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The Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook
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£ 11.04
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| Retail Value |
£ 12.99 |
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£ 1.95 (15%) |
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| Item Number |
576080 |
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Available on the Internet only.
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Item description for The Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook by Dawn Hall...
Overview
Perfect recipes for any cook with little time and even less money.
Today's bad economy is forcing people out of restaurants and into the kitchen. But who has the time to cook? Dawn Hall shows home cooks how to prepare simple and fast food that's as healthy as it is easy on the budget. The Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook is just the thing for today's economy minded meal makers.
Publishers Description
Perfect recipes for any cook with little time and even less money. Today's bad economy is forcing people out of restaurants and into theAkitchen. But who has the time to cook? Dawn Hall shows home cooks how to prepare simple and fast food that's as healthy as it is easy on the budget.AThe Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook is just the thing for today's economy minded meal makers. |
Item Specifications...
Studio: Thomas Nelson
Pages 384
Dimensions: Length: 7.78" Width: 7.66" Height: 0.68"
Weight: 1.45 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Oct 1, 2009
Publisher Thomas Nelson
ISBN 1595552901
ISBN13 9781595552907
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Availability 0 units.
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More About Dawn Hall
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Books > General Interest > General Topic > Cookbook
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Reviews - What do customers think about Busy Peoples Fast And Frugal Cookbook?
 | College Cooking May 20, 2010 |
I wanted to like this book. I read the preface and I was somewhat moved by the authors struggles and her valiant effort to save others from facing the same problems she faced.
However, the recipes are okay. They taste decent, but it's college-cookery at best. To save time and money, she recommends inexpensive and filling ingredients and copious use of the microwave. And by inexpensive, I don't mean grade-F quality. I mean things like sliced bread and eggs. The gourmand will be very disappointed.
But then again, this book isn't targeted at the upscale foodie. This is for the coupon-clipping moms trying to feed their families wholesome hearty meals while balancing low-paying jobs.
Let's face it, times are tough and not everyone gets to eat like a Food Network host. This book would probably be very helpful for the average Americans. But if you're on such a tight budget, can you really afford to spend $15 on a book that could have bought groceries?
This is sort of a full of good intentions and decent ideas, but is ill-conceived.
Save your money for frozen meat, eggs, and sliced bread. Don't bother with the book. | | | | Good for some, but not for all. Apr 24, 2010 |
First, let me tell you what I liked. I loved the premise of the book and the author's perspective. I didn't need to read beyond her first couple sentences to know that I could relate to her. I, too, want to save money and time when I feed my family. I like the cover. It would definitely catch my attention at a bookstore.
Some of the recipes looked good, but others did not. They just didn't look like something my family would like. So, I tried a few recipes I thought my family would like, then tried a few that I knew I would have to serve with things they liked. A couple of the recipes worked for us, but a few were just a little odd for us.
We all LOVED the chili recipe. I had some leftover beef roast to add to a can of chili (how simple can you get!) Home run! I continue to use leftover beef roast in this manner.
Unfortunately, that was the only recipe I repeated. I also found the layout a little strange. I think it may be good for a new couple who hasn't cooked much before, but for me, it had unnecessary extra information. Some of the recipes were too simple, and I didn't find them to be overly frugal.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...]<[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
| | |  | Good basic cookbook, but not sure how frugal? Apr 16, 2010 |
The words "fast" and "frugal" are sure to interest many cooks, busy families, working people and others. While I do think these recipes could be prepared easily, I think they kind of miss the mark on being truly frugal.
Take, for example, the "Reuben Egg Bake" recipe on p. 6. It calls for 8 egg whites (or egg beaters), rye bread, and packaged corn beef, among other things. I also find things like ricotta cheese and feta cheese in the ingredients which tend to be pricey.
Those ingredients in quantity enough to feed my family, are most definitely not frugal, not at least, in the way I think of frugal. What am I going to do with the 8 egg yolks if I don't use egg beaters? Sure, I can make substitutions all through this book for the expensive ingredients, but then you sort of wonder if you just should have gotten a different book. Delicious? Definitely. But not particularly frugal.
