4.5 Stars, great recipes, great concept, but not perfect for me

books:


	• Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table Leanne Ely Ballantine Books, 2003 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 254 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

4.5 Stars, great recipes, great concept, but not perfect for me

I have found a lot of great recipes in this book! For a while we tried using the weekly list but had a few problems. Many of the ingredients can be expensive, including quite a bit of meat, etc. and also several dinners per week did not appeal to my family, so I couldn't use the weekly list because I had to weed out the ingredients that were needed for the recipes I wasn't going to be making. So it ended up being easier for me to go through each recipe and make my own list which defeated part of the purpose of the book. There are lots of recipes in here that I have made more than once, but there are also many recipes that I have never tried again, or would never try in the first place. So if you are looking for a good recipe book, you'll find one here... but if you are looking for the weekly meal plan/grocery list deal... you probably will not be happy with this.

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Too small

Didn't realize that this was a small paperback. Would not have purchased it. The content is good and informational.

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Great Concept,, Pretty Good Food

I bought this book along with Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way and Saving Dinner for the Holidays last year.

I LOVE the concept of having the weekly menu planned out as well as the grocery list put together and ready for shopping. We went through the entire book and I have to say, it really broadened our food horizons as we had been stuck in a rut for a long time with our regular foods. Also, the books really did eliminate a lot of stress by allowing me to know in advance "What's for dinner" and be ready to prepare it.

The only cons I can think of would be that the food is not exactly kid friendly, and you will need to be an open minded eater. If you have a lot of people with finicky preferences in your household, this may not be the book for you. Also, our grocery bill for two went up from about $75 a week to $125 because of the veggies and meats. Good, healthy quality food ingredients, but unfortunately, painful to the wallet. For kid oriented and somewhat less expensive menu options, I would recommend Brook Noel's "The Rush Hour Cook's Weekly Wonders: 19 Weekly Dinner Menus Complete with Grocery Lists for Today's Busy Family", also for sale on Amazon.com. I tried that book before this one and it really turned me on to the grocery list/recipe book phenomena that lead me to Leanne's Saving Dinner books.

Overall, I would recommend Leanne's Saving Dinner books. For the open minded foodie. Or for those weeks that you just want to not worry about dinner and the grocery list. These books are great to have and do offer a good variety of recipes to broaden horizons while removing some stress.

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Cookbook with a purpose - but not for everyone

I checked this book out of the library. I've tried and enjoyed a couple of the recipes (Garlic Lime Chicken, Blackberry Balsamic Chicken Breasts). There weren't many others that interested me.

Like most reviewers, I applaud the author's purpose - to bring families back to the dinner table. For those who've been relying on takeout food, this cookbook can help jumpstart the process of planning, shopping and preparing dinner. There are many reviewers who are passionate about this book - so it must be helping people! The recipes are quick and easy to prepare, and nutritious.

For experienced cooks, there's little in the cookbook that's new. People like me, who've been cooking for years, already have family favorite recipes for meatloaf, baked ziti, roast chicken, jambalaya, chinese dishes, etc. The recipes in the book aren't superior versions, or "the best" for those. You may find some new ideas for quick dinners, though.

A frustration with the book is that real beginners won't learn very much about cooking techniques and food from the book. There are some quick hints that I found interesting, but to learn how to cook and enjoy the process, you need a more complete cookbook (Joy of Cooking, The Best Recipe, How to Cook Everything, etc.) Whole categories of food/cooking are missing from this one (pork, fresh fruit, baked goods, desserts).

I disagree with the author's reliance on FROZEN chicken breasts (which are injected with water and other ingredients). Buy fresh ones from the meat counter - they taste better and you'll be getting chicken rather than additives.

Serious cooks probably will want to pass on this book (or check it out from the library). Busy families looking for a roadmap to making menus and cooking quick meals may find it helpful.

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Best cook book ever!

This is the best motivator for me to cook for my family. I don't follow the weekly guide, but I jump around and make something new every night. My entire extended family has this book, and we will call each other and give tips and ideas for the servings. It is great, and the only book that I have ever used. And that is saying something, because before my sister-in-law bought this for me, I NEVER made dinner at home...LOL. BUY THIS BOOK for yourself and for every one you know that wants to have a normal dinner with their family at night and gets tired of makeing the same thing every week.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

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