, which are relatively time-intensive, look much better than they taste. This is less true of the Frozen Oreo Cake, but the Easter Bunny Cake (which requires eight name-brand ingredients) is not only overly sweet, but somewhat unattractive. Of course, some of the recipes appeal to the palate by virtue of the ingredients alone. Who doesn't like whipped topping, especially if it's mixed with fruit-flavored gelatin? For the reader who tends to purchase items like the ones used herein, these recipes are sure to appeal. Perhaps unnecessarily, headshots of television stars accompany many of the recipes, something that suggests the recipes either come from or are favorites of well-known people-e.g., there's Sex and the City's Kristin Davis's Savvy-Simple Limewhip Angel Food Cake and Katie Couric's Early Morning Raspberry Crescent Ring.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
Sandra Lee made a splash last year with her rst book, Semi-Homemade Cooking. Her approach is deceptively simple-mix 70 percent ready-made products with 30 percent fresh ingredients-and take 100 percent of the credit, for delicious homemade dishes, without spending hours in the kitchen. Semi-Homemade Desserts is lled with over 100 recipes, each with a full page, color photograph. And everything can be whipped up quickly and easily with the help of cake mixes, frozen fruits, candies, cookies, and even Cool Whip.® You'll nd sweet temptations, such as Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Frosting; Angel Food Cake with Key Lime Whip; and Caramel Nut Marshmallows. And Sandra's recipes are foolproof because she recommends her favorite brands to ensure perfect results every time. Sandra also provides inspiring ideas for holidays andcelebrations, from baby showers to anniversaries-and a special chapter with recipes from your favorite celebrities including Queen Latifah, Sharon Stone, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eric McCormack-and more.
