Cookbook review

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, February 2020; written by Tammy Dinsmore

I’m not one to do much entertaining. No fancy dinner parties or cocktail parties. I like to cook, but a get together with family or a couple of friends is all I manage to do every once in a while. The last time I had friends over, we spent the afternoon in my kitchen baking cookies. I made a cheese ball, and we ate that with crackers, we chatted, baked, and of course we taste tested the cookies. It was great.

When I picked up a cookbook by Alison Roman called “Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over”, I thought oh good, I like simple things I can make when company comes for dinner. Umm…while there are recipes that I may attempt to make, I don’t consider some of them “unfussy”. What does sound good (and easy) are things like Buttered Salmon with Red Onion and Dill, and Citrus Chicken Rested in Herbs. Those two recipes have minimal ingredients that I can find readily at the grocery store. Her recipe for Overnight Focaccia Tonight sounds yummy, but I would not attempt it on a weeknight, unless I wanted to eat at nine or ten at night. It requires three proofing periods, each 45 minutes to an hour. I’ll save that one for a weekend. The salads are not weighed down with heavy dressings, but are dressed with a simple squeeze of citrus or a splash of vinegar and olive oil. For dessert, there is a Crushed Blackberry and Cornmeal Cake that I really want to try.

One thing she says is that if things don’t turn out, have a backup plan! Ordering pizza is always good. And she says, laugh.

Another cookbook, more to my speed, is “Six Ingredients with Six Sisters’ Stuff: 100+ Fast and Easy Family Meals”. Most of the recipes here use already prepared ingredients like biscuit dough, taco seasoning, jarred marinara, etc. The 5-Ingredient Turkey Meatloaf uses stuffing mix and onion soup mix. The authors make use of a slow cooker for many recipes, which makes for easy prep. Roasted Balsamic Carrots and Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash are a couple of side dishes that look good and are easy to make. I want to try the Cheesy Pull-Apart Biscuits. I think those would be good with a hearty soup or stew. Hmmm, maybe this weekend!

Whether you are cooking for company, family or just yourself and whatever your culinary recipe wants or needs are, you will most likely find something on our shelves to satisfy.