[.ca] Guy Food: Rachael Ray's Top 30 30-Minute Meals (ISBN 1891105213)

Good Gift Book for Young Guys First Learning to Cook:
Many young men mainly subsist on cold cereal, take-out pizza, and macaroni and cheese meals they make from a box. How will they ever develop past using the microwave for heating frozen foods? Rachael Ray's small book, 30 30-Minute Meals "Guy Food" can help. If you already own Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals cookbooks, realize that these meals are reprints from those volumes. If you are concerned about keeping down your weight, these meals aren't the best. You'll need to substitute lower-calorie versions of some of the ingredients. But true to Rachael Ray's roots, the choices of spices and the ease of preparation are both very good. Rachael seems to be assuming that the male chef hasn't spent much time in the kitchen before. The recommendations are unusually simple to prepare. But when I was 20, this small book would have been just about perfect for my skill and confidence level in the kitchen. Here are some of my favorites in the book: Outside-in bacon cheeseburgers (I hate the mess that cheese makes when it's on top!) Manly Manny's chili Blackened chicken pizza Asparagus with orange and sesame Spinach pasta with asparagus, artichoke, and arugula Veal scaloppini with wine, mushrooms, and green olives Tenderloin steaks with gorgonzola Sirloin Bourguignonne burgers John's haddock with bacon, onions, and tomatoes Steak au poivre Cubano burgers with mango-black bean salsa Grilled halibut tacos with guacamole sauce Tuna steak au poivre on white beans with peppers Marinated grilled flank steak Sweet 'n spicy chicken curry in a hurry Delmonico steaks with balsamic onions and steak sauce Chorizo and shrimp quesadillas with smoky guacamole Balsamic pork tenderloins Roasted ratatouille vegetables As you can see, most young men will probably want to pick one or two items a week to prepare . . . perhaps for an eat-in date or for having the guys over to watch a game. The food is heartier than most would want to eat every day. If this book is a success for you, I suggest that you graduate next to Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8. That cookbook will allow you to have more variety and learn how to entertain small groups.