There seems to be heavy use "fat free" ingredients as well as on somewhat processed, prepackaged foods. Here are some I found: stuffing mix, bisquick, "Healthy Ones skinless smoked sausage," taco seasoning mix packets, egg beaters, non-dairy creamer, butter flavored syrup, Fancy Shredded Fiesta Blend Cheese, fat-free cream of mushroom soup, liquid smoke, butter buds, fat-free vanilla yogurt, no-yolks noodles and the list goes on! Not rendering a judgement on these items, just telling you what to expect. I suppose these ingredients help with the "fast" part of the title.
The recipes taste fine. While there is a big emphasis on low-fat, they are definitely not low sugar or low carb so be aware of that. If you already shop for these kinds of ingredients, you will likely love this book. If you were hoping for a more "make it yourself" kind of frugal, this is not the book for you. | | | | Canned and bland .... Mar 18, 2010 |
What a disappointment! For a cookbook that claims to offer "delicious recipes that are healthy AND easy on the budget!," this book leaves a LOT to be desired.
Since when is canned chicken "frugal"? Since when is a HUGE amount of sodium "healthy"? OK, I'll give you "fast," but not THAT much faster than using fresh ingredients. Only a few dishes are seasoned with anything more than salt and pepper. Recipes using canned diced potatoes, canned sliced carrots, canned mixed veggies, canned pasta sauces, etc., and sodium well over 1000 mg per serving abound. How about a chunky tomato soup consisting of 2 jars of spaghetti sauce, a can of diced tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning, a handful of fresh kale (one of the few recipes that uses ANY fresh ingredients at all), some ground turkey, and 3 tablespoons of Spenda(?!?)? Or a "Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup" using two cans of chicken breast, canned sliced carrots, chicken broth made from bouillon, minced garlic from a jar and fresh celery, with fettucine, thickened with cornstarch. When I see a name like "Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup," I expect there to be some element of "cream" associated with it: cream, half-and-half, evaporated milk, sour cream, etc. Not this one. There are several other naming "issues" -- minestrone that contains ground beef, chowder that is really just a vegetable soup in a clear broth, etc. Many recipes call for "egg whites" -- with the suggestion to add some artificial yellow food coloring (!) to make them look more like "real" eggs. Did anyone actually bother to test these recipes? Several of the main-dish recipes call for "vanilla yogurt" combined with "Cajun seasoning," canned pasta sauce or canned tomatoes. Surely they mean *plain* yogurt??
But my biggest beef (no pun intended) with this book is the lack of quality fresh ingredients. Honestly -- fresh chicken will almost always be cheaper than canned; fresh veggies will be cheaper (and contain more nutrients) than canned (I don't have as much of an issue with frozen veggies, as they tend to be more nutrient-rich than canned). And the time to table when using fresh ingredients isn't THAT much different!
There are a number of VERY good cookbooks that address the need to create nutritious meals quickly and on a budget -- do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. (Desperation Dinners is one that uses mostly fresh ingredients.) | | |  | Fast meals for busy cooks.... Feb 10, 2010 |
The Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook has a great premise: fast, healthy meals for the family. The cookbook has an interesting layout, complete with nutritional information and a shopping list for each recipe, and most recipes also have a photo. The recipes are fast and family-friendly.
My only problem with the cookbook is that it seems to use a lot of prepacked ingredients. Most of the ingredient lists call for canned goods of one sort or another, and several recipes only include canned goods - nothing freshly prepared. While that is alright once in a while, I like to actually cook things-you know, from scratch! I think that this book should have been marketed more for beginning cooks, not just the "fast and frugal" crowd. Readers may have been more satisfied with a cookbook for beginners that uses a lot of canned and prepacked ingredients.
The recipes really are fast, though. And most of them seem tasty enough. As for the frugal part, well, buying all packaged ingredients all of the time does not seem as frugal as it could be.
Beginning cooks, check out The Busy People's Fast and Frugal Cookbook. For those seasoned cooks out there, who like to cook from scratch, you might want to look elsewhere unless you are looking for recipes with a fast preparation time. | | | Write your own review about Busy Peoples Fast And Frugal Cookbook
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