THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION : REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK
Updated and Revised

BY PEG BRACKEN
50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

"There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who don't cook out of and have NEVER cooked out of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK, and the other kind...The I HATE TO COOK people consist mainly of those who find other things more interesting and less fattening, and so they do it as seldom as possible. Today there is an Annual Culinary Olympics, with hundreds of cooks from many countries ardently competing. But we who hate to cook have had our own Olympics for years, seeing who can get out of the kitchen the fastest and stay out the longest." - Peg Bracken Philosopher's Chowder. Skinny Meatloaf. Fat Man's Shrimp. Immediate Fudge Cake. These are just a few of the beloved recipes from Peg Bracken's classic I HATE TO COOK BOOK. Written in a time when women were expected to have full, delicious meals on the table for their families every night, Peg Bracken offered women who didn't revel in this obligation an alternative: quick, simple meals that took minimal effort but would still satisfy. 50 years later, times have certainly changed - but the appeal of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK hasn't. This book is for everyone, men and women alike, who wants to get from cooking hour to cocktail hour in as little time as possible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Former advertising executive who published the best-selling cookbook, “I Hate to Cook Book.” She sold more than three million copies and relieved the anxieties of millions of American women who did not like slaving over a hot stove. Bracken, a full-time employee and a reluctant cook, pooled her friends' recipes that did not take hours to prepare. Her wry take on cooking helped women save time by cutting steps in the kitchen and using convenient mixes as key ingredients. She wrote several other cookbooks in her life with the same sarcastic spin. Peg Bracken died on October 20, 2007, in Portland, Oregon.

Meet Peg's daughter, Jo Bracken, by visiting her blog.

MY REVIEW:

Funny how things come back around if you wait long enough. For example, that long empire waist flowing dress from the 70s is back in style with the young women of today, or drinking martinis is back in fashion again after being a staple in the 50s. And so it is no surprise to find Peg Bracken’s THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK written fifty years ago is back and needed now more than ever. Written originally to help the mothers caring for family and home and still expected to have a home cooked meal on the table each night, this cookbook is once again in fashion and has been updated and revised by the author’s daughter, Jo Bracken.

In the foreword, Jo Bracken writes about how now we deal with an MP3, PDA, DVD, etc while still running a household yet still can’t find a way to add more hours to the day so we can get food prepared to eat. Whether Mom or Dad, many people today will find relief in this book as an alternate to the delivery or take-out that has become the answer for these busy people, as well as the ones who just plain hate to cook! Bracken admits right away that the book is definitely for those who would rather relax by the pool then spend time cooking in the kitchen. As a baby boomer myself, I know my generation will enjoy the author’s sense of humor and be able to reminisce about their younger days.

The cook book reads more like a novel with recipes and the reference to things being prepared prior to microwaves and food processors, and using double boilers and pressure cookers while having a drink, smoking a cigarette, and frying in some good old lard, makes for an entertaining, as well as useful, read. Most of the ingredients are the normal things we tend to have around the house. The word that caught my eye most often was “fast” as that makes the chance of my trying a recipe even better.

The book is filled with everyday recipes that draw your eye to the chapter immediately. Some of my favorites are “The Leftover-OR Every Family Needs a Dog”, “Potluck Suppers-OR How to Bring the Water for the Lemonade”, and “Company’s Coming-OR Your Back’s to the Wall”. The book also includes a “30 Day-by-Day Entrees” chapter that is also known as “The Rock Pile” and my favorite, “Desserts-OR People are Too Fat Anyway”. The chapter on “Household Hints” is filled with 75 really useful hints that also lend themselves to being green and ecologically conscience. “Equivalents, Et Cetera” is MOST helpful as, come on, how many of us really remember how many teaspoons make up a gallon anyway? It also includes those magic tidbits of what you can substitute if you don’t have something you need. I think this is a really useful and fun book and probably some may complain about there not being any pictures but myself, I prefer it that way. I always hate to cook something and then when mine doesn’t look anything like the picture, get totally defeated and depressed. Thanks Jo Bracken for bringing back her mom’s wonderful book to a whole new generation of “cooks”!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO ANNA AND MY FRIENDS
AT THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE THREE COPIES OF THIS
COLLECTIBLE ANNIVERSARY EDITION
COOK BOOK TO GIVEAWAY!

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GOOD LUCK!