Perhaps one of the best gifts that Girlawhirl received over the holidays was a copy of Real Life Recipes: Fast Flavor for Every Day, by Rocco DiSpirito. Not only does it contain 175 ways for her to get dinner on the table fast, it's organized in a way that makes everything from finding what she's in the mood for to shopping for the ingredients easy…
First and foremost, the recipes are for entrees, because just like everyone else, chef DiSpirito knows that the entrée is the heart of the meal. Like he writes in his introduction, "Add a salad and a glass of wine to any recipe in this book and you'll be very happy." What makes Girlawhirl happy is that if she's in the mood for chicken, or shrimp, or perhaps tuna,
all she has to do is turn straight to the sections for those main ingredients and she's got her options laid out for her. Alongside each recipe, illustrations show her what she'll have to clean up afterwards, whether it's just one pot or a couple of other things like a baking tray or a blender. There's also a grocery list for each recipe, divided into fresh, packaged and staples, so Girlawhirl can get through the store in a flash. 
Truth be told, Rocco's thought of everything. There are no hard to find ingredients, the recipes are straightforward and fast, clean up is minimal and there's even a tutorial on how to chop herbs, make a chicken cutlet out of a chicken breast and how she can tell just by looking at it whether her oil is just right or too hot.
Girlawhirl can't wait to start cooking!
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| Jan 19, 2006: | Five Minutes to Fabulous. read full entry |